Aa
Going Crazy!!!
Thank you God for this forum!!! I thought I was going crazy! I have all the symptoms that you guys do...my doctor said that it is all anxiety because my symtoms are hyper while I'm diagnosed hyper! Now I know that it is very possible to have hyper symptoms even though I'm hypo! I was gonna go back on my antidepressant, but, I don't think I should since my husband and I just had a miscarraige and want to try again soon. What mess and how awful it is for a person to have deal with all this crap!!! Ugh!!
LOL. -the backwards thinking one was me..I didn't mean to post that part...:) ~MM
Hi!
Um, I had my info a bit backwards...Here it is again, better explained by Barb...
You are backwards with your thinking. The higher the TSH, usually, less thyroid hormones are present.
The thyroid, once stimulated by the pituitary gland, *produces* hormones, which are then used by every cell in the body. The main hormones produced by the thyroid are T4 and T3 (mostly T4). The body can't use the T4 directly, so must convert it to T3; most of this conversion takes place in the liver, but some takes place in other organs as well. Some of the T3 and T4 hormones are bound by proteins, therefore, unusable; this is why we test for the frees - to tell how much hormone is actually available for use (or conversion, as in the case of T4).
Aside from that, TSH has nothing to do with how fast you are breaking down thyroid hormones. TSH is a hormone put out by the pituitary gland to stimulate the thyroid into producing more hormones. TSH is not "used". If your thyroid is producing adequate hormones (or you are getting enough replacement medication), the pituitary produces less TSH, so that number will be lower; if your thyroid is not producing enough hormones (or you aren't getting enough replacement medication), the pituitary gland will put out more TSH in an effort to "stimulate" the thyroid into producing more hormones.
Once a diagnosis of thyroid issues has been made, TSH becomes a very poor indicator of thyroid status.
Um, I had my info a bit backwards...Here it is again, better explained by Barb...
You are backwards with your thinking. The higher the TSH, usually, less thyroid hormones are present.
The thyroid, once stimulated by the pituitary gland, *produces* hormones, which are then used by every cell in the body. The main hormones produced by the thyroid are T4 and T3 (mostly T4). The body can't use the T4 directly, so must convert it to T3; most of this conversion takes place in the liver, but some takes place in other organs as well. Some of the T3 and T4 hormones are bound by proteins, therefore, unusable; this is why we test for the frees - to tell how much hormone is actually available for use (or conversion, as in the case of T4).
Aside from that, TSH has nothing to do with how fast you are breaking down thyroid hormones. TSH is a hormone put out by the pituitary gland to stimulate the thyroid into producing more hormones. TSH is not "used". If your thyroid is producing adequate hormones (or you are getting enough replacement medication), the pituitary produces less TSH, so that number will be lower; if your thyroid is not producing enough hormones (or you aren't getting enough replacement medication), the pituitary gland will put out more TSH in an effort to "stimulate" the thyroid into producing more hormones.
Once a diagnosis of thyroid issues has been made, TSH becomes a very poor indicator of thyroid status.
COMMUNITY LEADER
The AACE recommended 8-9 yrs ago that the reference range for TSH be lowered to 0.3-3.0; most labs did not follow the guidelines, therefore, they and doctors are still using old ranges.
TSH is "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone", which is a pituitary hormone, used to stimulate the thyroid into producing more thyroid hormones (T4 and T3). TSH should not be used, alone, to diagnose or treat a thyroid issue. If you have adequate FT3 and FT4, the pituitary will stop producing TSH.
Testing FT3 and FT4 will tell you how much of each hormone is actually available for use by the cells in your body.
medicmommy - I sent you a PM.
TSH is "Thyroid Stimulating Hormone", which is a pituitary hormone, used to stimulate the thyroid into producing more thyroid hormones (T4 and T3). TSH should not be used, alone, to diagnose or treat a thyroid issue. If you have adequate FT3 and FT4, the pituitary will stop producing TSH.
Testing FT3 and FT4 will tell you how much of each hormone is actually available for use by the cells in your body.
medicmommy - I sent you a PM.
The bigger the TSH number is, the larger amount of thyroid hormone present in your blood. This means you are not breaking it down very fast, indicating a trend toward hypothyroid (underactive). If it goes the other way, your thyroid breaking down the hormone too fast and it indicates an overactive or hyperthyroid state. The "Frees" give the best feedback by showing how efficiently the TSH is being used. If you end up having Hashimoto's hypothyroid, being somewhat hyperthyroid often relieves many of the low thyroid symptoms...Does that help? ~MM
Normal TSH Levels 0.4 - 4.0 mIU/L
Underactive Thyroid 2.0 mIU/L or more
Thyroid Disorder 0.5 and 3.0 mIU/L
According to this chart...how is 3.2 high when it is not above a 4.0???
Underactive Thyroid 2.0 mIU/L or more
Thyroid Disorder 0.5 and 3.0 mIU/L
According to this chart...how is 3.2 high when it is not above a 4.0???
COMMUNITY LEADER
At 3.2, your TSH is on the high side; can you get your doctor to do the FT3 and FT4, so we can see exactly what your actual hormone levels are? TSH is a pituitary hormone, and not a good indicator of thyroid status.
To keep it simple, your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level is like how much gas you have in your car's tank. The "frees" (Free T-3, Free T-4) measures how good the engine is running...~MM
ChitChatNine-Thanks so much! :-) Any idea what my numbers mean? It's nice to have a support group!
Hi! I know my TSH is 3.2, did not know that T3 and T4 even exshited unitl now. My TSH was at .67 before I started Synthroid. What does all this mean? Do you know? Thanks so much!
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