Thyroid q

[crazycanuck]

Hi there,

Just a quick question for those who have hypothyroidism.

Is there a reason why a TSH level would spike from say 7 to 55? I went to my dr today for the results of my blood test and when she saw the results it was Normally someone who has my level of tsh would be seriously ill....

For some weird reason my tsh level is 55. I had another test today to see if there wasn't a mistake.

If this has ever happened to you let me know. I'm rather curious..

c
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[Triskeliongirl]

Are you on thyroid meds? If so, it suggests that you are not on a sufficiently high dose. If you are not on thyroids meds, it suggests that you need a higher dose. If the question is why did it go from 7 to 55, that suggests your thryoid disease is progressing. In my case, I had to increase my dosage of synthroid over time becasue presumably my throid was becoming less and less active over time (I have hashimoto's so it was effectively being destroyed by an autoimmune reaction). 175 ug is my current dosage, which keeps my TSH around 1, which is the level I feel the best at. Do you understand that TSH stands for thyroid stimulating hormone, which is what your body makes when it is asking the thyroid to supply it with more thyroid hormone (TH). If your body can't make thyroid hormone for any reason, and you are not supplementing with enough, the TSH levels will be high since the request was not answered. Only when you somehow get enough TH into your system can you shut off TSH production. I imagine there can be other explanations as well. Perhaps there are other reasons to over produce TSH, but you need to discuss these with your doctor since I don't know anything else about you or your medical history.

[velogirl]

First, don't rule out a mistake with the test. I would be re-tested immediately. I know, thyroid panels are expensive (I have to get them 3-4 times a year), but a mistake with your thyroid meds could be deadly.

This result could also be the result of being inconsistent with taking your meds. If you're not consistent in how you take your meds (see below), you could have false results on TSH, T3, T4, etc.

An elevated TSH (without the accompanying hypo symptoms) could indicate an auto-immune disorder (Grave's Disease or Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). These are difficult to diagnose and require a Thyroid Antibody test in addition to TSH and the T3 T4s.

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Drift (for those of you on thyroid meds):

Did you know that your meds are heat and humidity sensitive? You cannot let them get hot or they will completely degrade. You won't know you're taking bad meds (they don't look, smell or taste bad), but you won't be getting the correct dose. Do not store them in the bathroom. Do not leave them in a closed car (even in your purse) for even a minute.

For best results, you need to be consistent with the time you take your meds. It should be as close to the same time as possible each day.

You need to take your meds at least one hour before you eat and at least five hours after you eat. Thyroid meds are absorbed in your large intenstine (thus the reason for the empty stomach and lots of water). For most folks, this means taking your meds first thing in the morning (or in the middle of the night).

Calcium has a negative interaction with thyroid meds, so you need to eliminate calcium intake (tums, coffee, ice cream, milk,any form of calcium) within the same guidelines as above (1 hr after/5 hrs before). My doc actually recommends waiting 5 hours after taking my meds before I consume any calcium.

[mtbdarby]

TSH also lags 4-6 weeks behind your medication adjustments. Your dr. should not be changing meds based off of your tsh but off of your Ft3 and Ft4 levels. Are you getting those checked as well?

I have graves. My endo would LOVE to see my tsh hit 1! But it's really irrelative what my tsh is as long as my FT3 and FT4 is where it needs to be. Because I have an autoimmune disease, my tsh will be naturally suppressed, yet most endo's focus and treat off of tsh levels. Be informed. Have you ever checked out the mediboards? http://mediboard.com/groupee/forums/a/cfrm/f/470109542
There's a lot of good information here.

[crazycanuck]

Just want to say thank you for the links-I found an Australian site http://www.thyroid.org.au/ and am going to subscribe to it.

Just an update on my TSH level. If anyone out there reading this has Hashimoto's or any other thyroid condition take my advice-TAKE YOUR MEDICATION REGULARLY..not every other day or when you remember...

I saw my dr again today and the last blood test i did was so high it was off the scale. He told me he's never seen it before. I agreed that i'd make a 100%effort to take the meds every day and then asess. If the tsh level doesn't go back down to 7, it's off to a specialist...

I no longer have a functioning thyroid.

What was my error-not investigating further and finding out more on Hashimoto's and not really realizing how my thyroid affects my body. It's not that i didn't/don''t care but was not really informed(either by further investigation on my own or by the dr)on the side effects. I was just told to take my medication....

So my goal for the next 6 weeks...take my medication. I'd like to see if i can eventually stabilize my weight etc.


Thanks again ladies

c

[Haudlady]

Thank you for posting these website references!

I just got a call from my Dr's office - I had routine bloodwork done (the last time was about 6 years ago ). Everything is normal EXCEPT the thyroid. The TSH level is 7.572.

I'm having a hard time translating what that really means to me! I am only 31 - I don't want to be on medication forever! DH thinks I should have the test re-done to make sure it is right. I'm the kind of person who hates taking medicine... for me to take an ibuprofen I have to feel really awful.

Can anyone tell me what this level could mean, relatively speaking?

I asked the nurse, on the phone, what she could tell me about what it all means. The Dr. wants to put me on Levoxyl. The nurse said that she could "send me an informational flyer." Great. Now I have to wait two days to get more information?

I know, in the scope of things, this isn't that bad... but I will admit that I am more than a little freaked out by it.

[maillotpois]

Haud - don't let this freak you out at all. In the grand scheme of things a thyroid problem is about one of the easiest things ever to deal with. It will not affect your life at all. The medication is not scary - it is simply something your body should be producing but is not.

I've been on levoxyl for almost 10 years (diagnosed with Hashimoto's when I was 31). I wil be on them forever. They have NO ill effects. Life is good. There are WAY worse things to deal with (and I've had some of them). Any medical diagnosis or condition can be initially startling. But don't worry - just listen to your doctors, share your concerns with them.

You'll be fine.

[makbike]

To help remind me to take my thyroid medication every day I keep a bottle of water next to a pill box that has my daily pill in it. I pass the counter I keep both on each morning when I first get out of bed thus reminding me to stop and take my pill. This also allows ample time between the time I take my pill and I eat breakfast (about 2 hours). As has been pointed out thyroid medication should be taken at the same time each day, calcium should be avoid 2+ hours before and after the pill and it best to take it on an empty stomach. Please do not skip a dose! As has also been pointed out taking thyroid medicatioin really is not a big deal but it is a life time medication. I must say I was so happy when my Hashimoto's was diagnosed and I felt so much better once I settled into my dose (112mcg). I never want to return to where I was for I literally felt like sh*t each and every day. It is so nice to have my life back.

I do have a question - time wish when is the best time to have your blood drawn to check thyroid levels? I know with dogs we advise owners to have it drawn 6 hours post pill, is it the same for humans?

[Haudlady]

Thanks, guys... I guess it was more the initial shock of it. I wasn't expecting anything but "normal" to come back.

Makbike- I read on one of those websites that the levels DO change throughout the day. Aparently, levels are often higher in the morning. I would guess (and it really is a guess - I have a lot of reading to do) that to be consistent you should have the test at the same time each time you have it done.

Oooh... this brings another question for me, though. The prospect of needing to budget in medication costs! Oh dear. I guess I won't be getting any new jerseys this year!

[Thistle]

sorry to hear that cc

I"m glad you can improve it by being regular with the medication... maybe, i dunno, maybe the plus side of that will be more speed on the bike ... but then we'll never catch up to you on bj

{{{ cc}}}

[Triskeliongirl]

Oooh... this brings another question for me, though. The prospect of needing to budget in medication costs! Oh dear. I guess I won't be getting any new jerseys this year!

Actually, I have been on thyroid meds for years and fortunatly its one of the cheapest meds out there. All I can do is echo what others have said, of all the things that can be wrong, this is easily fixable. You are just taking a hormone that your body isn't making adequate amounts of, so you don't need to worry about harmful side effects. BUT, dosage is very critical, so don't forget and also don't double your dosage (which can also happen if you forget if you took it, and take it again). I did this once and was soooo hyper. I know its scary to realize you must take this every day forever, but it could be worse. The other 'silver lining' from your other post is maybe it forced your husband to take his health more seriously too, which has to be a good thing no matter how his situation turns out. At least it got him talking about it.

[mtbdarby]

Actually, I have been on thyroid meds for years and fortunatly its one of the cheapest meds out there. All I can do is echo what others have said, of all the things that can be wrong, this is easily fixable. You are just taking a hormone that your body isn't making adequate amounts of, so you don't need to worry about harmful side effects. BUT, dosage is very critical, so don't forget and also don't double your dosage (which can also happen if you forget if you took it, and take it again). I did this once and was soooo hyper. I know its scary to realize you must take this every day forever, but it could be worse. The other 'silver lining' from your other post is maybe it forced your husband to take his health more seriously too, which has to be a good thing no matter how his situation turns out. At least it got him talking about it.

I second the low cost. It was actually cheaper for me to buy my meds cash versus using my insurance and paying my rx deductible. Check both prices and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised!

[maillotpois]

Ditto what Darby said. It's cheaper to pay cash and get many months worth than go through my insurance w/$10 per month copay.

[anakiwa]

The TSH level is 7.572.

I'm having a hard time translating what that really means to me! I am only 31 - I don't want to be on medication forever! DH thinks I should have the test re-done to make sure it is right. I'm the kind of person who hates taking medicine... for me to take an ibuprofen I have to feel really awful.

Can anyone tell me what this level could mean, relatively speaking?

Different TSH assays can have greater/lesser sensitivity. (Meaning supersensitive TSH tests often come back fairly high relative to the true degree of disease.)

Was a free T4 done? (This is a measure of the actual thyroid hormone.) A TSH of 7 is only mildly elevated (assuming the units are the same as what I am familiar with). If the TSH is mildly elevated and the free T4 is normal, this would actually represent subclinical hypothyroidism. Subclinical hypothyroidism is not necessarily the same as hypothyroidism (generally implies a higher risk of developing hypothyroidism in the future, but not everyone would agree that this needs to be treated with thyroid medication- many people would just watch this over time).

I haven't seen your test results and I don't want to butt in too much, but your DH might be right. It may be worth asking to have the test repeated, or making an appointment to see the doctor to make sure you have the full information.

[donnambr]

I do have a question - time wish when is the best time to have your blood drawn to check thyroid levels? I know with dogs we advise owners to have it drawn 6 hours post pill, is it the same for humans?

My endocrinologist likes me to have mine on a empty stomach before my daily dose. Since I take mine at 5:30 each morning, I'm there for the blood draw when the lab opens at 7:00am, and take my pill right after.