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elevated TSH - low T3/T4

Hello Doctor,
In 3 years 30lb weight gain - some hair loss was brief, missed periods some anxiety and shortness of breath.  Now Im only dealing with weight gain that i can not lose and it is mosly in the middle.  Just do not feel like myself at all.
Latest results prior to today started 50mcg Levo -
T4 - 0.9 --- range 0.8 - 1.8
T3 - 103 -- range 76 - 181
tsh 5.02 -- range 0.40 - 4.50
Your thoughts are greatly appreciated
I am so nervous in reading and trying to understand it all.  I need to lose the weight to feel like myself again, I do have energy but at times tired feeling but not that often I regenerate right away.  So mostly it is the weight gain.
My body is feeling it I get the aches and just can not deal with it.
Thank you again
3 Responses
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Avatar universal
It does take time to reach its full potential in your system.  If you're actively adjusting meds, you can push re-testing to about four weeks since most of the meds are reflected in blood levels at that point.  However, once you get close and into "fine tuning", you want to take it slow and not slip over into hyper.

It takes some patience, but if you try to rush it, it usually costs you more time in the long run.

Good luck and keep us posted on how you do.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi Goolarra
Thank you, your response it is greatly appreciated.  Patients helping patients are the best form being we are living it.  

Sonogram yesterday so waiting on those results.  Then like you said wait the 5-6 weeks then retest to see.  Wish it was shorter but from reading on here understand it takes that long to build into my system.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You are hypothyroid.  Your free T4 is very low in the range, total T3 (which is considered an obsolete test...your doctor should be testing free T3) is low, and TSH is high.

If you just started 50 mcg today, you should take that for 4-5 weeks and repeat testing to see if a dose change is in order.  You want your FT4 about midrange and FT3 upper half to third of range.  

This is the members forum.  We are fellow patients, not doctors.  MH sometimes refers overflow questions from the expert forum here.
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