t3 results

[Afaghieh]

Hi

i have been gaining weight for some time. I saw Endo consultant, had blood test.

Results are;

tsh 0.03 030-4.20

free thyroxine <5.2 9.0-19.0

free t3 5.7 2.6-5.7

I have been taking 30-40mcg daily.

Now Endo is asking me to reduce to 20mcg daily.

Surely when on t3 the tsh expected to be supressed.

Help please

[shaws Administrator]

I believe they've been told that we will get heart attacks or osteo if TSH is suppressed. That's untrue as proven by thyroid cancer patients who take suppressed doses. They don't get heart attacks. The following is from one of our Advisers.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/thyroi...

I think your Endo is covering himself . Did you have a gap between your dose of T3 and the test?

[Afaghieh in reply to shaws]

Thanks Shaws

Yes my last dose was the night before blood test at 2pm.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Afaghieh]

Always have the blood test at the very earliest possible as TSH is highest then and may mean you don't get a reduction in dose. They seem to only go by the TSH and not symptoms.

[Afaghieh in reply to shaws]

Thanks Shaws

Some times we have no say this was done at the clinic.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As you have Hashimoto's are you on gluten free diet

Have you had vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 tested recently? Do you supplement for any of these, if so what?

Presumably you are on T3 only?

[Afaghieh in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks Slow Dragon.

I do supplement my test for above is shortly. I take t3 only.

[greygoose]

Your endo obviously doesn't know very much about thyroid. Yes, the TSH is expected to be suppressed on T3 BUT even if he considered your FT3 to be a bit high, he should not cut your dose by 20 mcg in one fell swoop! Reducing doses should be done as slowly as increasing them. It would be a terrible shock for you body to reduce like that.

Plus, that dose is wrong. You cannot do alternate dosing on T3 - your poor body is probably already in shock due to that! You can do it with T4, the storage hormone, but T3 needs a constant steady intake.

Most important question : how long a gap did you leave between your last dose of T3 and the blood draw?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to greygoose]

I think you mean you can NOT do alternate dosing

[greygoose in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes, thank you. Feeling a bit groggy, today.

[Afaghieh in reply to greygoose]

Thanks Greygoose

My last dose t3 was the night before my test.

[greygoose in reply to Afaghieh]

So, about 8 hours away?