I requested to see an endo after a hemithyrpidectomy has left me with some hypo symtoms. Endo has brushed me off saying all my level.are perfectly normal and that i don't need to see them.
My TSH is 3.7
T4 wasn't done with itnbut was 10.5 last time.
I am wondering wether to push for levo as i am.experienving hair loss and breakage...or wether this will.make.my thyroid become lazy and i would cope without? Will i need to keep uping my dose and make the remaining half lazy uf i start of levo. Also i have no udea what T3 is can so.eone explain. And also why doe the thyroid struggle.to break down vitamins with high TSH level?
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Sasah
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Your TSH is too high, even if it is 'in-range'. A euthyroid TSH would be around 1. Over 3 is hypo.
Taking levo does not make your thyroid 'lazy'! It will stop it producing hormone when your dose gets high enough - and, yes, you will have to keep increasing your dose until you get to the right one - because it will reduce your TSH and the thyroid cannot make hormone without the stimulus of the TSH. But that is the whole point and there's no other way of doing it. The alternative is to carrying on feeling bad with a struggling thyroid until it gives up completely.
T3 is the active thyroid hormone. T4 (levo) is basically a storage hormone that doesn't do very much until it is converted into T3, which is needed by every single cell in your body to function correctly. Not everybody is good at conversion, which is why some people have to take some T3 with their T4.
The thyroid doesn't break down vitamins, whether the TSH is high or low. In fact, I'm not sure what you mean by 'break down' vitamins. The thyroid needs good levels of all nutrients to function correctly, but that has nothing to do with your thyroid not functioning correctly. The problem with your thyroid is that there's half of it missing and the other half is incapable of increasing output, which to my mind is perfectly normal.
Well, they would, but they know very little about thyroid.
Meant to ask, what is the range for that FT4? Results without ranges are meaningless because ranges vary from lab to lab.
TSH levels have absolutely nothing to do with your age. The TSH is a chemical messenger from the pituitary to the thyroid telling it to make more or less thyroid hormone. So, if your TSH is high, it means that your thyroid hormone levels are too low. Which is why you need thyroid hormone replacement.
So am i better off not letting my thyroid operate natually even if in the 3's than deend on meds.... its just a mind field.
No, because your thyroid is unable to make enough hormone to keep you well. It's not a mine field, basically it's all quite logical when you know how it works. You cannot live without thyroid hormone, and you need a certain amount to keep you well. Whether that hormone comes from your thyroid or a pill, you have to have it.
Does ypur body not absorbe Vitamins properly if yiu have a high TSH. If so why?
It's nothing to do with your TSH. The TSH is totally irrelevant, it doesn't do much. It is just a very rough guide to thyroid status.
The problem is low FT3 - and if your TSH is high it's a sign that your FT3 is low. When T3 is low, it affects how the stomach works. Not enough stomach acid is secreted to digest your food correctly, so nutrients are not available for absorption.
Thank you so much for taking time to reply. They didn't test my T4 last time but they did in Feb and it was 10.5 a few weeks befor it was 11 range was (9.1-17.6) so lower end but in range.
It's not just about being somewhere in-range, it's about being in the right place within the range. And a person with no thyroid problems - euthyroid - would have an FT4 around mid-range. So your FT4 is much too low for good health.
I am so annoyed they didn't share all this or look at it...tgey have fobbed me off saying better i don't start meds and i am in range. If i try Levo and it makes no difference to how u feel can i come off and will my thyroid still function.
They didn't share it because they didn't know. They haven't got a clue as to how it all works. They don't have any more training than a GP.
Levo probably would make a difference to how you feel, if you take enough of it. But you have to start on a low dose and work your way up slowly. It can take months, if not years, to find the right dose. But, if you came off it at some point, your thyroid would probably start making the small amount of hormone it was making before you started the levo, depending on the TSH. The thyroid can't make any hormone without the TSH and that can take a long time to rise.
Surepy Endo know this so whynis an expert in the situation saying I am ok and thatbi don't need meds surely they can see that i need more T4 to function as b4 the op.
the majority of endocrinologists are NOT experts in thyroid disease or it's treatment . they are experts in diabetes ( allegedly ) , as a general rule the endocrinology profession have very little interest in anything to do with they thyroid. ( beyond looking for 'normal' TSH levels , and treating galloping hyperthyroidism )
anything more nuanced than that and you are basically 'on your own' .
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 3-5 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
In days before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate folate supplement (eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg) and continue separate B12 if last test result serum B12 was below 500 or active B12 (private test) under 70
Hi, this is an opinion only.Endos only see you if life threatening, waste of time really. We are not important enough to warrant extra care.
Thyroxine in my experience, only offers 50% help the rest I live with, its never right.
My results were always up/down, Doctor has not adjusted now for a year, and just says SATISFACTORY!
I feel we don't get enough help, and Thyroid is a topic not all doctors are able to help us with...some no very little, but our lives our in their hands.
I'm still trying to find answers and would lv to see a Endo, but unlikely.
Some Endo's aren't worth visiting as they know diddlysquat about thyroid+only deal with diabetes. I found that with an NHS Endo so used the list of private GPs+Endo's from Thyroid UK - was the best decision ever. Got my life back and my figure!! Trust you get your life back soon!!
Symptoms and bloodwork varies a lot between individuals (with lots of overlaps, obviously).
Can you see another GP and ask for a trial of Levo?
Meanwhile can you get vitamins tested - either through GP or privately. Hypothyroidism tends towards low vit d, b12, folate and ferritin and these can cause symptoms by themselves.
Do post more questions as they arise, post any future blood work and keep in touch with how you get on.
It's how I feel when my thyroid is not functioning.. well, one of the many symptoms!
Just take things one by one. It's not an easy road. As you're finding out, medical people are not always a great help. And it can take a while. But you will get there. You've got lots of great advice already.
It would be helpful to do a full thyroid blood test (TSH, T3, T4) as well as vitamins (vit D, B12, folate, and ferritin). If you can and if you do, post the results here and people will offer invaluable advice from their lived experience with thyroid conditions. ThyroidUK is another great resource and full of information.
It's clear your thyroid is not working. Levothyroxine is needed. Yes, you'll most likely be on it for life. But another way of looking at it, is that your body is really struggling at the moment. T3 is needed everywhere in your body. So by not being able to produce enough on your own, many parts of your body are struggling and working really really hard to keep up. By giving your body Levo you'll be supporting your body to function and maintain its health. Not having it will lead to a cascade of problems and it's better to avoid those in the first place.
Levothyroxine is Ft4 and it converts to Ft3 in your cells
We always start on just levothyroxine
Standard STARTER dose is 50mcg (unless over 65 years old…..then would start on 25mcg)
Retest bloods 6-8 weeks after each dose increase in levothyroxine
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)
Important to test and maintain GOOD vitamin levels for good conversion of Ft4 (levothyroxine) to Ft3 (active hormone)
Thank you. If my bloods don't improve i will request a trial on a low dose. Thanks again dude. I have been feeling pretty low as in not wanting to go on so i really appreciate your help.
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