Worried about impact of LCHF on TSH level...

[Deleted member 219428]

Hi everyone,

First, thanks to all for all your precious help on this forum. I've been moderately low-carbing for 4 months now (with quite a few days off I must admit!), my Ha1C has gone from 7,7% to 6% and my weight is down 12 kilos. My cholesterol has gone down as well, HDL up to 0,62 and LDL down to 1,44. I know I still have to work on the LDL but it's a start. I take Metformin 500mgx3 (that's when I remember to take the lunchtime pill, it's more like 500mgx2!).

What has me really worried is my TSH level. Blood tests indicated they are at 0,04, down from 0,19 last October when I started LCHF. It's true in between the two reading the doctor had reduced the Levothyrox dosage down from 225 to 200, but it still seems to me to be awfully low.

Has anyone here noticed any effect on their TSH levels while doing LCHF?

I've hypothyroidism for 12 years now, more or less controlled with varying levels of Levothyrox over the years. Must say I've never really worried about it up to now, but now I'm a changed women and am taking charge of my body (about time at 60 but better late than never as they say...).

 

[uart]

What has me really worried is my TSH level. Blood tests indicated they are at 0,04, down from 0,19 last October when I started LCHF. It's true in between the two reading the doctor had reduced the Levothyrox dosage down from 225 to 200, but it still seems to me to be awfully low.

Hi Celadon. Has your doctor ever mentioned about your hypothyroidism being a pituitary related problem?

In normal hypothyroidism the thyroxine (T4) levels are low but the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is high. This is because TSH is produced by the pituitary gland rather than the thyroid gland. So if the pituitary gland is working properly, but the thryroid gland not, then T4 is low but the pituitary releases extra TSH to try to make it work.

For example I had hypothyroidism, and my TSH levels were between 9 and 10! This is actually the norm, yours is the exception I'm afraid. Normally it's a high TSH that is indicative of hypothyroidism.

BTW. Both 0.04 and 0.19 are extremely low readings for TSH. The normal range is 0.5 to 6.0.

 

[uart]

Sorry my last reply was perhaps a bit off target. A low TSH before you start thyroxine treatment would indicate a pituitary problem. If you have normal (not pituitary related) hypothyroidism then your TSH was probably too high (>6.0) when you were first diagnosed, but now that you are taking the Levothyrox it has fallen - but fallen too far.

Obviously talk to your doctor about it, but my first guess is that your TSH is so low because you're taking too much Levothyrox. It's your pituitary gland's signal to your body that you now have too much free thyroxine. I'd say your doctor is thinking along the same lines, and hence the reduction in Levothyrox dosage. It sounds like it will have to be lowered even more.

If eating LCHF results in you requiring less medication, that's actually not a bad thing.

 

[Deleted member 219428]

Thanks for all this precious info Uart... I'll digest it all and try to understand it!