Help with results pls

[kimmie52]

These are my blood results I have no thyroid glands serum tsh 0.27 free t3 is 3 two half grains of amour a day but now take 50mcg levothyroxine and one half grain of armour 30mg tablets iam borderline anemic .Am I now on the right dosage please.Difficult for me to tell if my symptoms are from my broncoectasis and fybromyalgia or my thyroid ie stomach pains tiredness nausea is it the introduction of levothyroxine looking for answers, my doctor is happy to prescribe armour but another doctor at the practice is trying to stop it .

[shaws Administrator]

Hi Kimmie

You haven't given the ranges for your TSH or FT3 and am guessing the FT3 is in the low range.

I am sorry you have no thyroid gland either which makes it more difficult for you.

You may be on too low a dose as combined levo and Armour are about the equivalent of 100mcg levo. Doctors who treat symptoms rather than blood tests say that nowadays we are given too low a dose to eradicate symptoms but which keep our bloods in 'range'. The usual dose of NDT before blood tests was between 200 and 400mcg daily .

As you say it is complicated because you also have broncoectasis. Was this diagnosed before or after your hypothyrodism?

I would plump for NDT only as it may be better for you as you need more T3 as you don't appear to be converting levo. For the other doctor who isn't keen on NDT this is a link:-

thyroidscience.com/Criticis...

The above doctor only takes initial blood tests but then concentrates on how we are 'feeling' i.e. body feels good with relief of aches/pains symptoms. He was also Director of Fibromyalgia Research Foundation but, unfortunately, died through an accident.

web.archive.org/web/2010112...

web.archive.org/web/2010112...

[kimmie52 in reply to shaws]

Thank you so much for reply I forgot to add prior to levo armour combination I was on 3 half grains of armour and my blood results were low so my gp reduced the amount to one half grain I insisted on the combination of the two as I thought the armour alone had stopped working and this may sound very nieve but what is ndt is that armour its very difficult for me to up my dose as gp will only prescribe one pot at a time. Am I going mad as brain fog seems to prevent me from working it all out my range at present is 0.27tsh normal range0.27-4.20 free t3 2.8 range2.8 7.1 .many thanks

[shaws Administrator in reply to kimmie52]

Armour, Erfa, Thyroid-S etc are all Natural Dessicated Thyroid Hormones.

Levothyroxine is only ever called levothyroxine and it is made by several companies. So that's why we should always check we have the same one each time from the pharmacist.

I just want to recap on your dose(s). You were on two 1/2 grains of Armour with the blood test results of tsh 0.27, free t3 is 3, two half grains of amour a day. Which is 1 grain of Armour daily = approx 100mcg levo.

You are now taking: 50mcg levothyroxine and one half grain of armour 30mg tablet.

No wonder you are puzzled. First of all if we are taking NDT the blood tests cannot be exactly be the same as if we were taking levothyroxine alone. I wonder why doctors are unaware of this phenomenon.

So the doctor has reduced your Armour by 30mcg of Armour (equal to around 50mcg of levo !) and gave you 50mcg of levo?

Your doctor didn't do your Free T4 and your FT3 is at the bottom of the range! It should be towards the upper part of the range not the bottom.

I do wish they would stop messing about with patients' medications according to the computer print out as it is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Impossible. Impossible to get to a level where the patient is clear of clinical symptoms and feels relatively well. or really well.

The purpose of taking replacement thyroid hormones and as you have no thyroid gland at all they should be taking far more care of you. You should be having approximately the same amount of thyroid hormones as if you still had a thyroid gland and that would be an amount that removed your clinical symptoms and you felt well.

I think, due to your low FT3 that you don't have sufficient to saturate your T3 receptor cells. Also will the 50mcg of levo convert to sufficient as no FT4 was taken.

I hope someone will be able to suggest how best to turn this to your

advantage. Your doctor has only looked at your TSH I believe and thus changed your dose because of it. 100mcg of thyroid hormones is not sufficient if you have the lowest FT3 and probably FT4 as well.

"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"

[kimmie52 in reply to shaws]

Many thanks for your help it has been a great help to me