[Ski]

#1063304

If this is the first time your T3/T4 have come into the normal range, it’s quite normal for the TSH to lag behind (it "reads" the T3/T4 values over some period of time, weeks probably, and reacts to the resulting overall average). In addition to that, if you’ve been hyper (or your T3/T4 have been out of range, at least) up until now, then the fact that your levels are normal heralds the *beginning* of your healing process, not the end of it. It’s quite common for us to feel "not quite right" for a period of time after our levels normalize, even though we should be feeling a little better all the time. It’s possible that, whatever period of time your levels were imbalanced, it could take that long again in order for your body to fully recover. Look for small improvements each day, and point your mind in that direction. It really does help.

[Krystal25]

#1018214

Hey!

So I had my labs done last week and my endo said my T3 and T4 are within normal range, but my TSH is still supressed. I am feeling somewhat better, but still not quite right. I still get some hyper symptoms and my short term memory is shot to say the least. I feel like I’m getting early alzheimers disease, which is scary in and of itself. I still feel somewhat disorientated and off balance, could this still be becaue my TSH level is so suppressed 0.03?? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh and by the way I am on ATD’s methimazole 10mg daily.

Thanks,

Krystal

[Kimberly]

#1063305

Hello – Just wanted to add that this is a good time to talk to your doctor about how he/she determines dosing adjustments with the ATDs. Some doctors use TSH to determine dosing decisions with ATDs, but this is NOT the best benchmark when we are just coming off of hypER. As Ski mentioned, TSH is a lagging indicator — and in some patients, it can remain supressed for months or even years. The goal with ATDs is to find the "sweet spot" in terms of dosing that will correct our hypERthyroidism…but not send us into hypO territory. At this stage of the game, Free T3 and Free T4 are generally better benchmarks in terms helping us to find that "sweet spot".

[Krystal25]

#1063306

Thanks for the responses. My endo didn’t change my meds she said that I needed to wait another 4 weeks and be retested at that time before doing any adjustments as the TSH lags behind the t3 and t4 levels. I am just wondering though when you still have low TSH is it normal to still feel somewhat hyper even though your t3 t4 levels are normal??

Thanks again!

Krystal

[Kimberly]

#1063307

Hello – Every patient is a little different, so I can’t say for sure if that is “normal” or not. However, the “normal” range is fairly wide…so keep in mind that just because you are “normal”, that level might not necessarily be OPTIMAL for you. Keeping a symptom log and seeing if you can correlate symptoms with where your labs are might be helpful.

You doc is correct that TSH is a lagging indicator…but in some cases, our actual levels of thyroid hormone (Free T3 and Free T4) can fall into hypO territory *before* our TSH gets going. So you definitely want to watch out for symptoms of hypO, which can include fatigue, joint pain, weight gain, slow pulse, hair/nail changes, intolerance to cold, and constipation. If you notice these symptoms in between appointments, call the doctor’s office and try to get a new set of labs run to make sure your T3/T4 haven’t fallen *too* low.

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