Please Help...

[Little_Nik]

Hi,

Can anyone please help me? I got some blood tests results back from the Gp today which I don't entirely understand. Also, I've got a FSH result of 59 which he tells me that if you are 27 and over then you are postmenopausal... Been in floods of tears. My T3 result is way to high and my T4 and TSH are too low... Was going to ask the people on the thyroid groups on FB but they seem to have closed down and I just don't know where else to look or who else to ask that understands any of this... Sorry crying again. Everything is such a battle and my body hurts ALL the time! I wondered if anybody can interpret my results?

Or what the next step would be?

Results from Feb 2018:

T3 14.5 (Normal range 2.9 - 4.9)

T4 6 (Normal range 9 - 19)

TSH smaller than 0.05 (Normal range 0.4 - 0.5)

Results from July 2017:

T3 17.3 (Normal range 2.9 - 4.9)

T4 7 (Normal range 9 - 19)

TSH smaller than 0.05 (Normal range 0.4 - 0.5)

I don't know if this makes any sense to you... I don't know where to go with this anymore... Can't stop crying and been fighting this for 10 years...

I'm 45 years old, Gluten and dairy free and also on a FODMAP diet too. I exercise regularly doing low impact exercises.

I've got fibromyalgia, EDS Hypermobililty and I've got hypothyroidism. Was Told by Dr P , years ago, that he thinks my body won't convert T4 into T3... Please if anybody can help, it would be so very much appreciated...

[humanbean]

Do you take any thyroid meds? If yes, what type and how much?

[Little_Nik in reply to humanbean]

Hi Humanbean,

Thank you so much for getting back to me. I take T3 87.5mcg a day (half in the morning at about 3.00am to match my circadian rhythm to encourage my adrenal glands to work and the other half at lunchtime).

I take the following supplements:

Vit C

Vit D3

Vit K2 Selenium

Thiamin (B1)

B12

Magnesium

CoQ10

Curcumin

Boswellia

Calcium

Fish oils

I look forward to hearing from you. Many, many thanks,

Nik

[humanbean in reply to Little_Nik]

To be honest, I think you are wildly over-medicated on your T3 dose.

I accept that people on T3-only might need a Free T3 that is a bit higher than the top of the range, but yours is so very, very high that I'm not surprised you feel awful.

Your under-the range Free T4 is because you are taking T3 only. Your body recognises that it doesn't need to produce T4 and so doesn't bother to waste its resources by making any. Your TSH is also low because your thyroid doesn't need to produce any thyroid hormones.

I have been taking T3-only for quite a while (although I just added a small dose of Levo a week ago as an experiment). I over-treated myself with T3 last year. My test results came back with a very low Free T4, a suppressed TSH, and a Free T3 of 8.5 (top of the ref range was 6.8). Having seen the T3 result I reduced my T3 dose by half a tablet and felt a lot better quite quickly.

Based on your Free T3 I think you should stop taking T3 immediately (but I'm not saying permanently), perhaps for a week? Then re-introduce, starting with half - one tablet. But I have no idea how this will affect you, and how you will feel.

greygoose Clutter How do you feel about the above paragraph?

You need to keep much closer tabs on your Free T3 when you re-introduce it. Test regularly, say every two weeks. Your Free T4 and TSH aren't relevant on T3 only.

You can do a Free T3 test with a finger-prick kit from Medichecks for £29 :

medichecks.com/thyroid-func...

I'm guessing that you missed your sweet spot when you went up in dose. And that might be because you have other things going on with your health, e.g. low nutrients, wrong levels of cortisol (too high or too low), poor gut health.

Testing nutrient levels is essential before starting to supplement. Some things shouldn't be supplemented until you know you need it and then you can work out the right dose for you.

Vit C - this can be supplemented without testing

Vit D3 - this should only be supplemented if your level is below optimal

Vit K2 Selenium - I'm not knowledgeable about these.

Thiamin (B1) - I think this is water-soluble, so supplementing shouldn't be a problem

B12 - This should only be supplemented if necessary.

Magnesium - As long as you aren't taking excessive doses and your kidney health is reasonable then taking this is fine.

CoQ10 - I'm not knowledgeable on this.

Curcumin - I'm not knowledgeable on this.

Boswellia- I'm not knowledgeable on this.

Calcium - This should only be supplemented if you know you are deficient. Taking vitamin D increases your absorption of calcium from your diet.

Fish oils - I'm not knowledgeable on this.

There is no point in testing your cortisol just now. Your high dose of T3 will most likely have affected your cortisol levels. Stabilise your T3, optimise your nutrients and improve gut health, and your cortisol can be tested, if necessary, after you've got that far.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

Little_Nik

I've just re-read your post. How do you know that your adrenal glands aren't functioning well?

[greygoose in reply to humanbean]

I think it's ok to stop it for a while, but perhaps a week is a little long. See how you feel. You have to learn to gauge your body's reactions. But maybe restart on a whole tablet, as you're taking T3 only, and your body is used to a high dose. Then, you can increase by 1/4 tablet every two weeks, until you hit your sweet spot. Did you perhaps increase too quickly last time?

I agree with HB about the calcium supplements, really not recommended.

Vit K2, it's ok to take if you're on vit D3, but don't take more than recommended on the bottle, because it's fat soluble.

Selenium is ok to take, but have a couple of weeks rest between bottles.

If you're taking B12 because you need to take B12, you should also be taking a B complex, not just one isolated B vit. Because the Bs all work together and need to be kept balanced.

CoQ10 is OK to take.

Curcumin is ok if it agrees with you. If you start having any symptoms, stop it and see if they go away.

The rest, I don't know about.

[Clutter]

Little_Nik,

How long did you leave between last T3 dose and blood draw?

[Angel_of_the_North]

You are taking a little bit too much T3, or you had the blood test within about 6 hours of taking your T3. And/or you are taking B vitamins with biotin. TSH and free T4 are what you'd expect from someone taking T3. Free T3 should really be in range if you left 12 hours between last dose and test..