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[dashi2208]

Hi, any comments and feedback greatly appreciated. TSH too high? 150 mcg of Levothyroxine.

Thanks, Richard

(Thx SeaSide Susie for heads up)

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

dashi2208

Oh, that's much clearer

First question, how do you feel?

What makes you think your TSH is high? 0.02 with a range of 0.35-4.94, it's below range.

TSH isn't in too bad a place really although your GP wont like it. Most of them panic when TSH goes below range and scream that you're overmedicated. The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges when on Levo if that is where you feel well.

FT4: 17.5 (9.01-19.05) is good at 84% through range

FT3: 4.2 (2.35-5.70) is 55% through range so not in balance with FT4

Your T4:T3 conversion could be slightly better which would bring your FT3 up. Increasing Levo wont be the answer to improving your FT3 level as it would take your FT4 over range and lower your TSH even further. But if you feel well with these levels there's no need to do anything.

Optimal nutrient levels and supplementing with selenium can help with conversion of T4 to T3.

Vit D: 88.3nmol/L

The Vit D Council, the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health all recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L. If you want to boost your level the Vit D Council recommends the following for your current level

To reach 100nmol/L 800 IU D3 daily

125nmol/L - 2500 IU D3 daily

150nmol/L - 4600 IU D3 daily

along with it's important cofactors magnesium and Vit K2-MK7. Retest in 3 months' time to check your level then find a maintenance dose by trial and error once you've reached the recommended level.

Ferritin: 89 (22-275)

It's recommended that this should be half way through range. Eating liver or liver pate once a week will help raise your level, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content. Black pudding and other iron rich foods will also help apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

Iron is complicated and these are the optimal levels:

Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men and yours is 83% so a bit on the high side.

Transferrin: Low in range indicates lack of capacity for additional iron, High in range indicates body's need for supplemental iron. Your transferrin is very slightly over range.

Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men - yours is 26% so on the low side.

With that information (from rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_... ) you might want to discuss your results with your GP to see if he thinks you need an iron supplement, but because your ferritin isn't low or below range he might not see the need, and most doctors don't know about optimal levels anyway. Liver may be the best way to go and you could always repeat the iron panel in a few months to see how things are going. I am not an iron expert.

B12: 359pg/ml

According to an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:

"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".

"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."

Folate: 6.1 (3.10-20.5)

Folate and B12 work together. Folate should be at least half way through it's range.

If your Folate and B12 results were mine, I would be looking at using a sublingual methylcobalamin lozenge 1000mcg plus a good B complex such as Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B.

I can't see any problems with the rest of your results.

[dashi2208 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you SO much for your extensive, detailed reply. I will follow all of your advice. I have some B12 1000 and some B12 complex tablets from Holland and Barrett so I'll start taking them and get some of the type that you recommend. I also have some 5000iu D3's that I will take. Liver once a week is now on the menu. I generally don't eat meat (family are vegetarian) I don't really understand what you wrote about the whole Iron thing but I get the gist and love Liver and onions . . .so all good.

I used to post quite frequently on here, at that time I was taking NDT. I never felt right on it . . . hence often posting questions. I thought I should fair better on a 'natural' medicine but it seems the opposite is true. I feel better (I can't remember what 'well' feels like) taking Levothroxine and it's reassuring that my body can produce its own thyroid hormones . . with some chemical prompting .. . this I would hope is better than porcine T3 reliance.

As far as tweaking my T3 down a bit as you suggested/hinted . . I do have some Levothyronine 20mcg that my brilliant Dr. prescribed some time ago. They were £500 for 50 (!!!!???) and though the NHS paid at that time I was reluctant to get too attached to them because it seemed doubtful that at that price my supply would be reliable.

Thanks again

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to dashi2208]

dashi2208

As far as tweaking my T3 down a bit as you suggested/hinted

Up

Your FT3 is a bit low and not in balance with our FT4 so it needs to go up a bit. Optimising nutrient levels might very well do that so personally I'd hold back on adding the T3 (which is liothyronine 20mcg, not Levothyroxine, that your doctor prescribed)

at that time I was taking NDT. I never felt right on it

NDT didn't do it for me either.

Is this your H&B B12 hollandandbarrett.com/shop/...

If so, don't bother with it. It contains the wrong form of B12, cyanobalamin and it should be methylcobalamin.

Is this your B12 Compex from H&B hollandandbarrett.com/shop/... - it doesn't contain any folate (plus it contains cyanocobalamin)

or is it this one hollandandbarrett.com/shop/... and that contains folic acid instead of methylfolate (and cyanocobalamin).

H&B own brand, like supermarket and high street brands, are generally rubbish. They are made to sell cheaply by using the wrong form of ingredients which are the least absorbable. (Ever wondered how they can do penny sales?)

[dashi2208 in reply to SeasideSusie]

apologies . . I meant liothyronine. Yes, H&B own brands. I've ordered your suggestions.

Thx

[dashi2208 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi again,

I received the vitamins this morning and have taken one of each. Jarrow Methyl B-12 and Igennus Super B complex. I read with interest on the B-12 bottle label that there might be some improvement in sleep. I do hope so as sleep patterns have been problematic for years. Coincidentally I spent a small fortune on a new mattress yesterday to try to address the problem.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to dashi2208]

I've not heard that about B12 before. B vitamins can be stimulating, so usually best to take no later than lunchtime, but you could experiment.

[Gambit62 in reply to SeasideSusie]

B12 deficiency is associated with problems sleeping so if B12 supplementation is correcting low B12 levels it should correct this.

Reality is that people respond differently - some people find that B12 helps them sleep - seems to work that way with me - particularly methyl - but other people find exactly the opposite.

[dashi2208 in reply to Gambit62]

Hi, mind if I ask how long it took taking B-12 before it helped with your sleep?

I've started taking 1000mcg

Thx.

[Gambit62 in reply to dashi2208]

I have Pernicious Anaemia and that preceded hashi's - that means I have injections and use a lot of B12 - too long ago to remember when the sleep was sorted out

[Hidden in reply to dashi2208]

10 pounds a tablet???!!! How can it possibly cost so much???

[dashi2208 in reply to Hidden]

bbc.co.uk/news/business-420...

[Hidden in reply to dashi2208]

Good heavens.