Re: white blood cells test

[Guest guest]

>

> I asked because my primary care doctor's next blood test has me

>getting my TSH only (not T3 or T4) measured and I thought that while

>I'm on methimazole, I should get my WBC count done everytime they

>draw blood.

>

>

Eek, Bruce, get your dr to order a Free T4 test instead of the TSH!

TSH has a lag time of 6 weeks or more before it will come up after

being hyper so if that's all you're checking, it may very well still

be low and prompt your doctor to up your dose of methimazole

(increasing your risk of agranulocytosis and other complications)

when in fact your T4 could be in range. The endocrinologist I saw in

Boston, who specializes in thyroid disorders and has all sorts of

professional awards and recognition, does not check TSH at all for

six MONTHS after starting anti-thyroid drugs, says it's a waste of

time. The standard of care for monitoring hyperthyroidism is the Free

T4.

Nissa

[Guest guest]

Nissa,

Thanks for the info. When I spoke with my primary care provider on Friday, I

asked about the WBC count and she agreed that it should be done. When I had the

test done this AM, in addition to the WBC count box, I had also checked the free

T3 & T4 boxes on GP. I'm glad I did now.

Do you have a credible web site I can reference to show my doctors the 6 month

lag between beginning methimazole and seeing a change in TSH levels?

TIA.

--Bruce

Nissa Kagle <nissa@...> wrote: >

> I asked because my primary care doctor's next blood test has me

>getting my TSH only (not T3 or T4) measured and I thought that while

>I'm on methimazole, I should get my WBC count done everytime they

>draw blood.

>

>

Eek, Bruce, get your dr to order a Free T4 test instead of the TSH!

TSH has a lag time of 6 weeks or more before it will come up after

being hyper so if that's all you're checking, it may very well still

be low and prompt your doctor to up your dose of methimazole

(increasing your risk of agranulocytosis and other complications)

when in fact your T4 could be in range. The endocrinologist I saw in

Boston, who specializes in thyroid disorders and has all sorts of

professional awards and recognition, does not check TSH at all for

six MONTHS after starting anti-thyroid drugs, says it's a waste of

time. The standard of care for monitoring hyperthyroidism is the Free

T4.

Nissa

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