Thyroid Levels?

[Indianamom2]

As you might know from other posts, I've been struggling really badly with anxiety for about 4-5 months now. I've struggled with it in the past (about 9-10 years ago), got it under control with the help of Paxil and then had no more issues until recently. This time, Paxil made my symptoms much worse and so far, nothing else has particularly helped either (currently on Buspar).

I had my thyroid checked at the beginning of all this and was told it was normal. But at my last drs. appt., I asked what the actual level was and was told that it was "normal" at 3. 84 (TSH). In my own quick research, it seems that that is just barely within the limits and quite possibly over newer recommended limits.

Given my anxiety issues and the fact that my family doctor thinks it's normal and not worth doing more checking, would you pursue more testing? I am going to see my OBGYN at the end of this month and I'm wondering if I should ask her for a referral to an endocrinologist. I'm just hoping to figure out if my levels really are normal or if they are too high for me. Also, my mom and grandmom have thyroid issues, so it does run in my family.

Thanks.

[kaharris83]

I just posted this in another thread, but I would recommend seeing an endocrinologist. I was always told my thyroid levels were "normal" when my TSH was 3, but after 3 years of telling OB's and general practioners that something just didn't feel right an endocrinologist confirmed 3 is not "normal". In my case I suffered 2 m/c's due to my thyroid. Turns out I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I had it the entire time other doctors told me 3 was "normal". An endocrinologist is really the only type of doc qualified to check your thyroid. They are up on the most recent research and look at the bigger picture, not just your TSH.

[KLD313]

I definitely would, that's a high number. Unfortunately a lot of endocrinologists just go by the numbers as opposed to treating by symptoms. You should ask for you free T4 and T3 to be checked as well. I have Grave's Disease but my pregnancy put me into remission and so far I've remained that way. I haven't found my endocrinologist to be that helpful but I got a lot of information from some of the yahoo lists and from Mary Shomons website.

[PAfirsttimemom]

My TSH was 3.2 when I had it checked recently. The lab I use says this is in "normal range." My family doc's office even said it was "right in the middle of normal range." But the limited research I've done in the past does suggest that some people with hypothyroidism still do not feel well at this high of a level. So if you are concerned, you might want to see an endocrinologist for further advice.

[niccig]

Gee thee to endocrinologist. I agree that you might need to shop around. I was seeing an endocrinologist at a very well known hospital and my levels were 3.5 and I had a thyroid nodule. I took his advice of not having surgery as it wasn't affecting my thyroid levels. WRONG. It was affecting me, nodule kept growing (not because of thyroid levels), and when I finally did have the surgery 3 years later at a teaching hospital and I had all these other issues because I delayed surgery.

By the time I got on medication, I couldn't get off couch I was so tired.

I swapped to an endocrinologist at a local teaching hospital and found out by trial and error, that I do best when around 1.5 TSH. Everyone is different and you want a Dr. that will work with you until you start to feel more like normal. My Dr. said that it would be a new normal, that wouldn't be exactly same pre-thyroid issues, but it would be much better than I was.

Run if an endocrinologist tells you that taking a thyroid pill a day is super easy and no big deal. The pill taking is easy but it can take several months until you work out the best dose for you. The Dr. I see was very up front with fact that it might take a little while, and I could swing from too much to too little until we worked it out, so there were times when I felt worse. I felt it was more realistic rather than "oh it's easy and no big deal" attitude as there were difficult times.

The thyroid could be affecting your anxiety. I have a friend that was talking about divorce, and I knew she was hypothyroid. I told her she had to see my endocrinologist before she could say the "D" word. She has Hasimotos that a simple blood test showed, and her regular Dr. never ran it. Her medicine levels got adjusted, she needs to have regular blood tests as with Hashimotos you can swing from hypo to hyper. She's fine, mood is much better and she's still married! I was an irrational raving b$tch at my worst, and I'm surprised DH stuck through it with me..it was really bad.

[Indianamom2]

Gee thee to endocrinologist. I agree that you might need to shop around. I was seeing an endocrinologist at a very well known hospital and my levels were 3.5 and I had a thyroid nodule. I took his advice of not having surgery as it wasn't affecting my thyroid levels. WRONG. It was affecting me, nodule kept growing (not because of thyroid levels), and when I finally did have the surgery 3 years later at a teaching hospital and I had all these other issues because I delayed surgery.

By the time I got on medication, I couldn't get off couch I was so tired.

I swapped to an endocrinologist at a local teaching hospital and found out by trial and error, that I do best when around 1.5 TSH. Everyone is different and you want a Dr. that will work with you until you start to feel more like normal. My Dr. said that it would be a new normal, that wouldn't be exactly same pre-thyroid issues, but it would be much better than I was.

Run if an endocrinologist tells you that taking a thyroid pill a day is super easy and no big deal. The pill taking is easy but it can take several months until you work out the best dose for you. The Dr. I see was very up front with fact that it might take a little while, and I could swing from too much to too little until we worked it out, so there were times when I felt worse. I felt it was more realistic rather than "oh it's easy and no big deal" attitude as there were difficult times.

The thyroid could be affecting your anxiety. I have a friend that was talking about divorce, and I knew she was hypothyroid. I told her she had to see my endocrinologist before she could say the "D" word. She has Hasimotos that a simple blood test showed, and her regular Dr. never ran it. Her medicine levels got adjusted, she needs to have regular blood tests as with Hashimotos you can swing from hypo to hyper. She's fine, mood is much better and she's still married! I was an irrational raving b$tch at my worst, and I'm surprised DH stuck through it with me..it was really bad.

Thanks for sharing your story. I was doing a bit of research on this yesterday and noticed that fatigue and infertility were symptoms of hypothyroid, both of which I have struggled with. I know my TSH levels were very similar when I was having so much trouble conceiving DD#1, and then I had a m/c, so it seems that I really could have been having symptoms for 8+ years now.

Lately, I've been so tired. I've been falling asleep on the couch by 9:30-10:00 and just can't keep my eyes open. I just feel off, Kwim? I think it's time to do some more checking into this.

[ahrimie]

I think my levels are usually 3 or 4 something. While pregnant, I take a tiny bit of synthroid to bring it down. But they always tell me that 2-5 is normal when not pregnant. When pregnant, they like it below 3 but it's not a big deal.

Should I be worried too then??

[kaharris83]

I think my levels are usually 3 or 4 something. While pregnant, I take a tiny bit of synthroid to bring it down. But they always tell me that 2-5 is normal when not pregnant. When pregnant, they like it below 3 but it's not a big deal.

Should I be worried too then??

I think everyone really has a different level of what is normal for them. If you feel fine then I wouldn't be worried about your TSH. In my case I am fatigued, cold, lack a sex drive, have irregular cycles, and have very, very dry skin if my TSH is not kept below 2. I just generally feel off and have a low tolerance if my TSH is too high. I also suffered two m/c's at 8 weeks most likely caused by out of control thyroid levels(this was before I got put on Synthroid and closely monitored which I believe led to the healthy delivery of my DS).

Here's an article that explains the "normal" range and changes that were made in 2003 to amend "normal" range.
http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedanddiagnosed/a/normaltshlevel.htm

[tiapam]

I pretty much agree with what PP's said. It can be a long road to get to a new normal, and you might need to change doctors along the way. Even now I don't love my endo, but he has been more good than bad. If you have family history then that is really the most likely thing. No need to look for a zebra! As I have posted before, if there is family history, I believe it is a matter of when not if you will get thyroid disease.

If you think you had thyroid issues while pregnant, I would consider the possibility that your children were affected in utero and continue to be affected thru the present day. So you should inform your ped and do some research so you know what could be related. Sorry, I don't mean to be dramatic or upset you, but awhile ago I kept coming across stuff about how children are potentially affected if they were in utero while the mother had undiagnosed thyroid disease. I worry about my own kids in this regard. It's hard to find good info about it but it is even harder to diagnose in kids IMHO, so very important for parents to be aware of.