Hashimotos confusion

[date_stamp]

I've been diagnosed with hashimotos. My T4 was low (apparently) and my TSH is low. The T3 and T4 are now normal, but the TSH is still low.

My first doctor said I was hypo. My new Dr says I'm hyper. What to think?

I suffer from depression, lethargy and at times  racing pulse and anxiety. These symptoms fluctuate.

My first Dr says these symptoms can't be caused by my thyroid because my hormone levels are "normal".

The second Dr wants to get me checked for chronic fatigue and gladular fever which he thinks is the cause of the depression and lethargy. He says I can take beta blockers to help with the anxiety. Can beta blockers help? He also suggested I could try a thyroid supressant for my currently "hyper" thyroid.

SO CONFUSED.

Please help.

[goolarra]

Those labs are really too old to help.  Post new labs when you have them.

BTW, I am not a doctor, just a fellow patient.  This is the members' forum, and we just try to help each other out from our own thyroid experiences.

[JennaRie]

I am no doctor, but according to endocrineweb.com:

"If the T4 level is low and TSH is not elevated, the pituitary gland is more likely to be the cause for the hypothyroidism. Of course, this would drastically effect the treatment since the pituitary gland also regulates the body's other glands (adrenals, ovaries, and testicles) as well as controlling growth in children and normal kidney function. Pituitary gland failure means that the other glands may also be failing and other treatment than just thyroid may be necessary. The most common cause for the pituitary gland failure is a tumor of the pituitary and this might also require surgery to remove."

I don't know how they test pituitary function but I would ask your doctor to look into that, to see if that is the issue. As far as determining how much thyroid medication to take, I believe this should be based on FT3 and FT4 levels and symptoms, not TSH. So if your doctor is saying you are hyper just because your TSH is low, when your FT3 and FT4 are in the normal range, I would disagree, and consider switching to a doctor that does not treat you based only on your TSH result.

[date_stamp]

Hi Dr, these are the only lab resuts I currently have access to. I will share the rest when I have a copy.

1/08/09

TSH  0.20 mU/L  (0.40-3.50) * 0.38
Free T4 14.5 pmol/L (9.0-19.0)  15.5
Free T3  4.1 pmol/L (2.6-6.0)  4.4

[date_stamp]

Thankyou for your reply!
I will get these figures asap.

[goolarra]

Please post the actual numbers for your FT3, FT4 and TSH.  We can comment much more intelligently knowing these.  If you don't have them, call your doctor and ask for them (along with the reference ranges for FT3 and FT4).  

Yes, beta blockers can help, but if you have a thyroid issue beta blockers are just going to mask the symptoms, and you will still have the thyroid issue.