Hi everyone, 24F, and I’m trying to understand what’s going on with my thyroid because I’ve gotten very different opinions from two doctors, and it’s making me anxious. A few months ago, my blood test showed TSH around 13, which I know is in the hypothyroid range. My first doctor didn’t immediately start me on levothyroxine. Instead, she prescribed Thyropace, which I researched and found out is more of a thyroid support supplement rather than direct hormone replacement.

For anyone who doesn’t know, Thyropace contains things like:

• L-Tyrosine (an amino acid used to make thyroid hormones)
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Iodine
• Vitamin B12
• Folic acid

The idea was to support thyroid function and then recheck after a couple of months. I’ll admit I didn’t take it perfectly regularly, but I continued for 2 months.

Recently, I saw a different doctor, because I felt super dizzy one evening and had a prolonged spotting period for a whole month. The former doctor wasn't available for consultation as she lives in a different city, so I couldn't visit immediately either.

So this new doctor saw my previous records with TSH 13, and he immediately told me I have hypothyroidism and should start Thyronorm (levothyroxine) 50 mcg for six weeks, the next day itself. And it is before I took levothyroxine that I tested my blood to see the base levels, and that's where my TSH dropped from 13 to around 5.

so

So now I’m confused about a few things:

1. If my TSH improved from 13 to 5 with Thyropace, does that suggest my thyroid is still capable of improving on its own?
2. Is TSH = 5 considered mild/subclinical hypothyroidism, or is medication usually recommended at this level for someone my age?
3. Am I going to have to take levothyroxine forever, like my thyroid gland is damaged irreversibly?
4. Has anyone else here used Thyropace or similar thyroid-support supplements, and did they help your TSH levels?

Some additional context:

• I'm currently 2 weeks on levothyroxine, and my tsh is around 4 now.
• My pelvic ultrasound was normal

I’m just trying to understand whether this is something that needs lifelong medication or whether it’s possible that it was a temporary or mild thyroid dysfunction that improved.

Any insights or similar experiences would really help. I’m trying to make sense of this before deciding what to do next.

Thanks in advance.