Lack of FT3

[Misanthy]

Hello everyone!

I'm 30 yo woman and diagnosed with Hashimoto at may 2016.

Since then I am on levothyroxine. Around one and half years ago I was on 25 mcg Tiromel as well, then I changed country that I lived and have got very hard times for to find good endo here since then. There is no Tiromel or equivalent drug here nor most doctors are aware of it. I've found only one endocrinologist so far who is OK with T3.

But my problem is I cannot make an appointment with her anymore and it is probably very unlikely in the future.

Long story short:

I am currently on 37.5 mcg levothyroxine for the last 7 months.

And these are my current results:

TSH --> 3.86 mIU/L (0.38-3.60)

FT3 --> 2.10 pmol/L (3.39-6.47)

FT4 --> 10.9 pmol/L(10.3-21.9)

According to these results I probably need some dose adjustment and also adding some T3 maybe, since the T3 in my body pretty low right now.

I was taking 12.5 mcg T3 at monday and 12.5 mcg at thursday around 2 years ago without problem.

My concern is I am working out and 16:8 fasting so do I really need T3? I mean does it cause muscle loss etc?

When I was taking T3 I was pretty skinny(48kg) even though I was that kinda skinny I was put on that dose back then.

But now, my skin dry out, nails are crippling layer by layer from the flesh and I am constipated most of the time.

My energy levels are not so bad comparing to past but who knows; after some adjustment I might be better comparing now.

My T4 dose is generally increased by 12.5 mcg each time, so...

Should I increase my T4 dose and also add T3 as I was prescribed before with the same dosage and same usage

or...

Should I only add T3 and wait and see the results?

In fact, I feel so desperate where I live due to lack of medical help and so sick of trying to find a doc, until I find a good one could any of you help me please?

Thank you very much for reading that so far.

[Misanthy]

Well, that was enough for me 6 months ago Thanks a lot for reply

[Hellonwheels]

Where are you located? (country)

[Camomile1]

As reallyfedup says: the Levothyroxine dose you’re on is too low. Your TSH is above the range not by much but what’s crucial is your T4 & T3 levels anyway. TSH should be about 1 or just below & T4 should be mid to top of range. T3 is not generally prescribed in the UK where I am but an increase in dose of Levothyroxine should help you. Need to increase by 25 mcg per 6 weeks & check your levels. You should find your TSH falling & your T4 rising. Have you been tested for Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism? If you have high antibodies you could have Hashimoto’s which is the autoimmune type of Hypothyroidism & if you do have this then having a gluten free diet should also assist your general/bowel health.

Hope that helps? Also get your Vitamin D & Vitamin B12 levels checked as you may need to supplement these for Levothyroxine to work optimally. Do NOT supplement before being tested. Once you have your Vit level results & Antibody results please post them again & Im sure there will be many people on this forum that can help. Good Luck!