I saw an endo last week who (before getting my 5/3 results) put me on .05 synthroid. I'm going back in 3 months but wanted to compare my results with others so I figured I'd post to see if anything stood out.
Anti Thyroid Perox Antibodies is a new test to me that I don't know much about. I'm way above normal range. Does anyone have insight as to why this and my TSH would be high meanwhile everything else is normal.
I'm having similar test results to you, but my T4 is also high (my free T4 is similar to yours). My doctor did an MRI looking for a TSH-secreting pituitary tumor. They found something, but now she's not convinced that's causing the problem. I had more blood work done today to check for Thyroid Hormone Resistance which sounds similar to the tests you had done. I'm also searching for answers. (I explained my situation a little more in the post called High TSH, High T4). Good luck!
Mac, you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is causing hypothyroidism. Hashi's is an autoimmune disease, evidenced by high titers of TPO and/or Tg antibodies. The antibodies are slowly destroying your thyroid gland, making it incapable of producing enough hormone for your needs.
Your high TSH is your pituitary gland's attempt at getting your thyroid gland to make more hormone than it can now make, due to the damage the antibodies have caused.
You haven't mentioned symptoms. Do you have any? If you do, then your T4 and T3 aren't adequate for your needs, even if they are within range. Very few people who are diagnosed by having elevated TSH has T4 or T3 below range. It's quite common to be diagnosed with labs like yours.
You can find lots more information in our "Thyroid Information" sticky thread.
__________________ "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses." Abraham Lincoln
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I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I can't determine what my specific symptoms are. I haven't felt "right" in some time (at least 5 years) and have kind of forgotten what normal feels like.
I've been really struggling to lose weight. I ballooned up to 300 lbs about 4 years ago. From 2011 to now I've managed to drop 45lbs but have pretty much been the same weight despite following a strict eating program (by guidance of dietitian) and daily exercise (cardio + weight lifting). My clothes are fitting well and I feel good about having a lot more "lean-ness" but not seeing the scale drop more than a pound or two in over 2 months has been very frustrating and everyone (from doctor to dietitian) feels that could very well be linked to my thyroid + hormones. I don't expect medicine is going to instantly carve off the weight but hopefully it will help a little.
In addition I've only been on the Synthroid for a week now but I had at one point been getting small heart palpitations and I have trouble sleeping (opposite of lethargy). I struggle with depression and sever anxiety from time to time. I never had an issue up until the past few years. I'm 31 so I just figured all of these small discomforts and moodiness were part of growing up.
Looking through the 'short-list' of symptoms and most of them I don't believe apply. But if I had to pick some they would be:
Depression
Modest weight gain
Constipation (my case it's more "sluggishness" than constipation)
Decreased concentration (my most annoying and applicable symptom)
Vague aches and pains
macmonkey- men with hypothyroidism should always have their testosterone and other sex hormones checked. It's possible that low testosterone could be adding to your thyroid problem.
macmonkey- men with hypothyroidism should always have their testosterone and other sex hormones checked. It's possible that low testosterone could be adding to your thyroid problem.
I will suggest this to my doctors.. Everything seems to be fine with me sexually but I am somewhat emotional. Thanks for the tip.
I don't know what 0.05 synthroid is- is that 50 mcg?
I would ask if you can have blood work 6 weeks after you started your dose so that you can increase again by another 25 mcg. By the time you go for your doctor's appt in 3 months, it will be time for more blood work and another dose increase.
And you should also have your FT3 checked. Your T3 total seems okay but it is not necessarily an accurate reflection of your free T3 as many proteins in the blood can bind thyroid hormone. Low FT3 could explain emotional difficulties/ depression.
The Following User Says Thank You to bee01 For This Useful Post: macmonkey (05-10-2012)
Yes - .05mg = 50mcg. I agree but my endo has a huge lead time. I had to wait 5 months for my first consult (she's supposedly really good). I'm seeing my primary in a few weeks and will certainly bring this up. I was prescribed based on my 5~6 TSH not on the 9TSH. Perhaps my doc can email her and suggest upping it prior to me seeing her again.
One thing I can't remember if I mentioned - I go for an ultrasound of my thyroid tomorrow. We'll see what comes of that too.
Yes, I would have your blood drawn at the 6 week mark and ask the doctor to have the lab send you the results. I would try to use the same lab as before, so that the results are consistent. Also, have your blood drawn first thing in the morning because your TSH will be higher then.
The doctor may be able to review your bloodwork and increase your dose without you having to meet with her- they could just call in your prescription. At this rate, it will take forever for you to be where you need to be, good doc or not. There's no reason why you should have to wait more than 6 weeks for a dose increase.
The ultrasound stenographer mentioned that my thyroid looked pretty bad. I was kind of concerned because usually they aren't allowed to comment in any way but I got the feeling she was sort of above the standard technician.
She mentioned it looked like I've been having troubles for a long time. She mentioned something about the blood vessels on one side being "less pronounced" than on the other but deferred to the radiologist report before we came to any conclusions.
I'll hopefully get a report in the coming days but dont' really know what to think of her comments.
The following user gives a hug of support to macmonkey: bee01 (05-11-2012)
macmonkey- I'm a bit out of my element here since I have never had a thyroid ultrasound (hmm, maybe I should) but it sounds as though she is hinting at the fact that the thyroid disease has progressed to the point that your thyroid is not really functioning any more. Did they find any nodules, or did she not say?
Sorry about all of this ;-( I can imagine this must be very stressful.
I get the feeling she did (I heard her saying something about measurements under her breath) and I opted not to ask. I'll let you know what the radiologist report says.
