new blood test results

[julie11]

hi, all. just wondering how these all look. these were done a week ago and i was on 2.25 grains NDT, which i'd been on for a couple weeks, having dropped down from 3+ grains NDT, which i couldn't tolerate.

free t3 3.9 (2.2-5.0)

free t4 1.47 (.89-1.76)

TSH -0.01

anti-TPO <28 (<60)

anti-TG 29 (<60)

thyroglobulin 10 (2-60)

ferritin 134 (10-191)

vitamin B12 498 (211-911)

vitamin d 29.1 (30-100)

i'm fine with the suppressed TSH. my doc said her patients do best when their free t4 is at the top of the range or slightly above--she recommended that i go up from 2.25 to 2.50, and then in two weeks, depending on how i do, go up to 2.75 grains. does that sound reasonable? i also wonder about the ferritin: does it look like i'm supplementing with too much iron? do i need to take more b complex vitamins? how much vitamin d should i be taking per day? any thoughts/input appreciated!

[Clutter]

Julie11, FT4 doesn't always rise to the top quadrant on NDT but a dose increase will raise FT3. Your doctor's advice is good but if you have difficulty tolerating the increases drop back.

Ferritin is more than the optimal half way through range so you could stop supplementing iron.

VitD is low. Supplement D3 5,000iu daily and retest in 6 months. If you're in the US 50 is optimal, 75-200 in the UK as the units measured are different.

B12 is optimal at 1000. Supplement 1,000mcg methylcobalamin sublingual lozenges, spray or patches and take with a B Complex to keep the other B vits balanced.

Anti TPO and anti Tg are negative for autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's).

[julie11 in reply to Clutter]

thanks, clutter. a few more questions, if you have the time:

when i supplement iron i always go too high at some point and then when i stop i go too low. do you have any idea for how long i should stop supplementing?

about b12: i've tried various brands of sublingual 1,000 methylcobalamin but always do badly with them--usually i get anxious and jumpy. have repeated this test many times, always with the same result. (also did badly with the other varieties of b12, including hydroxycobalamin.) i seem to tolerate thorne's basic b complex just fine--it contains 400 mcg methylcobalamin. do you think it would make sense for me to try taking two of these a day rather than 1? (i've been contemplating doing so for a while anyway.) in the past, my regular b-12 blood results were always through the roof (presumably because of the b complex), while the intracellular (better) tests showed that not much b12 was actually getting into the cells. do you have any idea what might be causing this or how else i might remedy it?

about the antibodies: this is the third time my antibodies have tested at the non-hashi's level (i have only ever had antibodies tested three times), and yet my doctor insisted recently that an ultrasound made it 100% clear that my thyroid has been mostly destroyed by hashi's. my mother has hashi's, and i have been hypothyroid my whole life, and i know that 90% or so of hypothyroid cases are caused by hashi's. what am i supposed to make of these yet-again normal results? do they even matter?

thank you again! (and i'll start on the vitamin d again!)

[Clutter in reply to julie11]

Julie, If ferritin drops when you stop supplementing try a low maintenance dose. If you supplement 3 x daily reduce to 1 x daily or if you supplement 1 x daily try 1 every 3 or 4 days.

Have you tried B12 spray or patch? No point in taking something which doesn't make you feel well. Stick with your B Complex but I wouldn't take 2, you might get too much of the other vitamins.

Ultrasound can detect Hashi damage. Some people don't seem to have antibodies.

[julie11 in reply to Clutter]

Thanks, Clutter. Have you found that people who can't tolerate sublingual methylcobalamin are able to tolerate methylcobalamin in those other forms?

[Clutter in reply to julie11]

Julie, I don't have experience of people not tolerating methylcobalamin. I suggested spray or patch in case there was something in the sublinguals upsetting you. PAS HU forum might be able to advise on alternatives to methylcobalamin.