Been stable for 6 months but now feel off even though levels haven't changed?

[MayaDominica]

I've finally stabilised my thyroxine levels and have felt good for the last 6 months with T4 level at 14 - and it hasn't fluctuated - I've just had bloods done because Im getting tired and jaw pain with a swollen temporal artery (always a symptom for me when things aren't right) and it is still T4 - 14.

My question is: Can you suddenly need a different dose after feeling good at a certain level?

I thought once you stabilised and found your 'number' you were on the right track.

thanks

[startagaingirl]

Hi - first off, please always quote ranges with results as labs differ. Having said that, even with the same number for ft4 against the same range, that is not enough to say you are stable. The number that matters is ft3 and that can change even without ft4 changing. It could be that your conversion rate from ft4 to ft3 has declined, hence making you feel worse, but without a test result it is impossible to say. It could also be that some of your nutrients have dropped, causing symptoms of their own and making your use of thyroid hormones less effective.

Would it be possible for you to have a comprehensive private test - they generally run to about £100 and that would give you all necessary numbers.

Gillian

[MayaDominica in reply to startagaingirl]

Hi I had my T3 done privately about 6 months ago and it was ok. I don't think I've had a conversion problem before. My T4 has been at lots of different levels and I haven't felt well until I it got to 14 and then I felt fine for a good while now. I have been sticking to the same vitamin routine I always have and take my tablets the same time - given up coffee don't drink alcohol etc. Its taken me 2 years to feel well and this has been the longest I've felt well for. Just don't know whats changed?

[greygoose in reply to MayaDominica]

Conversion can change at any time. Just because it was good 6 months ago, doesn't automatically mean that it's good now. What do you call, 'ok' anyway? Do you have a number? Could be that, for whatever reason, what was enough for you before, is no-longer enough. These things aren't fixed in stone, the needs of the body can vary.

[MayaDominica in reply to greygoose]

Thanks for the reply. Just interested to know what other's experiences are and that the 'tweaking' process is an ongoing issue. I've got a GP appointment on thursday - it's going to be difficult to know whether I need to increase or decrease because my T4 is the same...

[greygoose in reply to MayaDominica]

Then, he needs to test the FT3. Maybe you can get him to understand that.

[MayaDominica in reply to greygoose]

Do you take a T3 supplement?

[Serendipitious]

MayaDominica,

As somebody has already said so, other factors such as Ferritin, Vitamin D etc and cortisol levels also affect your thyroid. If they have changed in the last 6 months they can also affect thyroid conversion.

Can I just say that if you're from Dominica I absolutely LOVE that island and I cannot get it out of my mind since I visited a few years back. 😁

[MayaDominica in reply to Serendipitious]

No unfortunately Im not! I'm from England. Dominica was my grandma's name and is my daughter's middle name

[Serendipitious in reply to MayaDominica]

Beautiful name 😊

[humanbean]

Im getting tired and jaw pain with a swollen temporal artery

Have you ever had the swollen temporal artery checked out properly? There is a condition called giant cell arteritis which is a very serious condition which should be diagnosed and treated, rather than ignored. It can lead to blindness and other serious things.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant...

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With regard to your thyroid problems and feeling less well than before I would agree with other people that you should find out your Free T3 as part of a full thyroid function test, and test your basic nutrients - iron/ferritin, vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D.

Your nutrients need to be optimised then they need to be maintained by taking a dose which will keep them optimal.

Poor gut health, something which everyone with hypothyroidism develops at some point, usually quite early in the progress of the disease or even before they've been diagnosed, has to be improved and nurtured. Unfortunately, there is no universal method of achieving good gut health. Going 100% gluten-free helps a lot of people. Some people have to give up animal milk products because they have problems with lactose and/or casein. Other diets which help for some people are low histamine diets, or removing nightshades from the diet. The only rule is, if something doesn't help, put the things removed from the diet back into it. Otherwise the diet becomes too restrictive.

Also look into eating probiotic foods such as kefir or sauerkraut, and taking probiotics. Although foods with good bacteria are often far more effective than bottled probiotics, and some of them can be made at home quite easily.

Another thing you need to consider is whether your cortisol levels are optimal. This can be tested privately with a saliva cortisol test.