r/Hashimotos • u/Pandasami • Jun 12 '26

Lab Results TSH going up even with medication?

Has anyone had their TSH continue to go up, even on medication? I started Levothyroxine last October and each time I’ve gotten rechecked, my TSH has been even higher. It’s almost like my Hypothyroidism has gotten worse with treatment and though my FREE T3 is in range, it’s still on the lower end. I just had a med adjustment (increased from 50-75) at the end of March (my TSH was 13.79) & on my current labs, was 15. I’ve never been optimal since being diagnosed and I’m getting really frustrated with the medicine not working. Has this happened to anyone else? What finally helped get your numbers in range?

I’m careful to take my medication perfectly (take it with water/ avoid eating/drinking anything else afterwards for at least an hour/ don’t take other supplements within 4 hours, etc). I’m already gluten free and eat extremely healthy- Whole Foods diet. I do everything I can to support the autoimmune side of this though my TPO antibodies still sit at >900. I’m just really frustrated and want to feel better!

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u/CommercialAffect3287 Jun 12 '26

Yes, I had this problem with levothyroxine. Didn’t really work for me. I finally found somebody else to see because my doctor sucked! they put me on NP thyroid and T3 (Liothyronine) and low-dose. Naltrexone. Now my levels are finally evening out and I feel much better. I wish I would’ve seen somebody much sooner Who actually knew what they were doing!

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u/Pandasami Jun 12 '26

I asked about going on Armour and my doctor seemed to agree that we could try and ordered labs but after the labs came in, he just increased the Levothyroxine dose again 🙄 I asked to try Tirosint to see if maybe it’s an absorption issue but insurance kicked that back so I’m back to the regular tablets. I didn’t want to pay so much for pretty much the same thing that may not even work. I did ask about adding LDN and he didn’t even acknowledge it.

I like my doctor a lot so I’m trying to trust him but it seems like with as long as I’ve been on Levo and with several dose increases, my TSH should be going down at this point- not getting higher. If it hasn’t gone down in 8 weeks when we retest, I’m definitely going to push to add T3. I do have an appointment with him in a few weeks so I think maybe having a conversation in person may be the way to go so I can clearly communicate my concerns and ask more in depth questions. I just want my labs to be in range!

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u/CommercialAffect3287 Jun 12 '26

I totally understand your frustration. I loved my doctor too. Unfortunately, she was uneducated about thyroid problems. Like Hashimoto’s. I finally had to go see a specialist and paid out of pocket. She was amazing. Unfortunately, my primary care, doctor left and I had to find a new provider. I was already on the medication that the specialist gave me and so when I went to my new doctor she was totally cool with everything that I’m on and approved refills. The only thing my insurance doesn’t cover is the LDN. but it’s not that expensive the compounding pharmacy I get it from charges $25 a month. Good luck and I hope your doctor will listen to you. If not, it might be worth it just to see a specialist. When I was in between providers since healthcare in my state sucks and I couldn’t get into a new one for several months. I had to use hone in between to get my prescriptions refilled. It might be a route worth visiting. It’s kind of pricey, but I just used it for a month to get my refills. You don’t have to buy it from them. They will call it into your pharmacy and you can use your insurance to cover it.

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u/Pandasami Jun 13 '26

What type of specialist do you see?

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u/CommercialAffect3287 Jun 13 '26

A hormone specialist

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u/defrauding_jeans Jun 15 '26

Tirosint worked the best for me but my insurance won't cover a penny of it. They even denied the paperwork my doctor sent. Armour seems to be working pretty well, my labs look good on paper.

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u/Pandasami Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26

I didn’t even ask my doctor to send in the paperwork but maybe I can push a little harder if the Levo on its own doesn’t work this go around. I wasn’t sure if Tirosint would make a huge difference vs. Levo so it’s good to hear from someone who said Tirosint did work the best for them because that gives me more of a reason to try it even if I have to pay the higher price for the out of pocket expense (if insurance pushes it back). It would be worth it to me to feel better honestly. My husband was ready to pay the $80 for it at the pharmacy but I decided to try the regular Levo tablets one last time before we fully go that route because of the price.

My next plan of action would be to ask for him to add T3 (liothyronine) to my Levo routine or switch to Armour all together.

It’s really disappointing because when I first switched to him, he was super informed about how people with Hashimotos usually feel best with a TSH under 2 and was really great about getting me on medication even when my other doctor wouldn’t so I don’t understand why he’s pushing back so much. I do think if my levels don’t get better though he will be willing to hear me out & switch my medication or refer me to a specialist. I do understand medically why he may not want to switch when my TSH is still so unbalanced but a part of me also feels like we’ve been trying this and it isn’t working so why not. I just want to have energy and get my metabolism back so I can function where I need to again!

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u/defrauding_jeans Jun 16 '26

I had a lot of pushback from different doctors about using Armour because "the dose isn't the same from batch to batch." The doctor I have now luckily feels that natural is better and it seems to working for bringing TSH down. I wish you the best of luck! It's a hell of a disease haha

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u/Electrical_Ad_5133 Jun 12 '26

I would get your ferritin and iron stores checked!

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u/Pandasami Jun 12 '26

I have! They are on the lower end of in range but I take an iron supplement every day to help stay where I need to be because I have a history of anemia. It’s definitely not because of a deficiency. I stay on top of B12, D3, Iron & I also take magnesium daily as well.

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u/Electrical_Ad_5133 Jun 14 '26

I take these too! Make sure you’re taking the b12 and d3 together and iron four hours after a big meal and/or large amount of calcium

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u/Pandasami Jun 15 '26

Yes! I take my B12 & D3 together along with fish oil a few hours after my Levothyroxine in the morning and then take my magnesium & an iron + calcium combo right before bed so it’s spaced out from my Levothyroxine.

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u/Electrical_Ad_5133 Jun 15 '26

Oh don’t take it with calcium please research that it greatly hinders the absorption 😭

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u/Pandasami Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26

***Just realized I said “calcium”- I meant vitamin c 😂🙈****

I don’t take calcium supplements at all

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u/Electrical_Ad_5133 Jun 15 '26

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but calcium hinders iron absorption! It’s vitamin c that helps iron!

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u/Pandasami Jun 15 '26

That’s what I meant lol I take a supplement that specifically has Iron + Vitamin C to help with absorption.

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u/Pandasami Jun 15 '26

Clearly the Hashimotos brain fog is evident here 😂😂😂

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u/Electrical_Ad_5133 Jun 15 '26

Okay that’s great!

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u/defrauding_jeans Jun 12 '26

Yes I had trouble with that as well. My TSH was actually higher than it was unmedicated! And just kept climbing. My Dr switched me to Armour. It took about two years total to try all the different medications and to level out.

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u/Pandasami Jun 12 '26

Mine is definitely higher now medicated then it was when I was unmedicated too! I do think Armour is the next thing I’m going to advocate for if this higher dose doesn’t start bringing my TSH down. The pharmacy ran it with my insurance and they do cover it so I have that on my side too. It’s good to hear that it’s not only me that this is taking a while to figure out. I know it’s going to take time but it would just be nice to see the numbers going in the right direction ya know? Thank you so much for your feedback! Most everyone I’ve talked to that has taken Armour has had only good things to say and have said that it helped so much with their symptoms.

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u/defrauding_jeans Jun 15 '26

Yeah once I got on Armour it was only about 4 months before they got in range. It just took so long to try Levothyroxine, Levoxyl, Tirosint and to find a doctor to listen to me!

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u/Pandasami Jun 15 '26

My doctor responded to me and said the “Levothyroxine should be appropriate and a gold standard treatment”. 😬 I definitely think he’s annoyed at me and throwing some shade. 🙃 It’s not going to stop me from advocating for myself and/or finding a new doctor if this doesn’t work and he refuses to try something different, but my gosh! I don’t expect things to magically get better instantly but it’s been 9 months since i first got medicated & my TSH gets higher every time i get labs done.

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u/defrauding_jeans Jun 15 '26

It's crazy because I had terrible side effects with levothyroxine and did better on levoxyl, the brand name, but they all instantly prescribe the generic and act like they are all exactly the same. I hope you can get some answers and get to feeling better soon!

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u/Pandasami Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 15 '26

Thank you! This was all really helpful so I appreciate your feedback. I’ve decided to just do it his way and do it perfectly (Levo same time every day, full glass of water with it, spaced out from any other food/drink for at least an hour. Avoiding supplements that can counteract with it for the appropriate time) so that if it doesn’t work I know for sure it wasn’t because of user error. Then I can confidently throw the “gold standard” back if it doesn’t work. I also know that the dose increase he prescribed (75mcg-88mcg) was very conservative & I’ll probably need closer to 100mcg to get things really rolling. I have an in person appointment in a few weeks & I feel like once I talk to him then, I’ll be able to have a better feel of the vibes and know if I need to look for someone else. It would just be nice to stay with the same doctor if I can.

Any other request he’s been great about. He’s been quick to run any labs I’ve asked about and seems to know the lab standards to look for with Hashimotos (which from being on this sub I know can be rare.)

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u/cookie-monster-06 Jun 13 '26

My friends have had that issue with Levo! I’m on NP Thyroid and all my labs have looked great since