My mother has recently diagnosed with TSH 12.9. T3, T4 are normal. Her age is 59. Doctor has prescribed thyronorm 12.5 keeping in view age. He said we will check TSH after 4 weeks and alter dosage if required. Please advise.

Dr. Radha ReddyHomeopath9yrs exp

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Agree with the prescription. Kindly continue the medication and review every 3 months. Hypothyroidism, as in this case, is a condition where the thyroid gland secretes less than normal thyroid hormones. That, theoretically, t3/t4 is less. When that happens, the drop in levels signals the brain to increase control on thyroid which it does via tsh. So to correct the situation, tsh raises than normal levels to correct the situation. What follows is t3/t4 rise back to normalcy. But remember, it is happening when the tsh had raised. This is called compensatory mechanism or subclinical hypothyroidism. So if you had to reduce the burden on tsh, you will compensate the reduced secretion of thyroid hormones from outside and hence the brain/tsh will relax now and hence the levels will fall. This is what you will notice in the coming months. When you repeat your thyroid hormone tests after 3 months, tsh, in this case will have normalised. But do not consider this as cured or an indication to stop these medicines since they have normalised because of these medicines only. If you withdraw them the tsh levels may rise again. Unless you correct the thyroids ability to secrete optimal quantity of hormones, you will require these meds. Very few patients have been noted to have only an intermittent hypothyroidism and tend to not require any meds after this phase. Hence it is a good choice to wait and watch and keep testing every 3 months when on tablets. However, if the patient has been advised to continue medicines lifelong, then unless and until you correct the cause of the hypothyroidism, you can't stop meds. And that's where homeopathy plays a role. The treatment is aimed at correcting what triggered the thyroid to function less. Once that is corrected and the gland can secrete optimal levels on its own, even without the support of tsh, it can be considered as cure. You can confirm this by reducing thyronorm gradually and checking if the levels remain normal. If it so happens, we can be sure that the body is able to do its own work and doesn't external help. As for now, you can wait and reconsider adding homeopathy to your mother's treatment after 3-6 months. 

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