Help with interpreting my results

[GraceB]

I've just received my latest results and would appreciate your opinion and advise. Especially that I don't feel well and still have hypo symptoms. I actually feel worse for last few weeks and mornings are a horror. I'm waking up early scared and nervous, breathless and feeling hot with my heart beating fast, often with headache. I will not mention about weight gain regardless my efforts to eat healthy and exercise.

I have been on levothyroxine 125 for a year now. I'm 41 year old female.

TSH 1.72 ulU/ml [0.27-4.2]

FT4 21.0 pmol/l [12-22] 90%

FT3 4.7 pmol/l [3.1-6.8] 43.2%

Vit B12 354 pg/ml [191-663]

Vit D3 25(OH) 18.89 ng/ml - deficiency below 20

Iron 61ug/dl [45-170]

Ferritin 18.3 [10-120]

Foliate 11.95 [3.1-17.5]

Calcium 9.85 [8.6-10.3]

Magnesium 1.96 [1.6-2.5]

[greygoose]

Your TSH is too high - should be one or below when you are on thyroid hormone replacement - your FT3 is a bit low, and you aren't converting very well. Your vit D3, B12, and ferritin are all much too low, and that could be why you aren't converting very well.

For the B12, you need to take 5000 mcg sublingual methylcobalamin daily for a few months, then drop to a maintenance dose of 1000 mcg for the foreseeable future. With that, take a B complex to balance the Bs - because they all work together. Best to get on with methylfolate, because it's better absorbed than folic acid.

I hope someone else will come along and tell you what to take for vit D and ferritin, because they really do need supplementing urgently.

No point in testing magnesium, because it will always be in range, due to the way the body handles magnesium. But that doesn't mean you aren't deficient - most people are. So, most people just take about 350 mg daily - especially if you're taking vit D3, as it's a cofactor.

So, given all that, it's really not surprising you don't feel good!

[GraceB in reply to greygoose]

Many thanks greygoose. Do you suggest to increase levothyroxine also or introduce supplements and observe how I feel?

[greygoose in reply to GraceB]

I do indeed recommend increasing your levo, AND taking the necessary supplements to increase your vit D, vit B12 and ferritin. If you want to feel better.

You can get retested for vit D and ferritin after a few weeks on the supplements, but no point in retesting B12 because the result will be skewed. Just keep taking the 1000 mcg forever, really.

[GraceB in reply to greygoose]

Should I increase levo to 150?

[greygoose in reply to GraceB]

Yes.

[GraceB]

Yes, I have 100 and 25mcg both from Wockhardt.