Hi,
I've been diagnosed and treated for underactive thyroid for 5 years or so now. In that time I've had a couple of antibody tests come back with high antibodies, but no-one has specifically said that I have hashimotos.
Is it possible to have high antibodies without having hashimotos? Or is hashimotos the only explanation for those high antibodies?
I'm pretty sure I've asked the same question in the past, but really, high antibodies=hashimotos. I think especially so, as you are hypo.
In the UK, they don't really call it hashimotos, they call it autoimmune thyroid disease, and they often don't mention it at all, because they don't know how to treat the autoimmune disease.
If you have high antibodies you are about 7x more likely to develop hypothyroidism (if I remember correctly). This would suggest 1 in 7 patients become hypothyroid without Hashimoto's (in iodine sufficient countries). As you are hypothyroid and have high antibodies it is very likely you have Hashimoto's but I guess not 100% certain.
But ...
I've just looked at some of your earlier posts and your TSH, fT4 looks OK suggesting you do not have primary hypothyroidism (a failing thyroid gland). So, the above comments don't apply to you. This doesn't mean you are not hypothyroid, although most endocrinologists will insist it does. There are other forms of hypothyroidism that present with normal blood levels of hormone. For example, endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can disrupt thyroid hormone binding in peripheral tissues and so cause hypothyroidism with normal blood hormone levels. The bottom line is that ultimately if other conditions are ruled out the only way forward is a trial of thyroid hormone, adjusting doses according to signs and symptoms but ensuring there are no signs of thyrotoxicosis (such as an increase in heartbeat).
Thanks for your response. Can I ask, when you say my results look fine, do you mean for someone treated or not treated? I currently take 100mcg levo and 8.25mcg (hope that's the right mass measurement thing I always worry) t3.
Going to add in my latest results given what other people have said.
Suggest you get BOTH TPO and TG antibodies tested via Medichecks or Blue Horizon
Plus vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 if not been tested for some time
What vitamin supplements do you currently take?
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
If/when also on T3, make sure to take last dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test
Is this how you do your tests?
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
Here is my latest set of medichecks test results, taken 16/07/2019. Medicating with 100mcg T4 and 8.3mcg T3.
Inflammation
CRP HS 2.13 mg/L (Range: < 5)
Iron Status
Ferritin 116 ug/L (Range: 13 - 150)
Vitamins
Folate - Serum 6.95 ug/L (Range: > 3.89)
Vitamin B12 - Active 49.600 pmol/L (Range: 37.5 - 188)
Vitamin D 74.5 nmol/L (Range: 50 - 175)m
Thyroid Hormones
TSH X 0.2 mIU/L (Range: 0.27 - 4.2)
Free T3 4.26 pmol/L (Range: 3.1 - 6.8)
Free Thyroxine 16.500 pmol/L (Range: 12 - 22)
Autoimmunity
Thyroglobulin Antibodies X 333.000 kU/L (Range: < 115)
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies <9.0 kIU/L (Range: < 34)
The above results were before I swapped my T4 to a morning dose, so there was 36 hours between t4 and blood test, and 24 hours between t3 and blood test. I do fast, and usually blood tests are around 8-8:30am. Not supplementing as I want to check for PA, but have jarrows b12 and b complex waiting for me to be able to start, and then I'll also restart my vit D spray, and get some vit K as advised on here.
I'm trying to go through the NHS for an intrinsic factor test. Doc did a whole raft of bloods on 5th August (Full blood count, liver function, thyroid function, vit D and total B12). Replicating thyroid and vitamins below:
TSH 0.23 (0.2 - 4)
FT4 14 (10-20)
Serum vitamin B12 level 502 ng/L [211.0 - 911.0]
Serum ferritin level 70 ug/L [10.0 - 322.0]
Serum folate level 6.3 ug/L [5.4 - 24.0]
Serum total 25-hydroxy vitamin D level 107 nmol/L [75.0 - 250.0]
These results were after I swapped by T4 back to the morning dose, so there were 24 hours between t4 and blood test, but I hadn't swapped T3 to a different time, so there were also 24 hours between t3 and blood test. Still not supplementing as trying to get IF test and know I can't supplement before having that test.
So yes, I'm currently trying to work out if my symptoms the past 6 months or so have been due to stress, PA, low b12 but not PA, or maybe a hashi's flare? But having never been told I have an autoimmune disease, I didn't want to assume it was Hashis.
I'm currently contemplating buying the Medichecks IF test instead of waiting to fight with the doctors (appt booked for 15th August) as I don't think they'll count my NHS blood test as low enough to warrant further investigation, despite the amount of symptoms and the low medichecks one.
Also thank you for your response 
Here's link about high TG antibodies
healthline.com/health/antit...
I understand from PAS healthunlocked that testing for Pernicious Anaemia is unreliable
You might want to ask advice on there
Have you been supplementing any B vitamins?
Supplementing any B vitamins atcall, can, as i understand it make testing more difficult
Your results show
Folate is too low
B12 - possibly too low
Active B12 result is very low
But serum B12 might be borderline at 500 (though you'd struggle to get GP to see 500 as low)
TSH is almost always suppressed on any dose of T3
Timing of tests....it should be 24 hour gap for Levothyroxine and roughly 8-12 hours maximum for T3
No, elevated TPO antibodies do not always signify Hashimoto's; they can be present (generally at lower elevated levels) in Graves' disease as well as in Hashimoto's. Equally they can be present with no thyroid dysfunction although their presence may indicate an increased risk of developing it in the future. Some people with elevated Abs never go on to develop a thyroid disorder though.
I keep an eye on my symptoms that might match 'hyper'/Graves, and the only ones I have are the symptoms that cross over into both - fatigue, low libido, gritty eyes occasionally. Thanks for your post!
I'd be really interested if you can find where you read about thyroglobulin being linked to PA, as the only reason I'm not supplementing right now is because I want to rule out PA as the reason for my current flare (due to family history & symptoms). google hasn't shown me anything linking them yet!
When I was originally diagnosed in 2014, I had a TPO Ab on NHS which was abnormal (48 with the range at <35).
With a medichecks test in Dec 2017, my TPO Ab were 11.7 (<34) and my TG AB were 90.4 (<115).
The most recent (15/7/19) medichecks test had my TPO Ab at <9 (<34) and my TG Ab were 333 (<115).
High thyroid antibodies and fertility treatment 
Are plasma viscosity, high thyroid antibodies and high TSH related? 
Can you have Hashimoto's with just raised Thyroglobulin antibodies?
Hypothyroid without Hashimotos?
