Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why isn’t it working? The blood test are in range. My dr didn’t say anything about it. I am going to an endocrinologist next month.
Define "not working". The only thing you have mentioned is weight. I see no other symptoms mentioned and I reread all of your posts. Normally when somebody says it isn't working it is always with regards to symptomatic relief.
With regards to the TSH if that's what you mean by it not working in lowering it even more while having normal thyroid hormone levels then it would have been nice to see previous results to see the trends.
The TSH is interpreted with three different ranges in mind. The first is the reference range of what we call as normal and anything outside of that we call abnormal. Just because it is abnormal doesn't automatically mean that we treat it. There is a clinical cutoff of when to treat and all agree that when thyroid hormones are low that constitutes overt hypothyroidism and most would agree that TSH levels greater than 10 should be treated. The last range refers to the goal target TSH value or range one is shooting for. It's a range within the normal reference range that one prefers the TSH to be in. Normally the reference range is cited as the therapeutic range but what they really mean is that the TSH must fall within that range. Some want aggressive treatment to the lower third of the reference range or upper third upper to 3. Doctors have an discretion on target ranges.
There can be thyroidal and non-thyroidal alterations in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid that can impact the TSH. The most common non-thyroidal in outpatients is mental disorders such as depression. Other medical conditions can do the same thing and so the antibody test is consistent with primary thyroid disorders like Hashimoto's which is the most common form of hypothyroidism.
Just to reiterate that there is no confusion or debate here about oversight. A doctor lost his license and I cite the medical boards reason for why he lost it. He refused to listen to and use the TSH properly. It states the range expected based on the recommendations. They are simply recommendations meaning there is some small leeway on deviations. Deviate grossly and you're gone.
"2.3 During the investigation, the Board and Licensee entered into an Interim Stipulated Order (ISO) on March 18, 2010 to address concerns that the Licensee was in violation of the 2004 Modifying Order referenced above. The ISO set forth the following conditions in subparagraph 3:
3.1 Licensee will not recommend, prescribe, or direct any patient to take thyroid unless patient TSH levels exceed 10 uIU/mL, except that Licensee may recommend, prescribe or direct a patient to take thyroid supplementation if patient TSH levels are between 5 and 10 uIU/mL and the patient has also been diagnosed with goiter or positive anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (or both).
3.2 Licensee will require any patient taking thyroid from a non-prescription source to undergo thyroid blood tests on a regular basis (at least every 6 months) and that Licensee will direct such patients to adjust their dose to bring their TSH level into the range recommended by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) (the target TSH level is between 0.3 and 3.0 uIU/mL). If any patient declines to follow this direction, Licensee will provide 30 day prior written notice to the patient and then terminate the physician – patient relationship."
Different tests and different organizations use somewhat different ranges. ASK YOUR DOCTOR.
It can get complicated and frustrating for those not normally exposed to concepts in setting reference ranges. Some people attack the assay as being inaccurate and thus not important which is the wrong conclusion. The problems is how to set the upper reference limit. Most labs today are using an upper limit of 3 while in the past it was set to 5 or even 10 mIU/L.
“Reference intervals for TSH are all over the place,” Carole Spencer, MT, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Southern California and technical director, USC Endocrine Laboratories, says, adding that there are several reasons. One is that the reference interval is very sensitive to individuals in the cohort who skew the upper limit, which makes the distribution non-Gaussian and requires log transformation of values. Older persons, in whom higher levels are seen, are an example. “The upper limit of the TSH interval may be 7.5 mIU/L for a group of healthy 80 year olds, whereas it might be down around 3 for healthy 20 year olds,” Dr. Spencer says."
That's a problem when not using an age adjusted reference range.
Some things that can influence setting the reference interval is if you include people with obesity, age and the presence of thyroid antibodies when selecting the patients as normal and thus setting the range based including those individuals will yield higher upper limit.
After saying all of that the TSH has been proven clinically to be able to screen for primary thyroid conditions based on it's sensitivity. The increased sensitivity allowed for the correlation of the free thyroxine with the logTSH. In other words there is a mathematical formula one can use to calculate what the TSH should be when one reaches a low free T4. This helps us in not only primary thyroid disorders but in pituitary disorders when one sees a discordant TSH in relation to a free T4 in evaluating hypopituitarism.
Rather than concentrating on external reference ranges which can vary it is often better to evaluate intra personal variance on an individual level which means serial testing as there is very little variance a person experiences. The fall and rise of TSH levels hopefully using the same lab is important.
A TSH of 3.7 mIU/L can have many different interpretations depending on their age, obesity level, whether they have thyroid antibodies, any comorbid conditions such as heart problems or adrenal insufficiency and symptoms associated with hypothyroidism if any. Testing has gotten very sensitive that we can detect altered TSH levels without any symptoms also unfortunately one can also detect high levels in people who don't have hypothyroidism but are euthyroid with some resistance. Some signs and symptoms are more specific than others. The presence of a goiter is one of those.
This is the first time my THS stayed under 5 for a while. I should be able to lose weight with the below results right? Or should my TSH be lower?
I take Levothyroxine everyday
Mon Wed Fri and Sat - 150 mcg.
Tues and Thurs - 100 mcg
Sunday - 200 mcg
My TSH - 3.742 range 0.45 to 5.5
Free T4 - 1.68 range 0.60 to 1.81
Total, T3 - 0.89 range 0.75 to 2.00
It always seems to go up and I have to increase my meds.
IDK if the OP is still even listening - but this post is ON topic. BTW - obviously - the topic is a hot button.
I was hypothyroid, undiagnosed, for some years, until just over 20 years ago I also got diagnosed with an unrelated issue. At that time, the docs ordered full blood tests, and voila! Diagnosed hypo. We can assume I was undiagnosed because I'd had alopecia for some years prior.
So, yeah, IMO losing weight while on thyroid supplements is extremely hard. I'll tend to agree that the hi-protein, moderate fat, lower carb, dietary approach works better for energy. BUT might not be so for you - too many variables. Listen to your energy levels.
Levothyroxine vs synthroid vs dessicated thyroid. Just a word or two. Levo vs synthroid, the diffs are really unimportant. You'll have to take a slightly larger dose of generic levothyroxine, that's all. SOME people, but few, have better results with dessicated thyroid (Armour brand, etc). Most people do slightly better on levothyroxine, whether Synthroid or generic. Talk to your doc about trying one or the other, if you're so inclined. If one provides better energy, you are more likely to be able to control your weight.
Dosage: you are taking a WEIRD dosage! Who gave you those quantities! Are you self-diagnosing? AFAIK, although I'm not an endocrinologist, levo dosing for hypo aims at a steady amount. X mcg per DAY. Not that up and down and all around stuff you are doing. By doing what you are doing, again, AFAIK, your levels are going to jump up and down, and won't steady out, possibly for months. The docs use 6 weeks, but I've seen unstable test results for nearly that many months as a result of inconsistent dosing. Talk to your doc. If you aren't being open and transparent about what you are doing with your doc, it may be time to start.
Lastly, when it comes to test results and normal and all that? You should be talking to your doctor, or reading up on clinical studies - not asking here - UNLESS your real objective is weight loss in the first place. In which case go find a weight-lifters or bodybuilding forum where they discuss such off-label, and sometimes illegal, drug use. At least you can find ppl with experience doing junk like that.
My sister the nurse, who also has hypothyroidism or if she calls it Hashimoto’s, says that for some people their thyroid quits working. Those people are on level doses. Her thyroid worked intermittently — like it’ll put hormone out a little bit and then sometimes it’ll flat out. And she takes dosages like him OP, but much lower.
In fact after being hypothyroid for 10 years she finally got put on 75 mgs A day. Her previous doses were between 50 and 100mgs and one day off a week.
Her treatment isn't working! Maybe it's time to, oh, I don't know, run some more tests???? Maybe antibodies? Maybe she has Hashimoto's? Maybe something else? "Synthroid is the treatment of choice." Why? Because no one makes much money off of the alternatives? What if synthroid isn't working, like in the OP's case?
My sister the nurse, who also has hypothyroidism or if she calls it Hashimoto’s, says that for some people their thyroid quits working. Those people are on level doses. Her thyroid worked intermittently — like it’ll put hormone out a little bit and then sometimes it’ll flat out. And she takes dosages like him OP, but much lower.
In fact after being hypothyroid for 10 years she finally got put on 75 mgs A day. Her previous doses were between 50 and 100mgs and one day off a week.
It's not mgs. It's mcgs. No one is taking 100 milligrams of synthetic thyroid. They're taking 100 micrograms of it. Synthroid/levothyroxine is measured in micrograms.
Regardless, the OP's concern is that they want to take the right dosage necessary to lose weight. That is the wrong thing to use thyroid medication for, especially since their levels are WELL within the healthy range. If the OP wants to lose weight, the OP needs to check their nutritional intake and exercise level, not their thyroid meds.
Her treatment isn't working! Maybe it's time to, oh, I don't know, run some more tests???? Maybe antibodies? Maybe she has Hashimoto's? Maybe something else? "Synthroid is the treatment of choice." Why? Because no one makes much money off of the alternatives? What if synthroid isn't working, like in the OP's case?
OP, visit the site stopthethyroidmadness.com. It's by patients, for patients. You can find out what tests to order yourself if your doctor won't and what other things, like iodine, iron and adrenals, need to be fixed for your thyroid to work right.
OP, visit the site stopthethyroidmadness.com. It's by patients, for patients. You can find out what tests to order yourself if your doctor won't and what other things, like iodine, iron and adrenals, need to be fixed for your thyroid to work right.
Good luck!
If you go by that site why does she need lab work or order her own when somebody reads this at that site?
"Have you been told you are "normal", but you have continuing symptoms?? LISTEN HERE
Why the TSH lab test may be the worst way to diagnose or treat by.. LISTEN HERE"
Should one go by the T4 or T3? No, those are bad also according to the site.
"5. Making labwork more important than the hypo symptoms which scream their presence."
They don't believe in tests in diagnosis or in monitoring thyroid disorders.
They rely on self diagnosis and don't need tests which is why doctors lost licenses listening to all that nonsense. There isn't any logic there on how to diagnose nor treat thyroid disorders.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
BTW - obviously - the topic is a hot button.
Solly says — Be nice!
