Borderline under active thyroid

Cnew

I am 65 yr old female and have no thyroid symptoms but a blood test show borderline so my doctor immediately put me on 25mg of thyroxine 2 months later blood test NORMAL - the doctor for some unknown reason upped my dosage to 50mg. Recent blood test showed again normal. And now I am stuck on this medication for life - not happy

If I were you I would ask for a printout of your full bloods and then ask for a chat with the prescribing doctor so they can explain it to you.

If your thyroid levels are now normal it may simply be because the meds are doing their job ?

I’m on thyroxine and several other meds for life, and I take them to keep me alive and well.

I wish I had been placed on a very low dose of Thyroxine when I was borderline
Instead I had to become considerably more unwell over a 6 month period. I was trying to carry out a very stressful work role. I became mentally unwell (yes it happens with hypothyroidism). I began to withdraw. Eventually I was called to my Manager's office. He advised me that members of my team had complained about me. I broke down. That was my first breakdown and it lasted 9.5 months. If we don't take and balance out the need for this natural substance and take it, we WILL die. Personally I would not take a pig derived product.

Ah. A long time ago now -in my early 40's - I started feeling pretty unwell. No energy, brittle hair becoming thinner feeling the cold, mental health issues. Went to the Doctor and was told I was borderline for hypothyroidism. I struggled on for 6 months until it fell to a level the Doctor was prepared to treat at. Stress or a big shock can bring it on. At the beginning of that 6 month period a rottweiler had attacked and bitten me in the course of doing my job. That may have been the issue. Well if you are hypothyroidism and don't get your thyroxine for a significant period of time you will lapse into a coma and die. I would take your current Doctor's advice personally

I am 65 yr old female and have no thyroid symptoms but a blood test show borderline so my doctor immediately put me on 25mg of thyroxine 2 months later blood test NORMAL - the doctor for some unknown reason upped my dosage to 50mg. Recent blood test showed again normal. And now I am stuck on this medication for life - not happy

I have a blood test every 6 months and only my TSH is tested, Earlier on it was both TSH and T4 but never T3, what happens with others on here? There seems to be some variation in practice

Tippy I’m not a doctor but I’m pretty sure that last sentence isn’t correct. As someone said upthread, getting the dosage right can take some time and you have to be on a certain dose for a certain amount of time before it’s worth having another blood test to see if that is the correct dose or not. Doctors will usually start you on a lowish dose - I started on 50, then went to 75 and have settled for last two years on 100,

Thank you for all your responses. What I would like to know is if anybody has started taking thyroxine and then stopped because that is what my doctor said could happen if she feels it's not working for me. I was always under the impression that once you started taking thyroxine you had to continue because your body stopped producing it naturally.

Tippy I also hae been told this for years. So far no GP will refer/suggest thyroxine. I really wish they would as I would like to try just to see if my extremely low energy levels could be improved. Its an individual choice. I think in your situation I would ask to see a consultant, let them offer advice and decide with them.

When I first went to the doctor in my mid 40s feeling very tired I was not aware of hypothyroidism or indeed the function of the thyroid. I was initially diagnosed with borderline under active thyroid, but over the years having started off on a relatively small does of thyroxine I am now on 150 mcg, and my doctor advised that after a recent blood test it could be increaased to 175mcg. I'm not keen to up it anymore as I believe high levels compromise bone density. I've never found upping doses does not make me feel more energetic. We have had numerous threads on under active thyroid and there has at times been a consensus among some that synthetic thyroxine doesn't do much to improve our condition. NICE won't approve Armour (derived from pig's thyroxine which is prescribed in America) as I believe it's too expensive. When Hillary Clinton made her medical notes available on the run up to the election, I see that's what she takes.

Thyroid issues demonstrate how inexact medicine science is. I am convinced that the figures for 'normal' are based on insufficient evidence but don't know how it is possible to get them right.

If you were to see a Consultant, which you won't when it is borderline, they would ask you lots of questions relating to how your body functions and how you feel and would base the dosage on the whole picture.

When my thyroid gland was removed I was told that if one had to be on medication for the rest of your life then Thyroxin was the best with the least side-effects.

I don't think that you would be on them for life, I think that once the doc felt you were stable you would have an annual check and then a decision would be made about the dosage.

It is very important that you don't take too much because you would become hyper instead of hypo and that can cause heart problems and osteoporosis.

Good luck

Yes Tippy and I think quite a few of us on GN have this problem and take thyroxine.You would be started off on a low level, and if that is fine will stay on it.
Mine was ‘upped’ a little while ago, and I really didn’t feel well, so have come back down to taking a lower level which suits me.With this medication, getting the correct level is key, and higher doesn’t always mean better.