Advice please. : Just got my most recent labs... - Thyroid UK

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Advice please.

Diesel13 profile image
12 Replies

Just got my most recent labs back. I'm currently on 105mg of ndt.

Tsh .58. Range is .2 to 4

Ft3 5.2. Range is 3.5 to 6.5

Ft4 8.9. Range is 9 to 23

My last set of labs on 75 mg was

Tsh 2.12

Ft3 5.4

Ft4 9.8

So my tsh has dropped but so have my ft3 and ft4. Has anyone else experienced this while increasing there dosage. I'm assuming I should keep going up right.

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Diesel13 profile image
Diesel13
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12 Replies
Jodypody profile image
Jodypody

Yes 105 is fairly low so you can increase based on those levels as long as you feel ok

Karen1963 profile image
Karen1963

hi I'm on NDT .. Have been on 120 mg for several years. I used to aim for upper 1/3 range of ft3. Last year my ft4 and ft3 were in the upper third range) in January my TSH was 6.3 ft4 7 and ft3 3.7I was going through immense stress, on 120 mg NDTMy naturalpath Doctor and Md both wanted me to lower my NDT to 90 4 weeks ago...last week my TSH was 0.9 ft4 6.5 and ft3 4.9... So with hashimotos it can be all over..my goal is stay in upper 1/3 range for ft3, proper supplement of b, d, and iron.

I think when supplementing with NDT with Hashi's, try to keep tsh in lowest range and T3 in highest range..t4 seems to be meaningless..

I don't eat any gluten or dairy...these have helped me be mainly symptom free..truly gluten is an inflammatory item.. Hashimotos sucks..

Karen1963 profile image
Karen1963 in reply to Karen1963

Oh 4 weeks ago I suddenly went hyper..TSH was 0.01 but my T3 was in lower half range and t4 below range..I was not well rapid heart, high bp..so I decreased from 120 mg to 90..-my t3 is slowly increasing now and t4 is bottoming out, TSH is in range..very strange after being stable..id be careful increasing..

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Karen1963

If your FT3 was low in range, no way were you 'hyper'. A suppressed TSH is to be expected when taking any form of T3, and is meaningless. FT4 will also be low because the body doesn't store as much - it doesn't need to. Do not adjust your dose just according to your TSH, that will keep you sick. :)

Geniler profile image
Geniler in reply to Karen1963

I'm the same, I have to be grain free, dairy free to keep my Hashimoto's in check.

Giname profile image
Giname

Hi I am only taking 50mg a day and asci started this medication of levothyroxine only 4 weeks ago not sure if increasing it helps. My issue isvswelling of ankles and feet. So was intending to stop. However seeing Dr today to discuss medication and bloods to be done. I will wait and see. I be made a changecto not take my other meds at same time to see if it helps. I'll stay on 50mg for now.

greygoose profile image
greygoose

Diesel, when taking NDT, the TSH and FT4 are totally irrelevant. The important number is the FT3. Your FT3 isn't bad, but there's room for an increase if you still have symptoms.

If you increase, your TSH will go lower, but it really doesn't matter. It certainly does not mean you've gone 'hyper'. Only the FT3 will tall you if you are over-medicated. However, if you have Hashi's, numbers might jump around a bit. Therefore, you need to keep your TSH suppressed. :)

LAHs profile image
LAHs in reply to greygoose

I agree with gg and would like to add that since FT3 and FT4 vary during the day (esp FT3) these values are pretty much the same for both doses of NDT. It's good that your TSH has been reduced, it's supposed to go down with increase in NDT (or synthetic for that matter) but like gg says it's pretty much irrelevant ( at least for the short term). And as gg says, if you still have any symptoms there is room for an increase. If you make that increase keep an eye on your heart rate (take it before you increase) - and also if you become jittery. If your heart rate increases too much or you feel jittery, drop back to your previous dose, wait a week then increase again but only half the amount. If you do not have any hypo symptoms, then leave it all alone, your numbers are fine.

Crunchieeagle profile image
Crunchieeagle

Hi FWIW, I a week ago after 2 months on 2 grains of NDT my TSH has dropped dramatically to 0.57 my FT4 has dropped but my FT3 is now about half way in the range. Being unemployed I cannot afford too many labs so will slowing climb to 3 grains and get retested in a couple of months. If I am over medicated or feel it, i will cut back to 2 1/2. I dont have Hashi's and it looks like I must be converting T4 to T3 quite well.

So I am planning basically to accept having a zero or very low TSH, to try and get my T3 in the upper third.

As the great Dr Skinner once said. "TSH readings are a bind in that any patient on substantive thyroid replacement will finish up with a TSH under 0.5 or even zero and unless somebody knows somethings I don't know or there is evidence I have never seen this is inevitable and doesn't matter a hoot; the number of patients who have had their thyroid replacement reduced or even stopped is legion and if any colleague can convince that it is good to keep a patient clinically hypothyroid with all it's diverse consequences just to restore a TSH level, then I'll be the next Pope and I am not Catholic or Protestant for that matter.

Eddie83 profile image
Eddie83

TSH=0.58 isnt all that low. As I've said elsewhere on this board, I don't pay attention to TSH while using T3-containing preparations unless it is below 0.04. Since your TSH dropped, you are getting less contribution from your natural thyroid function, probably why your FT3 & FT4 dropped slightly.

I routinely run my FT4 at bottom of range, or slightly below, because that is where I feel best. Your FT3 is 56% up within the range, so it looks like you should increase NDT.

Karen1963 profile image
Karen1963 in reply to Eddie83

Has anyone tried Low Dose Naltrexone ? My greatest issue is when I get brain flares... I hate those... Usually when overly stressed my brain seems to go whacky..😢

Eddie83 profile image
Eddie83

I tried LDN some years ago. It did not go well, it caused tremendous insomnia. However, I have heard since then that lowering the starting dose (I used 10mg) to as low as 1mg, may provide better results.

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