Advice please on test results

[Cymraes]

Hi

I'm currently taking 120 mg (2 grains) of armour natural desiccated thyroid per day. My GP wants me to go back onto levothyroxine as he says I'm overdosing. My test results are:

tsh level 0.01 (0.27-4.20)

Free t4 12.1 (11.00-25.00)

Free t3 4.6 (3.10-6.80)

Ferritin 16 (15.00-300.00)

Folate 8.2 (>3.8)

I've put the test range in brackets

I don't want to go back on levothyroxine as I still had so many hypothyroid symptoms whilst I was on it.

I'd really welcome any advice on whether I do need to reduce my dosage.

Thanks everyone

[Angel_of_the_North]

The probem is that your GP doesn't understand how to interpet blood tests for people who aren't on levo only - he wants you back on it for his convenience. BUT he is obviously TSH-obsessed so even if you go back on levo, he'll try to keep you undermedicated.

You are undermedicated, if anything, as Free T3 needs to be nearer 5.8-9. With any meds conmtaining T3, you expect low or suppressed TSH and low or low normal free T4 (although I'd expect it to be a bit higher on NDT), but your free T3 should be in the top quarter of the range.

Your T3 might come up if your ferritin was better - needs to be at least 70. It's low enough to need an iron infusion - what is the GP doing about it?

[Cymraes in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Hi Angel thanks so much for your reply. I didn't know that T3 meds that you'd expect a low TSH reading. I will search for more information on this so that I can tell my GP. Again I haven't heard that my ferritin reading needs to be at least 70. The GP said it was within normal range! Do you know if an iron supplement will help? Thanks so much for your help

[silverfox7]

You actually should put it up! My Endo told me that taking T3 in any form with suppress TSH and FT3 can drop down to halfway in the range but FT3 should be high in the range.

Added later-I was so incensed about your GP I didn't stop to read the other reply so duplicated it.

TSH can be that low even on Levo as it's so unreliaable anyway. If ones body says it knows something extra is coming in it can think why do I bother so TSH drops and it relies on the extra!