I received an email from my doctor earlier with information from my recent blood work. It states my TSH level is high, 63.70 (their words, not mine) and he may want to change my medication dosage. Then I have a friend saying to me that the doctor shouldn't just go by the TSH test and should do T3 and T4. Should I be concerned or not? :/

Doctor's don't always test all three, but even if your T3 and T4 were normal you'd still have hypothyroidism. I would ask about the T3 and T4 test and see if it can provide more information for your doctor.

63.7 is what they told you? That sounds like a gross mistake- did you mean 6.37? Cuz normal range is 0.5 to 5.0.

TSH doesn't always tell the whole story when it's low, but it's a good indicator something is wrong when it's high. In other words, you can be hypo and still have a normal TSH but you can't be normal and have a high TSH. Your TSH is VERY high, and there is no doubt you are hypothyroid. Your doc should do a Free T3, Free T4 and TPO antibodies test. The FT3 and FT4 will help them to determine if you just aren't producing enough thyroid or if you have a conversion disorder, and the TPO will tell them if you have Hashimotos. Another test they should do is a vitamin D test and also a Ferritin test, as people who are hypothyroid are often deficient in those nutrients and need to supplement. If your doc refuses to do the additional tests, see how you feel once he puts you on thyroid hormone. Synthroid, if that's what he picks, is T4 only but the body converts T4 to T3 and T3 is what gets used so if you have a conversion disorder you will still feel like crap even on Synthroid. There are natural desiccated thyroid out there, like Armour, Thyroid USP, Erfa, Naturethroid and Westhroid and those are made from pig thyroids and contain T4, T3, T2 and T1. Sometimes people who don't respond well on Synthroid respond better on a desiccated due to it's more complete nature, not to mention it's WAY cheaper. I pay 30 cents a pill for my desiccated- $9 for a month's supply.

This is the excerpt from the email I received - "tsh was high =63.70 , dr. bala wants to adjust your med"

My doc says she's seen TSH go up to 100.

And the previous poster's comment about normal range being .5-5.0 is outdated. New standards for normal is .5-2.0. A lot of labs and doctors still use the old standards. But in your case, there's no dispute- your TSH is in the hypo range by anyone's standards.

Thanks for the info, I will ask about the T3 and T4 testing as well.

Good luck. Thyroid issues are frustrating, particularly as many doctors don't really understand the disease and treat using one test- TSH- without considering how the patient feels or any other test. I stopped seeing my GP because of his close-minded attitude about thyroid disease and began seeing a naturopath instead. She's much more knowledgeable.

Thanks

My endocrinologist relies on the TSH level as apparently if you take a form of hormonal contraception then that can affect your T3 or T4 levels. Good luck!

Thank you so much