tsh 24.2 and taking 250mcg of thyroxine

[tammy84]

I have had hypothyroidism for 7 years and my docs have never got my dosage right. my question is my latest test was high at 24.2 and i am taking 250mcgs of thyroxine , my last test was satisfactory but i had been taking 300mcg of thyroxine the doc told me off and said that is too much but my result was within normal range. now he reduced again to 250mcg and my tsh has gone back up to 24.2 (high).   they dont seem to know what they are doing and asked me to reduce it now to 225mcg because its high , but i know if its high you have to increase.   please can someone tell me whats going on??

[TamraW]

TSH is a pituitary  hormone, not a thyroid hormone. With such a high TSH as well as a high dose of T4 meds, your doc should look into the pituitary for any problems there.

Also, make sure to get your FreeT3 and FreeT4 treated and addressed. I'm always bothered when I see so many doctors refusing to prescribe T3 meds and just loading the patient up on T4 meds. You may need a T3 med like Cytomel. Most of us will.

Also, have you had the TPOab and TGab tests for Hashimotos? Hashi is an auto-immune disease, not just another case of low thyroid hormone. We needed to be treated like auto-immune patients, and the WHOLE body needs to be examined and treated. For me, giving up gluten and certain other foods, dairy high in lactose, yellow corn, etc. helped me tremendously. 90 percent of hypos will have Hashi and many of us with Hashi will have an underlying leaky gut problem that can be directly related to the foods we eat. Read my journal to see how well I'm doing now.

Also, most everyone with hypothyroidism will have adrenal issues. The 24 hour saliva test is the only reliable test right now. Don't waste money on a blood cortisol or 24 hour urine. The hypo patient may never feel well with doctors who treat only TSH and ignore adrenals. Shame on that doctor!

Here's a link to a site that lists endos recommended by their patients.
http://www.thyroid-info.com/topdrs/

Call the office ahead of time. Ask the nurse, "Does your doc test and treat adrenals with the 24 hour saliva? Does your doc treat the frees and give T3 meds as needed?"
:) Tamra

[rumpled]

I would find another doctor.
You are only getting a TSH test - you need free T4 and free T3. Have you had antibodies tested - as well as an ultrasound? It sounds like more is going on here with a TSH that high. Also, TSH is a pituitary test, and if that is not going well, they need to look up, er, at the pit, to see if other things are up.
The doctor should not care what the dose is that you are taking - only that you are doing well on it. It does not sound as if you are being treated for you, but being treated for the test.