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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does Levothyroxine Help In Treating Thyroid Disorder?

My TSH REFLEX FT4 results are 0.18. My FT4.FREE results are 1.62. My Doctor reduced my Levothyroxine from 125mcg to 112mcg. Would you agree with that amount? Also, years ago, I was taking Synthroid and I thought it was more effective but insurance would not cover the additional cost. Do you think it is worth pursuing? Thank you, Janet
posted on Sat, 15 Oct 2016
Twitter Wed, 27 Feb 2019 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 28 Feb 2019 Last reviewed on
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,

 It appears that your TSH is quite low, in spite of your free T4 being within normal limits, I do believe decreasing your levothyroxine is reasonable.

Since you are already on a small dose, cutting it in half may be the only reasonable option.

You should have follow-up thyroid labs done in four to six weeks to make sure that they are within normal limits.

If you develop any symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as constipation, low energy, or cold intolerance, you should let your doctor know, but otherwise, I would expect that you won't have any problems.

I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions, and I would be glad to help.

Also, levothyroxine is the same as Synthroid (they have the same ingredients, levothyroxine is just the generic name for it), so I would not think it would make a difference whichever one you took.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Take care

Regards,
Dr Aaron Branch, General & Family Physician
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Does Levothyroxine Help In Treating Thyroid Disorder?

Hello,  It appears that your TSH is quite low, in spite of your free T4 being within normal limits, I do believe decreasing your levothyroxine is reasonable. Since you are already on a small dose, cutting it in half may be the only reasonable option. You should have follow-up thyroid labs done in four to six weeks to make sure that they are within normal limits. If you develop any symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as constipation, low energy, or cold intolerance, you should let your doctor know, but otherwise, I would expect that you won t have any problems. I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions, and I would be glad to help. Also, levothyroxine is the same as Synthroid (they have the same ingredients, levothyroxine is just the generic name for it), so I would not think it would make a difference whichever one you took. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Regards, Dr Aaron Branch, General & Family Physician