Understanding TSH

[Guest guest]

This is probably a silly question but I've posted on other sites and

never really got a clear answer.

Let's say your TSH is 6.0 and you're diagnosed as hypothyroid. And

let's say your Free T4 is 1.2 (range .61-1.76), your Free T3 is 2.2

(range 2.3-4.2). You have no thryoid antibodies to speak of (<5), so

you're not a Hashi's patient. And, throw into the pot, you feel awful

and have numerous and debiliitating hypothyroid symptoms.

So...if you start taking meds, and increasing your dose over time,

the body starts to compensate by shutting down what thyroid hormones

you are making on your own in lieu of supplementation.

If a falling TSH.....means a LARGER number....from original 6.0 to

whatever....why wouldn't that number grow...from say 6.0 to 20.0

(hypothetically)? Why, if the TSH is totally suppressed in Hashi's

patients wouldn't the number be huge instead of " 0 " ?

What is the TSH number supposed to do as time goes by and you're

optimizing on thyroid meds and you're supplementing all your thyroid

production over time?

I just started thyroid meds again after not being able to tolerate

them (I was finally diagnosed with 's and now on full

Hydrocortisone @ 25-30 mg. a day.) My doc has started me on low dose

timed released T3 (4th week in now @ 10 mcg. a day). I'm tolerating

it, but now we have to deal with adding the T4 in very small

increments to see if I can tolerate it and not 'crash' again. I need

to understand how to interpret my numbers as we continue to test and

monitor.

Thanks,

Stevie Lyn