Advice and thoughts on T3 hormone and results please!

[OB123]

(Apologies for the long post in advance, but all help and advice appreciated).

About a year ago I started realising I had some issues. I was experiencing weight gain despite no change in diet or physical activity, I was extremely irritable and mildly depressed, I was getting cold even on hot days (when I usually drip in sweat I was fine!), I started feeling tired and fatigued etc. etc. I was overweight at this point (probably about 90kg), and was getting increasingly worried because my body didn't seem to respond to any changes in my diet or exercise despite my efforts. Thyroid did not come to mind until people started mentioning it to me, so I decided to check it out.

So, after getting some concerned family members on my back, I decided to try and get a blood test with the nhs to see initial results. Had to beg for the blood test initially, as I had the GP repeating the same old (just exercise and eat healthy and you will feel better), but got there in the end. When the doctor called to give the results, he said it TSH was 6.1, and since it was below 10 (TSH), it meant I didn't have a thyroid issue and I shouldn't worry (despite all the symptoms I was experiencing!!!).

Fatigue

Weakness

Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight

Coarse, dry hair

Dry, rough pale skin

Hair loss

Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)

Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches

Constipation

Depression

Irritability

Memory loss

Abnormal menstrual cycles

Decreased libido

...this was in FEB 2017

I'm usually a happy and energetic person, so this was not normal for me at all, I was shut off in my room, sleeping most of the time, barely able to get up for work and coming home immediately to go back to sleep, it was horrible. I started googling (as you do), the hypothroid, and my results, and started getting increasingly concerned with a lot of people saying that 6.1 is indeed enough of an issue to investigate further with more thorough results.

So, I went private, and had another test in March, results below:

THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE * 4.54 mIU/L RANGE 0.27 ‐ 4.2

FREE THYROXINE * 11.9 pmol/l RANGE 12.0 ‐ 22.0

TOTAL THYROXINE(T4) 72 nmol/L RANGE 59 ‐ 154

FREE T3 4.9 pmol/L RANGE 3.1 ‐ 6.8

Thyroglobulin Antibody 15.2 IU/mL RANGE 0‐115

Method used for Anti‐Tg: Roche Modular

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies 9.4 IU/mL RANGE 0 ‐ 34

Method used for Anti‐TPO: Roche Modular

--

Experience here was not great either, despite paying enough money, she said she was not an endocrinologist so my best bet would be to see a professional and get more advice on what hormones to take.

So, because it is cheaper in my home country (Lithuania), I found an endocrinologist professor, and he put me on T3 hormone (thybon henning 20, hald a pill in the morning and half a pill at night), and metformin (which is to treat type 2 diabetes, which I don’t have, but he said it should be useful for my sugar levels and help aid weight loss). I was 116kg by the time I went to this doctor! He said this should help me with weight loss etc. He also urged me to immediately take out the contraceptive implant I had put in (Nexplanon), and I did a few weeks later, although by that time I was another 4kg+. He said I had in an infection in the throat but it should get better with the hormones, as it wasn’t at late bad stages…

He said taking the hormones I should be back to myself in no time, I will come back nice and slim blah blah. Of course, I was enthused and happy.

As soon as I took the first hormone pill, the next day I felt wonderful. I slept for about 24hours, but when I woke up, my whole family could tell a difference in my mood and energy.

I had a 6month prescription, with the ask for me to come back to Lithuania to see him (this would have been Oct/Nov 2017), but with work and other stuff I delayed it so much that we’re not in 2018 (I know, it’s not ideal). Despite his promises that the weight would just ‘melt off’, I am not at 128kg!!! I’m mortified. Granted, I have not been paying careful attention to my diet consistently, but alongside work being really busy and not having much time or money to go back to see him, I’m too scared and embarrassed given I have been so lousy with the weightloss.

My hormones have also ran out, and I tried ‘conserving them’ towards the end of last year by taking then with gaps in between. This did not start on purpose. I forgot to take them one day and felt fine, so thought I would try and see how long I could go without them. Ofcourse, within a week I felt crap again, but I found I could take a few days in between and be somewhat functional (given I can’t find ant t3 subscriptions in the uk).

Lately, my mood has been fine, my libido is excellent, so the only thing really affecting me now is fatigue which doesn't help with the weight. I decided to take another blood test just to see where I am at, and it appears my TSH is high, free thyroxine low and T3 normal, but I'm no expert to decipher what exactly it all means.

THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE

13.9 mIU/L 0.27 - 4.20

FREE THYROXINE

10.5 pmol/L 12.00 - 22.00

FREE T3

4.19 pmol/L 3.10 - 6.80

Does this mean I need to continue T3 or now start with levothyroxine hormones?

Thoughts??

Thanks in advance.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Results now definitely show you need thyroid treatment.

Here in UK they will only consider Levothyroxine. But you may get on ok with it, you won't know until you try it

If you take these results to GP they should start you on Levothyroxine at 50mcg. Bloods retested after 6-8 weeks and dose increased in 25mcg steps until TSH is around one and FT4 towards top of range and FT3 at least half way in range

NICE guidelines saying how to initiate and increase. Note that most patients eventually need somewhere between 100mcg and 200mcg Levothyroxine

cks.nice.org.uk/hypothyroid...

Different brands of Levothyroxine are not the same, so always stick on same one. Avoid starting on Teva brand, many don't get on with it

Be good idea to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12. These are often too low and need supplementing to help thyroid hormones.

Post results and ranges of vitamins once you get them

[diogenes Remembering]

You are now hypothyroid and need treatment by T3 as you have given to start with, starting cautiously to see how that succeeds. Your TSH is high, FT4 low and FT3 normal because the thyroid is trying to keep up FT3 levels in spite of losing its activity.