If you have thyroid disease, your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels can fluctuate from time to time.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Thyroid Disease Progression
Fluctuations inTSH levelscan occur as your thyroid disease progresses.
Even when treatment is started, thyroidautoantibodiesmay continue to attack the thyroid gland.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
In some cases, these attacks come in episodes known as flares.
At other times, the assault may be persistent, progressively undermining the function of the thyroid gland.
Ensure you are eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
However, you would have to eat an unreasonable quantity of these foods for it to affect you.
Because they’re healthy, nutritious foods, you should continue to eat them.
After years of taking antithyroid drugs, your condition can suddenly go into remission.
Can You Switch Between Over and Underactive Thyroid?
Pregnancy
Pregnancycan affect thyroid hormones, whether you have thyroid disease or not.
Pregnancy can have the same effects on people with thyroid disease, albeit more extreme.
In this way, your medication doses can be adjusted to keep TSH levels within the optimal range.
This sometimes happens when you refill your thyroid medications and use a different pharmacy or receive a different generic.
This means that a 100-microgram (mcg) pill might actually deliver slightly higher or lower doses than advertised.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Without a consistent therapeutic drug level, your thyroid hormone levels can fluctuate, sometimes precipitously.
Changes in Weight
Another factor that can influence therapeutic drug levels is weight.
Conversely, the more weight you lose, the higher the overall concentration will be.
Drugs and herbal remedies known to interact with thyroid medications include:
To avoid interactions.
Some healthcare providers adjust for these seasonal variations.
Symptoms of Thyroid Fluctuations
Increases and drops in thyroid hormones affect the body in numerous ways.
It may be related to an infection or stress and causes severe hyperthyroidism symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
Summary
For people with thyroid disease, certain things can cause fluctuations in TSH levels.
Depending on the results, your medication dosage may be changed.
Published 2018 Jul 9. doi:10.1002/ccr3.1700
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Thyroid disease and pregnancy.
Harvard University.Drugs that interact with thyroid medication.
2018;60:59-63. doi:10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2018.08.008
Samuels MH.Psychiatric and cognitive manifestations of hypothyroidism.
Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes.
2014;21(5):377-83. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000089
American Thyroid Association.Hypothyroidism.
Penn Medicine.Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid).
American Thyroid Association.Hyperthyroidism (Overactive).
Penn Medicine.Hyperthyroidism (Overactive Thyroid).
2011 Aug;7(4):679-84. doi:10.5114/aoms.2011.24139
