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Low thyroids
I am 30 years old and just found out i have low thyroid! And i was scared and in disbelief. I was 250 at my first blood work 10 months ago now that ive lost weight 40 pounds lighter recheck my thyroids its mild. I was wondering if losing weight. Strickly diet and exercise wound i still have a take levothyroxine? I just started one pill today! I don't want to continue the medication once my thyroids back to normal! Im too young to start taking meds all my life! And im 7 weeks pregnant
Do not be concerned about TSH. If you followed my suggestion and clicked on my name and then scrolled down to my Journal and read the one page Overview of a paper on Diagnosing and Treating Hypothyroidism: A Patient's Perspective, you would have seen a lot of information about TSH being totally inadequate as a diagnostic for thyroid status, in both the untreated as well as when being treated. Only when TSH is at extreme levels is it a useful indicator of thyroid status. At all other times it is affected by so many things that it is far better to rely on evaluation for signs/symptoms that relate to hypothyroidism, supported by expanded testing to include Free T4, Free T3, initially Reverse T3 and cortisol, as well as Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.
If you have signs/symptoms of hypothyroidism and your Free T4 and Free T3 are in the lower half of their ranges, or Reverse T3 is high, or cortisol is too high, or you are deficient in Vitamin D, B12 or ferritin, all of these can contribute to having insufficient TISSUE T3 EFFECT, and being hypothyroid. TSH has only a weak correlation with even Free T4 and Free T3 and a negligible correlation with TISSUE T3 EFFECT.
If you have signs/symptoms of hypothyroidism and your Free T4 and Free T3 are in the lower half of their ranges, or Reverse T3 is high, or cortisol is too high, or you are deficient in Vitamin D, B12 or ferritin, all of these can contribute to having insufficient TISSUE T3 EFFECT, and being hypothyroid. TSH has only a weak correlation with even Free T4 and Free T3 and a negligible correlation with TISSUE T3 EFFECT.
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1 Comments
Ok i see. Ill make sure ill tell them to test for free t3 and free t4. But again they say it was 0.8 What if it reads that again? What should it be at to be normal?
Regular thyroid testing is frequently just referred to as T4 and T3 tests. That usually means Total T4 and Total T3. The Totals represent all the thyroid hormone in your blood. Most all of that is bound to protein and thus rendered biologically inactive. Only a very small portion not bound to protein, and thus referred to as Free, is active. Obviously it is most important to know the Frees, since that is used by your body. So that is why we always want to see Free T4 and Free T3 results.
Just one additional thought. Assuming you do get agreement to test for Free T4 and Free T3, along with the others, just to be sure, I would go ask the person drawing blood to confirm that you are getting the tests you requested. Sometimes it doesn't happen as you expect and you lose a couple of weeks getting back for new tests.
1 Comments
So just say free t3 and free t4? What the difference between that and regular thyroid testing
Whole test? Must have only been TSH.
Assuming that it was a TSH test, yes the .8 falls well within the reference range; however, as I said previously that is a pituitary hormone, not your actual thyroid hormones. Regardless of what that doctor believes, a TSH being within range does not preclude hypothyroidism. There are too many things that affect TSH for it to be used as the sole diagnostic for thyroid status. You really need to know your Free T4, Free T3, cortisol, Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin levels also. You should insist on being tested for those, since it is very important for the fetus as well as yourself. If they won't do it, go to your regular doctor if that is what it takes to get it done. Can you make it happen?
Assuming that it was a TSH test, yes the .8 falls well within the reference range; however, as I said previously that is a pituitary hormone, not your actual thyroid hormones. Regardless of what that doctor believes, a TSH being within range does not preclude hypothyroidism. There are too many things that affect TSH for it to be used as the sole diagnostic for thyroid status. You really need to know your Free T4, Free T3, cortisol, Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin levels also. You should insist on being tested for those, since it is very important for the fetus as well as yourself. If they won't do it, go to your regular doctor if that is what it takes to get it done. Can you make it happen?
3 Comments
Yes But its Oct 16th
Im 9 weeks pregnant now... I hope it won't be too late
Hi there... I agree with gimel that when you go see your regular doctor and ask them to do your blood work over again. If you do it soon, you should be okay. And this time be sure to insist that they do the Free T4 and Free T3 to make sure you have adequate hormones for both you and your baby. Right now is a critical time in your pregnancy so you'll to stay healthy in order to keep your baby healthy.
You should get the other things tested that gimel listed, as well because if they aren't adequate, it will be hard to maintain thyroid hormone levels and feel well, also.
You'll need to be tested for Free T4, Free T3, and TSH regularly throughout your pregnancy and if your doctor tells you to take thyroid hormone medication, you'll need to take it in order to ensure adequate hormones for you and your baby.
When you get tested, if you'll post your results and the reference ranges, gimel and I will help you interpret them to make sure all is well.
You should get the other things tested that gimel listed, as well because if they aren't adequate, it will be hard to maintain thyroid hormone levels and feel well, also.
You'll need to be tested for Free T4, Free T3, and TSH regularly throughout your pregnancy and if your doctor tells you to take thyroid hormone medication, you'll need to take it in order to ensure adequate hormones for you and your baby.
When you get tested, if you'll post your results and the reference ranges, gimel and I will help you interpret them to make sure all is well.
Sounds like it was a test for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), which is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. Is TSH the only test that was done? If so, that is inadequate. You also need to know the levels of your biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T4 and Free T3.
2 Comments
I called today to make sure if they did free t3 and free t4 abd they says they ran my whole test... Which is 0.8. They said it was narmal
Is that good.. 0.8?
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I hate to break in here as gimel has given you excellent information and a link to an excellent paper to read. The main point I'd like to stress is that adequate thyroid hormones are absolutely essential for the proper growth and development of a fetus. The fetus is dependent on the mother's thyroid hormones and if you don't have enough for even yourself, you can't have enough for your baby's development as well.
Your weight has nothing to do with whether or not you'll have to take replacement medication or not... I weighed only 110 lbs when I became hypo and gained 30 lbs in less than 3 weeks.
In addition, I haven't heard anything about recalls of levothyroxine. There are multiple manufacturers of levothyroxine, so if medication manufactured by one company has been recalled, there are many others that are still on the market. Your pharmacist will be able to fill prescriptions.
Last, but not least, like many medical conditions, thyroid conditions have no age requirements. We've had members on the forum that were only children that need to take replacement medication for the rest of their life. If you need it, you need it.
Your weight has nothing to do with whether or not you'll have to take replacement medication or not... I weighed only 110 lbs when I became hypo and gained 30 lbs in less than 3 weeks.
In addition, I haven't heard anything about recalls of levothyroxine. There are multiple manufacturers of levothyroxine, so if medication manufactured by one company has been recalled, there are many others that are still on the market. Your pharmacist will be able to fill prescriptions.
Last, but not least, like many medical conditions, thyroid conditions have no age requirements. We've had members on the forum that were only children that need to take replacement medication for the rest of their life. If you need it, you need it.
4 Comments
So i can have a miscarriage! Im going to see my obgyn Tuesday.. I need to know am I'm going to take thyroid medication for the rest of my life or until baby is born! Some ppl say it's probably low since im pregnant.
I don't mean to scare you, but yes, some people have miscarriages if thyroid levels are too low. The doctor won't be able to tell you now, whether you'll have to take the medication for life unless they test to see if you have Hashimoto's, which is autoimmune and the most prevalent cause of hypothyroidism. If you have Hashimoto's, it's for life, not just because you're pregnant.
As gimel said - make sure your doctor tests Free T4 and Free T3, along with TSH because TSH simply is not adequate by itself.
The important thing right now is making sure you have adequate hormones for you and your baby.
There is nothing wrong with taking medication for the rest of your life. What if you had diabetes and needed to take insulin shots? We do what we must to live a long life, as healthy as we can...
As gimel said - make sure your doctor tests Free T4 and Free T3, along with TSH because TSH simply is not adequate by itself.
The important thing right now is making sure you have adequate hormones for you and your baby.
There is nothing wrong with taking medication for the rest of your life. What if you had diabetes and needed to take insulin shots? We do what we must to live a long life, as healthy as we can...
Hello! You know the weirdest thing had happened to me! I can say honestly the devil is a lie! And iwamna thank god what a testimony i want to tell you! Remember i told u that i found out i had low thyroid... My physician said i had.. And i didn't want to take medicine for the rest of my life.. And i only took one pill. Okay, i haven't took none after that. I went to the baby doctor on the 16th of. September. They did prenatal blood test and i told them to do my tsh thyroids to see if i had it.. I Didn't mention i was already diagnosed with it because i wanted a second opinion! After a week of getting it done they said all my blood work came back normal included with the results of my thyroids. It was a 2.8 whatever that mean and they said it was good! So idk what my physician doctor was talking about! Why was that?
Im 9 weeks pregnant btw and everything looks fine..
There is no way to tell what "mild thyroids" means, without knowing what the test was and results compared to reference ranges. Also, I expect that the more important tests for Free T4 and Free T3 were not done. You seriously need to go back and get the test results and if no Free T4 and Free T3, then you need to get those done ASAP.
Those are two common symptoms of hypothyroidism. Did you go through the list of symptoms in the link above, to see if there might be any that you have overlooked?
2 Comments
A thyroid gland produces thyroid hormone. There are basically two of those, T4 and T3. Over the span of a full day, an average thyroid gland will produce the equivalent of 100 mcg of T4 and 10 mcg of T3. If your hypothalamus/pituitary system senses a lack of thyroid hormone, the pituitary will secrete a hormone called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) , to stimulate the thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormone.
Most doctors erroneously believe that a TSH test is all that is needed to diagnose and treat a potential hypothyroid patient. So TSH is usually the first, and many times, the only test done for a patient. If TSH is above its reference range, then a test is done for Free T4. Most all of T4 and T3 in the blood is bound to protein and thus not biologically active. Only the small portions free of protein, thus called Free T4 and Free T3 are available for use by your body.
There is a lot we will need to discuss, but first thing is that we need to know what tests have been done for you and what the results are. Also, have you used the link to assess your symptoms?
Most doctors erroneously believe that a TSH test is all that is needed to diagnose and treat a potential hypothyroid patient. So TSH is usually the first, and many times, the only test done for a patient. If TSH is above its reference range, then a test is done for Free T4. Most all of T4 and T3 in the blood is bound to protein and thus not biologically active. Only the small portions free of protein, thus called Free T4 and Free T3 are available for use by your body.
There is a lot we will need to discuss, but first thing is that we need to know what tests have been done for you and what the results are. Also, have you used the link to assess your symptoms?
2 Comments
Yes it says mild thyroids
Whats that? I have fatigue and dry skin.. That's the only symptoms im experiencing right now
Sorry I forgot the link for symptoms evaluation.
http://www.thyroid-australia.com/lowthyroid.htm
http://www.thyroid-australia.com/lowthyroid.htm
1 Comments
What is T4 TSH?
If you will click on my name and then scroll down to my Journal, you can read an overview that also gives a link to the full paper on Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypothyroidism: A Patient's Perspective. On the first page of the link it says, "People with hypothyroidism typically suffer from a lack of energy and many other symptoms including cold intolerance, dry skin, weight gain, constipation, slow movement/speech, low sex drive, and dry, thinning or coarse hair. When the hypothyroid condition is not adequately diagnosed and treated, more severe
problems such as high cholesterol, cardiac issues, obesity, joint and muscle pain, gradual hearing loss, reproductive system disorders, depression, periodontal problems, carpal tunnel syndrome or sleep apnoea will eventually appear; in extreme cases it may even result in coma or death."
Clearly hypothyroidism is not something to be tolerated, and it can be extremely bad for a fetus. So you really need to be adequately tested, as detailed above. Also, even more important than tests, are symptoms that occur more frequently with hypothyroidism. Have a look at this link and check off which symptoms you have, if any, and it will automatically score your input and you can compare that to the categories listed at the bottom.
problems such as high cholesterol, cardiac issues, obesity, joint and muscle pain, gradual hearing loss, reproductive system disorders, depression, periodontal problems, carpal tunnel syndrome or sleep apnoea will eventually appear; in extreme cases it may even result in coma or death."
Clearly hypothyroidism is not something to be tolerated, and it can be extremely bad for a fetus. So you really need to be adequately tested, as detailed above. Also, even more important than tests, are symptoms that occur more frequently with hypothyroidism. Have a look at this link and check off which symptoms you have, if any, and it will automatically score your input and you can compare that to the categories listed at the bottom.
What do you think they meant when they said "it" was low and then more recently "mild low". I would bet my last dollar it was a test for TSH, which is affected by so many things, that it is totally inadequate as a diagnostic for thyroid status. So when you go back to pick up the test info, I suggest that if only TSH was tested, while you are there, you should try to get tested for the actual, biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T4 and Free T3. Of course it would also be good to test for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, since they affect the response to thyroid hormone.
By the way the recall on Levo was for "inconsistent potency", so not a reason to be scared.
You said you have had no symptoms. Is your weight a possible indication of low metabolism, which is a frequent symptom of hypothyroidism?
By the way the recall on Levo was for "inconsistent potency", so not a reason to be scared.
You said you have had no symptoms. Is your weight a possible indication of low metabolism, which is a frequent symptom of hypothyroidism?
2 Comments
I workout. Monday through friday starting in may. i lost 40 pounds now! I had energy! But can low thyroids kill you or just make you feel less of yourself?
Left untreated what will be the outcome.
It may not be a matter of whether you "want" to take meds, but whether you "need" to take the meds. If the need is there, then that is the only alternative for your health, and even more important for healthy development of the baby. I would not just wait for yet another month to find out if further tests are confirmatory. You need to get a copy of your test results and let us help determine if you have even been adequately tested, and what, if anything, can be concluded from the tests. If the tests so far are inadequate then you need to get further tests done now. We can help, but you need to get the test results as the first step.
1 Comments
The doctor office is close today and tomorrow! Ill get the results Monday! But i feel completely fine! I have no symptoms at all! I feel as they made a mistake. I weighed 250 in last November it was low. So i lost 40 within those months. So i went last Thursday and got it drawn again. My results on Tuesday they said it was mild low. It wasnt normal and it wasn't low. Idk but i feel as if i continue taking the medicine my body will be needing it and without it ill feel worst! I don't want that! And i also heard there have been a recall on levothyroxine! So Thats one reason im scared to take it.
First thing I suggest is that you should get a copy of your test results and post them here, along with their reference ranges shown on the lab report, so that we can better understand your doctor 's diagnosis. Can you do that? You should always get copies of your lab reports and write on there how you were feeling and what meds/supplements you were taking at the time. Those become very useful in tracking your medical history.
If you have only been tested for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), that is totally inadequate. TSH is regarded by many doctors as the only test needed to diagnose and treat a hypothyroid patient. That is false. The correct definition for hypothyroidism is "insufficient T3 effect in tissue throughout the body due to inadequate supply of, or response to, thyroid hormone". Data clearly show that TSH has only a weak correlation with Free T4 and Free T3, the biologically active thyroid hormones, and has a negligible correlation with TISSUE T3 EFFECT, which determines a person's thyroid status. So except at extreme levels, TSH is totally inadequate as the primary diagnostic for thyroid, for both diagnosis and treatment.
Instead, a person should be evaluated for symptoms that occur more frequently with hypothyroidism than otherwise. followed by extended tests to include TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 (not the same as Total T4 and Total T3) , and initially a Reverse T3 as well. If TSH is high, then a test for the antibodies of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis should be done. For that, Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies TPO ab should be tested, and if negative, then Thyroglobulin antibodies (TG ab) should be tested. If symptoms exist, and Free T4 and Free T3 are in the lower part of their so-called "normal" ranges, that is evidence of the need for a trial with thyroid medication adequate to raise FT4 and FT3 into the upper half of their ranges. If symptoms ease, then that is confirmation of hypothyroidism and the dosage should be adjusted as needed to relieve symptoms. Frequently this requires FT4 at least mid-range, and Free T3 in the upper third of its range. Patients taking T4 meds like Levo, often find that their FT3 lags FT4 and requires a source of T3 in their med, in order to get FT3 into the upper half of its range.
In addition, hypo patients are frequently deficient in Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin. So you also need to get those tested and then supplement as needed to optimize. Vitamin D should be at lest 50 ng/mL, B12 in the upper end of its range, and ferritin should be at least 100.
It is very important for you and the baby that you get your FT4 and FT3 levels optimal, along with Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin. Do you think you can get these tests done so that you know what else is required? Also please note that to avoid false high test results you should wait until after the blood draw for these tests to take your daily thyroid medication.
If you have only been tested for TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone), that is totally inadequate. TSH is regarded by many doctors as the only test needed to diagnose and treat a hypothyroid patient. That is false. The correct definition for hypothyroidism is "insufficient T3 effect in tissue throughout the body due to inadequate supply of, or response to, thyroid hormone". Data clearly show that TSH has only a weak correlation with Free T4 and Free T3, the biologically active thyroid hormones, and has a negligible correlation with TISSUE T3 EFFECT, which determines a person's thyroid status. So except at extreme levels, TSH is totally inadequate as the primary diagnostic for thyroid, for both diagnosis and treatment.
Instead, a person should be evaluated for symptoms that occur more frequently with hypothyroidism than otherwise. followed by extended tests to include TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 (not the same as Total T4 and Total T3) , and initially a Reverse T3 as well. If TSH is high, then a test for the antibodies of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis should be done. For that, Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies TPO ab should be tested, and if negative, then Thyroglobulin antibodies (TG ab) should be tested. If symptoms exist, and Free T4 and Free T3 are in the lower part of their so-called "normal" ranges, that is evidence of the need for a trial with thyroid medication adequate to raise FT4 and FT3 into the upper half of their ranges. If symptoms ease, then that is confirmation of hypothyroidism and the dosage should be adjusted as needed to relieve symptoms. Frequently this requires FT4 at least mid-range, and Free T3 in the upper third of its range. Patients taking T4 meds like Levo, often find that their FT3 lags FT4 and requires a source of T3 in their med, in order to get FT3 into the upper half of its range.
In addition, hypo patients are frequently deficient in Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin. So you also need to get those tested and then supplement as needed to optimize. Vitamin D should be at lest 50 ng/mL, B12 in the upper end of its range, and ferritin should be at least 100.
It is very important for you and the baby that you get your FT4 and FT3 levels optimal, along with Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin. Do you think you can get these tests done so that you know what else is required? Also please note that to avoid false high test results you should wait until after the blood draw for these tests to take your daily thyroid medication.
1 Comments
I only took one pill when i first got my meds.. Im going to wait until oct 16 to get it drawn again but at a different doctor to be really sure! In between time Im going to exercise and eat healthy. I don't want to be on long term meds my whole life! At this age in life
I also meant to ask what was the dosage of the Levothyroxine you started?
1 Comments
0.075mg(75mcg) idk he didn't say the cause! And idk how low but he said mild low..
There is much to discuss, but first please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report. What did the doctor's diagnose as the cause for your "low thyroid"? If there is a thyroid problem it is vital for both you and the baby that you are adequately treated.
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