Do I have hypothyroidism? My thyroid levels, TSH is 4.432 and T4 is 4.4?
I have been very tired and agitated, gained about 60 lbs. in less than 3 months, my legs get really swollen below the knee.My eyes are puffy, my skin seems dry. Among other things. My regular Dr. prescribed levo 75 mgs. I am afraid to take it, until I see a specialist. Does anyone here know anything about this?
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- here is some information about myself, plus some symptoms in case anyone coming upon your question may be interested;
I have low thyroid. if you have low thyroid...here's a great question to answer: can you see the floor of your house? that was what was asked of me at one point, and to my amazement, the answer was no!
anyway, the signs are:fatigue and lack of energy. Women suffering from underactive thyroid experience heavier menstrual periods. Sluggishness and forgetfulness are symptoms of underactive thyroid problem. Other symptoms of this thyroid disorder are dry skin and hair and constipation.
if you have high thyroid, or an overactive one, the signs are:increased body metabolism. This is followed by weight loss and excessive warmth and sweating. Persons suffering from overactive thyroid experience trembling hands, irritability and rapid heartbeat or palpitations. Women with overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism may experience shorter or lighter menstrual periods.
I take medication, and sadly will have to take 1 pill everyday for the rest of my life. there's a blood check that they will do to see if you have low or high. I hope I've helped you!!
- Your TSH is on the high side of normal & your T4 is a little low. You are hypothyroid & this may be contributing to your weight gain.
Your brain makes TSH which is a hormone that tells the thyroid to make T3/T4 (thyroid hormone). Your high TSH shows that while your brain is telling the thyroid to make more hormone, the thyroid is not responding as it should.
Be sure you are getting enough iodine in your diet & talk to your doctor about possible medications.
- Do you have a doctor. Ask the doctor. This is not the place to get medical advice.
- a good site to see all about thyroid, including high & low, as well as cancers, etc.:
http://www.targetwoman.com/articles/thyr...
and, here's some more sites. look them all over, see which one intersts you most. write down what symptoms you have, and take it to your doctor.
http://www.bioslim.com/definitions/thyro...
http://www.endocrinologist.com/thyroid.h...
this is a link to several different links about thyroid.
http://www.mysuresearch.com/feed/search....
- normal range of TSH is ~ 0.290 - 5.500 (varies from one lab to another). so your TSH is normal, but kinda high-normal. the T4 is kinda useless; really need a Free-T4, as only the free T4 is available for use by the body. usually, though, only the TSH is needed for diagnosis. Given your symptoms and TSH, you might start taking a low dose of thyroid hormone replacement, more like 25 or 50 mcgs. Also, though, the Thyroid and endocrinology society/associations both recommend that levothyroxine only be taken in Brand Name form ie Synthroid, Levoxyl. That's because the generics are unreliable and variable as to the bioavailability of the drug they contain. Depending on how long to see the specialist and how bad you feel, you might try taking 1/2 or 1/3 of the 75mcg anyway. hope this helps. btw, I'm a physician assistant who works for an endocrinology practice. I like yahoo answers; good escape!