I had blood work done (TPO) thyroid was at 45 iu. Thoughts on taking levothyroxine and experience anyone has had with it.
Can you post your full labs? High TPO is indicative of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. If that’s the case, you’ll probably need to be on thyroid medication for life.
You’ll also want to talk with an endocrinologist and get an ultrasound done as a precaution.
TSH - 2.380 mcIU/ml
T3 free - 2.45 pg/ml
Free T4 - 1.42 ng/dl
T4 - 9.15 mcg/dl
Estradiol - 13pg/ml
Total T - 431 mg/dl
Free T - 50 mg/dl
Bioavailable T - 118 ng/dl
SHBG - 73 nmol/l
Not perfect, but your thyroid seems OK for now.
I would get TSH, FT3, FT4, rT3, and TPO checked again. Also add 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
Basically you need to confirm the TPO is high and not a false positive.
At this point, your thyroid values are good enough that medication will probably not do much for you. But if TPO comes back high again, you will want to check things regularly (every 6 months - 1 year) to make sure you treat an autoimmune disease if you develop one.
If you’re still interested in trying thyroid meds, you could either try 1/2 to 1 grain of Armour thyroid, or 25-50mcg of levothyroxine. Although you’ll need to consult with a doctor either way to get the scrip.
What if the tabs are only 5mcg?
If that’s what you were prescribed I’d just take that. Get your levels checked again in 6-8 weeks.
There is no harm in taking that low of a dose. It can only improve your serum values and possibly symptoms if you have them.
Also, when taking thyroid medication it’s best to take it fasted, a couple hours before eating. And avoid any minerals or mineral rich foods within a few hours of taking it.
If this free T is as low as I think it is, I’d be starting on T ASAP. Post lab ranges if possible
Any free T I have the SHGB is so high that it’s basically eating up my free T
And 1 hour before or 2 hours after caffeine