tsh is 5.1 is this a normal level

[SOLO1227]

I am so confused with everything i am feeling. I am having bad hot flashes, depression, no energy. Went on hormone replacement but still have hot flashes. Went to dr today for lab results and said thyroid was 5.1 said to wait and be retested. What is normal?

Thanks

[graveswoman]

that is too high, diff labs have diff definitions of normal. You are in hypo range, your thyroid is working too sloooow (underactive). I am opposite, i am hyper (graves) mine is overactive. My doc had me retest as well when i first registered too low. Look up Hashimoto's disease on internet as well as hypothyroidism, or thyroiditis.

my lab is 4.00 at the highest and i think that is still wrong, it should be 3.00!!

good luck.

[goolarra]

The currently accepted reference range for TSH is 0.3-3.0, so your 5.1 is in the hypothyroid range.

Did your doctor test free T3 and free T4 along with TSH?  These are much more important than TSH for indicating your thyroid status.  Since you have symptoms, FT3 and FT4 are probably low.  I wouldn't wait very long to get FT3 and FT4 tested...you're just going to keep feeling worse if you wait.

[SOLO1227]

Thank you for your comment. My doctor did not test for anything else. She said to retest in a couple of weeks. I have read that different labs come back with different normal levels. How can i find out what they consider normal. If my doctor won't test for the other things you mentioned, can i insist that she does. I am not very good at going to the doctor.

[goolarra]

Well, my philosophy is that you're paying for it, so, yes, you can insist on it.

Different labs still report different normal ranges for TSH.  However, the AACE (endocrinologists) have adopted a standard of 0.3 to 3.0.  A s I mentioned, FT3 and FT4 are much more important.  They are the actual thyroid hormones (TSH is a pituitary hormone).  FT3 equates best to symptoms, FT4 is a distant second, and TSH barely makes it into the race.

A couple of weeks won't make a tremendous difference (although you'll most likely continue to not feel well), but why suffer through it?

When it comes to FT3 and FT4, each lab has its own reference range.  So, when you get your test results, you'll have to ask for them, too.  The ranges will be on the printed lab report, which your doctor has to give you at your request. This is legitimate, and depends on their testing methods and their population.

I don't think any of us are really very good at going to the doctor, but these days, you really have to be your own advocate, and, in some cases, educate your doctor on the proper treatment of your condition...sad, but true.

If your doctor won't order FT3 and FT4, and then treat based on them, you might find yourself looking for a new doctor.  I wasted about a year with an inept PCP until I decided to find someone who understood thyroid problems.  Many simply haven't a clue.