I'm hypo thyroid and I'm taking 75mcg of levothyroxine daily and I had my latest results printed and wanted some advice on these. I was only diagnosed during pregnancy last year so I'm still learning about this and have a endo appointment in September
So here they are ππ»
Serum cortisol 457nmol/L reference range is 171 - 618
free T3 level is 4.3pmol/L reference range is 3.55 - 5.44
TSH level is 2.40mu/L reference range is 0.35 - 5.50
Free T4 is 15.2pmol/L reference range is 10.00 - 19.80
Serum b12 is 483 ng/L reference range is 246.00 - 911.00
Serum folate is 12.5ug/L reference range is 3.40 - 20.00
Serum ferritin is 23.9ug/l reference range is 20.00 - 300.00
Total cholesterol 3.9mmol/L reference range is 3.00 - 5.00
I am aware my b12 needs upping so I'm taking 1000ug sublingual and will test again in 2 months
I've also been given 305mg of ferrous fumerate to take twice a Day but I have a very sore tummy at the moment so I'm not taking that just yet
Anything else I need to know
I don't have hashimotos but I'm also considering going gluten free.
How are you feeling? There's definitely room for improvement if you're still experiencing hypo symptoms. Many feel better when their TSH is below 1.0 and your FT4 could be higher in range, as could your FT3 - though your conversion to t3 needs iron, so your ferritin levels need to be much higher than they are now - 70+ preferably.
That said, I don't blame you for waiting until your tummy feels a little better (have the tummy problems been going on for a while? I've felt significantly better since going wheat free).
Hey there and thanks for replying. I do have a few symptoms, tiredness and hot sweats mainly. My tummy has been very sore for a few weeks because I also take sertraline. Which is a anti Depressant due to anxiety and depression which started with the traumatic birth of my daughter. The sertraline irritates my stomach. But I'm actually going to speak to my GP about stopping that and taking my iron as I feel I need to prioritise and I also feel my thyroid is a lot to do with my anxiety and depression. I'm going to make a new post later this evening telling my story because I've been over and under active since my daughter, born October 2014 so it's been a rough ride. I've been taking my b12 and b complex every day and someone recommended I take a iron supplement called ferochell which is a lot easier on the tummy!
Carley, you are undermedicated. The goal of Levothyroxine is to restore the patient to euthyroid status which for most people is when TSH is around 1.0 with FT4 in/towards the upper quadrant of range and FT3 in/towards the top third of range. Read Dr. Toft's comments in Treatment Options thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... Email louise.warvill@thyroiduk.org.uk for a copy of the Pulse article if you want to show it to your GP.
Take the Ferrous Fumarate tablets with 500mg-1,000mg vitamin C to aid absorption and minimise constipation. Take Levotyroxine 4 hours away from iron.
Carley, It will probably take 4-6 months to improve your ferritin level but it should help improve absorption and metabolism of Levothyroxine when level is higher.
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