Blue2you

[Blue2you]

My recent results were serum free 5.1pmol/ serum tsh level 0.18

Can anyone tell me if this ok or if i should take more levothyroxine or less

I take 125mg a day

Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Blue2you Reference ranges are needed to go with your test results, interpretation is impossible without them as ranges vary from lab to lab. The only thing that is obvious is that your TSH is low whatever the range.

Is that serum free T4 you are talking about or free T3?

[Blue2you in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi there

I am reading these off the blood result sheet

Serum TSH Level ( xaelv ) 0.18 miu/L

Serum Free triiodothyronine level ( xaerq ) 5.1pmo1/L

I take 125mg a day

Hope that is any clearer for you to go by

Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Blue2you]

So, Serum Free triiodothyronine is FT3. But there are no reference ranges. They would normally be in brackets after the result or by the side, something like

TSH: 0.18 (0.2-4.2)

FT3: 5.1 (3.1-6.8)

So you can see why it's not possible to interpret your FT3 result, we don't know where you fall within the range specific to your test. If the reference ranges aren't on your result sheet then ask the surgery or lab for them.

How do you feel? Do you think you are optimally medicated on 125mcg Levo? Do you think you could feel better? Dosing by numbers isn't the answer, it's how we feel. The only exception to that is that FT3 should remain in range.

[Blue2you in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi Susie

Ok...... 5.1 ( 3.1 - 6.8 )

0.18 ( 0.3 - 5.0 )

Hope that is clearer

Thank you

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Blue2you]

OK, so your TSH is suppressed which your GP may not like. Your FT3 is just over half way through it's range. Some people feel OK with that level, some people need it higher.

How do you feel?

Was FT4 not done (maybe called free thyroxine)? It would be interesting to see what that result was.

If you had an FT4 result done at the same time it would be possible to tell you if your T4 to T3 conversion was good.

[Blue2you in reply to SeasideSusie]

No the clinic said the labs don't test for FT4

So with the TSH suppressed that is why the doc wants to reduce my meds do you think ? Do you know if that helps the TSH ?

I did ask the Doc questions but she didn't have the time that day to go into it all

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Blue2you]

I take it you're not in the UK then? FT3 is very difficult to get tested here by the NHS.

Most doctors are TSH obsessed and tell us we will develop atrial fibrillation, osteoporosis, have a heart attack, all sorts of things. Not true. As long as FT3 is in range we are not overmedicated.

If your dose of Levo was reduced then your TSH would rise, but your FT3 would lower and you'd probably develop hypo symptoms.

You still haven't said how you feel.

[silverfox7]

You look undermedicated but as SeasideSusie says that will lower your TSH even further-which it should but from what you have said your doctor will freak out even more! I strongly suspect that she hadn't time to explain it to you means she can't as she doesn't understand it herself!

We often feel better if FT3 results are in the top third or even the top quarter on the range and the only no no is if the FT3 is consistently over range. Should it. E just a little evelvated then before reducing better to. R retested in a few weeks in case anything else is causing a false high.