borderline underactive thyroid

[lavender123]

i have been having anxiety for years and fatique, i got the results from my lst blood test and my thyroid was t.s.h 6.8 t.4 was 11.7 my doctor said i as borderline and he will test again in three months, i feel really dreadful, he has given me a perscription of levothyroxine 25 micrograms which he says will have little effect on me as this borderline result, would cause no symtoms, i am really confused as i dont know wether to take them as i feel bad enough without side effects of theses tablets, and i have a tablet phobia, does anybody know if these tablets cause side effects, and how soon do you start to feel better, i dont know if i have severe anxiety back agin with feeling so tired i can hardly move. or wther it is tyhroid, thanks.

[countrygirl]

I used to work as an advisor for a thyroid chairty. A result of over 6 is underactive and you would have symptoms. The chairty I worked for used to get sooooo annoyed with GP's who have little or no interest in thryoid disease and at times seemed to know less than the advisors!!!!!!!!!!

Do take the tablets you have been given as even this small dose will help a little. Go back in 6 weeks and have a retest and if your result is still bordeline as he says ( I disagree) insist on having your tablet dose upped and retested again to see if you can get within the normal rainge.

The aim of treatement is to keep your results within the normal range preferably not to close to one end or the other. It can take many months to stabalise your thyroid so don't give up keep harassing the Dr to retest every 6-8 weeks until your results are normal.

When you got your results the path report will state the normal range for that particular lab so you can ask what it is and make up your own mind where your results lie!! My hospital path lab normal range is 0.1 -5.6 and most othr path labs are very similar.

If you want any more detailed info then please pm me

---------- Post added at 22:38 ---------- Previous post was at 22:36 ----------

To answer question about side effects - they can only make you feel better, in themselves they won't give side effects unless you take too many of them leading to overactive thyroid - so back to always get tested to make sure you are not taking too many or too little.

[Ingenious]

One of my friends struggled with depression, anxiety and lethargy for years until a blood test for something unrelated ended up with her being diagnosed as having borderline underactive thyroid. Since she's been on medication for it she's been a new person - so much better. The thing to remember is that until/unless you treat it, any of your symptoms might be caused by it - you'll never know. So yes I would take the medication, and countrygirl's brilliant post above should encourage you :)