Can high FT3 indicate hyperthyroidism?

[Shadiu91]

Hello, I took a blood test yesterday morning to check my thyroid (TSH, FT3 and FT4) since I am suffering from symptoms that could indicate hyperthyroidism. Today the results came in and everything is in range apart from FT3, which is slightly too high. What does that mean? If needed I will post my results. I am gonna talk with my doctor later this afternoon anyway but I also wanted your opinions.. thanks in advance for any reply!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Post your other results Shadiu, let's see what's going on.

Do you already have a diagnosis of a thyroid condition and are you on any thyroid medication?

[Shadiu91 in reply to SeasideSusie]

No I don't have a diagnosis on anything in particular, and i'm only taking a multivitamin.

I had a deficiency of vit D at the beginning of this year, but I keep feeling unwell.

These are the results:

TSH - 1.430 - micro IU/mL 0.380 - 5.330

FT3 - 4.33 > - pg/mL 2.27 - 4.00

FT4 - 0.83 - ng/dl 0.60 - 1.12

Thanks again anyway!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Shadiu91]

Your results are unusual but they don't indicate hyperthyroidism. For that you would have a suppressed TSH (below 0.01) and an over range FT4.

What was your Vit D level? What dose of D3 are you taking? Are you also taking D3's important cofactors, in particular magnesium and Vit K2-MK7? do you take your D3 with the fattiest meal of the day (it is fat soluble)?

As your Vit D was deficient, maybe other nutrients are too, have you had the following tested

B12

Folate

Ferritin

If not, ask for them to be done.

The multivitamin wont be helping much, they generally contain too little of anything to help, often contain the least absorbable and wrong form of ingredients and if they contain

calcium

iodine

iron

then these should all have been tested and only supplemented if found to be deficient.

If it contains iron, it affects the absorption of anything else and needs to be taken at least 2 hours away from other supplements and medication. If you take your multivitamin at the same time as your D3 then the D3 wont be absorbed.

[Shadiu91 in reply to SeasideSusie]

My vit D was very low, but I don't remember the exact figure right now. However, this summer I checked all the vitamins and everything was well within range. Even the vitamin D was very good.

Yes I take magnesium and that vitamin k.

Iron is not in the multivitamin and my ferretine value is also normal.

Thanks for your reply anyway!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Shadiu91]

Just to say that "within range" and "normal" aren't necessarily optimal, so just so you know where they should be:

The Vit D Council advise 125nmol/L or 50ng/ml.

B12, 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."

For our own thyroid hormone to work properly, ferritin needs to be at least 70.

Folate should be at least half way through range.

[Shadiu91 in reply to SeasideSusie]

I understand, so just to be sure I'll share my vitamin values as they were this august:

vit B12 - 377.0 pg/ml

vit D - 48.40 ng/ml

folate - 8.4 ng/ml

fettirin - 82 mcg/dl

From what you said, my vit b12 should be higher, and I already talked with my doctor about it but he was not concerned about it, and though it was still good enough.

Also vit b12 is in the multivitamin i'm taking, but i didn't see a huge improvement from that, and before summer (until the end of july) I was taking a sublingual b12 supplement, 1000mcg.

What do you think about it? Thanks again.. it's really appreciated

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Shadiu91]

B12 ought to be higher, according to the quote from Sally Pacholok's book. I would restart the sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges and to balance all the B vitamins a good B complex needs to be taken when supplementing B12. Look at Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B, both contain bioavailable ingredients and at the recommended dose they provide 400mcg methyfolate which will help raise your folate level - there is no reference range so I can't tell how low your folate is.

Vit D is just about right, according to the Vit D Council, but the NHS in the UK recommends that everyone takes a maintenance dose of Vit D during the winter months as we draw on our stored supply then. I would consider taking 1000iu daily from now until March.

There's no range for your ferritin so I don't know if it's half way through.

[Shadiu91 in reply to SeasideSusie]

sorry for the ferritin and folate:

ferritine - 82 mcg/dL 60 - 160

folate - 8.4 ng/ml 4.0 - 20.0

I am not sure about the vit B12. if I have a problem absorbing it (pernicious anemia), it will take longer to understand it with a test if I keep supplementing.. I should probably not taking any b12 for a few months and that retest it.. also, while I was taking the sublingual b12 I didn't see any improvement.. I'm confused about what I should do and a bit scared as well

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Shadiu91]

If you want to know your baseline for B12 then you need to be off supplements for 4-5 months, so don't take a B Complex either because folic acid/folate can mask signs of B12 deficiency.

You can check for signs of B12 deficiency here b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

Half way through your ferritin's range is 110, so you could improve 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...

[Shadiu91 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for all the information!

Yeah I have some symptoms of b12 deficiency but, as I said before, when I talked about it with my doctor he wasn't concerned.. but I will try to talk with him about this (again) and see what he thinks.. And i'll also try to see what happens if I don't take any b12 and folate for 4/5 months..

I will also increase my consumption of ferritine then!

Thanks again!