# over medicated but normal TSH?



## Ryan (Dec 9, 2009)

Over the last week I have been feeling the signs of what I believe is over medicated Hashi. I'm a 38, male and taking Levothyroxine 200mcg.

Symptoms are -
flip-flop in the chest
Skipped beats
fairly rapid resting heartbeat (100bpm) 
BP hovers around 135/80

No pain in arms, jaw etc.

*My question to the forum, has anyone had over medicated symptoms when on the low end of the normal TSH range? *

My GP did the blood work. TSH was at 0.5. Labcorp's "markers" for normal are 0.4 to 4. He did other blood work as well, but need to pick up the results so I can understand them better. Also had an EKG which showed normal and of course my heart did not skip a beat while I was there. So he says wait awhile and see if it resolves itself, lay off caffeine and reduce stress(i have no stress except for having skipped beats!). If it doesn't, come back in. When I asked him about possibility of lowering my dosage of levothyroxine, he said being on the low side of normal is most optimal and should not give "hyper" like symptoms.

Anyone notice any difference in their symptoms when on high side compared to the low side of normal TSH levels?

Many thanks in advance.

Ryan


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Ryan said:


> Over the last week I have been feeling the signs of what I believe is over medicated Hashi. I'm a 38, male and taking Levothyroxine 200mcg.
> 
> Symptoms are -
> flip-flop in the chest
> ...


Ryan, welcome! When were you diagnosed w/ Hashimoto's and how were you diagnosed. What was the criteria?

Did your doctor run any antibodies' labs such as....................(?)

The lab tests listed are helpful when it comes to sorting things out.

TSH, FREE T3, FREE T4, TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies), ANA (antinuclear antibodies), TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin) and Thyroglobulin Ab.

You can look all of the above up here so you know what they are for........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

TSH alone is not a good criteria for snagging hyper state. The Frees must be run w/ TSH also. If the FREES are high in the range or over the top of the range and the TSH is in the basement, then the patient is hyperthyroid.

I ask how long you have been diagnosed Hashi's because if you indeed are, you could have flipped to the hyper state of that disease. Plus, once again, I would like to know what medical and clinical criteria the doctor used to diagnose you.


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## Ryan (Dec 9, 2009)

Andros,

I was diagnosed 1998 during the local 9News health fair blood screening. My GP put me on meds(at that time Synthroid) and told I was Hypothyroid. It wasn't until later, I was referred to an endo. The Endo did very little besides saying I had Hashimoto's, nothing else, no blood even drawn. So I assume the endo just went off the blood test done by my GP.

Currently, I am on 200mcg of generic Levothyroxine.

My last visit to the GP on Saturday, he pulled 4 viles(sp?) of blood which had returned over 4 pages of results. I don't know what it all means and if anything you mentioned above beside the TSH was tested. It reads like Greek to me. Only thing on the test that was out of the labs "range" was my red blood cell count(5.87?), but this was expected since I live at nearly 10,000 feet in the Rocky Mtns.

The GP does not seem to concerned the my skipped heartbeat is anything serious and I should come back in if it persists. What is driving me crazy is if the skipped heartbeats ARE SOMETHING SERIOUS! I have cut out caffeine and most refined sugars.


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## bells84 (Nov 24, 2009)

Hey Ryan,

Sorry to hear your having a rough time right now, but trust me most of us on here know exactly what you are going through. Some people yo you between hyper and hypo it's all part of hashi's. I'm having the same heart issues right now too and have been for about a month now. It's so not fun!!

I did go to my gp and got a loop recorder for my heart. Holter monitors would work too. The loop recordes you heart rate any time it's doing something it shouldn't be and the holter monitor records for like 24-48 hours straight. Some times they need that info to figure out what is causing the rapid heart rate and palpitations as you can prove to them it's not stress or caffiene related and really is thyroid related.

Did your doctor give you a beta blocker?? A heart rate consistently at 100bpm at rest is considered in the danger zone. I would definately go back and at least ask about the monitor.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Ryan said:


> Andros,
> 
> I was diagnosed 1998 during the local 9News health fair blood screening. My GP put me on meds(at that time Synthroid) and told I was Hypothyroid. It wasn't until later, I was referred to an endo. The Endo did very little besides saying I had Hashimoto's, nothing else, no blood even drawn. So I assume the endo just went off the blood test done by my GP.
> 
> ...


Have you ever had an uptake scan? I seriously recommend it. This way you can get a clear picture of the thyroid to check for hot or cold nodules, vascularity and other irregularities.

Also, I must tell you that thyroid is complicated so I am going to urge you to get a handle on your own labs and what they mean because for the most part, you will have to advocate for yourself.

Here is a good spot to start looking up lab results and what they mean.....

http://www.labtestsonline.org/

If you would care to post some labs and the ranges relevant to the thyroid, I will try to help you there for the time being. Did the doctor do any antibodies' tests indigenous to the thyroid??

And yes, that is to be expected at such high elevations. I agree.


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## Ryan (Dec 9, 2009)

Thanks for the reply. You are correct that I need to take closer looks to what tests (and their results) that my GP has taken. I hope to get in to the doctor early next week and tell him to run the other tests. Sure wish we had better doctors in my small community:aim33::aim33::aim33:


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Ryan said:


> Thanks for the reply. You are correct that I need to take closer looks to what tests (and their results) that my GP has taken. I hope to get in to the doctor early next week and tell him to run the other tests. Sure wish we had better doctors in my small community:aim33::aim33::aim33:


Sadly, we cannot take for granted that a doctor or anyone for that matter has our best interests at heart. So yes, learn, learn and learn some more. This is how I came to be. Had to take matters into my own hands.

Now, I am out there to help you and to help others do the same thing. I don't mind furnishing info but the bottom line is if you care about yourself, you better learn to do for yourself.

We will help you and be as supportive as we can. That is what the Board is for.


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## Treasurecoastrx (Dec 11, 2009)

I know Armour Thyroid has been increasingly harder to come by in many pharmacies due to a manufacture back order. I called Forest Labs and they said they "are not prepared to give a definitive date as to when it will be commercially available." I wanted to let everyone know that it is being compounded, (in all strengths) at ********** ******** in Jensen Beach Florida. They are licensed to dispense/ ship to all states, EXCEPT Maine and North Carolina, and shipping is only $10. The contact number is 
***-***-**** or you can have your doctor fax in your prescription to ***-***-****. Hope this helps my fellow thyroid users!


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## Ryan (Dec 9, 2009)

Alright, so I got my Thyroid panel back. The doc has lowered my Levothyroxine from 200mcg to 175mcg.

THS is now at 2.12 
T4 is 13.3 (lab range of 4.5 to 12)
T3 is 30 (not sure of lab range is)

The GP said that the T4 is high because of the Levothyroxine and is to be expected. Any thoughts on these reading and to why I feel so crappy? The heart palps are really unnerving and make me worry that something serious is going on with it. My symptoms are maybe slightly better. Though I still get dizzy, feet swell(though this might be not be related to my thyroid).

I go to bed at night and wonder if my heart is going to give out. A horrible sensation. Guess I need to figure out how to tell paranoia from real trouble.

How long should I wait for symptoms to subside from the change in dosage before going back in to have a better look at why my heart is skipping beats.

Many thanks for the help and support!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Ryan said:


> Alright, so I got my Thyroid panel back. The doc has lowered my Levothyroxine from 200mcg to 175mcg.
> 
> THS is now at 2.12
> T4 is 13.3 (lab range of 4.5 to 12)
> ...


Ryan, were these labs done after the doctor lowered your dose of Levothyroxine?

Why does your doctor not run the FREE T3 and FREE T4 to get a more accurate picture of what is going on?

The Totals (T4 and T3) are bound and unbound hormone so it's anybody's guess as to how much unbound hormone you have for cellular uptake might be.

I and others share your trepidations about the heart and going to sleep. Believe me; we sure do. Many a night I thought I would never see another morning.


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