TSH

[sidneymark70]

So is a TSH of 14 bad?! Certainly feel bad!!

[Clarebear]

Yes a TSH of 14 is quite bad - I felt very ill when my TSH was 15.0 (pre-diagnosis). Are you on treatment and if so how much and for how long? x

[mummytina]

Yes it is the range is somewhere between 0.3 and 4.75 apparently the lower the better no wonder you feel bad.

Are you on any thyroid meds? If so how much and what has your doctor said?

Also have you had your B12 and folate tested would be worth it.

Tina x

[Flutegal]

It could be a lot worse but good thing you've caught it now.

[sidneymark70]

Thank you all, I am after today on 25 mg thyroxine daily and going back for blood test in 4 to 6 weeks. I did ask today for a B12 check aswell but didnt have the courage to ask for a folate (what is this by the way?) Have been on 25 mg every other day for some years now but dont feel any better. Totally exhausted at the moment, foggy headed, cant concentrate and picking up lots of viruses and feel low,

[PinkNinja in reply to sidneymark70]

folate is folic acid, another B vitamin. You could always supplement anyway as it is water soluble and unlikely to cause toxicity. If you are taking B12 it is a good idea to also take the other B vitamins.

[Hidden]

TSH is actually a measure of pituitary hormone to tell your thyroid to produce more, it was meant to tell what your thyroid needs, but it doesn't. Free T4 and free T3 (actual thyroid hormones) are better tests, ask for these

- you should be entitled to these if TSH is out of range (my lab range here is up to 5.5) so yours is high and out of range - they test blood then ignore the results! but docs advice is not to treat until it gets to 10 - which is flawed. here's the main site about diagnosis..

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/diagno...

OK 25 is a start but probably not enough to make any difference to how you feel.

Meanwhile other vitamins and minerals can affect your thyroid working properly - such as irons folate ferratin B12 and Vitamin D (which controls calcuim levels). But GPs don't tend to test these, unfortunately - we can but ask! and if they're low it's worth supplementing anyway.

Jane

[Jackie]

Hi Make sure you have had a Free T3 test, normally low FT3 is linked to high TSH , weight etc. I need mine near the top of range. If GP will not do one then if willing to pay OK on line.Make sure you use a Lab the GP will recognise as you will need to have the T3 on a script ,if needed.,More dubious methods are expensive anyway,

Jackie

[Hidden]

May I ask what your TSH was when your GP started you on 25mcg T4 every other day? It seems to me s/he should be aiming to raise T4 before your next test in 4-6 weeks. You're on a starting dose which may make you feel worse by shutting off your body's production of T4 while not providing sufficient replacement.

Just to give an example of a different experience, when my TSH was hovering around 3, my endo raised my dose to 150mcg daily (which he says is a 'typical' dose), and he is aiming to keep my TSH under 1. I'm just saying this so you can see that in the scheme of things, 25 is a very tiny dose which would not be suitable for anything but a starting dose for most people.

Apologies if I've got this wrong, but if your GP has been treating you with this little dab of levo 'for some years' and you're just feeling worse and worse, TSH getting higher, etc, it seems like s/he may either not know much about thyroid problems or is not giving your assessment/treatment adequate priority. You may have to press for more attentive treatment and timely tests/adjustments to medication. I find this the hardest part of treatment, but if you can determine why your GP isn't giving you better treatment, at least you can tailor your approach to either try to educate, press harder for attention or possibly find a different GP.

Good luck!

[sidneymark70 in reply to Hidden]

Oh dear the more I read the more confused I get! Its a minefield isnt it? Was diagnosed with Hashimotos many years ago but was told it wasnt bad enough to do anything about it. It wasnt until some years ago that I found out about this forum, which was then sent out in hard copy by Lynn. From reading literature, I started wondering if my long term depression and exhaustion and foggy head were due to thyroid malfunction. I saw a few doctors (who I wont name on here) that I found via the literature I was sent and did try taking Armour but I didnt feel at all well on that, one day I was on the train and I had such a hyper episode (extreme palpitations etc) I thought I was going to pass out. That put me off so I eventually started taking thyroxine via my own GP (cant remember how much but imagine 25 mg) and taking that every day had a similar effect on me - yes even on such a low dose. Thats why I have been taking it every other day since then. However my GP said yesterday, as my TSH is now 14 and I'm feeling dreadful, to put it up gradually starting with 25 mg every day. I was hoping I would start feeling better soon on that. I would like to see a private doctor again but just cant afford it. Think with me, the margin between too much and too little thyroxine is SO delicate. Actually feel bit desperate today.

Thanks anyway Hollyann.

[Hidden in reply to sidneymark70]

Hi sidneymark70. No, that was my mistake. I'm sorry what I wrote was confusing. Obviously yours is not the 'typical' case where the T4 would just be raised gradually until you felt better and TSH was relatively low.

I've read so many cases here of a doctor who kept the levo dose very low even though tests show a high TSH and the person is very symptomatic. (In fact, after my first endo appointment, I was advised to lower my dose to 25mcg even with a TSH high in the normal range and all the symptoms of being hypo.) Your story sounded similar but it obviously isn't.

It sounds like you've had a really rough time. What did the private doctors say about the palpitations? Was your T3 tested?

I really feel for you.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

PS. I found this link, which may be irrelevant, but I thought I'd pass it on in case it is at all illuminating in terms of the tests taken and the info near the bottom about thyroxine intolerance.

endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/...

[sidneymark70 in reply to Hidden]

He said the palpitations would go the more I took Armour. The palpitations have only just returned and go along with how rough I've been feeling for a month or so, so I just imagined I had them because my body was having to work too hard to just keep me going. My GP really didnt seem to have any compassion yesterday. She just said hopefully on a higher dose I would skipping into the surgery next time! Most amusing eh? Thanks again.

[Hidden in reply to sidneymark70]

I have palpitations etc. without Thyroid medication (borderline) and am trying to eliminate any other reason, NutriT made them worse and I stopped, thinking there was something else going on, now sorted Vit D, better but still occasional palps.

There may be loads of reasons for your symptoms -

~are you on any other medication?

~could be because it is a low T4 dose, 'enough to stop any production, not enough to do any good'.

~You should investigate if your vitamins and minerals are within good levels first, also

~some report an underlying adrenal issue.

~Some folks can't tolerate Levo, but maybe the correct dose would work? there's different makes inc liquid & folks take it at different times, & away from food

Not sure if you say you've tried Armour or you mean Levo (T4), as the latter is the usual one to start (85% HypoT sufferers take this seemingly without problems). Jane

[sidneymark70 in reply to Hidden]

Yes am on Levothyroxine (25 g daily) and am Sertraline 50 mg antidepressant (but trying to come off it, although my GP is a bit dubious about this, but think thats only because if I keep taking it I might not bother her!) Whats NutriT? Am having blood test for thyroid and B12 in 4 weeks. Would like to have everything checked and trying to find out who I can go to privately and how much it would cost. Any ideas?

[Hidden in reply to sidneymark70]

Private blood tests (if your GP won't do them)

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

NutriT is a natural supplement which some folks try, Armour was an original thyroid treatment, which worked as it contains natural dessicated Thyroid hormones (T1 to T5) aka NDT from pigs.

Can't say about anti-depressants except have managed to avoid them (some are contra-indicated with Thyroid probs) however, in my humble opinion they seem to be dished out willynilly for insomnia & other Thyroid symptoms, (12 funding points for depression 1 for HypoT).

J

[sidneymark70 in reply to Hidden]

Totally agree with you about anti depressants but when you're desperate?! Dont understand what you mean by 12 funding points for depression 1 for HypoT? Go easy with me, am very new on here!

[Hidden in reply to sidneymark70]

That's OK - I knew nothing before I came here too. Yes we do tend to trust the doc, as we should - but I seem to have become a little cynical without proper treatment.

Link to GP funding...

thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...

Depression is a hot topic here, as that's what GPs tend to pick up on - I didn't really know why. Jane