How bad is THS 7.49?

[WeNeedABudget]

Just been given my results and THS was 7.49 with range being 0.27 and 4.2.

Been started on 50mcg of Levothyroxine (so?) and being retested in a month.

How quickly should I expect things to improve? My main symptom is weight gain but am very tired too and skin extremely dry.

Can anyone give me their experiences? Thanks

Hello, @WeNeedABudget. I’m going to answer the three parts of your OP in order.

1. *how bad is TSH of 7.49?* According to one study that was categorized different levels of elevated TSH, 4.5 to 7 would be “mildly elevated.” Then over 20 would be very elevated. The head researcher called 7 to 10 (where your results are) a “grey area” but thought that most doctors would definitely treat it, which is exactly what your doctor is doing. Here’s the I formation about the study conducted and the team. The information from the interview with the researcher is in the second paragraph under “When to Treat?”

www.todaysgeriatricmedicine.com/archive/110612p6.shtml

1. How quickly should I expect things to improve? This is a tough one since we all metabolize things so differently. When I started levothyroxine, I seem to recall it took me maybe two weeks? According to the NHS website about the medication, it starts working immediately and you’ll probably “feel” the results within a few weeks or it may take several weeks.

www.nhs.uk/medicines/levothyroxine/ ThyroidUK says it takes 7-10 days for the medication to enter your bloodstream, and once that happens, then symptoms will go away within two weeks, hopefully. Though, like the NHS, they also say it could take several weeks, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see the full effects at the two-week mark. thyroiduk.org/tuk/diagnosis/getting_diagnosis.html (First paragraph under “Hypothyroidism”)

1. Can anyone give me their experiences? I’ve been on levothyroxine for a few years now, so it’s been a while since I started. Like I said, I seem to remember it sort of “kicked in” around the two week mark, but I still then had to face losing the weight I’d gained and building back the muscle I’d lost when I was too tired to do almost anything. But I’d say that within maybe three months, people were commenting that I looked like I felt better. And I realized I was feeling better; I had more energy, the weight was starting to go naturally as I had more energy to move, and the brain fog was clearing so remembering things became easier. But I know it’s very different for everyone. I can’t remember my TSH result, but I know I was put on 50mcg of levothyroxine at the time, so the same dose you’re taking.

Good luck, OP. I truly hope you’re feeling better soon.

That is a hugely helpful answer. Thank you very much for taking the time to write that.

I very much hope my symptoms go away in two weeks. That would be lovely. But as you say you’ve then got the weight loss to do and trying to get back to where you were before. I’m getting married next year so I am so so glad they’ve found this and hopefully I’ll manage to get some weight off before then.

The brain for is a very familiar feeling for me! Would love to get rid of that too.

Thanks again and glad the medication has helped you so much. A very positive tale.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

It can be difficult to deal with all the moving parts of hypothyroidism. You’re tired, you gain weight even though you’re not eating more, you feel like something’s wrong but your brain is so foggy that you can’t even put it all together. For a lot of the people I know, the hardest part is getting to the diagnosis. Once they get onto levothyroxine, that’s usually the turning point and things really do start getting better. While the symptoms can be complex, fortunately the cure for hypothyroidism is fairly “simple” from a scientific standpoint (as simple as replacing a substance in your body with a medication can be! That’s still rough stuff!): we’re missing thyroid hormone and we take levothyroxine to replace it, and then we feel better. And almost everyone I know who’s taken it does feel better, because it’s not a drug - it’s a hormone, so there’s not the same risk of it “not working.” Though some felt better faster than others.

With that said, I know two people who didn’t feel better, exactly, on levothyroxine. They needed to take natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) instead. It works by the same mechanisms; levothyroxine is just the synthetic version. So if that’s a comfort to you: there’s always a back-up option, just in case.

Feel free to message me if time is passing and you’re not getting better and I’ll do the best I can to share anything I know about (asking the docs to repeat the blood tests, which ones, when to try increasing the levothyroxine vs. when to try NDT, etc.).

Best of luck! Hopefully, you’ll be shocked by how different you feel in a few weeks.

I don’t know if you were told this but it’s very important to take Levothyroxine first thing in the morning at least half an hour before you eat or drink anything.

I wasn’t told so used to take it with a cuppa!

Fantastic Right, thanks again for more great info. I see what you’re saying about it not being a drug, just something that’s missing from our bodies. I’m having the blood test repeated in a month so will be very interested to see what the levels are then.

Thanks Phonic, I had read that so am making sure to take it as soon as I get up and I don’t tend to eat till after 10 anyway. I have been drinking water in the mornings though so will stop that!

Down to 4.86 after 6 weeks and have managed to lose 3lbs with no effort instead of gaining 1-3lbs a week when trying really hard not to!

Did you get a dose increase?

I’m going to have a telephone consultation to increase the dosage on Thursday. It’s still obviously a bit high but I’m surprised it’s come down as much so quickly. I don’t feel any better though tbh. Took an extra tablet today once I heard the results - won’t do any harm till I find out what I’ve to be taking from now on.

Not sure if this is relevant to you OP, but if you are TTC, your TSH should be under 2 - any higher could affect your fertility.

Thanks very much but not TTC. Useful info for others reading the thread though :)