Can someone please help with my recent blood test. My blood test before this said a TSH of 1.39 and FT4 9.6 FT3 5.3. I have had to pay private for these recent tests. I've never had the other tests before. I got an NHS blood test but only tested my TSH and FT4.GP put my levothyroxine up to 175mg a few days before the private test. I was on 150mg levothyroixne. My T3 was stopped beginning of December 2018 in was on 10mgs.
Thankyou in advance
The number One question is:
how do you 'feel' on switching to levothyroxine from T3? Blood tests only point to numbers not 'how the patient feels'.
Did you have the blood drawn at the earliest and fasting and a gap of 24 hours between last dose of levo and the test?
Did you contact your MP about the withdrawal of your T3. Your TSH is too high and your FT3 on the low side. It takes about six weeks when we increase dose before we get a blood test but the most important question is 'how do you feel' on this new regime?
Hi shaws, sorry I was on a combination Of levothyroxine 150mgs 1 day 125mgs the next day plus10mgs liothyronine daily. Then once the liothyronine was stopped the levothyroxine was put up to 150mgs daily for 6 weeks, I'm now on 175mgs levothyroxine for 6 days now. I feel terrible so tired and the brain fog is really bad. I've had to have some time off work. I suffer with anxiety which has got worse. I'm either sleeping to much or hardly at all. My D3 was tested and was 26 so my GP has put me on 3,200 daily.
Also yes i did leave a 24hour gap between the test and taking my meds i also fasted. It was taken 1st thing in the morning. I was worried about the other results to. Does it mean I have hashimotos?
Yes you have hashimoto's which is the commonest form of hypothyroidism and treatment is the same. Going gluten-free can help reduce the antibodies as it is the antibodies that attack the thyroid gland and they wax and wane.
If you have the werewithall to purchase your own T3 as your T3 could be higher you'd need to put up a new post asking for a private message to be sent to you.
Thyroiduk also have a Petition going on with the House of Lords and I'll give you a link for information. Lord Hunt was horrified that T3 was withdrawn from patients who need it.
If you increased your levothyroxine only a few days before this blood test, you really needed to have waited for c 6 weeks before testing. The results show you to be under-medicated, but you don't know what impact the dose increase has had, to know whether or not you are now optimally medicated.
BTW if when you post a photo again, you first edit it to remove extraneous and/or white areas, it makes it so much easier to read.
I know I should have waited 6 weeks really but I hadn't had my FT3 tested by the Gp so I wanted to really know what was going on with it. I've been put on 200mgs of thyroxine in the past with no T3 and felt awful. I was on the combination for 7 years and felt ok. Just worried about the other results to as I don't understand want they mean. Thanks for the advice
Yes I understand, but being so under-medicated, it's not possible to conclude from those results whether you have a conversion problem and therefore whether the increased dose of Levo will ultimately provide sufficient T3. Once optimally medicated and your FT4 is in the upper half of the reference range (it is below midway in those results) you can see how well or poorly, your conversion rate is, from your FT3 result compared with your FT4. Your TPO result confirms that you have Hashimoto's, and may explain why you have felt unwell previously. There is no medical treatment but you may benefit from lifestyle changes such as dietary approaches eg excluding gluten and/or dairy. Your CRP result is a general indicator for inflammation, but does not identify what, and it could be slightly elevated due to something such as having recently had the flu, for instance. Your other results are low in range, but SeasideSusie will hopefully advise in much more detail.
Thankyou so much
So do you think I'm under medicated then? It would explain why I haven't felt great all this time. I've was diagnosed 20 years ago. Endo said it was primary hypothyroidism. I had asked for thyroid antibodies to be tested as I have a family history of autoimmune diseases. But he said there was no point. I had a ultra sound last year and showed that my thyroid was small. So I've only just found out through my own blood test that I actually have hasimotos. I will try anything to feel myself and lose weight.
Very undermedicated. On levo, your TSH should be well under 1 and free T4 and free T3 about 75% of their ranges. Also both B12 and folate are dire,
Thankyou. When I was on 10mgs of liothyronine my TSH was 1.39. This new result is 6 weeks after not having any T3. I need to get some vitamins I think.
Who decided to stop your T3?
If you were originally diagnosed as having clinical need by an NHS endocrinologist then you should NOT have had T3 stopped
You certainly should have been referred to an NHS endocrinologist to be assessed before any attempt to reduce T3 was under taken
Was 10mcg dose just stopped cold? It should have been reduced much slower
Utterly outrageous treatment
Guidelines from British Thyroid Association
british-thyroid-association...
Which CCG Area are you in?
Your antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's
Extremely common for vitamin levels to crash right down when T3 is stopped
GP will need to test B12, folate and ferritin themselves. Most likely you need B12 injections and folic acid Supplements
Possibly ferrous fumerate supplements too
Vitamin D is clearly dire. The dose prescribed is possibly not be high enough
You should be given loading dose, which is 300,000 units over 6-8 weeks. That equals 5,000 - 7,000iu per day
Local CCG guidelines
clinox.info/clinical-suppor...
Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist
approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly.
Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
Insist that GP does coeliac blood test and tests vitamins
chriskresser.com/the-gluten...
amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...
thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...
drknews.com/changing-your-d...
Dossier presented to Lord O'Shaughnessy November 26th
drive.google.com/file/d/1c2...
Liothyronine gender inequality
england.nhs.uk/wp-content/u...
medscape.com/viewarticle/90...
thyroidtrust.org/media-cove...
Email Dionne at Thyroid Uk for list of recommended thyroid specialists.
Getting a private prescription for T3 while you fight this
Come back with new post and update us after seeing GP
Slowdragon, thankyou so much for all this. I'm going to phone my GP tomorrow and get an appointment as soon as possible. I don't know who decided to stop my T3 I just got a phone call from Dr , a Dr I didn't know, to say that my repeat prescription of liothyronine has been declined as it's not going to licenced in the uk from December 2018. I said surly it cant be right i only have 2 weeks worth left, but she just said continue to take 150mgs levothyroxine everyday then we will check your bloods in 6 weeks. I said i dont feel well when just on t4 .. I said about going private but was told I wouldn't be able to get it. My GP has been good at helping me now. I was told I should have a decision by tomorrow. My GP said it's the head of endocrinolgy that makes the final decision. I'm going to email my blood results to them. I will keep you updated. Once again thankyou you're a star
Blood test confusion
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Recent blood test results 
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