Thyroid results

[mistygrey]

Hi

Can anybody help interpret my results

TSH 1.2 range 0.2-4.5

FT4 15 range 9-21

Total T3 1.6 range 0.9-2.4

Do I look undermedicated?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

mistygrey

Knowing what thyroid meds you take would help us to interpret your results.

Your FT4 being low, with that TSH, makes me think you take T3. And your Total T3 result isn't any help, it's FT3 that's needed.

Also, how do you feel?

[mistygrey in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi Susie

I’ve updated the T4 as it was 15 not 12 what I previously wrote.

I haven’t been feeling too well very sluggish and exhausted lately.

I’m on 50mcg T4 and 10mcg T3 (split 5mcg morning 5mcg afternoon) however my Endo had thought t3 May have been making me poorly as I’ve been quite exhausted and pale. So she suggested trying my original dose of T4 and keeping half a 5mcg T3 pill so that would be 75mcg T4 and 2.5mcg T3.

I wasn’t sure if it was the T3 causing my problems but I haven’t felt great with the 10mcg T3 added, I did at beginning but then came weight gain and exhaustion.

Not sure my Endo has helped much with the dosage info, it didn’t make much sense to me. So she thought trialling the T4 only with a small amount of T3 would see if it was the t3 making me sick. I am not convinced to be honest.

What do you suggest? The results above were on 7th November, my Gp would only test the usual Total t3 so I’d have to order a FT3 separately soon,

Thanks a lot for your input ☺️

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to mistygrey]

mistygrey

If you're going to have to do a private FT3, then do TSH, FT4 and FT3 all at the same time, it will probably be the same price. No point in doing FT3 on it's own, it has to be interpreted along with the others.

I'm not sure what help just 2.5mcg T3 would be to be honest.

I can't read back through all your posts to look at past results, but perhaps you weren't on enough T3 and that's why you were exhausted and pale. Maybe you hadn't hit the spot where you feel best, it takes an awful lot of tweaking of combination meds to find our best levels. I'm on Levo plus T3 and I need both FT4 and FT3 at around 75% through range to be optimally medicated. And as the FT3 test tells us the amount of unbound T3 that is available then testing FT3 is essential, Total T3 is pretty useless.

[mistygrey in reply to SeasideSusie]

I will have to order a private test. It’s frustrating as I did ask the nurse for FT3 and she complained and said it was an expensive test to have done. What a lot of rubbish. They should be doing it anyway regardless.

It could be that I wasn’t on high enough t3 however I didn’t tolerate large doses of it as I got palps and a racey heart at times.

It’s all a mystery, I am not sure what to do!

[mistygrey in reply to SeasideSusie]

Is my FT4 looking not optimal either?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to mistygrey]

Unfortunately, nobody can tell you where your FT4 level is optimal when taking T3. Everyone has their own level where they need it and it takes a lot of tweaking of doses to find our best level. Some people, when on a combination, are fine with a low in range FT4. As I said, I take a combination and need both FT4 and FT3 at around 75%. I've had my FT4 lower, I've had it everywhere between 8% through range and 99% through range and I now know that I need FT4 around 75% through range.

Your level with those results is 50% through it's range.