I came across this site, and it has a lot of great info. I have been doing research on trying to lose weight and definitely struggle with it, but not with cheating. Even on 500 daily cals, I can only lose a couple of pounds, while others can lose 5-10 lbs a week. I know that is not healthy, I was trying to find my set point, so doing a lot of research. A lot of things popped up blaming it on the thyroid. I have been on synthroid for over 20 years. With the weight loss I have achieved, I started having a problem with my eyes, blurry at times, dryer than usual, and contact fitting changing, and the worst of it, the fatigue and feeling cold. I also read it could be an iron deficiency, so I started taking extra, and things did not change.
I have a really nice doc who I went to, and she did the tests I saw recommended, and gave me the results saying everything was fine, stay on .100 synthroid. Tests show now I am high in iron, so that is not it. Everything else supposedly came back great too.
However, upon reading on here, in regards to the thyroid, it looks like I may need to ask her to tweak things. From what you all say, I should maybe ask for T3?
Here are the results, let me know what you think:
TSH .93 range .60 - 5.4
Free T3 2.1 range 2.4 - 4.1
Free T4 2.0 range .9 - 1.5
Thanks!!
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lynmc
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OOhh my, that's serious. It really is hurtful when they say its abit of period pain.
I definitely will complain. another thing i noticed is when the pain subsides, There is a different kind of pain which comes after eating. if i stick to liquids the pain really reduces. came a point where i didn't eat for 3 days just drinking liquids and soups because i couldn't stand the pain that comes after. But was feeling dizzy and hungry.
I actually get anxious knowing that i have to go and see her . Its rediculous.
TSH is low in range, FT4 over range, and FT3 below range. This indicates lack of T4 to T3 conversion. I think T3 added to a slightly reduced dose of Synthroid would be very beneficial.
If iron is high you should stop supplementing. Too much iron is as bad as too little.
Thank you for the reply. From all the research I did, I thought that would be the answer. I wrote the doctor and asked. Hoping!! I read not a lot of docs are on board with T3.
Lyn, in the UK we're finding GP's are increasingly instructed not to prescribe T3 without an endo's recommendation and some areas have totally banned prescribing of T3. Some doctors, even endos, actually tell patients T3 is a placebo. You have to wonder why it is prescribed to thyCa patients for months at a time if it is just a placebo.
Lyn, T3 is prescription only in the US and UK. it's available without prescription in Turkey and Greece so it can be ordered online but you should check US Customs permit you to import prescription only meds for personal use.
I still have to wait to hear from my doctor. I received a link to a pharmacy in Greece. If my doc does not give me a prescription, what daily dosage would you think I should do? I want to order enough.
Do you take it the same time as the Levothyroxine?
Lyn, T3 is 3 x stronger than T4, 25mcg T3 is equivalent to 75mcg Levothyroxine. Reduce Synthroid by 37.5mcg and introduce a quarter tablet (6.25mcg) T3 for a week to see how you tolerate it while the higher dose Synthroid washes out. You can take them together. Add 6.25mcg a week later, 8-12 hours after the first dose. Have a thyroid test after 6-8 weeks to check levels. FT3 should remain within range. TSH will become lower and may become suppressed. FT4 will drop too.
Just for info - I improved my conversion rate from FT4 to FT3 substantially when I improved my levels of minerals and vitamins.
Regarding your iron... You say this is high, and I was just wondering if this was ferritin or serum iron you were talking about (or both). If ferritin is high then a common reason for it is high levels of inflammation. This often exists in hypothyroid people, and often that inflammation is found in the gut. Do you have any gut issues? Do you take any acid blockers or antacids?
Inflammation can be measured by blood tests - the two usual tests are CRP (C-Reactive Protein) and ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)
The only problem is that the tests give no indication of where any inflammation is. I also don't know how reliable they are (I have low levels of both CRP and ESR despite having symptoms of gut inflammation), but they are commonly done. If the gut is a likely place for inflammation in your case then you may be able to help yourself by changing to a gluten-free (gf) diet. It isn't necessary to have celiac/coeliac disease to benefit from going gf. You might like to see how a 3 month trial helps. There is nothing to stop you going back to gluten if you get no benefit, but while you are trying the experiment you must stick to it 100%.
The other things that need to be optimal are vitamin B12, vitamin D and folate, and these are vital. Other tests that are less often done are zinc, copper, magnesium, selenium and iodine. But many of us are constrained by what is allowed by our doctors and/or are limited by insufficient cash.
Regarding your iron, since you have no choice but to stop supplementing, there is a possibility your iron may drop like a stone. Get iron tested again in six months and see what has happened since stopping supplementing. You may need to start supplementing again but at a lower level than you have been doing.
Another thing... You aren't eating enough. 500 calories a day simply isn't enough to keep you as well as possible. Starving yourself will dramatically lower your T3, and will add to the problems of poor absorption of vitamins and minerals. You need to have a good, and ample varied diet if you want to have any hope of getting well.
The Ferritin test was done. I have Celiac Disease, so have been gluten free, except if I get it when given false information when I go to a restaurant or out to an event. That did happen 2 weeks in a row at a wedding and a picnic. Ouch. People just don't get it! I looked at other test results. My WBC is the lowest number of the range so in my opinion off, and when researching it said to do more B12 and Folate, so I will up those. B12 is weird though, cause I supplement that already. Vit D I take religiously too. Regarding the calories in my diet, I am doing HCG drops, and that is what you are supposed to do. I started checking into this as I am not losing nearly what others do, and do have the fatigue and chills sometimes, but not always. I do not have any T3 or T4 test results to compare it to as they have not done those in over 3 years. My liver from the undiagnosed celiac used to be horrible, and now it is perfect, so I am heading in the right direction. I have had leaky gut issues too, but am doing L Glutamine and that seems to have healed it up, as those 2 episodes of getting gluten, I did not get the usual horrible rash. Just a smidgen the 2nd time. I also have been diagnosed with Fibro and chronic fatigue, and osteoarthritis, so that could be the inflammation too.
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