Menopause Discussion > Other Health Discussion
Thyroid issues & support
Elliebee:
Hi Keep on Swimming I’m being tested for antibodies on the 6 June. No mention of a scan though just regular blood checks if I have antibodies. Meds only given if above a certain TSH level? My TSH level is 4.24 ref. Level is 4.2.
Was 4.2 in Jan so it is increasing slowly. T4 in range. T3 not tested .
Kathleen:
Hello ladies.
I wonder if I can pick your brains on behalf of a neighbour?
She was diagnosed with Hashimotos at the end of last year and has been prescribed Levothyroxine. She asked me if in general it is better to have a TSH reading at the low end of the normal range and a T4 reading at the high end? I said that I wasn't sure but I would let her know after consulting the experts ( by which I mean you lovely lot lol).
I know several women who are taking Levothyroxine and every now and then it comes up in conversation but I have never heard this general rule of thumb idea before.
Any comments or insights would be most welcome ladies.
Wishing you all well and take care.
K.
Clarella:
Hello - yes it is. However it can fluctuate. So blood tests in the morning around 8am-9am.
Don’t take your thyroxine before it.
Don’t take anything with biotin, a b vit, for around a week before (often in multi vits, collagen things and berrocca etc) as it can affect results.
Ideally lower range, tsh 1 or below. If it’s too low you can feel just as bad. There’s a sweet spot! You also need a little tsh I was told to help conversion.
T4 upper range, usually around 18-20.
However everyone is different. You need to trial a dose for a good 3 months to see if your feel ok (unless obviously hyper) as the half life of the thyroxine is 7-10 days. This is why tests are 8-12 weeks after a dose change.
Need to be aware that a test in the afternoon could show slightly higher results.
You can take alternate day doses of 125 and 150 or whatever you need. I’ve gone from that to 125 to 100/125 over the course of my hrt journey. There’s a 12.5 pill now as well.
I’ve discovered that the Utrogestan x2 100 daily i take and the testosterone has improved my ability to use thyroxine (utro lowers something that binds to it and testosterone increases t4/t3 ratios). Transdermal oestrogen hasn’t had an effect on me I don’t think.
Kathleen:
Hello again ladies.
Clarella - thank you so much for your comments. I don't know what my neighbours actual levels are though I assume she has made a note of them. I will tell her that she was basically right about the levels to aim for and I am sure this will help her.
Thanks again and take care.
K.
Elliebee:
Hi, I am having blood test next week for antibodies following an elevated TSH level but normal T4. Should T3 be tested too ?
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version