T3 down again :(

[matty220]

About 3 months ago I went for my annual blood test for thyroid - my gp knows I'm taking NDT. My T3 came back as about 16 with a range of 3 - 6. Obviously this was too high so I was asked to reduce my NDT and come back in a couple of months for a repeat test. I was taking 3 grains per day. What I had forgotten was that I shouldn't have taken my NDT first thing in the morning before my blood test - duh!

Anyway I duly reduced my NDT by 1/4 tablet every 2 weeks until I was down to 2 and went back last week for another test. This time I didn't take my NDT before I went. Lo and behold my T3 is back down to what it was on Levo 0 3.9!

Now I know that it's better to be near the top of the range but now I don't know by how much to increase it to find a middle ground. I'm not due for another test for a year as my gp says it's fine although he did go on about my T4 being low (8.9 in a range of 11-26) and my TSH being <0.05 but I said my TSH was that on Levo anyway. I think they forget that I had half my thyroid removed 50 years ago so it's never going to work properly is it.

I felt great on 3 grains but I don't know how much the result of 16 was due to my having taken the tablets in the morning. Any thoughts gratefully received.

Thank you

[Hidden]

I have been in the same situation as you and lowered and raised NDT according to labs.

However, when I saw my doctor two months ago (my doctor is a Hertoghe doctor in Belgium), I was told those levels only show how much T3 (or T4) there is in the blood at the time of testing, but not how much hormones are available to the body on the cellular level (which is what is important after all). I was told not to obsess too much about labs, but to stay on whichever dose of NDT rids me of all hypo symptoms and makes me feel great.

Do you self-treat or does your doctor prescribe NDT for you?

[matty220 in reply to Hidden]

I self treat. It's very difficult to find a gp in the UK that will prescribe NDT although they are allowed to do it

[shaws Administrator]

The blood tests were invented for levothyroxine only, therefore in my opinion if we add T3 to T4 or take NDT, the blood tests are useless. Levo is T4 only. NDT contains, T4, T3, T2, T1 and calciton and T3 is T3 alone. They cannot possibly be interpreted alongside levothyroxine alone.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[Clutter]

Matty220,

If you feel well on 2 grains there's no need to increase. If you don't, increase in 1/2 grain increments every couple of weeks and hold at 3 grains for 6-8 weeks and have a private thyroid test to check levels. Medichecks offer #ThyroidThursday discounts via thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...