TSH level is drastically lower

Speakeasy76

I realize this isn't a "diet" related question, but know there are some people, like myself, who have hypothyroidism. Mine has been relatively mild, treated on a dose of 88 mcg. My TSH been somewhere in the 2..5-3 range, so right in the middle. Well, I got it tested yesterday and it was .388--still within the normal range, but significantly lower. I know my current (and now former) doctor will give the same answer he always does for any abnormal blood test result--that it's "nothing to worry about" (why he is my former). Has anyone else experienced this?

I am going to get another doctor, as this one never takes anything seriously. For example, my B12 levels have been elevated for the past 2 tests and actually went up 100 points to 1300 something in 6 months. He sees no reason to be concerned and just dismissed it. I'm wondering if it's correlated to the TSH.

Even though I will seek out medical advice from a new doctor, any input is appreciated!

AnnPT77

I assume you've already looked for answers in the hypothyroidism thread, since you've been here a while?

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10767046/hypothyroidism-and-weight-management

How much weight have you lost, at this point? Anecdotally, some people seem to need dosage adjustment with weight loss. (I didn't.) Many people need dosage adjustment periodically, for non-obvious reasons. (I have.)

Do you have any negative symptoms (high heart rate, palpitations, etc.)? If not, the lower TSH may be no big deal. Personally, I feel best at or even a tiny bit below the bottom of the normal range, and my PCP is fine with that. (Mine's been as low as 0.2957-0.310 on a 0.35 to 5.5 scale, no negative symptoms, and doc was OK with that, FWIW.) It was a little above the bottom of normal at last test, IIRC, but I don't have the printout handy.

I have zero personal expertise about this, so I'm just commenting anecdotally, from personal experience.

spiriteagle99

I got a new PCP last year who saw that my TSH was low so she changed my meds and had me come back in 3 months to retest. Then I was too high, so she changed my meds again. 3 months later, I was too low again. I suggested we go back to the dosage I had been on for several years since that seemed to work well for me. I did and feel fine. I have read that your levels can change depending on the time of year. In any case, for some of us, thyroid levels can be changeable.

Speakeasy76

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I assume you've already looked for answers in the hypothyroidism thread, since you've been here a while?

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10767046/hypothyroidism-and-weight-management

How much weight have you lost, at this point? Anecdotally, some people seem to need dosage adjustment with weight loss. (I didn't.) Many people need dosage adjustment periodically, for non-obvious reasons. (I have.)

Do you have any negative symptoms (high heart rate, palpitations, etc.)? If not, the lower TSH may be no big deal. Personally, I feel best at or even a tiny bit below the bottom of the normal range, and my PCP is fine with that. (Mine's been as low as 0.2957-0.310 on a 0.35 to 5.5 scale, no negative symptoms, and doc was OK with that, FWIW.) It was a little above the bottom of normal at last test, IIRC, but I don't have the printout handy.

I have zero personal expertise about this, so I'm just commenting anecdotally, from personal experience.

In the last year I lost 10 pounds, and about 10 more before that. I wouldn't that would make a difference, since I've stayed on the same dose from before I was pregnant, had 2 kids and gained more weight than I should have, lost the weight plus more (all in a span of about 13 years).

The only symptom I've noticed that could be related to thyroid function (I think) is that my hair has been shedding quite a bit lately. I have a lot of hair to begin with and I think I"m heading into perimenopause, so it could be hormonal shifts as well.

Beautyofdreams

Please request a blood panel that includes vitamin D, iron, the B vitamins and magnesium in addition to the commonly checked sodium, calcium, chloride and potassium.
I was shedding a great deal of hair but it was never getting thin. It turned out that I was deficient in several minerals due to lactose intolerance, anemia from kidney disease and the removal of part of my small intestine. Hair grew back with supplementation. Think menopause causes your hair to get finer not thinner or at least that has been my experience.
Also had to increase my levothyroxine when lost weight and readjust or eliminate other medications.

Speakeasy76

Beautyofdreams wrote: »

Please request a blood panel that includes vitamin D, iron, the B vitamins and magnesium in addition to the commonly checked sodium, calcium, chloride and potassium.
I was shedding a great deal of hair but it was never getting thin. It turned out that I was deficient in several minerals due to lactose intolerance, anemia from kidney disease and the removal of part of my small intestine. Hair grew back with supplementation. Think menopause causes your hair to get finer not thinner or at least that has been my experience.
Also had to increase my levothyroxine when lost weight and readjust or eliminate other medications.

Thank you! I had my vit D levels, iron assay and B12 tested back at the end of September, but I'm going to schedule an appointment with a new doctor and asked to get the others tested as well. I'm on an iron supplement since my iron blood serum level was found to be low in April. My B12 was actually high when it was tested in April and then September--like almost 300 and then 400"points" above the normal range (of 211-911) The doctor I WAS seeing (and part of why it's a was) said it was no big deal, that some people are just "above the normal range" and then tried to explain to me about standard deviation. Yeah--standard deviation is used when talking about a mean number, not a range. I also have consistently low alkaline phosphate levels, but not sure if that means anything or not.

I try not to worry about abnormal test results *too* much. However, when one had an otherwise seemingly very healthy, robust father pass away suddenly from something his family never knew he had (let alone really heard of), it makes one a bit anxious.