it was 22 so nurse rung me said stop taking the 25 tablet and only the 100 and appointment bloods test march
I was on past tsh 11 a long time ago I was 4 tsh which is what I thought
The GP is supposed to adjust to get me under 5 ?
I am very animic as
ferritin serum 4 iug
Hemaglobin 83
Any advice out there ?
Have been to see doctor and read of parts of nice guidelines if ferritin low under 15. and HB under 100 should be investigated so am having lots more bloods taken in few weeks ,
And referral for gyno
Told him feel weak legs no strength up down stairs out breath huff puff
I don’t think he liked me mention that I have had this low ferritin and hb since 2021 As he wrote on my online app I was demanding and made about longer than should only 10 mins but my online days 15 he no you get 10 I write up in 5 mins so I was not to mention feeling so weak and micro anemia as they call it I think as my ref blood cells are very small not normal size and some blood from private areas it all connects together I felt like he did not like me saying no one had even brought up the very low ferryin or HB since 2021 which I did get iron tablet for 3 months and no test after but in 2023 test show all still as low .
well I hope it is not serious 😌🥲
Any advice or anyone had same results ?
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13danspen
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If TSH is 22 they should be increasing to say 150mcg not reducing to 100 mcg from current 125 mcg. I would phone reception and ask for double check of advice.
Forum advice is TSH about 1 is where people feel best.
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.
I'm wondering why your GP is reducing your dose when your TSH is as high as it is?
Most people feel well when their TSH is at or just under 1.
How do you take your Levo? It makes a huge difference to both blood results and how we feel. Levo is an extremely fussy hormone and must be taken on an empty stomach, 1 hour before anything other than water. Do not take other medications at the same time.
If GP is reluctant to prescibe iron tablets its something you can buy over the counter. Many people do well with this heme iron product:
Always take iron 4 hours away from Levo & anything else.
Have you had any other vitamins tested - folate, B12 & D3?
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.
Do you do tests as per the protocol recommended here?
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.
For levothyroxine to work well it’s essential to have GOOD vitamin levels
Vitamin D at least over 80nmol
Folate towards top of range
Serum B12 over 500
Active B12 over 70
Ferritin at least around 70
What vitamins are you currently taking
Please add most recent results and ranges
With extremely low ferritin you should be prescribed supplements and retested every 3-4 months
Are you vegetarian or vegan
Pre or post menopause
Look at increasing iron rich foods in diet
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
Suggest you refuse to reduce dose levothyroxine while you do further testing
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested
Also both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once to see if your hypothyroidism is autoimmune
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
Low vitamin levels are extremely common when hypothyroid, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease, usually diagnosed by high TPO and/or high TG thyroid antibodies
Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s
Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis.
Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.
Significant minority of Hashimoto’s patients only have high TG antibodies (thyroglobulin)
NHS only tests TG antibodies if TPO are high
20% of autoimmune thyroid patients never have high thyroid antibodies and ultrasound scan of thyroid can get diagnosis
In U.K. medics hardly ever refer to autoimmune thyroid disease as Hashimoto’s (or Ord’s thyroiditis)
Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Lower vitamin levels more common as we get older
For good conversion of Ft4 (levothyroxine) to Ft3 (active hormone) we must maintain GOOD vitamin levels
What vitamin supplements are you taking
VERY important to test TSH, Ft4 and Ft3 together
What is reason for your hypothyroidism
Autoimmune?
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)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
If you normally take levothyroxine at bedtime/in night ...adjust timings as follows prior to blood test
If testing Monday morning, delay Saturday evening dose levothyroxine until Sunday morning. Delay Sunday evening dose levothyroxine until after blood test on Monday morning. Take Monday evening dose levothyroxine as per normal
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I had my bloods done. Results 
Blood test results after 4 weeks of stopping levothyroxine
Re test after reduction in levothyroxine
New bloods and reaction to Levothyroxine
