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TSH and Patients' Experiences: 0.6 to 2

Notes

Not everyone develops hypothyroidism symptoms when their TSH level is higher than 2 but "in range." The purpose of this compilation is to show that there are a lot of us who need to have our TSH level low to feel well, and that symptoms can seriously affect our lives even when the TSH level isn't very high.
Some people have more than one entry because they focused on a different aspect of how their TSH level affected them each time. Entries that mention different TSH levels are included on the page for each level.
Unless otherwise specified, all posts were posted to the newsgroup alt.support.thyroid. The website, with instructions on how to access this group and its archives, is at www.altsupportthyroid.org/findus.php.
For space reasons, only the most relevant segments of each post are included here.
Because of the size of this compilation, it's divided into several parts according to TSH level, as follows:
- Suppressed to 0.5: at www.altsupportthyroid.org/tsh/tshexp1pr.php
- 0.6 to 2: at www.altsupportthyroid.org/tsh/tshexp2pr.php (this page)
- Above 2: at www.altsupportthyroid.org/tsh/tshexp3pr.php

TSH 0.6 to 1
TSH 1.01 to 1.5
TSH 1.6 to 2

TSH 0.6 to 1

"Denise~*" June 24, 2001

As far as I am concerned, I had hair loss on the top part of my scalp before being diagnosed and before starting T4 (Levoxyl brand). Now I am much thicker on top. My meds literature said there may be some hair loss, but it would subside. This did stress me out a little since I had lost so much to begin with, but now you can't even tell my hair was thin as now I have been treated to a TSH of around "1."

"AG" May 9, 2001

I feel best when my TSH is lower than "1". You need to have a full panel run in order to figure out what is up with you.

"Denise~*" April 18, 2001

According to her [Denise's doctor] my symptoms were not enough to be "Hypo" symptoms & I was fine at 3.05 TSH, I just needed a RX for my Depression & emotional problems. I also had Alopecia & needed to exercise more. That would make me feel better & not sleep so much.

Funny how my depression, thin hair, dry skin & emotional problems, and over-sleeping problems are all history now that I found Dr Right who keeps my TSH under "1"!

"Laura" February 28, 2001

a) At what level do you need your TSH to be for you to feel well?

Below 1.0

"CS" February 28, 2001

a) At what level do you need your TSH to be for you to feel well?

<1.0

"Lois" February 22, 2001

a) At what level do you need your TSH to be for you to feel well?

Just below 1 works best for me.

"Neville UK" January 14, 2001

Feeling good with TSH 1.0 or below without T3 is something I found. I felt best at TSH 0.06 (!) brain fog wise, but stomach had some problems. Moved to 2x5mcg T3 and dropped 50mcg T4 (down to 125). Brain fog blew away, and stomach slowly recovered.

"CDA" December 5, 2000

My doctor uses a scale of .4 to 4.0. Even so, he knows I don't feel well unless well under 1.0.

"Marianna" December 5, 2000

...I'm not feeling well until my tsh is below 1....

"meritime" December 3, 2000

Personally, I felt the best last April when my TSH was .9 — just slightly below a 1. For me there is a tremendous difference between a 1.16 and that .9 — soo. My current doctor says that people do feel better not at the 2 but at the 1 or even lower. My joints stop aching, my mind feels clearer — and — big bonus: I have exercised for years, with my TSH lower the toning finally shows. People keep asking if I have lost weight. No, my efforts are just suddenly becoming apparent to the world. So, that even makes me want to exercise more as there seems to be more meaning to it.

"CDA" October 22, 2000

My dosage of levoxyl has been steadily increased. Currently I take 10 mg Tapazole and 150 mcg levoxyl (actually levothroid because the pharmacy switched on me). As of three weeks ago, I no longer feel hypo and my TSH is now 0.86. My T4 is 10.2. My doctor is not measuring anything else at this time. He has me at a fairly low TSH because he thinks that helps people who have problems with GED. Also, I just don't feel good if it's much higher.

"Nancy N" October 4, 2000

I start to get hypo symptoms when my TSH starts moving up towards 1.0. I feel best and have no hyper symptoms when my TSH is at about 0.13 or less. I do take T3 and T3 in combination, which seems to suppress the TSH, so we (my doctor and I) look at Free T3 and Free T4 levels to determine how I'm doing.

"Sonya" March 15, 2000

My TSH got up to 22 last March after an increase of Synthroid it came down to 2.8 but I still had many symptoms. They were extreme fatigue, muscle aches and pains, brain fog, and heavy periods. In January of this year I was put on Cytomel in addition to my Synthroid I take 25 of Cytomel and 150 of Synthroid most of my symptoms are gone now and my TSH is in the 1.0 range now I have recently found out that alot of the muscle problems I am having are due to Fibromyalgia. I was very lucky to have a Dr. that treated my symptoms and not my labs this is the first time in 13 years that my TSH has ever been below 2. I really wish more Dr.'s would listen to their patients and understand what it's like to still have so many symptoms.

TSH 1.01 to 1.5

"Mike T." March 2, 2001

a) At what level do you need your TSH to be for you to feel well?

Anything over a 1 seems to be a problem. When taking Armour, my TSH is suppressed and provides no useful information.

"Amethyst Ivy" February 21, 2001

I feel pretty good with my current TSH, so I believe to feel good it should be below 1.5.

"JG" February 20, 2001

i'm good now and my tsh is 1.3

TSH 1.6 to 2

"SH" May 2, 2001

I barely have enough energy to go to get out of bed if my TSH is over 1.5.

"Mike T." April 20, 2001

...the TSH is not nearly as good as the free t4/t3. If my TSH was a 2, my t4/t3 levels would be way off and I'd feel just awful. My TSH is currently .5, but the free t4/t3 are balanced in the upper third of normal, t3 uptake is about median. So I ignore the TSH and I am currently sinus-trouble free.

"Repairman" February 24, 2001

I started feeling more normal under 2, that is skin started to improve & joint pain lessened. Sleep apnea went away also.

"FLH" February 24, 2001

a) At what level do you need your TSH to be for you to feel well?

Less than 2.

"Jerry" February 21, 2001

a) At what level do you need your TSH to be for you to feel well?

Definitely around 2.0. When I got down below 1.0, I started getting hyper symptoms.

"RM" December 15, 2000

...for years I was told that I should see a neurologist for the numbness and tingling in my hands and feet that I was complaining about. This was actually when I was already on Synthroid and my TSH was, I think, in the 1-2 range (or maybe a little above 2). I never did see a neurologist and I am only finding out now (I don't want to tell you how many years later) that I am another one of those people who needs to have a suppressed TSH to feel well. (My endocrinologist finally acknowledged this (not in so many words) yesterday because he could see (literally) that I was better after having been sick for so long.

"Paula" September 18, 2000

I had hypothyroid symptoms at a TSH of 1.8, last spring, and for years before — my TSH tests were always "normal" — but apparently that is not normal for *me*. I had a TRH stimulation test which was resoundingly positive for hypothyroidism, when my baseline TSH was only 2.4 to 2.8.

"CW" September 16, 2000

For those who have been tracking their TSH numbers for a few years now, at what point on the TSH scale does your system balance start to go "out" of whack and you start manifesting hypo symptoms such as infections, water retention, constipation, GERD, esophagus spasm, sleeping long hours, etc etc. Mine is 1.8 or 2.0....I can go very low, off the scale, without hyper symptoms.

"CW" September 16, 2000

...cholesterol levels went high when I was getting hashi/hypo, then resolved when thyroid meds brought TSH into range, for me under 2.0. Always had low cholesterol before.

"AH" August 1, 2000