Slightly concerned....

[Dewey]

Went to the endo the other day (yesterday, to be exact), and he cut my thyroid meds in half (half of .137mg), because my latest bloodwork has shown my TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) to be considerably low. My level was 0.035 and the normal range is 0.350 to 5.500. Has anyone else encountered an issue like this?

It seemed a bit sudden to me. He asked if I'd been taking too much meds, and I haven't. If I have, it's only been by half a tablet (on Sunday), but not enough to warrant a low TSH reading like this. In the past, the T3 & T4 levels have been good on the dosage.

Of course, I googled about thyroid functions to read & research further, and it stated the most simple of things to serious stuff (like Thyroid Cancer, etc).

Usually I'm up on medical info., but the Thyroid has never really been a concern to me (other than having Hypothyroidism). More recently, my voice has been hoarse (this issue comes & goes within the past couple of months), and I've been quite tired. I do Not have a sore throat, so that raises the suspicion a little more.

Guess I'm also a little upset cause I always try to take care of others first (i.e. Carwy), and tend to put myself last. I don't want these health concerns to be discounted. The endo wants to see me again in 6 weeks, to retest the TSH levels after having adjusted the thyoid meds to half a tab per day. Not worried, but a little concerned & wanted to share...Any input would be nice.

[duck]

TSH, TSH, TSH, I am so sick of hearing about TSH. Did he run a complete thyroid panel, or is he going to decide to correct a serious malady based on one measly indicator? It is incredible to me how beholden to TSH the medical profession has become...

Sorry, Dew. I know you're worried, but to me there is more to it than this one test.

[Dewey]

Well, that's just it, Duck. In the recent past, he ran a full thyroid panel. Both the T3 & T4 were fine.

I know you're not taking it out on me, but on the TSH thing....Every aspect of thyroid functions are just as important as each of the others. I do agree that ALL should have been checked to get a valid assessment, and I'm not sure why he didn't check all areas this time. However, up until now, I've not had any problems with any of my levels that warranted anything other than minor tweaks. Last year, All my counts were perfect after the minor tweaks, and None of this has been a concern or an issue until Now. To me, cutting a dosage in half is not minor...Hence my concern.

[gettingby]

Sorry you are having so much trouble Dew. :frown:
They changed my dose from .88mcg to .125mcg.
I found the sheet from my last labwork. It says TSH: 42.072 then at the bottom of page they say it is grossly underactive. I've never read up much on thyroid problems but I guess I need to. I also need to take my thyroid med. religiously.:embarasse

[duck]

I guess my "concern" is that the doc made you worry over ONE irregular lab result, when there are literally ten other tests he could have ran for various thyroid functions: T4 Free, T3 Uptake, T3, T3 Free Serum, etc., in addition to TSH.

I'll tell you from my personal experience, when I worked out a lot, none of my docs could ever figure out why my TSH was so low on some tests and high on others, while my T4 was normal and my T3 (which they used to tell me wasn't as important) was low-normal. Since I have been working out less, remarkably TSH has leveled off. So who knows, there are so many variables we can speculate about, but until you get a more thorough panel, don't freak out too bad--Be vigilant for symptoms of the bad things low TSH can be indicative of, but don't let it freak you out.

Sorry you are having so much trouble Dew. :frown:
They changed my dose from .88mcg to .125mcg.
I found the sheet from my last labwork. It says TSH: 42.072 then at the bottom of page they say it is grossly underactive. I've never read up much on thyroid problems but I guess I need to. I also need to take my thyroid med. religiously.:embarasse

Put the Synthroid/levothyroxine on your nightstand with a bottle of water...When you wake up, pop one before your shower. That should give you more than enough time to let it get absorbed, and you should be able to eat without worrying about interfering with its finnicky uptake...

[SueM]

Hi Dewey, If you are tired voice is hoarse that is an indicator that you are on too much thyroid meds.
Mine went a bit screwy earlier this yr, thyroid suddenly decided it was under active after 3 yrs on the same dose.
Dose was increased by 50mcg all fine for 6/8 months then went into over drive, I became very tired with a hoarse throat, lost weight too. Blood tests showed I was slightly over active so the dose was lowered again back to the 150mcg. All is fine now just a hiccup in the works.

[Dewey]

I'm on half a pill a day, but am extremely tired. Some of the tiredness may be due to stress, but it just seems like I'm always really tired, even after a good night's sleep.

My hoarseness seems to come & go, but is at bay for now. I'm supposed to go back to be re-tested in a couple of weeks, but the doctor didn't order the t3/t4 this time, so I'm going to question him on that.

Hopefully, I'll get some answers soon.

[Dewey]

Update: Once again, didn't get an order for T3 w/uptake or T4 from the endo, so I went to my primary care physician and ordered what I usually test every year - Lipid Panel, CBC w/differential, Basic Comprehensive Metabolic panel, T3 w/uptake & T4 (to go with my TSH that the endo ordered)...

I just wanted to get a larger view of what's going on. You were right, Duck. I agree that just one piece of the picture is simply Not enough to asses what's going on. Thanks for pointing that out. I do appreciate it & hopefully the tests provide at least Some of the answers I'm seeking. I also opted to do the CBC & all, to make sure my white count's not up (in the event of something underlying going on), and wanted to check cholesterol (lipid panel) to ensure everything was good there. In terms of the TSH, T3 & T4, hopefully having the whole pic will help determine if we're on the right track with the meds & if anything else is out of whack or not. If it is, we'll just do what we have to to get it taken care of, one way or another. :)

Another update:

Got the tests done & results back: TSH, T3 w/uptake & T4 are all in normal range now....(TSH = 2.220, T3w/uptake = 32 and FT4 = 1.00) However, I still feel tired for some reason & still am having issues with swallowing & the like (feeling like a lump is in my throat & dry cough). I may just have them check a little further to be safe.

On the lipid Panel, everything was normal, except for the LDL....it was only slightly elevated @ 103 (normal range, according to the labs were: 0 - 100). A little up, but I'll cut back on the ole' eggs. ;) (seem to love eggs a little too much at times. hehe). I refuse to take any statin drugs, so whether or not the endo suggests them, my answer is NO.

In terms of other blood tests, the only things up or down were:

* HCT (hematocrit) = a little low @ 36.9% (it's almost always low & norms start at 37%),
* RDW = slightly increased @ 15.5 (norms are 11.5 - 14.5%) and last but not least,
* PLT (platelets) = slightly increased @ 403 (norms are 150 - 400 K/UL).

I go see the endo yet again on Fri., so we'll see what happens then...

[cheryl]

Ok, stupid question what is the difference between over active and under active and what does it all mean, mine was a little under active and then it was fine and then it did it again and then it was fine.............what does the thyroid actually mean if it is over active or under active. I am a little confused. I guess because I have never asked or researched.......oops on my part.

Cheryl

[Dewey]

Ok, stupid question what is the difference between over active and under active and what does it all mean, mine was a little under active and then it was fine and then it did it again and then it was fine.............what does the thyroid actually mean if it is over active or under active. I am a little confused. I guess because I have never asked or researched.......oops on my part.

Cheryl

That's not a stupid question at all, Cheryl....In fact, if anyone (or thing) is odd, it's the medical community, lol...

If you have an elevated TSH reading (& the T3 & T4 readings might also be off), they call it being "Hypothyroid" (or underactive thyroid).

However, if your TSH reading is low (& T3/T4 readings may also be off then), they consider you "Hyperthyroid" (overactive thyroid). Go figure!

[cheryl]

I get that part sorry but what is the big deal if it over or under or whatever, please pardon my ignorance I never ever really cared but then I think cancer too, and I am like should I be concerned and learn more or just leave this one for the dr's to keep testing on me.....

Cheryl

[BriOnH]

I am a little confused. You have hypothyroidism, you take meds to up your TSH, but your dr wants you to take less medication because your thyroid levels are low. How come one wouldn't take more?

[Dewey]

I get that part sorry but what is the big deal if it over or under or whatever, please pardon my ignorance I never ever really cared but then I think cancer too, and I am like should I be concerned and learn more or just leave this one for the dr's to keep testing on me.....

Cheryl

The thyroid controls many things in our body and if not in range (or if left untreated when out of range), it could lead to other issues, including thyroid Cancer.

I am a little confused. You have hypothyroidism, you take meds to up your TSH, but your dr wants you to take less medication because your thyroid levels are low. How come one wouldn't take more?
If you have Hypothyroidism, you take meds to Reduce your TSH level. The reason it's so confusing to everyone is because the medical community reads the results in a "backwards" manner. If results are elevated, they view it as being Hypothyroid, whereas if the results are low, they view it as having Hyperthyroidism. When results are high, they up meds to Decrease the TSH Levels.

I have hypothyroidism and have had it for over 10 years now (since 1996). My first recent (in Nov. '06) result, which led to my doctor cutting my dosage in half, was .035 - (which meant to my endo, that I was "Hyperthyroid"). Normal range for TSH is .50 to 5.50 - I was on .137mg of Levoxyl, so my endo cut it in half.

Second test came back as 14.4 - (Hypothyroid this time), meaning to the endo that I did not have enough thyroid medication to treat my Hypothyroidism. The problem was, instead of cutting back my med 1/4, he cut it in half to .0685 (or so), which sent my results in the other direction. It also meant I wasn't getting enough medication to keep my thyroid in line.

Now that they switched my dosage to .125, I'm back in range & have the coverage needed to sustain thyroid health. Problem is, I'm still experiencing some symptoms including: dysphagia (trouble swallowing), lethargy, and dry cough (lately). I've also sounded a little raspy (voice), but not as hoarse as I was when my meds were way off.

[BriOnH]

If you have Hypothyroidism, you take meds to Reduce your TSH level. The reason it's so confusing to everyone is because the medical community reads the results in a "backwards" manner. If results are elevated, they view it as being Hypothyroid, whereas if the results are low, they view it as having Hyperthyroidism. When results are high, they up meds to Decrease the TSH Levels.



ahhhh thanks for explaining that.

[Tattoo azz]

Another symptom of undiagnosed hypothyroidism is depression, when i was first given thyroxin after being dx'd it was like being given a happy pill!!
I am now on 200 mcg thyroxin a day and my doc is thinking of changing meds as he says i'm right on the limit for thyroxin :nurse:

[Doug]

the reason the levels are read "backwards " is they cant measure thyroid specifically - they measure tsh which stands for thyroid stimulating hormone.
the idea is that if you body is making too much TSH then your body's thyroid is not making enough in response to the TSH. So the body makes MORE TSH to get the thyroid to do its work MORE. SO if you TSH is too low then you are believed to have an OVER active thyroid and if TSH is too HIGH the you are thoughtto have an UNDER active thyroid. AND so if TSH is high you need MORE Synthroid or other replacement. Yes its confusing

The Thyroid meds replace whet the thyroid makes fooling your body into thinking its thyroid is making enough and there fore reducing the amount of TSH the body produces...

By the way - saying you are taking half a pill means nothing - the pills come in all sizes

here is an old list of sizes and colors

25 mcg, orange
50 mcg, white
75 mcg, violet
88 mcg, olive
100 mcg, yellow
112 mcg, rose
125 mcg, brown
150 mcg, blue
175 mcg, lilac
200 mcg, pink
300 mcg, green
http://www.healthsquare.com/common/images/pdr_drugs/P05303E3.jpg

[ladytaz]

Well Dew, I hope you/they get it all sorted!! I do know from my mom and baby sis, that levels changed sometimes for no known reason (gee, sounds just like BGL's huh? LOL) Mom and Deidre have to have them checked every so often and meds are adjusted if needed. Mom knows when she's off ... and she'll go to the doc and they'll test her and adjust if neccesarry. Deidre, I don't know that she's fine tuned her 'knowing' skills yet, she's only been at this a few years, mom on the other hand has been at it for over 10. Anyway, I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers hun! ;)

[Doug]

By the way - saying you are taking half a pill means nothing - the pills come in all sizes

its odd you cant edit your own post for clarity but

what I should have said is that taking half a pill only means you are talking half the previous dose ... because the pills come in so many sizes it doesn't help indicate if you are taking a lot or a little

[Dewey]

what I should have said is that taking half a pill only means you are talking half the previous dose ... because the pills come in so many sizes it doesn't help indicate if you are taking a lot or a little

Yes, I was taking half of .137 which equates to .0685....However, I felt that was too drastic of a cut, and the 14.4 TSH level reflected that. The .125 dose has corrected my levels, which is good. Hopefully, the rest will fall into place (meaning, hopefully, I'll lose the dry cough, trouble swallowing, lethargy, etc..) soon.

I understand the TSH & thyroid tests, but explaining them sure does get confusing, not only to readers, but to the writer as well! lol ;)