I have hypothyroidism for about the last 4 years thanks to Lithium. My question is that I have been on Synthroid 0.112mg (112MCG) tablets and have been doing well until recently. Had my TSH checked yesterday and the doctor's office called and said it was .32??? Said my doctor was going to call in 100mg instead. I thought when the number was low it meant hyper??? Am I this confused and wrong? Don't really understand all of this really! I just knew I had 3 main symptoms like back in '09-2010. Fatigue out of this world, hair starting to fall out again even though I take Biotin 1000 every day and waking up with the big swollen bags under my eyes. I'm scared the girl who called from my doctor's office got it backwards? Am I wrong..or right? Please help! Feel really crappy and sick. My cholesterol has when up suddenly even though I have been on meds. for many years. She changed it from 20mg of Zocor to Lipitor 40mg--- and now Lipitor 80mg and wants to test it again in 2 mths. and my TSH in 4 weeks! Thanks..in advance!
Confused? Have low TSH so doctor is going to reduce my Synthroid, I thought it would be increased?
Question posted by Abigayle on 5 Sep 2013
Last updated on 4 April 2021
4 Answers
I've been Hypo for YRS, last 6 mnths gained 45 pounds, last thing said I WAS HYPO, wants to lower thyroxine from 125 Mcgs to 88 msgs. No no no. I need tof speak with my pharmacist he was looking it up online. No no no,
I too am confused. I called to check on my thyroid results and was told by a "nurse", that my cholesterol is really high and that I will have to be on statins. She followed up with telling me my TSH is really low, but she didn't give me a number and she finished by telling me that my doctor hadn't reviewed the results yet and I would probably hear from him next week.
Your comment is helpful to me. I've been on Synthroid for years (not sure if it is a result of a BMT when I was 23 or just genetic). My cholesterol has been high for the past couple of years and I really watch what I eat. I haven't started on any meds for cholesterol, but just found out my Synthroid has been off and wondering if they are connected. I found this site since the dosing hasn't made much sense to me either and would like to understand it better. I have switched doctors a couple times this past couple years just because I find either the doctor or the staff not to be up to the standard I would like to have for my healthcare. It's so hard to find good care!
Hi. Just ran into this question. I think the Lipitor and other meds at crashing you. Statins don't work well in women and can cause other side effects such as fatigue, muscle pains and hard to use. I think it better to get another opinion on your Lipitor.
So what is your last TSH? It should be between .3 to 3.0 to be in normal range. I feel best closer to .3. Some doctors think it is ok to be as high as 8. Doesn't work that way for me. That is why I was wondering. My last one a few weeks ago was .44 and the fatigue, dry skin and all is no longer a problem. My Endo says it is about where you feel right, not a number.
So my TSH is extremely low because for the first time in 20 years I'm taking my Synthroid daily! However that means it's now too high and I'm extremely hyperth... My question is if I stop taking the meds will that normalize my TSH quicker? My doc lowered me from .175 to .150 to .125 and by the time he decided to try .125 it was dropping. In feb I was a .27, by end of March I was at .09... As of last week I was .04. Do I want to forget the meds for a few weeks then start back w the low dosage to level me out. Does this make sense?
TSH Is the key test for diagnosing and monitoring thyroid function.
Generally a low TSH is indicative of an overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism and your thyroid hormone dose needs to be reduced.
A high TSH is indicative of an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism and your medicine needs increasing.
It's all to do with the way the thyroid & pituitary glands and thyroid hormones work together via a feedback loop.
Thyroid Basics
Your thyroid gland produces thyroid hormone. When it functions properly, your thyroid is part of a feedback loop with your pituitary gland that involves several key steps:
1. First, your pituitary senses the level of thyroid hormone that is released into the bloodstream.
2. Your pituitary releases a special messenger hormone: thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). The role of TSH is to stimulate the thyroid to release more thyroid hormone.
3. When your thyroid, for whatever reason—illness, stress, surgery, or obstruction, for example—doesn't or can't produce enough thyroid hormone, your pituitary detects the reduced levels of thyroid hormone and moves into action by making more TSH, which then triggers your thyroid to make more thyroid hormone. This is the pituitary's effort to raise the levels of thyroid hormone and return the system to normal.
4. If your thyroid is overactive and producing too much thyroid hormone—due to disease, or taking too high a dose of thyroid hormone replacement drugs—your pituitary senses that there is too much thyroid hormone circulating and slows or shuts down TSH production. This drop in TSH is an attempt to return circulating thyroid hormone levels to normal.
Here are some links for you.
https://www.drugs.com/cg/thyroid-function-test.html
https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/hypothyroidism.html
Thanks so much Suzanne... So I'm getting the feeling that someone is wrong here with my numbers today, because there is NO WAY, that I am feeling hyperthyroidism... definitely the opposite. It's ALWAYS been hypothyroidism. The girl who called was young and new and didn't understand it herself when I asked her something and I said I was confused about it. My internist usually calls me herself, but not this time. I hate to be a pest, but I feel the need to talk to my doctor before I go and pick up my new RX strength Synthroid tomorrow. Just don't feel well enough to keep trying to talk about it and explain. Now I feel more stressed and having chest pains off and on since last night. So tired!!!
Very helpful, would think I would already have this down. No thyroid since 2010. TSH is 0.195 so need to have my medication reduced correct? I see people discussing taking Cytomel have not heard of this medication, have you? I put on 20 pounds in 2 months and my hair started really thinning out. My test came in on 12/17 and my doctor didn't even call me. I just found the results on line. Thanks for your help.
I have paradoxical symptoms, meaning when ai am hypo, my symptoms look like hyper- and vice versa. It took a lot of due diligence, and charting levels and symptoms, for me to learn this. My doctors have told me that, while rare, these paradoxical symptoms are not unheard of
Can someone please help with these questions??
So does Increasing the dose of Levothyroxine increase your TSH Levels or Decrease the TSH levels?
So Does The higher The TSH level make you Hypo?
And does Lower TSH Numbers make you Hyper?
Thanks for clearing this up for me..
Christy
The main job of the thyroid gland is to make the hormone thyroxine, also known as T4.
The pituitary gland controls hormone production in your body. It makes thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH, which tells the thyroid gland how much T4 and T3 to produce.The TSH level in your blood reveals how much T4 your pituitary gland is asking your thyroid gland to make. If your TSH levels are abnormally high, it could mean you have an underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism.
TSH levels go in the OPPOSITE direction of your thyroid hormone. If you’re making too little thyroid hormone, your TSH will go up. If you’re making too much thyroid hormone, your TSH will go down.”
Medication for hypothyroidism is slow-acting, and it can take several weeks for your body to adjust. If your TSH is still high and your symptoms haven’t subsided after six to 10 weeks, your doctor will likely increase the dose, and you’ll need your blood tested again after another six to 10 weeks.
I gained 20lbs because my T3 was low. My doctor was only checking my TSH and T4 levels and both were normal. I saw a specialist that also checked the T3. Synthroid doesn't treat the T3 so he changed me to Armour. The 20lbs came off fast and all other symptoms went away and I felt great.
My case is similar; very good information for this case; appreciate the explanation;
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synthroid, lithium, hypothyroidism
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