What does a TSH of 143.5 mean?

[Curlykellbell]

My lab results reported a TSH of 143.5!!  T3, free T4 - both low. T4 VERY low.

Any help? I can't find anything on this level of TSH.

[Barb135]

Your actual thyroid hormones are almost non-existent.  Did your doctor start you on replacement thyroid medication?  What med/dosage?

I'm sure you know Hashimoto's is an autoimmune thyroid condition that eventually destroys the thyroid so it no longer produces hormones necessary to keep the body functioning.   There's no way to get rid of the antibodies, but they'll decline when there's no healthy thyroid tissue left to destroy.

They important thing is that you be on thyroid medication to get your hormone levels back up, since thyroid hormones control several body functions.

TSH is pituitary hormone and neither causes nor alleviates symptoms; it's a messenger hormone, only.

[Barb135]

What are your actual Free T3 and Free T4 levels?  Please post with reference ranges.

Your TSH indicates that you have hypothyroidism.  That means your thyroid is not responding to the pituitary's demand for thyroid hormones to be produced.  

Has your doctor started you on replacement thyroid hormones?  If so, what medication, what dosage?

[Curlykellbell]

T4 = 1.4 (4.5-12)
T3 = 49 (71-180)
Free T4 = 0.18 (0.82-1.77)
TPO = 119 (0-34)

** forgot to mention I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 1997

[Sarahak83]

That's what my TSH was at diagnosis and FT4 was 0.3 I was 6 months postpartum and felt like death. I think you'll just need a higher starter dose of meds. Your high TSH means your pituitary gland was knocking at he door for thyroid hormones and no one was answering. So it just kept on knocking ;)