Thyroid below zero but free T4 & free T3 above range. What does this mean?

[Mrsmoon]

TSH -below zero

Free T4 - 26.6

Free T3 - 14.1

I am currently taking 125mcg thyroxine, 80mcg T3 and 1.5grains of armour.

[Toxiclmh]

The figures look very similar to mine and I have just been diagnosed with Graves' which is overactive, hyperthyroid. My TSH is 0.01 and T3 is 12.8 I've not been tested for T4. I'm very new to all this so I'm hoping someone with much more expertise can advise you but it looks as though your thyroxine dose may be too high.

[Mrsmoon]

Thanks for your reply. In process of changing and lowering T4&T3. Changing partially to Armour thyroid as only responded to a certain degree on other meds.

[PinkNinja]

I would agree with Toxiclmh, but it really depends on how you feel. You haven't put reference ranges, so it is difficult to know if your T4 is just slightly high or very high.

How much have you reduced your T4 and T3? If you have added 1.5 grains of Armour, this is roughly equivalent to 56mcg T4 and 13.5mcg T3. Perhaps you haven't lowered your doses of T4 and T3 enough?

The T3 is concerning me most as it is very high. Unless you have been diagnosed with the rare condition of thyroid hormone resistance, you really want your T3 to be within range (but towards the upper end).

I hope that helps.

Carolyn x

[galathea]

Whoops! Be very careful about having free t3 over range and no tsh, that's supposed to be the recipe for osteoporosis. How do you Del. the figures look very much as though you are over medicated.

[galathea in reply to galathea]

Feel, not del. (iPads- interesting word choices)

[Mrsmoon in reply to galathea]

Feel lots better than when just on thyroxine. Bit shaky but that's reduced.

[Mrsmoon]

Thanks Carolyn. Don't have ranges other than ones that I've found on here. (Free T4 10-23 and free T3 3.5-6.5 )

T4 was taking 175mcg and T3 was taking 125mcg. Reducing over three months.

[Mrsmoon]

Forgot to say that before I even started taking any meds my TSH was about 0.2 so always very low. Presented like hypothyroid even though level would suggest hyperthyroid.

[PinkNinja in reply to Mrsmoon]

Don't worry about TSH. That can be meaningless in hypothyroidism. Your T3 is too high though so something needs reducing. Normally if you replace T4 and T3 with Armour, you do a straight swap for that amount (roughly).

You probably do need some T3 - many people do - but at the moment it is too high. It might be that reducing your T4 or T3 a tiny bit will bring it down just enough.

[Mrsmoon in reply to PinkNinja]

Thank you for that. I'm in the process of doing that. Been a long journey from feeling vile to near human. Thanks for support ?

[PinkNinja in reply to Mrsmoon]

Look at this blog recently posted. It links to a paper that states that low (but not suppressed) TSH is most likely fine in hypothyroid patients

thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...

[Mrsmoon in reply to PinkNinja]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[heathermr]

Hi I would be concerned about taking ANY T4 or Armour as your TSH is very low. When the TSH is very low it pushes the conversion of T4 towards Reverse T3 rather than T3, and this opposes the T3 medication you are taking, effectively cancelling it out! You might be better of stopping all of the T4 and the Armour and waiting for all the medication to clear out of the system. I take just T3 after being in a similar situation and I have never looked back since I stopped taking all T4 and just take T3. It took about 6 weeks for all the T4 to clear from my body and since then I felt better, more awake and I'm now loosing weight too! Interestingly my brain has also dramatically improved and I can think much more clearly now.

You might find that you only need to take the 80mcg of T3 and none of the rest.

Good luck

Heather

[Mrsmoon in reply to heathermr]

Thanks. I'm looking into it ??

[Zabby]

Did you take your T3 the morning of your blood test? The advice is not to take it that day otherwise the T3 will be raised in the results.

[Mrsmoon in reply to Zabby]

No meds before test.

[Muffy]

You may feel better on Armour only.

[Mrsmoon in reply to Muffy]

I'm hoping to head that way.

[Muffy]

Great, fingers crossed then that you feel better soon.