I'm not in a situation where I can go to get bloods drawn and I'd like my Reverse T3 checked so I can see if my body is using T3 properly. Does anyone know if it can be tested with a pinprick test and if so which company provide the test? I can't find it with Blue Horizon or Medichecks.
Thanks.
Hi @bluestringpudding,
Standard blood draw only I'm afraid! It used to be frozen sample only so at least we're progressing in the right direction! Have you considered a home nurse visit?
Paul.
Thanks Paul. I noticed that's offered by BH but I survive on disability benefits only, and can't afford that on top of the blood test cost itself.
Ideally, I want to be able to have my Reverse T3 tested every few months along with other thyroid markers till I know I've got my T3 meds at the right level. The cost of intermittent nurse visits is way beyond my means.
It's a catch 22 - can't afford to effectively monitor and improve my health while bedridden and too ill to work. Can't work till I can improve my own health. Certainly doctors haven't been much use which is why I try to take things into my own hands. But the cost of monitoring is prohibitive and NHS will only give me a TSH test (which came back "normal" apparently).
I'm afraid the RT3 isn't a pinprick test.
I've read elsewhere that high Free T4 can be used as as indicator of poor T3 uptake. Is that the case even if you don't take levothyroxine, but instead take T3 only? Anyone know?
If you take T3 only, it's very unlikely that you'll have high RT3 after a few months as there's no (or very little) T4 to make it from and what you already have would get recycled into T2 eventually.
Thanks for clarifying. I'm getting conflicting information though so it's hard to know what to do.
Someone from another group told me the opposite! My T3 medicine isn't being as effective as it was when I first started it and I was thinking of increasing the dose and just keeping an eye on heartrate, basal temp and any symptoms while doing so. It was discussing that in another group that led to me being told not to change dose without checking my bloods again including rT3 in case my body already isn't using the T3 effectively and I might make things worse. I take 12.5mcg three times a day which they said was a high amount for someone without extremely low numbers. Of course I don't want to do myself any harm. I've been following Dr Lowe's protocol who advocated very much for patients observing their own symptoms and measurements and being proactive about treatment when the medical profession isn't very helpful.
So now I'm not sure what to do and whether paying for additional blood tests will be helpful in my situation, given everything I've described in my above posts.
Well. I'm not a doctor, but AFAIK rT3 is made from T4 when there is too much T4 to convert to T3 safely (or so the body thinks). T3 can't be made into rT3 (just T2). Eventually, rT3 converts to T2. So it seems logical that if you have very little T4 you can't make much rT3. No one seems sure yet of the effects of T2 on metabolism so it could be that having less rT3 means less T2 (as only T3 can now be coverted to T2) so you feel worse - don't know.
If you are on T3 only 12.5mcg x 3 isn't a high amount (equivalent to about 112mcg levo). It's actually quite low. Many people are on over 60mcg a day. But it's how you feel that's important.
Quite.
We should always remember that the amount of, say, rT3 in the blood is achieved by the balance between conversion of T4 to rT3 AND the conversion of rT3 to T2. (Also need to factor in any other routes rT3 can take such as excretion.)
None of this is simple or obvious - except, possibly, in the most extreme cases.
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Reverse T3 Test
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