Hashimoto's help with lab results

[hypoash]

I was recommended to share these in a new post, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

TSH: 2.21 mu/L (0.27 - 4.20)

Free T4: 29.5 pmol/L (12.0 - 22.0) "abnormal"

Free T3: 3.6 pmo/L (3.1 - 6.8)

After my latest results my GP said everything was in range and no need to change my Levothyroxine dosage. I've steadily increased to 125 mcg since being diagnosed over a year ago.

Problem is my symptoms are still there: brain fog, depression, aching limbs and sore joints, lethargy.

I have a number of food intolerances which came to light via a FoodPrint 120+ reactivity test and I have to avoid gluten, gliadin, dairy, all nuts bar almonds, most nightshades including potatoes, legumes, avocado. So it's very difficult to introduce anything new or even slightly exciting. I've found I cannot tolerate alcohol too and I'm still unclear whether that's the illness or the levothyroxine, I could tolerate it before the medication but that's well over a year ago now. These things in particular add to my depressive state, I just feel like I have no outlet or escape—to the point where I am even considering taking up smoking again, mad as it sounds, just so I have something for me.

Sleep isn't great and nearly always interrupted by needing to urinate 2-3 times throughout the night. I've only slept right through once in the last fortnight.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty morose and really at a loss with it all. Just when I think I'm feeling good and I must've finally cracked the optimum diet, I seem to have another flare-up again and thus feel like I'm back at square one, back searching for the answers, in my dark place again.

I've reached the stage where I've realised even my limited knowledge is probably more than my GP holds about my condition and I have no faith in getting what I need from him.

I'm now planning on introducing NDT (privately sourced) as soon as it arrives—following the STTM dosage advice of course.

That's where I'm at. Any advice on my blood numbers above would be most welcome. Thanks for reading.

[greygoose]

Umm... did your doctor actually look at your labs? Your FT4 is way over the top of the range. And your FT3 is right at the bottom. That means that you really are a very bad converter, and that's why you still don't feel well. It's low T3 that causes symptoms, nothing to do with the TSH - although yours is too high - or the FT4.

What you need, is a reduction in levo, and some T3 added to your dose. But, it's highly unlikely that you'll get that from your GP. Maybe from an endo, but it gets harder and harder to get it prescribed. Would you be willing to buy it yourself, on-line? Because it's the only way you are going to get rid of your symptoms.

[hypoash in reply to greygoose]

Thanks Greygoose. That makes sense to me too, in fact a nutritionist I was seeing had a suspicion that might be the case.

I am willing to pay for and to try anything. I've actually got some NDT on order which should be arriving soon. I was planning to introduce that slowly while reducing the Levothyroxine, like they recommend on the STTM site. Does that sound like a decent idea would you say?

[greygoose in reply to hypoash]

Not really, no. There's only a tiny amount of T3 in NDT, and if you can't convert the T4, then your FT4 is still going to be high and your F3 too low in comparison. And having a lot of unconverted T4 hanging around is not a good idea. It can covert to rT3, and generally make you feel bad. I would have thought you need a really tiny dose of T4 - if any - and a higher dose of T3.

[hypoash in reply to greygoose]

How do you get hold of T3 Greygoose?

[greygoose in reply to hypoash]

Same way you get hold of NDT.

[Clutter in reply to hypoash]

Hypoash,

125mcg Levothyroxine is equivalent to 2 grains NDT which contains 18mcg T3 which should considerably raise your FT3 level.

[hypoash in reply to Clutter]

Thanks Clutter that's really helpful for me to plan my transition. I feel like all my eggs are in the NDT basket right now so that gives me hope. Thanks!

[hypoash]

Hi there & thanks for the reply. This is new to me, I hadn't heard of that before. On your prompt I've just read a little on the subject—very interesting indeed. I've literally just switched to NDT, it arrived yesterday. It will be interesting to see how this affects both how I'm feeling and my blood levels. If the symptoms continue a couple of months down the line—I'm setting Christmas as my "should feel better target"—then I will certainly look into testing this. Thanks so much for flagging this possibility up. I hope things are okay for you.