Any thoughts on results would be greatly appreciated!

[etwells]

Hi Everyone.

First time poster, long time follower here. I have been struggling with Hashi's for about 10 years but finally diagnosed 2 years ago. My recent lab tests were rather strange and I suspect I am a poor convert of T4. So many of you have great insight and knowledge that I figured I would ask the experts - my doc is by no means well versed in this area but does at least listen and take direction

Labs from 7/24/18

TSH 0.01 (Range 0.4 - 4.50)

Free T4: 1.2 (Range 0.8 - 1.8)

Free T3: 2.5 (Range 2.3 - 4.2)

I was taking 1112 mcg Levo and 10 mg T3. Switched to NDT today - starting at 65 mg or 1 grain (38 mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3) and will adjust accordingly. I am set to retest in 6-8 weeks. According to WP thyroid (NDT company) that is the equivalent to 100 mcg T4 levo).

A year ago (on 50 mcg Levo) my labs were :

TSH 0.01 (Range 0.4 - 4.50)

Free T4 1.5 (0.8 - 1.8)

Free T3 1.8 (2.3 - 4.2)

T3 uptake 37% (Range 22 - 35%)

I have never had a reverse T3 done and will probably have to fight for it next time if it is warranted.

Thanks so much for any help!

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and you will find all of the members very helpful.

I think you will feel much better on NDT and to judge if our dose is helping us - it is how we 'feel' on a particular dose.You are taking NDT, which contains T4, T3, T2, T1 and cacitonin and the blood tests were invented for the use of levothyroxine alone.

One of our Advisers (deceased) recommended taking a starting dose and increasing by 1/4 a tablet every two weeks - always taking note of pulse/temp several times a day. If either goes too high drop to previous dose.

I shall give you links to three chapters and he would never prescribe levothyroxie -only NDT or T3 for thyroid hormone resistant patients.

Copy and paste the tinyurls onto a new page:

tinyurl.com/ya5blrr2

tinyurl.com/y7ejh9sh

tinyurl.com/ycxpz565

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

Excerpt below:

Dr. Lowe: With most patients, I use thyroid function tests (TSH, free T3, and free T4) and thyroid antibodies only for a patient’s initial diagnosis. Afterward, I follow the practice, in principal, of Dr. Broda Barnes—that is, measuring tissue effects of particular dosages of thyroid hormone rather than remeasuring TSH, free T3, and free T4 levels.

My reason for this different protocol is simple: the TSH, free T3, and free T4 tell us only how the pituitary and thyroid glands are interacting. Of course, the test levels may also tell us something of the influence of thyroid hormone over the hypothalamus in its secretion of TRH, another hormone that influences the pituitary gland's secretion of TSH.

Tissue measures of thyroid hormone tell us what is most important, that is, how the patient's tissues other than the pituitary and hypothalamus are responding to a particular dosage of thyroid hormone.

To accomplish this objective, with long distance patients, I mainly use the basal body temperature, basal pulse rate, speed of the Achilles reflex, and the voltage of the electrocardiogram tracing.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[etwells in reply to shaws]

Thanks, Shaws! I will check out those links. Interestingly, I have to wait a bit for new script to be filled. Took a smaller dose of Levo and a higher dose of T3 early this morning. Woke up with less joint pain. Coincidence? maybe.

[shaws Administrator in reply to etwells]

I don't think its a coincidence. T3 in our T3 receptor cells work wonders.