somehow I feel stupit: but, how do I upp my ft3?

[christa1]

at the moment I am swimming in limbo again...about how much of Levo-NDT to take.

sorry if I confuse you, but my head is a beehive at the moment! every thought just buzzing around, can't hold on to anything!

self medicating, living in Australia.

50 eutrosic

1 grain thyroid-s

GP wants me on 75 levo and 20 t3 tyroxine. the thyroxine is running out soon and even here in Australia the good GPs have their hands slapped for prescribing t3!!! he is stopping my prescription.

as I still had most of my thyroid-s from a former try out, I started that again.

my blood pressure is fairly high 140/90 temp 36.8 to 37.2 and I am getting a bit nervous about it. the measurements are very up and down going by the iwatch I'm wearing. but measuring 3x during the day they go down to 128/78 at times

bloods done in February. (antibodies,)

April (TSH)

TSH. 0.05 (0.40-4.00)

free t4. 11 (10-20)

free t3. 4.5. (2.8-6.8)

for years the GP is telling me, that TSH and t4 numbers are irrelevant when thanking t3 or NDT. NOW he is telling me that a result like mine will kill me sooner than later!

what a hippocrate!

master full blood count and E/LFT master all came back good.

my privatly done vitamine test are upper range as well, rt3 is below range.

my ferretin is still not high enough, but I am working on that one

and the d3 could be a bit higher as well, I am taking 10000 once a week now with the k+m's as well.

antibodies :

at-ab 49 (<60)

at-peroxidase 420 (<60) normally much lower

please, what am I to do: half my thyroid-s or upper it?

I tried 100 oroxine (t4) but end up with a strong headach.

PS

I also take milk kefir, nigella oil, Norwegian fish oil and drink a bullet prove coffe in the morning (coffee with coconut oil or organic butter.

thank you for reading, and your input.

[Hashihouseman]

The following is my non-clinical opinion based on my own experiences, we are all uniquely thyroidal!..... that said:

How much actual T3 are taking? Your TSH is suppressed, is that by design or accident ? Do you have suspect or confirmed thyroid gland cancer - the usual reason to suppress TSH......?

If you are just trying to manage hypothyroidism why not aim for TSH between 1 & 2 ?

Your blood levels are intriguing in light of what it seems your T3 and t4 replacement is currently- I’d guess that you body is getting more than it wants of both, particularly T3....?

It seems paradoxical that your ft3 levels are low despite the dose but it could be you are suppressing tsh so much it reduces conversion and feedback loops are deactivating ft3 .... total and free levels and rt3 may give some more clues but testing is expensive - you could try mimicking the median healthy thyroid person levels of T3 AND T4 production, taking about 7-9 mcg T3 and 70-90 mcg t4.... by whatever replacement sources in total i.e. combinations of desiccated, levo and liothyronine......

What suits me best is the most desiccated I can tolerate without exceeding reasonable T3 levels both as replacement and in blood test results this means I take 50 mcg levo and 3/4 grain desiccated split into 3 doses midnight waking and midday....

Good luck

[cazlooks in reply to Hashihouseman]

just a note to stop her panicking, t3 can be suppressed by a pituitary adenoma, a common reason for secondary thyroid problems and not scary at all and definitely not cancer.

[Hidden in reply to cazlooks]

thanks cazlooks, i will up my t3 as i am under-medicated and get a new bloodtest. so far i am not worried about cancer, it is my self medicating and my muddled brain that is throwing me out and sometimes i just need some notching from one or two of you in here to put me in a better place of mind.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Hashihouseman]

Not everyone can get a TSH that high. My TSH has never been as high as 1 (which is quite normal if you look at the graph for healthy people). But i do have central hypo.

[Hidden in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

i just think, 0.05 or lower is just too low. it is my GPs fault!!! he supported me with the very low TSH and t4 but now he gives me the evil eye, as if it is my fault that the blood reading is the way it is and i am still not better! x

[diogenes Remembering in reply to Hidden]

A study by Ito et al shows that in athyreotic patients TSH down to 0.03 is accompanied by "euthyroid" normal body function as regards biochemical markers like SHBG. Below 0.03 you can be MILDLY overtreated and above 0.5 can be MILDLY to DEFINITELY undertreated. So 0.05 is nothing to worry about.

[Hidden in reply to diogenes]

thank you diogenes. that is helpfull

[Hashihouseman]

PS Brazil nuts!

[Hidden in reply to Hashihouseman]

thank you hashihouseeman,

my tsh is suppressed because of my ndt ... my gp has explained this to me for the last 4-5 years and irrelevant, as is the t4 result. mind you he turned around now and want me to believe this isn't right and i will die if i keep the tsh so low [it is like this for 3-5 years now]

my total intake of thyroid-s = 38mcg of t4

oroxine 50mcg =88mcg of t4

t3 = thyroid-s 9mcg = 9mcg of t3

so, all together it is not too much t3

i need\want my tsh to rise at least to 0.5 instead of 0.05 but how? i do not convert well .

my selenium is over range. no brazil nuts for me.

[Jazzw in reply to Hidden]

GP is talking rubbish. But to be fair to him, it’s not his fault - they get hardly any training on the thyroid at medical school. You aren’t overmedicated.

[Hidden in reply to Jazzw]

so, Jazzw what do you reckon i should do? take the oroxine t4 every other day?

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

i know my GP is talking rubbish now....he was really, really good before his "holiday of 3 month" my guess is, he was reeducated about Thyroid meds!!!!

[Jazzw in reply to Hidden]

What are you taking now? Your post is a little confusing on that point (it’s probably just me... )

[Jazzw in reply to Jazzw]

Ah, think I’ve got it Hidden So you’re currently on the equivalent of 88mcg of levo and 9mcg of liothyronine (though NDT isn’t an exact match to synthetic hormone replacement). And your doctor wants you on 75mcg levo and 20mcg of lio? You know - that is actually a dose increase overall - more lio. It might just work...

[Hidden in reply to Jazzw]

i was on that and that is the blood result from the april this year. last week i scratched the Tyroxin [t3] as it is almost run out and i will not get a repeat from him. i am going to see an endocrinologist when i feel more confident, we have apparently a very good one not far from me. but that might be another 2 or more month.

[Jazzw in reply to Hidden]

Ah, I see! Got it. In that case, up the Thryroid S like I originally said.

With GPs like yours, no wonder so many of us end up having to go it alone...

Can you get your hands on more Thryroid S - have you got enough to get you through a couple of months?

[Hidden in reply to Jazzw]

oroxine 50mcg =88mcg of t4

t3 = thyroid-s 9mcg = 9mcg of t3

my head isn't in the right space\place neither. i easily confuse MYSELF !

next week, i will upp my Thyroid-s by 1\4.

[Jazzw in reply to Hidden]

Or... see my post above where I finally got my brain in gear ) - actually... maybe try the 75mcg oroxine, 20mcg lio the doctor’s suggesting.

You’ll almost certainly still have a suppressed TSH on that but it probably would raise your FT3 nicely.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Hidden]

I would dump the extra T4 and stay on NDT only or even add T3 to NDT.

[Hidden in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

greygoose already suggested the 2 grains of NDT. i will slowly build it up and then if i feel OK, i add 25mcg t3 until i run out. as i have to see an endocrinologist for more tertroxin t3 sooner or later [my GP refuses now] i might get more of it. thank you angelofthenorth. x

[Jazzw]

Hi christa1

A suppressed TSH won’t kill you - it’s not a thyroid hormone but a pituitary hormone. An FT3 result above the reference range for an extended time may lead to heart problems and osteoporosis etc but you don’t have an elevated FT3. So your doctor is panicking you unnecessarily. Many doctors were taught that a suppressed TSH is dangerous - which it is if your T3 levels are high! - but when they aren’t, it’s not a problem. When folk take T3 - any amount of T3 - they often find their TSH suppressed even though their FT3 and FT4 are in range. Often you just can’t raise TSH when you take T3 - but it doesn’t matter!

When on liothyronine/NDT, most folk find they feel best with an FT3 at the top of its range. Yours isn't - which indicates you’d benefit from a dose increase.

High blood pressure (yours is only moderately raised so don’t panic) is often a sign of undermedication. It may well come down with a dose increase (I wouldn’t decrease your dose). Perhaps try adding another quarter to a half grain of Thiroyd S to your daily dose?

[Hidden in reply to Jazzw]

jazzw, thank you for replaying to me.

my gp is one of the rear ones who love the female hormones and told me all along the portends of the t3 and the low tsh and t4 when on t3 and or ndt, but after beibg away from the surgery ....he has all his policies turned around.

all my vits are upper level or above.

[Jazzw in reply to Hidden]

I edited my post when I realised you’d already mentioned your vits and minerals (sorry - not awake yet ).

I edited my reply to mention that your higher than you’d like Blood pressure is more likely to be due to undermedication, not overmedication. If those were my results, I’d raise my dose a bit (see above edited post).

[Hidden in reply to Jazzw]

bloody time difference....i am getting tired

[Jazzw in reply to Hidden]

[greygoose]

Well, if it were me, I'd drop the oroxine and take 2 grains of Thyroid S. I take it you're a bad converter, which is why you need some form of T3. You don't need extra T4. When you're taking T3, the body only hangs on to as much T4 as it needs, and it doesn't need as much, so your FT4 comes back low. It's true that some people do need a bit of extra T4 to feel well, but you're not on a high enough dose of Thyroid S, yet, to know if you need extra T4. However, you do need more T3. So, increase the Thyroid S. Two grains. Hold for six weeks and retest, see how you are.

If you've been taking 20 mcg T3, and suddenly changed to 1 grain of Thyroid S, containing just 9 mcg T3, that's a terrible reduction in dose! Not surprising you feel as if your brain's been fried! But, forget the TSH. It doesn't matter. It's low because you don't need it anymore.

[Hidden]

thank you greygoose, will do as you suggested. it makes sense. yes i am not converting well. i am a collector i keep my t4 and put it away save in the rt3 bag....

[cazlooks]

I'm sorry, I am completely confused with all your info - there's often a lot of info for people with thyroid conditions but you have a LOT I can't even understand if you are on NDT or levothyroxine liothyronine or on a combo of all of these. However, my advise would be to lose the levo and lio and stick to NDT. Forget all the numbers and figures, the normal range stats are based on the thyroid levels of 30 old men in USA in the 60's, or some-such thing, and they are rarely relevant to young ladies such as yourself in Australia! Try a reasonable dose of an NDT, monitor yourself for a few months, and if you are knackered, up the dose or down it accordingly. So for example, you take some and you have consistent high blood pressure - then you reduce slightly; if your bp is OK but you are too tired then up it a bit. On advice from my consultant, I stagger intake, so I'm on 3 grains Nature Throid, and I take one morning, noon and tea-time; that may help you too.

[Hidden in reply to cazlooks]

yes, greygoose already put my head right with changing to 2 thyroid-s. and thank you for the compliment, but you can't really know : i am 65Y

[Angel_of_the_North]

I would be aiming for a free T3 of 5.5-5.9. So that would mean a rise in NDT. Personally, I find that I do better on T3 only than on NDT, but I don't have Hashis. You could buy your own T3 instead of NDT and add that to your levo, or do they prescribe NDT in Australia. It's usual for TSH to be very low on NDT and free T4 to be low normal or even under range. the milk kefir will give you tyrosine (needed to make t4) and plenty of vitamins, as well as gut support. Only problem with fish oil can be too much vit A - make sure that you are taking your coffee (and fish oil) well away from your NDT. You might want to try organic selenium to lower antibodies.

[Hidden in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

thank you angel, i would love to get over 5 with my t3. until now it was easy for me to get my GP to experiment under his control. he is [was] very knowledgeable in all female hormone problems also the thyroid. but at my last visit he turned around 360 deg and holds up the opposite philosophy of t3 tertroxin and NDT. he is not willing to prescribe tertroxin to me without the all clear from an endocrinologist. as soon i i feel more settled and confident i am getting a referral and see one not far from me, he is apparently very good and thorough with thyroid patients. thank you for the tip with the cod liver oil. i might just drink it 3x a week. my selenium is over range and i cant take another round of it until i get bloods done.

i am working on gut support. everything takes so long for me to understand. i got insecure again and needed some support...i got lots and i am grateful.

[humanbean]

I am confused. This post was written by christa1 but everyone is replying to chris-.

christa1 hasn't made any replies at all.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

i went ahead and deleted chris- [i think ] but now i can not acess my profile for christa1?

i am in desperate need of help here.

BtW, i had to create another profile meme88 is christa1.

what a chamossel. i should have had my coffee first!!!!!!!

[humanbean in reply to Hidden]

You'll find christa1's post and replies here :

healthunlocked.com/user/chr...

I don't know why you can't log into it - you'll need to ask an admin about that.

Just for future reference, members can change their usernames twice without creating a new account. If you go to this page you'll find the option to change username near the bottom of the page.

healthunlocked.com/settings

Good luck.

[christa1 in reply to humanbean]

i think i have it all sorted out now, will delete the meme88.

tell you what, nothing gets a heart rate up better then trying to put something right and don't know how, feeling like a charlatan.

[Hidden]

thank you humanbean for pointing that out!

i started to read in the forum, then got a profile i did not finished for some reason. don't know why. later i must have started a new one or the other way round?????? i get very often , very confused. will try to set it right, right now. i had nothing sinister in mind here. sorry.

[christa1]

meme88 will be deleted soon, i "think" i have it right now!

[christa1 in reply to christa1]

that is what bullet prove coffee can do. lights go on inside the brain :-0