New to the forum

[kferrer]

I'm relatively new here - about a month, I guess. I've been hypothyroid since I was 15 but diagnosed at 35. Now, I'm 53.

Right now I'm on a combo of T4 and T3. Since my doctor is afraid of suppressing my TSH, even when T4 and T3 levels are in the low end of the normal range, I'm currently seriously undermedicated. I think I'm going to make a change. I'm just not sure what or when.

[shaws Administrator]

Can you post your latest blood test results, with the ranges for comments from members.

You've had a rough time with hypothyroidism - the wait for ten years before you were diagnosed is awful from 15 to 35 - a lifetime.

Most on the forum have recovered their health when self-medicating. It is good that you are on a combination but I don't think your doctor understands that when we add T3 into T4 the TSH will most likely be suppressed due to the T3.

The fact is that blood tests were introduced for levothyroxine alone. Therefore blood tests do not 'fit' into the ranges when we take T3 added to T4, or NDT. or T3 alone. It is all about how the patient feels on a particular dose which is the guideline.

This is a past post and the article is by one of our Advisers.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

You may only need a small increase to lower TSH. It is the Free T3 and Free T4 which are more informative than T3 and T4.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

An excerpt from the link below:-

TSH is not a thyroid hormone and is not an appropriate

guide to thyroid replacement therapy. The hypothalamic-pituitary secretion of TSH did not evolve to tell physicians what dose

of levothyroxine a person should swallow every day. A low or suppressed TSH on replacement therapy is not the same

thing as a low TSH in primary hyperthyroidism. If you have central hypothyroidism, the TSH will necessarily be low or

completely suppressed on T4/T3 therapy; your physician must treat you according to symptoms and the free T4/free T3 levels.

hormonerestoration.com/

hormonerestoration.com/Thyr...

[kferrer in reply to shaws]

Thanks for the links! I hope to take a look at them soon. I pretty much know what I need. I have maintained my health by self medicating in the past but had hoped I had found a way out of that. I have just read Stop the Thyroid Madness and hope I can can find a doctor that understands what I need and is willing to provide it. We'll see.