TSH after Hypothyroid Misdiagnosis

[thyroida]

I was misdiagnosed with Hypothyroidism and took Levothyroxine for 11 mths.  I stopped taking Levothyroxine three months ago, and my TSH is now 2x the initial level prior to taking thyroid medication.  My Free T4 was and is within the normal range.  Can being on the medication permanently suppress/reduce thyroid function?  Would you expect the TSH will return to normal, and how long should I wait?  Also, I lost a significant amount of hair from the medication-does complete regrowth usually occur, and how long does it usually take to notice?

[thyroida]

My thryoid/TSH returned to the non-medicated level 4 mths after discountinuing Levothyroxine.

[sheker]

Thyroida,

How do we know if Thyroid misdiagnosed with Hypothyroidism ?
Any other levels will indicate this ?

How you came to know this ?


Thanks
Sheker

[thyroida]

Dear Dr. Lupo, after being off thyroid meds my TSH is improving.  It is still slightly elevated but has improved on the past two tests.  I am considering taking L-Tyrosine to help my thyroid function return to normal.  Is this a safe supplement to take?  My main concern is hair loss.  

[Super_sally888]

Hi Thryoida,

it is impossible to say whether your TSH will go down to normal levels.  Everyone is different.  

It would take about 6 weeks for the thyroid meds to get completely out of your system.  So if you've stopped them longer than that, the higher TSH is really what is going on.

However, from what you have said it seems that you were not misdiagnosed and you really do need to be on thryoid meds.  Or at least closely monitored, if you TSH is less than 10.0.

[thyroida]

(the non-medicated level prior to taking Levothyroxine)

[thyroida]

Dear Dr. Lupo, thanks for your response.  Would you expect the TSH to return to the non-medicated level, and if so, how long should that take?  

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

The current non-medicated level is showing a high TSH -- meaning you likely need the medication.  Would restart with levothyroxine to keep the levels in the 0.5-2.5 range.  This is based on the information you provide -- of course, some patients with TSH in the 3-10 range can be observed w/o medications, so discuss with your physician the pros/cons of resuming levothyroxine.