High TSH

[Way2dry]

I recently had some routine blood work done and my TSH was 4.30.  My dr. said that was high and wants to re-test it in a month. My TSH was 2.32 in 2016 but was 3.58 before that. 

Everything I've read about high TSH points to Hashimoto's.  I have no symptoms other than the usual Sjogren's stuff.  I am terrified of having another autoimmune disease and worry about what's next.

Does high TSH mean I will have to take thyroid medication? ☹️

Has anyone had a high TSH and did not have Hashimoto's or another thyroid disease?

Is it possible to have a high TSH and then have it go back to normal?

Does Sjogren's cause a high TSH?

Thanks in advance for any information.

W2d

[eija]

If a patient gets a test result of high TSH, then s/he should also be tested for T4, T3 and thyroid antibodies. They give way more and much better information than just TSH, which can at times behave rather irrationally.

TSH 4.30 isn't THAT high yet, but of course it needs to be monitored - and if T4 and T3 are low and you have symptoms, then yes, you need thyroid medication. And it's wise to treat that properly, because not treating it predisposes you to  all kinds of nasty things.


Sjögren's itself doesn't cause high TSH but Sjögren and thyroid problems often go hand in hand.


I have heard of TSH going up and down itself, but I don't know why and how. Hashimotos and other thyroid diseases can of course cause that, but in that case there are other symptoms too and it won't stay back down (I'm sure there's someone else who can explain this better)


You can have high TSH and not have Hashimoto's. For Hashimoto's you need to have a positive test for thyroid antibodies, too.


In any case, the first thing to do is NOT to panic. Even Hashimoto's isn't that bad. Yes it can be, but most of the time it's easily medicated with a medicine that rarely causes any side effects. Odds are, that once you get the right dose of the med that's it, with only a blood test once a year to make sure the dose is still right.

[irish]

To begin with, you are just entering over the line into the high zone. It depends on the type of blood test being done. Every hospital or clinic can do a somewhat different test. The idea is that now you know that it is crawling up and the doc can keep tabs on it.

Also, this is not anything you can change and is something that you just have to roll with.The thing is, one can have Hashimotos or the high Thyroperoxidase antibody blood work and not have a high TSH. The treatment is generally to place people on the thyroid medication. On the other hand, one can have hypothyroidism and need the Levothyroxin replacement medication for years without developing the Hashimotos. The info I get from my immunology clinic is that generally if a person has hypothyroid disease they will at some time or another develop the Hashimotos. Thyroid disease is an autoimmune disease.

I started with medication in 1989 and did not have positive antibodies or TPO until 2006. Everyone is different with the type of symptoms they have. Often depression can occur, but if you already have an autoimmune disease it is possible you are already suffering from anxiety and depression as this conditions are very common with chronic disease and autoimmune disease. It is not that we are weak and have a personality problem, it is a very real disease that affects the amount of chemicals being produced by the brain.

Getting back to the thyroid the best thing you can do is to make sure your keep up with your blood work and also keep track of what is going on with your body as the body can warn you of the need for blood work. I just had TSH in Feb and it was 8.75 and caught me off guard. I had noticed that I was having an increase in my depression and was going to see the doc about this. Well, when I saw the blood work I knew why I felt depressed. I had not had an elevation like that in about 8 years. I will now watch it very close for some months as when the TSH would get over the 4-5 it usually would jump up and down for up to a year sometime. I would end up changing dosages on my med every 2 months til it would settle down. I also will have a lot of body aches and bad joint pain when it is elevated. So, just relax and make sure that your doctor is good about watching the blood work. Irish

[Way2dry]

Eija:  Thanks for your help.

My Mom had Graves Disease which I just recently found out was an autoimmune disease, so it seems likely that I have or will develop Hashimoto's.  I'll try not to panic (I'm a white coat "weenie") and wait until I get blood tests next month and then go from there.  It's good to know Hashimoto's is fairly easily treatable in most cases.

Irish:  Thank you for explaining things.

I do suffer from anxiety and depression, but just thought it was me.  It helps to know there is a reason for it. I was surprised to hear how many symptoms can be caused by thyroid problems. I will pay more attention to my symptoms instead of just assuming they're due to Sjogren's.

[irish]

I just wanted to add that thyroid disease can be very easy to treat and control for some people but can be a pain for others. It just depends on what Mother Nature throws at us.

Sometimes people have a hard time in general keeping their thyroids under control. If you or anyone else is doing well with the medication dosage and not having a lot of surprises from your thyroid you probably can stay with whoever is treating your thyroid disease.

For many, it is an ongoing battle keeping up because of thyroid nodules and other extenuating circumstances. In this case it is often very beneficial to find an Endocrinologist who can take care of your thyroid issues. These doctors specialize in glandular diseases such as thyroid, diabetes, pituitary, adrenal issues, etc. They can be extremely helpful maintaining a persons diseases as often time we can be hit with other glandular issues precipitated by autoimmune disease.

I know for a fact that when we have an autoimmune disease that is beyond the scope of a current treating doctor they can lose track of what is going on. This isn't because they don't care, but symptoms can get out of hand because they haven't always dealt with these problems before. Good luck to all. Irish