low Thyroid symptoms

[jenae2849]

For all those who have low thyroid symptoms but your blood results come back normal.  I had low thyroid symptoms and my family doctor said my thyroid was normal, despite the fact my hair was falling out, I felt exhausted, colder then everyone else, depressed, and irritable. I suffered for many years, then after much research I went and saw a bio-identical doctor.  The bio-identical doctor said my thyroid was low and put me on desiccated thyroid and I am feeling much better.  They have an optimal range  for the thyroid levels. So many people are hypo and family doctors say their blood work is in the  normal range.  If you have thyroid symptoms go see a bio-identical doctor.  The optimal range for T3 should be between 5.3 - 7.7, and for TSH it should be between 0.2 - 0.3  Hope this helps, I no longer suffer low thyroid anymore now that I am on desiccated thyroid.  

[gimel]

So glad to hear that you have been able to make progress in diagnosis and treatment for your hypothyroidism.  I would like to point out that many hypo patients find that adequate thyroid medication suppresses TSH below range.  My own TSH has been .05 or less for at lest 25 years.  So I would not suggest using a target for TSH.  TSH causes no symptoms, it is just an indicator (poor) of thyroid status.  Far better indicators are the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T4 and Free T3.  I do suggest that a good target for Free T4 is mid-range, and that is important.  Also, Free T3 for many people needs to be in the upper third of its range, or as needed to relieve symptoms.  

Also, effective treatment does not require a bio-identical hormone doctor.   Instead hypo patients just need a good thyroid doctor that will treat clinically, by testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as needed to relieve symptoms without being constrained by resultant TSH results.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not TSH results.  That also does not necessitate the doctor being an Endo.  

To add to what you have already learned, you might find some useful info in this link on diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism.  

http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/TUK_PDFs/diagnosis_and_treatment_of_hypothyroidism_issue_1.pdf