Results and supplmentation

[Mitmystery]

I've received the attached results and as I'm not getting much response from GP (does not know about reverse T3), I wondered if anyone knows of any supplements that may help me?

Thanks in advance.

[greygoose]

You could try selenium, that helps with conversion.

Have you had your vit d, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested? If they aren't optimal, that will negatively impact on your conversion. But, there can be many reasons why people don't convert well. Are you on a low calorie diet, for example? Have you been ill lately, had a virus or something?

Otherwise, what will help you most, is lowering your dose of T4 and adding in a little T3. It's excessive unconverted T4 in the system that leads to excessive rT3.

[Mitmystery in reply to greygoose]

Hey thanks for your reply, I'm not actually on any t4 or t3. I have been to my GP with these results and she has said she has no idea what rT3 is. She has however ordered vit d, vit B12, folate and ferritin. Am I best waiting for these results?

[greygoose in reply to Mitmystery]

Oh, sorry, my bad! I just assumed. No, I don't suppose she would know what rT3 is! Or T3, come to that. But, she won't diagnose you as hypo, with a TSH like that, even if your FT3 is very low. TBH, doctors know next to nothing about thyroid.

Yes, you are best waiting for the results. But, you could try taking a little selenium.

Is this the first thyroid test you've done? If not, what were the others like? When you're not on thyroid hormone replacement, rT3 is usually a transitory thing. It's the body's safety valve. Converting to rT3, instead of T3, when you're ill or starving, or something, slows the body down, to conserve energy. And, when the crisis is over, the rT3 is mostly converted to T2, and things carry on as before. So, if you've not had high rT3 before, I wouldn't worry about it, if I were you.