Unstable Thyroid Function

[doonicle]

For over 20 years my underactive thyroid function was stable -taking 125mg of levothyroxine daily. Last Summer it went haywire and became overactive. Medication was reduced to 100mg and by November it was stable. Now,the results of my requested blood test show it's underactive again and my medication will be increased to 125mg again. My GP has no idea why this is happening. I've requested an appointment to see a specialist which she has done but she doesn't hold out much hope I will get one.

I've never had to be concerned about my thyroid but now at age 67 I am , as I'm sure the constant fluctuation can't be good for my long term health and I don't want to live like this -one minute anxious,insomniac-heart palpatations to then feeling sluggish, depressed , gaining weight.

Has anyone else experienced these fluctuations ? What caused them?

[pennyannie]

Hello Doonicle and welcome to the forum :

What was the reason for your being diagnosed hypothyroid -

Have your thyroid anti bodies ever been tested ?

Do you have the results and ranges that suggested you were over medicated ?

It reads as though it could be Hashimoto's which causes spikes and swings in symptoms and blood tests results -

this is an Auto Immune disease which attacks the thyroid and ultimately the thyroid becomes disabled from the AI attacks with the patient becoming hypothyroid and the treatment is T4 - Levothyroxine -

You might like to consider checking for certain food intolerances - such as gluten, dairy and wheat -

and no thyroid hormone replacement works well until ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D are up and maintained at optimal levels -

so this is another area that may need blood tests run.

thyroidpharmacist.com - might be of interest to you ?

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Welcome to the group. If you could complete your profile it helps members understand your thyroid journey so far and be able to advise you better. Click on your image icon to start. Fill out the free text box at the top.

Gps understand very little about the small details of hypo, they are generalists and even Endos dont know what patients know.

When you say your blood results showed overactive you mean over replaced. We cant be overactive as such.

What was tested? Just TSH or TSH & FT4? GPs frequently (wrongly) go by just TSH and as it varies throughout the day its not a good guide.

For proper evaluation of thyroid function we need to see TSH, FT4 & FT3. So long as FT4 & FT3 are within range you are not over replaced.

What time of day did you take your tests and did you leave a full 24 hours between your last dose of Levo and blood draw. Taking Levo just before a test can show a false high as you will be measuring what you have just taken as opposed to the stable blood level.

Other things that contribute to test results would be vitamin levels which can be low in hypo.

When hypo we get low stomach acid which means we cannot absorb vitamins well from our food, regardless of a great diet. For thyroid hormone to work well we need OPTIMAL levels of vitamins. Have you recently or could you ask your GP to test levels of ferritin, folate, B12 & D3? Private tests are available, see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

There is also a new company offering walk in& mail order blood tests in London, Kent, Sussex & Surrey areas. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Only do private tests on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid postal delays.

Recommended blood test protocol: Test at 9am (or as close as possible), fasting, last levo dose 24hrs before the blood draw & no biotin containing supplements for 3-7 days (Biotin can interfere with thyroid blood results as it is used in the testing process).

Testing like this gives consistency in your results and will show stable blood levels of hormone and highest TSH which varies throughout the day. Taking Levo/T3 just prior to blood draw can show a falsely elevated result and your GP/Endo might change your dose incorrectly as a result.

[AKatieD]

It could just be down to when the test was taken compared to when you took your medicine. Other things like supplements and HRT/ other hormone levels can affect results too.

If you follow the suggested protocol from the others ( do test first thing in the morning, fasted, no levo for 24 hours) you should get a better picture - unless that is how you tested before?

Make sure you get the detailed results and lab ranges, as g.p.s are notoriously poor at interpreting them. You can ask surgery to give you a print out