[Tkiv]

#1060655

Hi everyone, I was diagnosed with Graves in November 2010. I ultimately had RAI in March 2011. In March 2015 my FT4 finally went in the normal range (1.77 and is currently 1.5). T3 has been in the normal range since 2013. Currently it is 3.3.

My concern is my TSH. It is currently .008, and has been around that number for about a year.

I go to the doctor and they always ask how I feel. I feel “ok”, physically, but I do feel like the emotional aspects of this disease have taken ahold of me and I have most of my symptoms in my head. I wish I felt like my old emotional self. The one that used to be hopeful, not so anxious, not so angry, cloudy headed and dreading the future. I finally put this part into words to him…It was hard…I don’t know is this part of Graves?

I am on .75 mg of synthroid and my doctor just started to reduce my dose. We are doing it slowly…I feel awful everytime I reduce the dose. So I have cut back to 1/2 a pill one day a week for 6 weeks, and have almost completed another 1/2 dose on another day for 6 weeks. I will go for bloodwork next week.

I am worried nothing will have changed. But I am hopeful (a little:) My TSH has not been in the normal range since my Graves diagnosis 5 years ago. But my T3 and FT4 have been Closer. My numbers have been –
3/2013. TSH – .094. FT4 – 1.83. T3 – 3.1
9/2013. TSH – .015. FT4 – 2.13. T3 -3.8
7/2014. TSH – .011. FT4 – 2.02. T3 – 3.7
10/2014. TSH – .008. FT4 – 2.08. T3 – 4.0
3/2015. TSH – .006. FT4 – 1.77. T3 – 3.7
7/2015. TSH – .008. FT4 – 1.5. T3 – 3.3

Physically, I feel ok I guess…but I was saying that when I was in the middle of awful Graves symptoms too.

Is there anything else I should be doing?

Thank you guys. Some days I wish there was a gdatf retreat just so I could thank you all in person.

Terry

[Kimberly]

#1183933

Hello – We’re not allowed to interpret labs here, but make sure you get the “normal” ranges for your lab for T4 & T3, as they can vary.

If T3/T4 are normal, but TSH is suppressed, that is certainly a difficult situation. Definitely talk to your doc about your options. Doctors will prefer to see the TSH come up, as suppressed TSH comes with an increased risk of heart issues and bone loss. However, you shouldn’t have to go through your day feeling miserable because your dose of replacement hormone is too low!

For most patients, once thyroid levels are normal and stable, the emotional issues will at least start to get better. In some cases, there is an underlying issue that needs separate treatment. This is a nice video from our 2012 conference in San Diego:

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[npatterson]

#1183934

The emotional aspects of an overactive thyroid can be life-disrupting. Maybe I should say “are” life disrupting. You can go to the part of the bulletin board “about graves'”, and scroll down to “Patient Bulletins”, and find the ones about the psychological aspects of Graves’

First of all, your symptoms are NOT in your head. Excess thyroid hormone (which yours are) act like adrenaline, and cause what we call “anxiety” “nervousness”, and “overreactions”. Your doctor is right to be slowly decreasing your dose. It takes several weeks for the changes to be picked up by your body.

Let me know if you would like me to mail you some information.

Take care,
Nancy

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