New reports on TSH and Prolactin

[sam_ttc]

Hi.I posted earlier too and got answered promptly. Thanks for that.I got retested for Tsh and Prolactin after 6 weeks on medicines Eltroxin 50 mg and parlodel 2,5 mg.In earlier blood test TSH was 11.17 and Prolactin was 61. My new results are
TSH:1.95
Prolactin:4.04

The doctor has stopped the medicine.According to her the results are well within the normal range.
My questions are:
Is it right to stop the medicine like this suddenly?
I was due for my periods today but they didnt come though they are pretty regular. So in case pregnancy happens, will there be any need to take Eltroxin for thyroid?
How often blood tests should be done on hormones in pregnancy?

[Kenneth N. Woliner, MD]

Although MedHelp doesn't encourage doctors to answer multiple questions/re-questions from individual patients (it sort of is like establishing a doctor-patient relationship via Internet only, which the Florida Board of Medicine strictly forbids), I feel that this is a "NEW QUESTION" on a "DIFFERENT SUBJECT", and will answer here.

Stopping thyroid (and/or the parlodel) medication all of a sudden without treating the original cause (or looking for the original cause and then treating it) is likely to have a patient's lab numbers go out of wack again, and perhaps getting symptoms again (including: trouble getting pregnant; miscairrage; and lowered IQ in a newborn child). At the minimum, a physician needs to retest in 4-6 weeks post stopping these drugs, to ensure that the TSH and PROLACTIN levels don't rise again, and that the T4 and T3 levels don't fall again.

Without having a monthly period, checking a home pregnancy test every 1-2 weeks is wise. If a patient with conditions such as those that you describe is NOT PREGNANT, but doesn't have periods, a further workup is needed, including looking at the Thyroid and Prolactin again.

If a woman does get pregnant, she needs thyroid and iodine testing as part of the first prenatal visit (in addition to iron, sugar, Rubella, etc.). If the thyroid or iodine levels aren't optimal, there is a greater chance for complications of miscairrage and low IQ in the newborn. Thyroid tests should be repeated at least every trimester, but more often if an expectant more "has symptoms" or the last blood tests were "not optimal" and a dose change was needed to try bringing them into the optimal ranges. Otherwise, how would the physician (or patient) know if the therapy worked?

As a favor, if you could "like" answers you do like and/or post in the "Patient Thyroid Forum" that this "Doctor Hypothyroid-Hashimoto's Forum" was created, we could perhaps get more diversity of questions here.

[sam_ttc]

Thanks a lot doctor. I fully appreciate your help by answering my question.I have understood your advice and will try to follow it.
And i will surely post about this forum too which can obviously help many other people in the way, it did to me.
Thanks again.May you be blessed always.