At what TSH level should you take medication?

If your TSH level is higher than 10 mIU/L, you should start treatment, because you will very likely develop symptoms of an underactive thyroid, even if you don’t have them now.

What should TSH levels be on thyroxine?

In most patients on thyroxine replacement, the goal TSH level is between 0.5 to 2.5 mU/L. Patients who have had thyroid cancer are usually on higher doses of thyroxine and their target TSH level is lower than normal.

What if TSH is low in hypothyroidism?

High TSH levels can mean your thyroid is not making enough thyroid hormones, a condition called hypothyroidism. Low TSH levels can mean your thyroid is making too much of the hormones, a condition called hyperthyroidism.

What happens if you take thyroid medication and you don’t need it?

The more concerning issue of taking thyroid medication when you don’t need it lies in the possible side effects, including: Irregular heart rhythms. Rapid heart rate. Symptoms of heart failure (shortness of breath, swelling, unexpected weight gain)

Is 5.5 TSH high?

Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level of 4.6 to 10 mIU/L. A normal TSH level is 0.4 to 4.0 and full-blown hypothyroidism is 10 or higher.

Is TSH enough to test thyroid?

Research finds that a simple TSH test is enough to identify hypothyroidism in 99.6\% of the tests performed. You may have heard of expanded or full thyroid panels, which often include tests for TSH, total T3, total T4, free T3, free T4, anti-TPO antibodies, thyroglobulin, and reverse T3.

How many days can you go without thyroid medication?

The half-life of levothyroxine is 6-7 days, which means it takes about 4-5 weeks for your body to rid itself of levothyroxine. Nonetheless, as synthetic T4 levels start to wane, you can begin to experience symptoms within the first week of not taking your medication.

Is a TSH level of 6 high?

A normal range for TSH in most laboratories is 0.4 milliunits per liter (mU/L) to 4.0 mU/L. If your TSH is higher than 4.0 mU/L on repeat tests, you probably have hypothyroidism.

What does a TSH of 5 mean?

A high TSH level—above 5.0 mU/L—indicates an underactive thyroid, also known as hypothyroidism. This means your body is not producing enough thyroid hormone.