Mixed weekly doses

[jwestaway]

Hi Folks,

I have been on 125mg levo per day since last year. I had serious flu last year which led to low Vit D and B12. I had neurological symptoms then and I still have benign fasciculations. I've been tested by the consultant for autoimmune stuff like PA/Coeliacs but negative for those.

I had been on 150 mg levo for 20+ years prior to this with no obvious problems. During the illness I started taking my medication properly (without food, caffeine etc) and had to drop my dose because I became overmedicated.

Late last year I tried daily doses of 136mg and 139mg because I felt 125mg was too low. I didn't feel good on either of those so stopped.

In agreement with my GP I have just started trying a daily dose of 128.6mg (one day on 150, rest of week on 125) and have felt considerably better in the first week of this regime. We will test again in 6-8 weeks.

I know it can take a while to find the euthyroid point. My previous bloods are below.

Can you advise: the GP is focussed on getting the TSH below 2.0 but as I understand it the profile I'm looking for is FT4 in the third quartile of the range, FT3 near the top of the fourth quartile and TSH low in range - is that correct?

I am also supplementing D3 and B12 which were insufficiently replaced over winter - I was put on 10,000iu for 8 weeks which you guys told me would never do anything, and you were right, my D3 declined.

24/03/17 TESTED AFTER TAKING MORNING LEVO: TSH 2.027 Mu/L [0.34-5.6), FT4 13 pmol/L [8.0-18.0], FT3 5.3pmol/L [3.8-6.0], Vit D 43nmol/L, B12 404ng/L, Folate 12.9ug/L, Ferritin 35ug/L [24-250]

Thank you.

[Gambit62]

what made you think that your vit B12 was low after the flu. Flu is unlikely to affect VitB12 levels - even if it affected your dietary intake for a few months your body stores enough B12 in your liver to cope with that.

Please note that serum B12 cannot be used as a single marker for B12 deficiency as people vary significantly in how the amount of B12 in their blood relates to what is going on in their cells. The serum test will miss 25% of people who are deficient but it will also pick up 5% of people who aren't. Symptoms are important but will be difficult to evaluate whilst you have the flue and possibly even when you recover and there is also the overlap with symptoms of thyroid.