hypothyroid pls help

[lion11]

hi all, been diagnosed with borderline hypothyroid in march,normal t4-14 and tsh -5.85… main system fatigue n drowsyness, put on thyroxine 25. for 8 weeks was feeling great! and then had diarrhea for 3 weeks was getting week call the dr n was told to stop taking thyroxine… diarrhea improved instantly, first week without med was great now im in week 2 feeling awfull called the dr n was told continue thyroxine again!…. what can i do pls anyone ??

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Welcome to forum. 

What brand were you given, was a single brand or more than one brand given? 

25mcg is a half standard starting dose, usually for children / elderly or those with heart conditions.  Too low a dose can sometimes worsen the situation.  

Replacement initially rises thyroid levels but ultimately replaces what thyroid can’t produce. So by 6-8 weeks you need a retest & likely dose increase. 

Did dr stop without checking levels?  And now restart without rechecking levels?

The stomach issue may have been reaction to brand, possibly unrelated, or as gluten issues are common with thyroid issues may even be related to this. Especially if your thyroid issues are due to autoimmune.  

TSH & FT4 is not a complete test.  Has TPO & TG antibodies been tested? This will show if autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s) is causing low levels. 

Also important to test the active thyroid hormone FT3 and nutrients Folate, ferritin, B13 & vitamin D.  

Poor nutrients is common with thyroid issues & can make tolerating levo more difficult. 

Many use private home fingerprick tests (extra fee for venous draw at clinics or at home).  As often only way to obtain full thyroid testing as GPs often won’t test everything such as FT3 & Vitamin D.  

For thyroid test for consistency it’s recommended you fast overnight, arrange blood sample for close to 09.00.  Stop any supplements containing biotin 3 days before as biotin can skew results. 

Medichecks offers an advanced thyroid including. Thyroid function, TPO & TG antibodies, key nutrients including vitamin D & CRP inflammation marker.  

Monitor my health (MMH) offers an advance thyroid but only test TPO.

There are a number of companies & options,  this page list them with discounts codes available.  

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

Always include lab ranges with results as ranges vary between labs.

[lion11 in reply to PurpleNails]

hi thnx alot for your reply, really appreciate it…im on mercury pharma brand …more info after i was put on thyroxine 25 checked after 6 weeks… tsh 2.50 n t4 -14 so thats y dr wanted me to continue med. arnd week 8 i had diarrhea n gassy was terrible, also my Thyroid peroxidase abs is 216. i stopped med fr 2 weeks n started again today … dr asked to check blood in 6 weeks. do u think i might have gone hyper?

[PurpleNails Administrator in reply to lion11]

So after 6 weeks your TSH has come down into range but your FT4 (free thyroxine) hasn’t made an improvement.

Normally an increase at this stage is ideal.  FT3 hasn’t been tested.  Most feel well with TSH around 1, more importantly the FT4 in top 3rd of range & FT3 at least top 50%. 

Some doctors say if TSH is in range job done, but there’s lots of information & articles saying otherwise.

 I’d be quite certain you’re not over replaced as you except your TSH to drop below range & FT4 & FT3 to rise above range. 

More likely there’s an ingredient in brand causing the issue.  

TPO of 216 is usually a positive level unless the range is very different.  This confirms your low thyroid function is caused by autoimmune damage.   It is possible levels naturally fluctuate, sometimes to transient hyper levels.  This is due the the damaged cells of the thyroid releasing hormones stores, but this occurs early on. 

[lion11 in reply to PurpleNails]

hi thnx again….i dont have the previous t4… this result is after thyroxine 6 weeks… i thought about over medicated cos after med for 6 weeks i felt great.. finally could focus. n then arnd week 8 i was feeling gassy diarrhea n not myself. same this after dr asked me to stop med, for 10 days was feeling great n got the symptoms again

[FearFracture in reply to PurpleNails]

I have hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto’s. I will be seeing my endocrinologist soon and I want to make sure he is running all of the proper blood tests at the same time as I have seen recommended on this website. Can you give me, or point me to, a list of all the things that should be checked. Thank you.

[PurpleNails Administrator in reply to FearFracture]

Please can you put this in a new post of your own.

Add in new post your history & if you are seeing NHS or private doctor.