Help with interpreting test results: Hi everyone... - Thyroid UK

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Help with interpreting test results

Auntbessy profile image
8 Replies

Hi everyone,

I took a medichecks ultravit thyroid test recently and would really appreciate your feedback on the results below:

TSH 2.79 range 0.27-4.20

Free thyroxine 13.9 range 12-22

Free t3 4.03 range 3.10-6.8

Thyroglobulin antibody 312 range 0-115

Thyroid peroxidise antibodies 9 range 0-34

B12 is 95.4

Folate is 16

Vit D is 64

Ferritin is 53

I have Hashimotos and have been solely on Levo for 6 years. For the last couple of years I have had to keep upping my dose to get my tsh back to below 1 but it creeps up again after about 4 or 5 months. Is my free t3 bad?

I am still symptomatic. Putting on weight whilst not eating loads and healthily, swelling feeling on and off around my throat, tiredness and random aches and pains in my legs and feet because they seem to swell sometimes.

Thanks in advance for any advice you give!

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Auntbessy profile image
Auntbessy
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8 Replies
SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Auntbessy

Those results show that you're very undermedicated. You probably realise that your TSH is far too high, and your FT4 is very low in range and FT3 is where one would expect to see it with the other results, so it's not bad per se, none of your results are good. If your TSH was lower, your FT4 and FT3 would be higher.

Are you addressing the Hashi's with a gluten free diet and supplementing with selenium?

B12 is 95.4

Folate is 16

Vit D is 64

Ferritin is 53

Ranges would be helpful for these but I know most of them.

B12 is 95.4 and this is the Active B12 test where the range is something like 25-165 so your level isn't bad but could be higher. Less than 70 would suggest you should be tested for B12 deficiency. You could consider supplementing with sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges 1000mcg and a B Complex to balance all the B vitamins.

Folate is 16 - I don't know the range for this. If there is a proper range with low and upper limits then it needs to be at least half way through.

Vit D is 64 The Vit D Council, the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health all recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L so you could do with supplementing with D3 to raise this. My suggestion would be to use an oral spray as you have Hashi's and BetterYou do a 3000iu one. I'd use 6000iu daily for 6 weeks, then 3000iu daily, then retest 3 months after starting.

Once you've reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/

There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds.

Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.

Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

Check out the other cofactors too.

BetterYou do a combined D3/K2 spray which you may want to consider.

Ferritin is 53 That's too low, it should be half way through it's range and needs to be 70 for thyroid hormone to work.

You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

Auntbessy profile image
Auntbessy

Hiya, yes I know my TSH isn’t great but like I said I keep upping my levo dose and then after several months my TSH creeps up again. It is never stable. What I am keen to know though is whether I have a T4 to t3 conversion problem? I am on B12 and iron supplements and the results show a massive improvement from where I was in April but I know I still have a way to go. The vitamin D was a surprise though because I take vitamin D supplements and spend a lot of time outdoors!

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Auntbessy

How much Levo are you currently taking?

Do you always stick to same brand of Levothyroxine?

Always take Levo on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after.

Many take early morning on waking, but it may be more convenient and possibly more effective taken at bedtime

verywell.com/should-i-take-...

All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)

Is this how you did the test?

Auntbessy profile image
Auntbessy in reply to SlowDragon

Hi Slowdragon, I take 125/150 alternate days. I take it 5am when I wake up at night for the loo. Then I go back to bed till 7. I mainly have the same brand.

When I did my test, I did it at 10am that was the earliest I could do with my kids and the school run and getting to The clinic. I fasted beforehand and only drank water. I hadn’t taken my dose that morning and also stopped my vitamin supplements for a week.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Auntbessy

Have you tried strictly gluten free diet, it helps many of us with Hashimoto's

Your results suggest you are under medicated. Suggest you try 150mcg every day.

Improve vitamin levels with supplements as outlined by SeasideSusie

Then retest again in 8 weeks

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.

Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor

 please email Dionne at

tukadmin@thyroiduk.org

Auntbessy profile image
Auntbessy in reply to SlowDragon

Hi Slow Dragon, yes I am gluten free. I get very ill if I eat gluten or dairy. I’m considering really lowering my refined sugar and white carb intake too.

Do you mean retest with the thyroid ultravit test?

Is my free T3 level good then? I don’t know how to work it out in relation with my free T4.

Thanks

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Auntbessy

No FT3 is very low

On Medichecks ranges TSH likely needs to be under one

FT4 should be at least around 17-19

FT3 at least 5-5.5. Many people need it over 6

Increasing Levothyroxine dose to 150mcg should increase FT4 and FT3

But you may need further increase after that.

Many patients need higher than 150mcg

Most need it somewhere between 100mcg and 200mcg, but some need more than 200mcg

Auntbessy profile image
Auntbessy

OK thanks slowdragon. I will increase my dose and retest T4 and T3 in 8 weeks : )

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