Hi I am new, is this the right thing to do. Endo says I am overmedicated on levothyroxine 175mcg. Diagnosed hypothyroid in 2013.
Symptoms are dry skin, fatigue, difficulty swallowing, pins and needles, tight feeling in throat, flaky nails, chapped lips, tinnitus, constipation, periods being heavy, losing hair, muscle cramps and spasms, depression, memory loss, feeling cold, weight gain, sores around my mouth that bleed.
Thank you
TSH 0.02 (0.2 - 4.2)
Free T4 20.1 (12 - 22)
Free T3 3.5 (3.1 - 6.8)
Written by
LaceyT5
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No your FT4 and FT3 are both in range. In fact FT3 is LOW, showing poor conversion
Your endo is probably a Diabetes specialist knowing little about thyroid
Do you have high thyroid antibodies? This is Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease
Extremely common to have very low vitamin levels. This causes low TSH, yet you remain hypothyroid
If you have test results for vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 post them and ranges
Have you had T3 started and then withdrawn ?
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels stop Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
Yes, you have Hashimotos. Please don't stop taking your medication - what is your endo thinking???!!! Looks like you could use some T3. Why did you stop taking it?
Thyroid UK are compling list of patients who were doing ok on T3 and had it removed
Email a brief outline to
dionne.fulcher@thyroidUK.org
Highly likely you have low vitamin levels as result
That is often the result, this then causes thyroid hormones not to used. Blood tests show low TSH but you remain hypo
Get GP to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Post results and ranges when you get them
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels stop Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
It would be interesting (to me at least!) to know your blood test results on a lower dose of levothyroxine. It appears that your TSH is quite low for your combined fT3, fT4 levels. My view is that sometimes the TSH 'set point' becomes down-regulated and this leads to impaired T4 to T3 conversion. It's difficult to find absolute proof this occurs but there is some evidence. Your low fT3 is consistent with this. Also, your signs and symptoms indicate hypothyroidism and ultimately it is the signs and symptoms along with response to thyroid hormone that is definitive even if the numbers look good. I would suggest your endo reduces your levothyroxine a little and trials you on liothyronine, perhaps working up to 20 mcg daily, 10 mcg at breakfast and 10 mcg at bedtime.
I'm pretty sure this will be a battle, endos. are pretty useless at diagnosing and treating hypothyroidism, they tend to diagnose and treat numbers. I would give it a try and push hard for a trial of liothyronine. Your endo could monitor observable signs like your dry skin, ankle reflex times, weight and pulse so that they have an objective measure as well as your description of symptoms.
If your endo won’t test the above get yourself a Thyroid 11 from Blue Horizons and find out for yourself. You want all four well up in their ranges to help your thyroid.
Maybe now your TSH is high and everything else is below range he will listen to you, take your symptoms into consideration and notice that you aren’t well.
I’d ditch the endo and start self medication on NDT but I am a maverick! I am a much more healthy maverick as a result tho. I am gobsmacked by your results and the endo’s solution - to make you even iller by undermedicating and refusing to give you the T3 that clearly you so desperately need.
I guess you have nothing to loose by a directly challenging this incompetence.
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Should I stop T4 and take T3 only medication?
Should I stop my medication
Endo says Free T3 not important
