I was on 75mcgs Levo but this caused my fT4 to increase towards high end. This made me jittery, fine tremor, hungry, eye pain, loose bms, insomnia, hot flushes and palpitations. Went down to 62.5mcgs but still felt rough. Now down to 50mcgs and latest test shows
TSH 3.5
fT4. 15.2
fT3 4.1
Now I know people will say this is all on the low side but my fT4 and fT3 are both as good as when I was on high dose Levo and in myself I feel better. I'm 60 years old and wonder if this is just right for me. All the symptoms I had are much improved. I have tried both T3 and Armour in the past but both caused terrible eye problems. One consultant told me I had an element Of TED and as a Hashi sufferer I am aware this can cause many odd symptoms.
What does the forum think?
Written by
hashihoppo
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Hashihoppo, I think how you feel is more important than blood results. I'd feel like hell with those results but if you feel good you should stick with 50mcg.
High T4 made me feel ill too and I did have a conversion problem. We are all different and need to tune in to how we are feeling rather than being dictated to by test results.
High thyroid antibodies will interfere with thyroid hormone replacement working correctly in the body so ensure to keep antibody levels low. Also optimal nutrient levels will ensure good thyroid hormone conversion and remember symptoms often lag six weeks behind good biochemistry. .
It was obvious as I was so ill on Levothyroxine alone and felt immediately better when added T3.
However I have also had a lot of genetic testing and results showed .. [.. a decreased ability of the enzyme to generate the active T3 hormone.. ] .. (Heterozygous variant genotype TA) and faulty MTHFR and absent glutathione gene, amongst many other polymorphisms ... meaning T3 is absolutely imperative.
Yes, High T4 and low T3 would indicate a conversion problem....
however ensure you have sufficient cortisol and optimal nutrients & iron levels as deficiencies can block absorption//conversion. Also ensure thyroid antibodies are low.
Supplementing selenium helps with conversion problems.
Flower.
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So Flower as I have autoimmune disease how can I minimise my antibodies? My GP won't even test for them anymore because he says they will always be there.
Yes, they are there for life so doctors rarely test more than once.
Reasons why the immune system labelling the thyroid as foreign tissue and create autoimmune responses may be genetics, environment, endocrine imbalance, chemical exposure, responses to viruses and other antigens and stress responses.
Weird symptoms such as muscle pain//weakness, weight gain//loss, numbness, breathlessness, hair loss, tingling, dry eyes, etc may be felt but doctors will never associate these with autoimmunity issues.
I think the biggest way of managing any autoimmunity is to identify and deal with food allergies, heal the gut and and address any nutrient deficiencies. I supplement curcumin and selenium both known to lower inflammation and thyroid antibodies.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.
hashihoppo, before you consider supplementing with selenium, please do a search for 'selenium rich foods' (ignore the stuff about brazil nuts because they are not a reliable source and also if you eat a lot of seafood or fish, the selenium in those is not as available to the body as are other food sources). A person needs approx. 62 mcg of selenium per day. If you do a bit of a dietary analysis and it comes up majorly short, then supplement but not more than 100 mcg per day. Even go to 100 mcg every other day to be on the safe side. Excess selenium does have unpleasant side effects but taking a small amount is safe.
I tried the selenium route earlier this year but 2 weeks into taking 200 mcg per day, I suddenly became uncharacteristically irritable. So I stopped. I think I"m getting enough from my food.
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