New blood panel done

[njmatsche]

I guess I'm a bit confused... my doctor had me do a blood panel a few months ago and he only did TSH which was 1.2 and I was feeling great! Fast forward 2 months later and I'm feeling crappy again (fatigued, headaches, cold, ZERO weight loss) so I asked him to do a full thyroid panel... results are:

T4 - 1.70 (this lab's range is 0.8 - 1.6)

TSH - 1.630 (this lab's range is 0.45-5.40)

T3 - 5.5 (this lab's range is 2.0 - 4.4)

If I had only had my TSH levels checked he would have no idea that anything was wrong. Now he thinks my dosage should go from 1.37 mcg of Levothyroxine to 125 mcg. Change nothing else except maybe stop taking conventional birth control pills and switch to nuva ring and maybe my weight loss will kick back into gear... fyi I eat very healthy and exercise.

Any thoughts?? I feel like maybe I should go to an Endo since this FP doc might not know enough. Also maybe I should be taking T3?

[greygoose]

I don't think you need T3, your FT3 is already over-range. And, perhaps that's the problem. Try reducing your dose and see how you feel. But, best to do this yourself, if you can, because if your doctor lowers it, and you need it higher again, he might not be willing to increase it again. Do you have Hashi's?

[njmatsche in reply to greygoose]

ok thank you, yes I do. He already suggested lowering it and called in the script but maybe since I have an entire month of 137 mcg left I can just take the new 125 mcg every other day?

[greygoose in reply to njmatsche]

You could indeed try that. See what results that gives. Best to reduce slowly, anyway.

[njmatsche in reply to greygoose]

Great thank you! In your opinion do you think that switching to the IUD birth control could help aide my weightloss? My OB GYN always denies that BC causes any weight issues but now this FP doc is saying it could???

[greygoose in reply to njmatsche]

I have no experience of the IUD, but I think it's probably your low levels of thyroid hormone that are stopping your efforts to lose weight.

[njmatsche in reply to greygoose]

ok, no worries. Sorry I guess I don't follow, you think my levels are too low? I thought that my TSH was a good level but you think maybe I should suppress it more? When I do that though my FT3 and FT4 rise like shown above. Thanks for all of your help!

[greygoose in reply to njmatsche]

Your Frees are too low, and your TSH is too high. It's not in the least bit suppressed. Once on thyroid hormone replacement, most people need it to be one or under.

And your FT3 needs to rise. That's the whole point.

[njmatsche in reply to greygoose]

oh ok so with the lower dosage my FT3 should rise thus bringing my TSH down?

[greygoose in reply to njmatsche]

No, with a higher dose your FT3 will rise, and the TSH will decrease.

[njmatsche in reply to greygoose]

ok I think I'm just confused because when I was talking with my doctor he said that my ft3/4 were elevated and the numbers up above are higher than the range. My goal is to lower TSH and FT3 and FT4 but it seems like they all do the opposite of each other.

[greygoose in reply to njmatsche]

Oh, gosh! I'm sorry, I got confused, too! I was thinking you were someone else. Most people have low numbers. My fault for not reading back carefully!

Yes, your FT3 is quite a bit over-range. And your FT4 is a little bit over-range. Which means your conversion is good. So, that's really good news. But, you do need to lower your dose a little.

It was you talking about your weight that pushed me off track. lol As I say, I don't know anything about IUDs, but, anything's possible. It may be responsible for your increase in weight.

But, being over-dosed can also make you put on weight, funnily enough. Can you think back to when the weight-gain started? Was it before you were on anything? When you had the IUD fitted?

I am so sorry for the confusion! I don't often lose track like that, but when I do... I do it spectacularly! lol

[njmatsche in reply to greygoose]

hahah ok I thought I was going crazy! So I haven't had an IUD yet but my doctor said that it might help with weightloss since Im at a plateau. I'm currently just on a basic combo (although lose does) of Birth Control.

Intially I gained about 25-30 LBs before I knew about my thyroid problem. Getting on Levo at 75mcg and then 125mcg allowed me to loose all of that extra 25 lbs but I was still feeling awful so I finally landed on 175mcg and have been feeling great up until the past 3 weeks and ever since I've been on the 175mcg my weight loss has stopped. I would have thought that a higher does would assist even more so in the weightloss? I have about 20 lbs to loose

And when I had my levels checked about 3 months after the 175mcg (in December) my TSH was 1.2 but now it's 1.63. He never checked my FT3 or 4 when I was tested at in December and once I started feeling crummy again I asked to have all three checked and that's what I got above.

[greygoose in reply to njmatsche]

Well, if you put the weight on before you went onto levo, then it's obviously hypo weight. And, the only way I know of losing hypo weight, is by optimising T3 levels - that is, not to much and not too little. As I said, being over-replaced is very often not so good for weight-loss.

But, no reason not to try the IUD and see what happens, but I think your doctor is just grabbing at straws.

[njmatsche in reply to greygoose]

ok so then I'll just go on the lower dosage and go from there. Thanks for all of your help!

[greygoose in reply to njmatsche]

You're welcome. And once again, my apologies.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to njmatsche]

I wouldn't use an IUD with hormones in it. The fake progesterone in them causes all sorts of problems. If they still do copper ones, you tend to lose weight while it's in but gain it again when it comes out. Greater chance of ectopic pregnancy and heavy periods. I had one for many years.

[njmatsche in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thanks! Sorry, I just now responded! I did end up going with the Paragard copper IUD. Although now that it's in I'm having pretty painful cysts. My GYNO thinks maybe it'll subside it's just been a few years since I've actually ovulated. I'm pretty sure that this PCOS issue is also stemming from my thyroid problems so I'm going to go on a Paleo type diet and get my levels checked again.