Hi I had a total thyroidectomy 2013
currently taking 75mcg Levothyroxine & 25mcg of Liothyronine
I would so appreciate it if someone could interpret the results for me.
My last test results 6.12.17
Serum Free T3 ... 7.9 range 3.8 - 6.0
Serum TSH ... 0.01 range 0.34 - 5.6
Serum Free T4 ... 12. range 8 - 18
many thanks
Hilary
Hi Hilary
With your tsh really low and T3 over range, you might be a little overmedicated. If it were me, I'd would be reducing mine a tiny bit with those results but we're all different. When I'm a little overmedicated, I tend to feel more tired than when I'm overmedicated so it's difficult to tell sometimes.
However, it does depend on how long you did the blood test after your last dose as can peak in your blood for a little while for a few hours. The normal advice on this forum is to leave 24 hours after T4 and 12 hours after T3. I don't leave it any more than 8 hours after T3 though as levels drop too fast after this which would skew the results.
How do you feel? Do you have any symptoms?
have you had your folate, B12, Ferritin/iron and Vit D tested?
Hi Saggyuk thanks for replying. I thought I was overmedicated as I had tremors, palpitations etc which was the reason for my visit to the doctors. I was on 20mcg of NHS T3 but it was stopped, so purchased a years supply of T3 from Mexico but it is 25mcg whereas NHS is 20mcg & it obviously made a difference. It is difficult to reduce as my T4 is made up of 25 & 75 mcg 25 being the lowest available I stopped the 25 mcg but felt under medicated so I bought a pill splitter for the T3 tried that for a couple of weeks but I felt all over the place as I don’t think it was consistent enough.
If I hadn’t purchased a years supply I would have bought from EU 20 mcg.
I took the updated NHS England & Thyroid UK recommendations with me to my GP appointment together with my hospital discharge after my TT from consultant endo saying a combination of T4 & T3 was recommended hoping she would re prescribe, she told me that T3 is dangerous & under no circumstances would T3 be re prescribed
I am now at loggerheads with my CCG as I contacted the chief officer via Twitter & he told me to put my concerns in an email which I did.
His reply shortened version NHS England has Blacklisted all T3 products nationally in the last 2 months then a load of rubbish T4 is the preparation of choice etc etc this remains the recommendation of the British Thyroid Association 2015. & NHS England 2017.
So I replied via post this time recorded delivery. Thank you for the reply to my email regarding the deprescribing of Liothyroinine. I would respectfully point out that the information quoted is out of date & I am enclosing the updated documentation from both NHS England & British Thyroid Association stating quite clearly that Liothyronine should not be desprescribed. I am enclosing the updated documention & have highlighted the paragraphs that are relevant.
It has been received by them last Friday & am awaiting their reply. Will update when I get the reply.
I felt so well on the NHS T3 & T4. I refuse to stop taking T3 as my life before it was a living nightmare of hell on Earth.
I have just received my test kit for Thyroid plus 11 from Blue Horizon Medicals, going to do the test this weekend so will post results.
Sorry for the long post but may help someone else.
Thank You so much
Hilary x
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Do the test Monday early morning and post same day for next day delivery, don't do it over the weekend 🙂
Thanks didn’t think that one through doh! my head is all over the place. Thanks for letting me know will do it Monday morning. xx
Hi Hilary
I know it must be frustrating, they haven't stopped prescribing it in my part of the country yet but I'm always worrying about it. My Endo who's been lovely has also refused to discharge me so he can keep writing to state what I should be taking every six months in case the GPs decide to say no based on high cost. Not that my GP has ever indicated wanting to do this? I suppose it appears I should count myself very lucky at the moment but hope it doesn't come to this.
does the pill have a score line in it? I always split mine into 10s and spread throughout the day. At first, I tried using knives etc and experienced the same issues but then realised it was much easier and cleaner just to use my nails to break it and haven't had any issues since.
I hope you manage to resolve the issue.
x
Brilliant response to CCG 😀
Let us know what reaction you get
I cut my T3 with a small art/craft scalpel.
Hilary77,
How long did you leave between last T3 dose and blood test?
To be honest clutter I think I may have taken it in the morning, I really can’t remember if I did it would only be 6 hours.
Hilary77,
I think you may have been a little overmedicated then. It should have stopped peaking by the time you tested if you left it 6 hours. You could quarter the tablet and take 18.75mcg.
I tried thatusing a pill cutter but it wasn’t consistent they didn’t break evenly & I bought what was supposed to be a really good pill cutter off Amazon .
Hilary77,
It doesn't matter if the quarters are a bit uneven. Perhaps try a different pillcutter or a very sharp knife.
Thanks Clutter I will give it another go & try using a knife. I first bought a pill cutter from my local chemist but it didn’t cut very well & a lot ended up as powder so I paid a lot more for the one off amazon but as with the other there was a lot of powder & uneven pieces & I started to get symptoms of being under medicated I feel like I’m between a rock & a hard plate at the moment. I hope I get a favourable response from my CCG.
I would just like to say a big thank you for all the help & advice I have received from thyroid uk, so much so I became a member 16th January
Thanks again for all the invaluable advice
I use a hobby knife with a blade like a Stanley knife to cut my pills. The knife comes with replacement blades.
Something like this :
hobbycraft.co.uk/hobbycraft...
If you try Amazon, search for "hobby knife" or "craft knife" or "scalpel".
It takes a bit of practice, but as long as you use it in good light and take your time, you can cut T3 with practically zero wastage, unlike all the pill cutters I tried. And the blades last for ages.
My two cents worth: Keep an eye on your blood pressure (BP) if you are getting tremors and palpitations while taking T3, then reduce the T3 dose until your BP drops to normal. It is my belief that the high BP response is the basis for calling T3 dangerous - which, of cause, such a reaction would be. Make sure you do not take your meds before your blood test (as I did once). Your T3 will be way over range and your doctor will panic. I had that experience once, my doctor called me and told me I was in a state of emergency and I should get to the hospital as soon as possible! T3 is high when you first take it and then it dies off over the next 8 hours. It does not stay high for very long, it is about 1 hour in my case.
Thanks humanbean & LAHs & SlowDragon
I do have a set of hobby knives didn’t even think of using them, I will go & look them out, I had tried one of my kitchen knives to no avail. I have been so well controlled prior to having my NHS T3 stopped that I may have forgotten the advice not to take before blood test, I should have come here first, GP did take my blood pressure & told me it was normal she also said 100 heart beats per minute was normal as well. She put me on propranolol which help with the tremors & palpitations.
I feel like a train wreck at the moment as I have a lot of other stuff to contend with I have fibromyalgia & arthritis but unable to take any medications for these conditions because I had a stroke & a few TIA’s which caused brain damage & after MRI brain scan diagnosed with onset vascular dementia due to the strokes I had to have a memory test at the clinic & they said I have mild cognitive impairment & to stop taking amitriptyline & naproxen because they have bad effects on the brain & will cause me further damage, the rheumatologist tried me with different meds for the fibromyalgia but again told by the psychiatrist to stop The only med I take for pain in tramadol.
All this then they start messing with my thyroid medication.
I am so low at the moment.
Thanks for taking the time to reply it is good to know there is help when you need it.
Hilary x
Just a thought I had Graves’ disease with TED & had a Total Thyroidectomy been reading that the autoantibodies are still present even though you don’t have a thyroid anymore, does anyone think this maybe my problem & not overmedication?
Next time, leave at least 24hrs from taking your T3 and having blood drawn. Also try tohaveyourblooddrawn around 8am or thereabouts.
My daughter and I still get our t3 on the NHS. Small doses of thyroxine aren't enough on patients who have had a thyroidectomy. The dose used to be between 200 and 400mcg of thyroxine.
Thyroid results?
Thyroid blood test results
