Is a pituitary issue indicated?

[rydi123]

I recently received testing for TSH/Free T-4 levels, following up on a test received two years ago.
TSH: 0.98 mIU/L (down from 3.16 two years ago)
Free T-4: 0.9 ng/dL (down from 1.0 two years ago)

From what I understand, my T-4 should not have gone down after the large decrease in my TSH levels.  Should I be checked for pituitary issues?

((I am a 27yr old male, I have exercise resistant weight (workout 5 days a week, but have lost only a few lbs over the last 3 months of intensive 1 hour+ workouts), and often feel fatigued.  I have also had random bouts of lightheadedness/confusion/visual abnormalities that are not accounted for by other symptoms, but which occur only infrequently.  I have GERD and Barrets esophogus, and take Prilosec OTC.  I am on no other medications.))

[Teresa1121]

I am a 45 year old female with a pituitary protrusion of 7mm. You have every symptom I had and still have. Worked out 5 days a week kick boxing only to have to sleep it off instead of the good feeling it used to give me. Was dx with Barrett's 10 years ago and still deal with that. I am tired, fatigued, foggy, achy...you name it. I have changed so much in the last 5years I am wondering when my relief will come. Have an appt with a neuro-endo specialist next week. I would push for the pituitary MRI. Not just a brain MRI, you have to specifically have an MRI for your pituitary. You are too young to just let it go.

[enzymelover]

Good! Definitely look for another doctor if he wanted to give you ssri's before seeing test results. This happens to a lot of hormone patients. They just get put on a med that masks the symptoms of a real, serious disorder, and they go for years without a correct diagnosis.
Find a doctor who will try to get to the source of your problem. You should be seen by an endocrinologist, asap.

Be well.

[rydi123]

Thank you for your advice.  My doctor is somewhat dissapointing to me, as the longest I have spoken to him is 5 minutes and he generally doesn't listen to my symptoms.  It took several visits and multiple times telling him that I had acid problems to get an endoscopy, which unsurprisingly told me I had GERD/Barret's.

So I'm trying to avoid going off his opinion anymore and will probably be hunting down a new doctor.  When I went in with my list of symptoms and told him about my thyroid issues, he nodded politely, then tried to give me SSRI's before tests even came back.  He said he would order a thyroid test, but he did only the free t-4 and tsh rather than a full screen.

Anyway, to your question: My vision problems began last year, and stretched for a couple of months.  Fuzzy vision (like the spots you see when you press on your eyes, but with eyes fully open, and no pressure being applied) that would start gradually and move to become a sort of off-center tunnel vision.  Happened half a dozen times, and there was no correlation between episodes that I could find.  I also have random bouts of fatigue/dizziness/confusion.  Yet another mark against my doc is that he ignored these symptoms entirely.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your experiences.  You have encouraged me to pursue the matter further.  Probably go hunt down some blood tests on my own first, and then move to finding a new doctor next.

[enzymelover]

  You certainly seem to be hypothyroid. Has your doctor suggested going on a trial of Thyroxine med, to see if it helps? If he does, you should ask to have your adrenal function tested first, to avoid causing an adrenal suppression problem with the Thyroxine. This happened to my son. However, my son does have a confirmed pituitary tumor.

Anytime an endocrine gland is not functioning correctly, the pituitary should be suspect, until proven innocent. Because of my son's illness, I of course, would urge you to bring up having an enhanced pituitary MRI with your doctors, because the sooner a problem is caught, the better the outcome. Your doctors may feel it's too soon to take this step, but if your symptoms worsen, don't let it go too long.

What vision abnormalities do you have? My son's first symptoms were extreme light sensitivity, myopia, fatigue and headache. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to suggest a hormone problem in an 8 year old boy, and his tumor was missed for almost 3 years.
It was only when it became obvious that he wasn't growing taller that my concerns were taken seriously by a doctor.

I'm hoping a little thyroid care is all you need.

Enzy