Thyroid levels

[Mona1304]

Hi. I was put on 25mg of levothyroxine just over 3 years ago. Then moved onto 50 mg 2 years ago. My TSH has been 3.48, 3.56 & latest 2.56. My Dr tells me this is within the normal range and I don’t need to increase to 75mg. However I have read that it should at least be under 2.50. I am in my sixties & no other health concerns/conditions. However, I often feel fatigued & have other minor issues such as hair thinning etc. Am I right to persist increasing my levothyroxine level? Appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks

[FancyPants54]

Yes you are! Your doctor is ignorant and not thinking straight. The reference range is just that, a range. You are not optimal. Your TSH will probably need to be around 1, sometimes below 1 to feel well. You definitely need an increase to 75mcg now and then retest in 8 weeks time and if the TSH is still above 1, another increase. Depending where the TSH is by then, you might need to increase more slowly at that point, by 12.5mcg rather than another 25mcg. But you won't know that until you get there.

Your GP left you on a baby starter dose of 25mcg for an entire year! They know nothing. Take control. Be assertive. Tell him/her you insist on an increase to reduce your TSH closer to the bottom of the range. It's not the TSH that is important as we all know. But it's all this doctor will understand so there's no use talking about anything else.

Good luck!

(If he won't give it to you, you can buy your own Levothyroxine cheaply enough to try it yourself.

[Mona1304 in reply to FancyPants54]

Thank you - now to get an appointment!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Mona1304

So many doctors think that all you need to aim for is being in range, they ignore the fact that there is plenty of evidence that it should be below 2.5 or even 2, and they ignore patients' symptoms.

Here is a post containing lots of information and links about TSH should be low in range:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

take what you need, give the links/evidence to your GP and request an increase to 75mcg. If he is reluctant then maybe suggest that you should have a trial for 3 months and if you have any signs of overmedication you will immediately lower your dose and get back to him (and I'm pretty confident you wont!).

It would also be a good ídea to get a full thyroid panel. See if your GP can get FT4 at least added to TSH, if not then do your own, perhaps with Monitor My Health as this is an NHS lab at Exeter hospital who offer home tests to the general public, tests done with an NHS lab might be more acceptable to a GP than any done with a private lab.

The aim of a hypo patient on Levo only, generally, is for TSH to be 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their reference ranges, if that is where you feel well. Unfortunately all too often FT4 and FT3 are disregarded and doctors only look at TSH, goodness knows why because T4 and T3 are the thyroid hormones and only they can tell us our thyroid status when on thyroid hormone replacement, TSH is not a thyroid hormone, it's a pituitary hormone.

[Mona1304 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you will check out the link & yes perhaps getting my own blood test would help!

[SilverSavvy]

My doctor has been upgrading me from 25 through to 75 over two years but I recently went on 100 and am starting to feel so much more like my old self. As I understand it, when medicated, our TSH should no be much above 1. On the advice of this forum, I have also been trying to optimise my B and D vitamins and that makes a great deal of difference too. Plus, your doc should not be relying on TSH only (alas so many do) but looking at your T4 AND your T3 so that they can tell how well you are converting your meds into energy. You need to see a different doctor at your practice and show them some of the articles on this website about medicating symptoms and not just numbers. We are all individuals and your numbers might be just about alright for someone who isn't on meds but they are not for someone who is.

Others here will know more. But keep at it, go with how you are feeling and take the evidence from the papers here with you. It's hard to have that debate with a doc when you are feeling tired and low. But it's worth it to feel well again. Good luck!