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Suggest Treatment For High TSH Levels
Question: I am 59 years old. family history has thyroid problem with my mother and sisters suffering from it. Approx 4 months back i got myself checked up and my TSH level came out to 7.94 and today i got it checked again and it has increased to 11.9 although the T3 and T4 is normal. My weight is 83.5 kgs about 7 kgs above normal. I do yoga and play golf and managed to bring down my weight from 87 to 83.5 kgs. Do i have to get further check ups done or go in straight for medication? what about dietary changes?
Brief Answer:
Thyroid
Detailed Answer:
I follow what you are saying.
Unfortunately there is nothing you can do. There is nothing in your control regarding this condition.
It is likely you have Hashimoto's disease which is the most common cause of your thyroid problem. The best way to confirm this is to run a blood test for thyroid auto antibodies: anti TPO (Thyroid PerOxidase) and anti Thyroglobulin antibodies. These tests can be done at any time of the day or night because fasting is not required.
If they are positive then it is quite certain you have this permanent condition that will sooner or later require lifelong replacement with a medication called levo thyroxine. Right now it is in the early or mild ('sub-clinical') stage where treatment can still be initiated. But this decision will require an in-person evaluation by an endocrinologist who will then make final determinations as to the options in front of you, after (s)he has had the opportunity to examine you.
If the antibody tests are negative there is still a small chance you have the above mentioned thyroid condition. At the same time there is also the possibility of this being a temporary problem that tends to recover on its own within few months. It is called Thyroiditis.
Thyroid conditions can be complex to handle and it is best reserved for the thyroid expert to manage
Thyroid
Detailed Answer:
I follow what you are saying.
Unfortunately there is nothing you can do. There is nothing in your control regarding this condition.
It is likely you have Hashimoto's disease which is the most common cause of your thyroid problem. The best way to confirm this is to run a blood test for thyroid auto antibodies: anti TPO (Thyroid PerOxidase) and anti Thyroglobulin antibodies. These tests can be done at any time of the day or night because fasting is not required.
If they are positive then it is quite certain you have this permanent condition that will sooner or later require lifelong replacement with a medication called levo thyroxine. Right now it is in the early or mild ('sub-clinical') stage where treatment can still be initiated. But this decision will require an in-person evaluation by an endocrinologist who will then make final determinations as to the options in front of you, after (s)he has had the opportunity to examine you.
If the antibody tests are negative there is still a small chance you have the above mentioned thyroid condition. At the same time there is also the possibility of this being a temporary problem that tends to recover on its own within few months. It is called Thyroiditis.
Thyroid conditions can be complex to handle and it is best reserved for the thyroid expert to manage
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you so much for your reply!! I will certainly consult a endocrinologist today and get further blood tests done as recommended by him!! What lifestyle and dietary changes do you recommend? Will yoga exercises meant for improving thyroid problem help in addition to medication? Any other things I need to do to control or stabilise this problem?
Brief Answer:
Follow up
Detailed Answer:
To the best of my knowledge there is no published report in credible medical literature that demonstrates any benefit of yoga exercises or lifestyle/dietary changes on your kind of thyroid problem.
As I said there is really nothing you can do about this aside from seeing an endocrinologist regularly
Follow up
Detailed Answer:
To the best of my knowledge there is no published report in credible medical literature that demonstrates any benefit of yoga exercises or lifestyle/dietary changes on your kind of thyroid problem.
As I said there is really nothing you can do about this aside from seeing an endocrinologist regularly
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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