Pituitary gland not producing TSH

[Cricket-mas]

Oct 14, 2022 I had a 3rd Covid Booster shot. The next day I had the "normal" flu symptoms. Oct 20, six days later, I felt I had been hit by a bus, hurting literally from head to toe with different kinds of pain along with heartburn and leg swelling. I figured this was just a reaction that would subside with time, but after 2 months of extreme difficulty in walking because knee and leg pain were still with me, I went to the doctor who tested for thyroid as a routine. From TSH=.281 (Aug, 2022, prior to Covid booster) the reading dropped to TSH=.051 (Dec 2022) to <.008 (Aug 2023 and Sept 2023).

During this time my thyroid medications were ave. 42mcg /day T3, decreasing to ave. 30 mcg T3 through a 6 month period and currently at 30 mcg. T4 went from 25 mcg/ day T4, increasing to 50 mcg/day.

The local doctor said I could not have had such a booster shot reaction, therefore my symptoms did not exist as a result. I believe this was so that they would not have to go through the work of reporting an adverse reaction. An adverse reaction was never acknowledged nor recorded on my records.

My current doctor thinks dropping the T3 dose to 15 mcg/day for 2 weeks trial will stimulate the TSH back into production, and an endocrinologist, whom I never met, agreed with her. However, experience tells me the diminished T3 will be pure hell to endure.

I believe the Pituitary gland, the controller for both the immune system and thyroid stimulating hormone, was knocked off kilter by the Covid immunity organisms, and is not producing any TSH at all.

After a year, the pain is slowly leaving, but returns when T3 is low. I can function on 30 mcg/day T3 (spread into 3 doses) and 50 mcg T4. My question is: will the TSH come back with time or is that pituitary function lost? The doctors all seem to think this dosage of T3 will cause a heart attack, even though I have no other health conditions than hypothyroidism. Is this probable?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

TSH is invariably extremely low or suppressed on almost any dose of T3 and is unlikely to rise unless stopped T3 completely

The MOST important results are always Ft3 followed by Ft4

Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

On T3 - day before test split T3 as 2 or 3 smaller doses spread through the day with last dose 8-12 hours before test

You quite likely need dose increase

What are most recent B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D levels

[Cricket-mas in reply to SlowDragon]

What if the missing TSH is pituitary? The affects I experienced were SUDDEN, and I am still having difficulty getting back in balance in medication after a year. I cannot risk the major disruption in quality of life to find out whether the pituitary gland had just decided to be lazy, or it had been attacked by the Covid anti-bodies and can't get back to the normal levels of TSH prior to the Covid booster. What kind of testing would show this?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Cricket-mas]

What was TSH before starting on replacement thyroid hormone

Did you start on levothyroxine initially

When did you start T3

TSH will remain low or suppressed as long as you are taking T3

TSH is often low/suppressed on levothyroxine too

[Cricket-mas in reply to SlowDragon]

I started T3 50 years ago, and there is no way of knowing what the TSH was. I had been functioning well on whatever replacement regime--T3 only, T4 only--until menopause. For the last 20 years I have been on T3, with the introduction of T4 in the last 3 years. What happened to me with the Covid booster was a shock to my system and after a year I am still trying to get in balance. My doctors have not been any help, with the standard answer of 'no TSH: stop the T3--or else you will have heart failure'. I don't think anyone who has been on T3 for over half the last half century can tolerate such a drastic change to their system, and I am reluctant to be the guinea pig unless carefully monitored. I just wish my doctors would take me seriously before refusing to renew my regular prescription.

This article ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl... acknowledges there can be a relationship between Covid and thyroid.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Cricket-mas]

I definitely would NOT recommend stopping, or even reducing (or increasing) T3 by tiny amount

[ThyroidDays]

FLCCC in US are a team of frontline Drs & Specialists who have Covid & vaccine injury recovery programmes. Drs don’t have to legally report vaccine injuries and as time consuming they don’t. You can report it yourself to Govt Yellow Card Reporting system online which most people don’t realise. My friend is an ex nurse who collapsed after AZ and her son collapsed after Pfizer (myocarditis) both ended up in A & E but neither Consultant reported their injuries and she didn’t know she could report them. She’s now reported both,

[Cricket-mas in reply to ThyroidDays]

Yes, I did report the reaction, but without the medicalese there was no real substantiation of the reaction. I could be just any old batty hypochondriac wanting some attention.

At the time I reported the reaction, I did not know that there could be a known link between Covid and thyroiditis/hypothyroidism; I only knew what I felt. My doctor was very dismissive that I had any reaction, saying the fact I could not walk (the reason for the visit) was because of high blood pressure--a singular event from the effort of walking from waiting room to examining room.

[thyr01d]

I have read that the pituitary gland can be scanned for damage - however I don't know to what extent it has to be damaged for anything to show. Perhaps you could find out and then this might be a way for you to find out? I gather severe haemhorrage (sp) or a head injury can damage the pituitary if that's relevant?

[Charlie-Farley]

Hi Cricket-mas

Just read your post - as  SlowDragon says don't reduce. The ignorance of these so called medical professionals is mind blowing. In every case I have read of those doing well on T3 or T3 combo AND DOING WELL the TSH has been below range. The purpose of the TSH (Thyroid stimulating Hormone) is to stimulate the thyroid into producing hormone.

It does what it says on the tin and if it is not being produced it is either the body has enough thyroid hormone or the pituitary is not producing TSH. They don't seem to understand this🤔 So the next bit would blow their minds!

Hashimoto's and Central Hypothyroidism are also not mutually exclusive. If one has Hashimoto's that does not preclude one from ALSO having Central Hypothyroidism. The fact they don't consider it does not mean it does not exist.

Stick to your guns!

[Cricket-mas in reply to Charlie-Farley]

Thank you for your support. Where the doctors seem to have the upper hand is not renewing my T3 prescription, should they stick to their guns. I have noticed that when I take my T3 doses seems to make a difference in how I feel during the day, so will work with that until I get an appointment with an endocrinologist, who will hopefully let me stay on T3.

[Charlie-Farley in reply to Cricket-mas]

Push back hard Cricket-mas 🤗