# Question on Followup Labwork



## thyhash (Sep 14, 2013)

I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's and prescribed Synthroid 50 mcg. The endo said to followup in six months and to get my blood drawn a day or two before the next appointment. I expected to have an appointment sooner than six months out to get my levels tested and perhaps make an adjustment to the med levels. Is it unusual to go six months before your first test when starting Synthroid?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

thyhash said:


> I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's and prescribed Synthroid 50 mcg. The endo said to followup in six months and to get my blood drawn a day or two before the next appointment. I expected to have an appointment sooner than six months out to get my levels tested and perhaps make an adjustment to the med levels. Is it unusual to go six months before your first test when starting Synthroid?


Very unusual; you are supposed to go every 8 weeks for labs and further titration upward as needed and this continues for a while until you feel great!

It may be a very good idea to go doctor shopping and I am going to give you some valuable information which I hope will be helpful to you.

Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/understanding-thyroid-why-you-should-check-your-free-t3

Dr. Mercola (FREES)
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm

Free T3 and Free T4 are the only accurate measurement of the actual active thyroid hormone levels in the body. This is the hormone that is actually free and exerting effect on the cells. These are the thyroid hormones that count.

http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm

How did your doctor arrive at the diagnosis of Hashimoto's?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

No.

You should have blood work every six to eight weeks until you are euthyroid.

You don't need an appointment, necessarily, but you do need to be in communication with your provider.


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## hashimotocoaster (Mar 22, 2013)

Labs every six months is common ONCE YOU'RE STABLE AND HAVE FOUND A DOSE THAT WORKS, but not until then! If you don't feel well in 6-8 weeks, go see your doctor again--or find a new one who wants to optimize your levels in a reasonable time frame.


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## thyhash (Sep 14, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. I called the doctor just to make sure that the appointment in six months wasn't a mistake. The doctor said there was no mistake. He said level of Synthroid was low enough that he doesn't expect any problems. He said that if I am concerned, I can get labwork done earlier, but he doesn't think that it is needed. :confused0024:


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Time for a new doctor.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Since he said you could go in for labs if needed - go in for labs at the 6 week mark.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

thyhash said:


> Thanks for the replies. I called the doctor just to make sure that the appointment in six months wasn't a mistake. The doctor said there was no mistake. He said level of Synthroid was low enough that he doesn't expect any problems. He said that if I am concerned, I can get labwork done earlier, but he doesn't think that it is needed. :confused0024:


Fire that guy! He has you in a very bad place. There is no good place that is not symptomatic until you reach the euthyroid state which for most of us is TSH @ 1.0 or less and the FREE T3 @ about 75% of the range provided by the lab for the FREE T3 test.

Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/understanding-thyroid-why-you-should-check-your-free-t3

Dr. Mercola (FREES)
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm


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## surge (Aug 15, 2012)

Lovlkn said:


> Since he said you could go in for labs if needed - go in for labs at the 6 week mark.


I totally agree with this and with other advice to look for a new doc (though I'm pretty pessimistic about finding a good endo. It could be your regular doc is better/more accessible). Still, it's normal to meet a doc and feel like this isn't the right 'match'.

While you're shopping, it's nice to already be a patient here and have the 'permission' to request labs earlier.

It'll be good to have follow-up work @ the 6 week mark even if you're moving on to another doc...


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