Hi. I have just received the results of my thyroid blood tests back from the lab, but with no advice on what to do now. Up until 3 months ago I was taking 200mcg levothyroxine, which my GP then lowered to 175mcg levothyroxine. Can anyone please tell me what action I should take now. my TSH is a little Low at 0.24 (normal range 0.27 - 4.2) and my Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies reads 76.4 (very high, normal range is 0 - 34). The NHS tests only show TSH and T4.
THank you
74 is not that high...i had them 120
...., ask the doctor what hormone is the active one? And why it is not relevant to measure it? And why every cell in the body has receptor for thyroid hormone and wich one exactly? If he doesnt know all the answers he is not the one to trust to....... 200 mcg is horse dose its huuuge
Well, it's not that big a dose if it makes her well. We all need what we need and there is no law saying that people shouldn't take 200. In fact, in the days before the evil TSH test, people were on doses up to 400 and nobody considered them too high. They were what the patient needed to feel well and that's all there was too it.
Hugs, Grey
I would agree with you, if only t4 is not the only thing that doc gives to his patients, if it is then i dont trust it, because their thinking goes: increase the dose until the patient feels good, and it just depends on his courage to increase it! Its also not that harmful since its just prohormone you wont die immediately and my stupid doc, i am angry at him, dared to tell me when i was sweatting at - 10 celsius because he increased me from 62 mcg to 125 mcg within few months that i have female hormon problems!! Yeah he is not a bad doc, but i am wrong not responding well to the only medicine he gives out like sugar candies!! 200 mcg is horse dose, i think after all my experience and its probably suitable only for those without any thyroid..cancer problems etc
Increasing from 62 to 125 in a few months is not excessive. Increases should be by 25 mcg at 4 to 6 weekly intervals. However, what you need are FT4 and FT3 tests to show how your body is using the T4 you're taking. If you are able to convert the T4 to the T3 you need, and you need a large amount of T3, then 200 mcg levo is not excessive, either. It has nothing to do with not having a thyroid. In fact, those who have lost their thyroid one way or another, tend to do badly on T4 only and need T3 added. Everyone is different and to each his needs.
Hugs, Grey
well i think it is excessive becasue i felt it so.....thats where problems started and thats what thyroid docs dont get it....you can not shoot 1 prohormone just up....i started having conversion problems at those levels my ft3 dropped suddenly below minimum range and my doc did not see it but started increasing from 100 to 125! then i developed huge hair loss.....t4 uses up ferritin......if you ask me i wonder that there is just 1 person out there that is doinggood on t4 only.......
there may be somone doing good on 200 i know..but i dont know anyone on such a high dose
Well, it may not be good for you - wasn't good for me, either! But we are all different, and a lot of people do well on T4 only. I don't know what doses they take because they rarely post of forums like these. They don't need to because they're well and happy and living their lives.
T4 made me ill and it made me lose my hair. I couldn't even take the T4 in NDT, I have to take T3 only. But I'm me, and I'm not a good example, so I would never judge another person's dose and never even comment on it. That can be extremely wounding. It can feel like a personal attack.
Hugs, Grey
This is exactly what i think doctors underestimate!!! Your case is something he should have in his memory, and it can be learnt a lot about body functioning from your story, and mine, and good docs will conclude something....and not discard it, this is analytical mind.....i am sure you are not some special case but you would fall into middel of normal distribution! Like me too....we are not special cases......
I never met in my life person on 200 mcg , my doc even has very few patients on this dose....so this is extreme, and doses below 100 are mostly prescribed in total medical community, in my country at least, i got that feeling from talking to docs that work in hospitals....
But this is why so many people stay ill, they don't get prescribed a high enough dose. As I said before, before the TSH test came into being, people were prescribed 4/5 times the amount they are now. It's the TSH test, and doctors' worship of it, that has caused so much suffering.
Is there some book, or a link on how they treated hypothyroidism before 1960s , was it t4 only?... thank you
I don't know of any book or link (or perhaps I have forgotten) but I've read it in many places. No, not synthetic T4, it was NDT in those days. The TSH test was only marketed to 'prove' that synthetic T4 'worked'. So you can tell how bogus it is!
Exactly just found it was ndt!! And this means t3 included , so i was right...noone could have come to 200 mcg t4 only
Yes this t freaking 4 is huge huge bull....it!! And i feel it now, and i think perfect ratio could well be 3:1, i somehow fear i will have an issue to persuade my doc to it because he gave me combitrex its mix of 4:1 and i can not chnage it...100t4 plus 25 t3 and it may be too strong for me, but will see i guess 75 t4 plus 25 t3 could be great or mabe 75+ 30 ...am so looking forward to tryin this t3 i read it will increase progesteron!! And since on t4 i developed migranes connected to my periods!!they last 3 days......and i never had them before.......and i read an article about it and it didnt come into my head until i rearead it just now...amazing
You could always add in a bit more T3 to the mix. Lots of people do that. 25 is only a small amount - especially if you don't convert very well.
thank you very much!!...yes i did ask a doc for t3 only tablets he kind of dismessed it like such dont exist....but will ask for that after i start taking those 25 first......what doses are you taking?
Hi csdancer. I'm assuming that you still have symtoms. As ivy has said so well, the most important test is the FT3 test. T3 is the active hormone that your body uses and it is lack of T3 that makes you hypo.
You didn't say what your FT4 results was. It's possible, for example, that you have a conversion problem. If you do then your FT4 would be comparatively high in range and your FT3 would be low in range. If that is your problem then you need, for example, to reduce your T4 meds and add in some T3 meds.
You could have an uptake problem, ie your receptors aren't functioning properly. I believe this can be helped by ensuring that your vits and adrenals are functioning ok.
Make sure your doctor measures your Vit B12, Vit D, iron, folate and ferritin levels. All should be well in range. Any that are below range or low in range should be supplemented.
Poorly functioning adrenals can also cause thyroid meds not to work properly. There's a good questionnaire here which will help you decide if adrenals might be a problem for you adrenalfatigue.org/take-the...
If you think this might be part of your problem, then order the cortisol saliva test from Genova UK or Blue Horizon.
Another thing to consider is the auto-immune paleo diet which, I believe, can help lower antibodies.
csdancer
The main question is 'how were you feeling on 200mcg of levo'? Even Dr Toft of the BTA says some of us need a suppressed TSH to feel well.
Doctors have no reason for adjusting medication due to the TSH alone but so many believe this fantasy.
This is a link from an archived website and this is how patients used to be treated. 2nd question in particular.
web.archive.org/web/2010103...
Shaws.
Hi. I felt tired and lethargic as I do now; with heavy aching legs. I will look at the website you advised. Thank you.
If you still had those clinical symptoms, maybe levo alone doesn't suit and an addition of some T3 may help.
Even though you say your T4 and T3 were in the normal ranges, that doesn't mean much. If it is possible to get a copy of your latest blood tests and post, with the ranges, so that there is a bigger picture.
Hi shaws
My full results are:
B12 More than 256.0 25.1-165
Folate 6.6 4.6-18.7
Ferritin 29 13-150
T4 132 59-154
Tsh 0.24 0.27-4.2
T3 4.5 3.1-6.8
Free thyroxine 19.6 12-22
Thyroglobin
Antibody 47.4 0-115
Thyroid Peroxidase
Antibodies 76.4 0-34
These are all the results I requested from the lab. Hope it sheds more light and thank you for helping.
Your ferritin and folate are much too low. Ferritin needs to be 70-90 and folate should be above 12. These could be contributing to your symptoms and also preventing your body from using thyroxine effectively.
Carolyn x
CSDancer, FT4 is good but you aren't converting well as your FT3 is quite low. 'Ideal' is in the top 75% of range ie >5.87 for you. Not everyone does well on T4 only so you might ask your doctor to prescribe T3 in combination with T4. T4 is usually reduced by 50mcg for each 20mcg T3 added. eje-online.org/content/161/...
Over range B12 isn't a concern when supplementing as excess is excreted. Ferritin and folate are low as has been commented. Good vitamin D is needed for T4 to T3 conversion.
Thank you Clutter. This is helpful.
I shall start to address the T4/T3 balance. Also take more Vit D. Great advice thank you.
How much vit d are you taking?
Hi
Hi Stourie. I haven't started taking the vitamin D yet.
Hi
Thank you shaws, rosetrees and Ivy. Strangely, my T4 and T3 are within their normal ranges. The only high reading was for B12, which I was supplementing anyway so may be the cause.
Hi csdancer
We do need the ranges of your results as labs differ and it makes it easier to comment. I am not so hot on bloods but a few of our Admins and other members are good.
private blood test results
Blood test results...
Thyroid Blood Test Results
Blood test result: help! 
Help with interpretation of blood test results
