Not sure what to do anymore ...

[Natalie55]

Hello to all wonderful people on this site

I would be very grateful if you could advise me what to do as Im really fed up feeling so rubbish .

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto 3 years ago and put on Levo 100mg. Over the time my meds was increased to 112.5 and now 125. But I feel no better . In desperation I went to see naturopath who did lots of test. My progesterone is low . She put me on the Liver support, thyroid support ( incl selenium) adrenal support , b12 and herbs to increase progesterone . Again not feeling any better. I had several thyroid tests hoping that my T3 would rise after all that help.

My vit d -70, ferritin was always mid/ high in range ( i like to eat liver )

Here are my results:

Nov’17

THS 1.39 ( 0.27-4.20)

FT4 18.6 (12-22)

FT3 4.13 (3.10-6.80)

Jan’18

THS 6.66 (0.27-4.20)

FT416.6 (12-6.80)

FT3 3.91 (3.10-6.80)

Apr’18 ( on 125 of Levo)

TSH 2.22 (0.27-4.20)

FT4 16.4 (12-22)

FT3 3.78(3.10-6.80)

Do you think should take additional t3? My naturopath didnt mention neither t3 meds or NDT .

Thank you so much 😊

[shaws]

I am not medically qualified but I believe you would benefit from adding some T3 to an increased T4 as you don't seem to be converting levo into sufficient T3 as your latest result shows that FT4 could be higher and FT3 in bottom of range. You may have to your source your own T3 if GP wont prescribe due to you not converting T4 sufficiently. To do so you'd have to put up a fresh post asking for a Private Message of where to source T3. Your post will then be closed for comments on the forum and you should receive messages.

[Natalie55]

Thank you shaws, I will ask for a Private message of where to source T3 . How much do you think i should take ? Should i reduce Levo?

[shaws in reply to Natalie55]

It is usual to reduce T4 when adding in T3. Also are you gluten-free? as that helps to lower antibody levels as these attack your thyroid gland and wax and wane i.e. sometimes you feel hyper and at other times hypo.

A combination of T4/T3 - I will give a link below of a study on this and go to page 80 to read the conclusion. Top left-hand column.

tpauk.com/images/docs/reduc...

[Natalie55 in reply to shaws]

Thank you shaws for the link i am gluten - strict, dairy and soya free ( mostly). My antibodies are going down slowly. Iam wondering sometimes if its Levo which gives me the body aches or the luck of t3. Guess i need to try and see.

[Aurealis]

You could first try taking an increased dose of Levothyroxine to see if you feel better on that. Your TSH would come down a little and your FT4 would go up. Effect on fT3 unknown, depends on conversion.

If you don’t feel better then I agree with Shaws about T3. I’m not a doctor either!

[greygoose]

Beware, naturopaths usually know very little about thyroid. What is in your 'thyroid support'? If it contains iodine, you shouldn't be taking it.

[Natalie55 in reply to greygoose]

Just checked, there is no iodine in the supplement . She thinks that by treating the root cause the t3 will go up, its 6 mths and still looking . To be honest i am so fed up feeling rubbish. The only good thing is that my hair is not falling out much any more.

[greygoose in reply to Natalie55]

Yes, but what is the root cause? Or, what does she think it is? There's really very little point in 'supporting' your thyroid when you have Hashi's, because it's not the thyroid the problem. The only thing wrong with your thyroid is that it's being regularly attacked by your immune system.

The problem is the immune system. What's she doing about that? Is she investigating your gut? That's often the root cause. Leaky gut, Coeliac. Has she investigated your stomach acid?

The FT3 is low because you're not converting very well? There could be many, many reasons for that. What has she done to find the root cause of your poor conversion? Has she tested your adrenals? Your nutrients? Your intake of calories? Or it could just be because you have Hashi's - Hashi's people often convert badly. I don't really think she knows what she's doing, I'm afraid.

[Natalie55 in reply to greygoose]

She has done the GI map test, it didn’t show anything serious bacteria wise but it showed low secretory IgA and high anti-gliadin IgA. Had endoscopy done and I don’t have Celiac . But went gluten free after, it helped my stomach. She also tested hormones and have low progesterone. She put me on chaster tree berry. Is 2 months enough to work? She has done adrenal cortisol test and I have 3 lows. She has put me on ashwaganda to try to regulate cortisol but since then i have red that the ashwagandha can actually lower the cortisol. Iam so confused. I know it can take time to rise t3 but i would think that by now there would be some improvement in numbers. You are right I think i might need to find a functional doctor instead.

[greygoose in reply to Natalie55]

I've never heard of chaster tree berry, so I don't know how long it would take to work. But, I would think that in two months it should have made some difference.

Yes, ashwagandha is used to lower cortisol. If your cortisol was low first thing in the morning, you should be concentrating on raising that by having a high protein breakfast as soon as you get up, and making sure you get plenty of vit C, B vits and salt.

I really think it would be better to add a little T3 to your levo, rather than messing around like this. The odds are you will never find why you don't convert well. Just how long are you prepared to go on suffering? And, it could be as I said, you don't convert well because you have Hashi's, as simple as that. And there's not much you can do about it.

[Natalie55 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you greygoose, that make a lot of sense I feel much worse if i skip breakfast . I will send another post asking for a source of T3

[greygoose in reply to Natalie55]

You're welcome.

[Natalie55]

Yes, I will try t3 first and NDT as a next option , thank you

[eeng]

Body aches can be down to low Vitamin D. Have you been tested? It's very common fro hypos to be low in Vitamin D and need big loading doses to get their levels up to mid-range.

[Natalie55 in reply to eeng]

Last time I tested vit d ( must be 7-8 mths ago it was mid range. It didn’t make any difference to my aches n pains . At that point decided to see naturopath. X

[Spareribs in reply to Natalie55]

It may be a good idea to ensure optimal levels of the vital minerals mentioned, by blood tests, before embarking on a trial of T3, they're needed for the hormone to use (iron/ferritin, B12/folate, Vit D - for starters)

[klr31]

Also, check iron, Ferritin and folate.

Karen