HYPERTHYROID AND WEIGHT LOSS

[marietherese1]

I have a toxic nodule 4cmx3cm. I was diagnosed hyperthyroid in feb, started methimazole in may and I'm taking 10mg daily. My TSH and Ts are normal now but I am still losing weight. Nodule's FNA results were negative for cancer but will undergo surgery later this week. Is it normal to lose weight even if my thyroid levels are normal and I am still on meds? Ear pain is excruciating and my skin itches all day, could these be side effects?

[marietherese1]

TSH 1.72 uLU/mL
Free T3 2.82 pg/ml

My TSH was 0.09 5 weeks ago. Free T3 and T4 have always been normal. Endo says its called subclinical hyperthyroidism. Nodule however has grown 5mm in 8 months.

[gimel]

Please post your other thyroid test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report.

I expect that you are still somewhat hyper, if you are still losing weight.  But of course that will turn in the other direction (hypo) after surgery.  

So for info for the future as you become hypothyroid and require replacement thyroid med, due to the erroneous method by which they are established, the so-called "normal" ranges are far too broad to be adequate for many hypo patients.  A functional range for Free T3 is more like the upper half of the current range.   Free T4 is best around the middle of the range.  A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically, by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not TSH results.  

So when you have recovered from the TT, whenever you go in for tests, you should always make sure they test for Free T3 and Free T4 , not Total T3 and Total T4.  I say this because Free T3 has been shown to correlate best with hypo symptoms, while Free T4 and TSH did not correlate at all.  
Also, since hypo patients frequently become too low in the ranges for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, you should make sure those are tested as well.

I know that I am getting ahead of things, but I just wanted to make sure you are aware of what you will face after becoming hypo and finding that very few doctors are good thyroid doctors that will treat clinically.  Now you know more about what treatment should be like and you can either influence your doctor to treat clinically as described, or find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.