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Hyper vs. too much meds
My endo just increased my medication from 25mcg to 50mcg and also took me off the generic and will only allow me to be on brand name synthroid. I am scared to increase my meds because I don't know how to tell the difference from hyper symptoms vs too much medication. I was recently diagnosed with Hashi's and unfortunately I am still at the stage of cycling between hyper and hypo. How will I know if I have too much medication?
It helps to have the numbers. I'll assume the same range as on my labs for the moment (I'll put the range in parentheses and when you get your ranges, you can compare).
Your TSH (old range = 0.5-5.0, new range = 0.3 to 3) would indicate that you were hypo in February and are getting more hypo now. However, it's a pretty small change, so it probably isn't all that significant. I'd almost call it "unchanged".
Your FT3 (1.8-4.2) is really quite high up in the range and looks good.
Your FT4 (0.6-2.0) is adequate, especially with the relatively high FT3.
You're right about the antibodies and Hashi's.
I'm no doctor, but I really don't see the reason for the meds increase in your labwork. Do you still have hypo symptoms that need treating. Maybe that's why he's increasing.
Many doctors still put a lot more stock in TSH than they should. FT3 and FT4 are really much more important. Your TSH is the only number that could indicate a dosage increase. If your symptoms support a need to increase, then you probably should, but if the don't, I'd stay where I am for a while. Just my opinion...
Don't forget to check your lab's ranges when you can - they could be different from mine.
Good luck.
Your TSH (old range = 0.5-5.0, new range = 0.3 to 3) would indicate that you were hypo in February and are getting more hypo now. However, it's a pretty small change, so it probably isn't all that significant. I'd almost call it "unchanged".
Your FT3 (1.8-4.2) is really quite high up in the range and looks good.
Your FT4 (0.6-2.0) is adequate, especially with the relatively high FT3.
You're right about the antibodies and Hashi's.
I'm no doctor, but I really don't see the reason for the meds increase in your labwork. Do you still have hypo symptoms that need treating. Maybe that's why he's increasing.
Many doctors still put a lot more stock in TSH than they should. FT3 and FT4 are really much more important. Your TSH is the only number that could indicate a dosage increase. If your symptoms support a need to increase, then you probably should, but if the don't, I'd stay where I am for a while. Just my opinion...
Don't forget to check your lab's ranges when you can - they could be different from mine.
Good luck.
My TSH in February was 3.9, this was the only test done at that time. I began 25mcg of generic synthroid through my PCP. Went and saw endo on April 1st and my labs came back as follows:
TSH 4.335
Free T4 1.08
Free T3 3.5
Antibodies greater than 1000 which gave diagnosis of hashi's
I don't have a copy of the labs for refernece range. Does this help at all?
TSH 4.335
Free T4 1.08
Free T3 3.5
Antibodies greater than 1000 which gave diagnosis of hashi's
I don't have a copy of the labs for refernece range. Does this help at all?
The symptoms of overmedication and hyperthyroidism are basically the same. That's because overmedication artificially induces a hyper state.
Get your TSH, free T3 and free T4 tested once every six to eight weeks, sooner if you consistently feel hyper. The comparison between the pre-increase numbers and the post-increase numbers should show a trend.
If you're really afraid of the increase, you might ask your doctor if you could go to 37.5 mcg first, and then 44 or 50 later if the 37.5 works out. 25 to 50 is a BIG increase (100%) .
Most endos don't like generics. I haven't made up my mind if that's because the generics really are less consistent than the brands or if it's a bunch of hype the drug companies have fed them to sell their products. It's a small point to concede, so I just go along with this one.
Do you have your current TSH, FT3 and FT4 and their reference ranges? We could comment much better after seeing those.
Get your TSH, free T3 and free T4 tested once every six to eight weeks, sooner if you consistently feel hyper. The comparison between the pre-increase numbers and the post-increase numbers should show a trend.
If you're really afraid of the increase, you might ask your doctor if you could go to 37.5 mcg first, and then 44 or 50 later if the 37.5 works out. 25 to 50 is a BIG increase (100%) .
Most endos don't like generics. I haven't made up my mind if that's because the generics really are less consistent than the brands or if it's a bunch of hype the drug companies have fed them to sell their products. It's a small point to concede, so I just go along with this one.
Do you have your current TSH, FT3 and FT4 and their reference ranges? We could comment much better after seeing those.
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