Blood ranges to determine adequate medication vs thyroflex tests or temp?

[Nutripea1220]

Hello all -

Thank you all of prior help on all issues!

I am seeing my doctor next week for bloodwork to determine if I'm intact taking too much T3. I was on 125mg, now on 100mg. My weight seems to have stabilized, perhaps 5 lbs above where I was before, but at least no longer gaining.

I have no hyper symptoms except occasional rapid heart beat (which my doctor says means I need MORE T3 not less) and horrible tinnitus (which I don't believe is related, but getting worse in past two weeks)

The only reason I think I could have been hyper was the weight gain on what seems to be a lot of T3...100-125....(then again, as some of you now, I was taking it with my coffee, but am NO LONGER taking it with coffee!) and anyway my T3 was above range on last test - back in April (just a bit).

ANYWAY - my doctor thinks blood tests are "useless" and he wants me to take my temperature in the morning with a glass thermometer and have me take the thyroflex test - which some of you may be familiar with (its sort of like a knee jerk test on your wrist... and obviously, a slow reaction mean hypo and a fast reaction means hyper.... last time i took it I was on 100 mg T3 and still hypo according to the test --hence increase to 125....

my question is - most everyone here DOES seem to rely on bloodwork - he will do it if I ask, if my t3 is out of range (above) does that mean I am overmedicated??? what if T3 is above range and the thyroflex test indicates I'm hypo? I look it up, it seems legit? I'm SO EFFING confused. I don't want to gain more weight :(((((((

[Heloise]

A high FT3 can be "pooling according to STTM and not attaching to receptors, so, yes, you can still be hypo. I found this about the ankle reflex test.

The study found that the clinical score and ankle reflex time correlated well with tissue thyroid effect but the TSH had no correlation with the tissue effect of thyroid hormones (118). The ankle reflex itself had a specificity of 93% (93% of those with slow relaxation phase of the reflexes had tissue hypothyroidism) and a sensitivity of 77% (77% of those with tissue hypothyroidism had a slow relaxation phase of the reflexes) making both the measurement of the reflex speed and clinical assessment a more accurate measurement of tissue thyroid effect than the TSH.

[hymermad]

I lost 3 stone by changing to a ketogenic /paleo diet. Even when I was on T3 struggled with weight gain. Check out on line Dr Myhill Ketogenic/ paleo / Stone Age diet

It was so successful for me not just in going from 11 stone to 8 stone I also need to to go from 4 grains of NDT daily to 2 grains a day.

Sorry I can't advise on T3 amounts you should be taking.

Following Dr Sarah Myhill's protocol improved my life 100 fold. Check out her website. It makes for very interesting reading.

[ljk1]

You don't realise how lucky you are having a doctor who will treat you on your symptoms! Trust him!

[Naomi8]

I know we complain that our doctors are a slave to the TSH test,but I find your doc's ideas worryingly extreme at the other end of the spectrum.Too much T3 can cause atrial fibrillation & encourage osteoporosis.

When I first added T3 to my T4,I took 5mcgs 3 times a day for 3 days & ended up with palpitations that would not stop.After 5 hours I rang the duty GP & he told me to go straight to accident & emergency.It was 9 hours before they stopped(I was kept in overnight for obs)I subsequently had all the heart tests done as an outpatient,& luckily was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia,which is not idiopathic.

After 2 years on T3-only I lost a huge amount of hair & also developed a repeat of a high anxiety state with depression.

I had had short episodes of supraventricular tachycardia throughout the years on T4 & before,and had also previously had an episode of depression with panic disorder,but I do think it didn't help this time,that I was taking too much T3,which can be implicated in mood issues,as well as being used for depression.

[Nutripea1220]

If anyone ever has the test and confusing results - I'm in that boat!

So I reduced to 100mg t3 for 3 weeks. Nails have started peeling halfway back. Really appalling . These were my Theo flex results:

Hmm... can't seem to post pic.!