Test results - thoughts?

[Pinky3]

Ive been on a trial of 10mcgt3/125mcg t4 for a while now and my last bloods were:

Serum free T4 level18.1 (pmol/L9 - 22.7pmol/L )

Serum TSH level0.1 mu/L Abnormal result (0.35 - 5.5mu/L)

Serum free T3 level6.5 pmol/L (3.5 - 6.5pmol/L)

B12 is increasing slowly and currently 452 (211 - 911ng/L) I take the easy to absorb type b12 and a complex b vitamin.

I was feeling good and not feeling tired at all on the above dosage and losing weight slowly, it was coming off which was a start.

After these test results I was advised to decrease t4 to 100mcg from 125mcg and stay on the same amount of t3 of 10mcg. I was reluctant to do this as i was feeling much better on my above combination. For the last 4 weeks I have alternated daily 100mcg and 125mcg t4 and kept to 10mcg of t3 and feel absolutely knackered, i could sleep all day long, i fall asleep early, and I'm catching colds one after the other, my weight loss has started to stop and I find I'm slowly gaining weight again.

Any thoughts would be appreciated

[greygoose]

Put your levo back up again. That was obviously where you needed it. There was no real justification for lowering it, nothing was over range. So, now you know that a lower dose doesn't suit you, put it back up again.

[Pinky3 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you - i have put it back to 125, will it take long to feel 'normal' again? Just confusing when they say you're borderline hyper and something is suppressed, it all confuses me tbh! I do find my water retention has never gone and retain water since diagnosis, but I've been declined water retention medication so feel stuck with this attractive symptom!

[greygoose in reply to Pinky3]

Being border-line hyper is like being border-line pregnant. I don't believe in it. Your TSH is suppressed because you are taking thyroid hormone replacement, not because some random miracle has occurred and your thyroid has suddenly started to over-produce hormone. Thyroids don't do that. Once you're hypo, it's for life. No reprieve!

Trouble is, your doctor is incapable of looking past your TSH - which isn't that low, actually - certainly not low enough to be any kind of hyper. Your FT3 is right at the top of the range, true, but, that too is because you are taking thyroid hormone replacement. And, it is obviously where you need it, so they really are talking out of the seat of their trousers. Doctors know nothing about thyroid, anyway.

The water retention could be something else, could be nutritional deficiencies. Have you had your vit D, vit B12, folate, ferritin, sodium and potassium, etc. tested?

[Pinky3 in reply to greygoose]

In March I requested a blood test for the water retention and enquired about the results which they say are fine. I mentioned that i do not eat foods with high salt content or add salt to my food. I drink water all day long and exercise. I was told just to repeat the blood test again in a few weeks.

Serum sodium145 mmol/L (133 - 146mmol/L)

Serum potassium4.2 mmol/L (3.5 - 5.3mmol/L)

My ferritin was last checked in december so this is probably due, i have been taking iron sports liquid to support my exercise. mY vIT d was check a year ago Serum total 25-OH vit D level83 nmol/L so this is probably out of date.

I have a specialist appointment in May, so I will query all these results and hopefully get somewhere. if they change my prescription to what they believe i should take, I don't know that I can prove my case with them to show that this is normal for me.

[greygoose in reply to Pinky3]

What exactly is 'iron sports liquid'? I wouldn't trust anything that had the word 'sports' in it. Are there other ingredients that could be disagreeing with you? How much iron is there in it?

Your potassium is a tad low compared to your sodium. That might be a factor in water retention. Maybe do some research into potassium?

[Pinky3 in reply to greygoose]

The brand is Spatone Sports vitamin c 80mg, Iron (Fe2+) 5mg, I only take this now and then. I do have potassium tablets, but will look further into this also - this might be the solution to the water retention!

[steviecat in reply to Pinky3]

Lojo. I don't know the Spatone with vit c, but I do know the normal Spatone with the 5mg iron. This product might sustain someone whose iron levels were bang-on, but it is absolutely hopeless if one is iron deficient. Ferrous Fumerate is probably best - but that's only my view - others may have different opinions. However, if you don't know your iron levels, it's best not to mess with iron - it can be dangerous - although Spatone is unlikely to fall into that bracket.

[greygoose in reply to Pinky3]

I agree with steviecat. And, 80 mcg vit c isn't very much, either. I don't think that drink is going to help you much at all.

[Pinky3]

Thank yo I will discontinue the use of this and have my levels checked in my next test and if required take the Ferrous Fumerate.

What would be the best vitamin D supplement to take? I was told the sprays don't work?