I could do with a little help regarding FT4 levels. I've been ill a long time with suspected thyroid or adrenal problems. Recently I became much worse with worsening of symptoms I already had - weight loss, hair loss from all over the body, anxiety, going to the toilet a lot etc.
I went and had my TSH, FT4 and FT3 checked (blood drawn at 9:15am) and for the first time ever it came back with a result outside of the range!
My TSH and FT3 were normal but the FT4 was slightly elevated:
TSH - 1.1 (Range 0.27-4.2)
FT4 - 22.9 (Range 12-22)
FT3 - 5.9 (Range 3.1-6.8)
The thing is, how do you end up with a high FT4 without the TSH being low? Is that likely to be hyperthyroid or could another illness raise only the FT4? And would such a small rise in the T4 be enough to make me so ill and such worse symptoms?
As always any help hugely appreciated!
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omron
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Well, everyone's different when it comes to causing symptoms, but I rather doubt it. You're certainly not hyper with those results. But, with those results, I would want my antibodies tested.
Ah! I'm having my antibodies done in the next couple of weeks so I can report back then. Unfortunately in the past they've never been raised.
The main reason I picked up on such a minor elevation is that just over 18 months ago the FT4 was 16.4, and so now it being 22.9 seems like quite a big jump. Also every other time it's been tested over years it's been between 16-19, so this does seem out of the ordinary for me. Plus my worsening symptoms all felt more on the hyper side of things.
My sister has Hashi's actually and has only ever produced 2 blood tests with high antibodies in about 5 years! Mostly they're normal even with a pretty huge goitre and when she's very symptomatic. So yes, I've some firsthand experience of the tests not being all that reliable.
Ha! I think someone on here once told me I had pretty much perfect test results. Shame I feel so rubbish.
I'm not on any meds though, and I haven't had any antibodies tested recently. As I said to greygoose above I'm getting them done in the next couple of week. But in the past they've always been normal.
I had hyper symptoms for a year, but my dr. only tested TSH (normal ranges) and told me it was "just anxiety." I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to a private lab and had the complete thyroid workup, and my t4 was slightly elevated. My TSH was still normal though, so my Dr. would have never caught it. I took those results to the dr. and he ordered an uptake scan, which showed I did indeed have a hyperactive thyroid. Over the next couple of months, my t4 kept rising, but my TSH stayed in normal limits. Then all of a sudden, I felt a million times worse! Turns out my TSH had finally plummeted! It was awful! Sorry for the long reply. I just wanted you to know that it is possible to be symptomatic before your TSH reflects an abnormal result. My dr. explained it as T4 and T3 are the thyroid hormones. The TSH is pituitary so it can take a while before the brain gets the signals of having too little or too much thyroid hormone.
No need to apologise for the long post! The more help the better. I'm just thankful there are people who can offer some help and possibly assist in shedding light on what's going on.
And it's great for me to see that you had similar test results. I'm going to see my GP soon so can push for an uptake test and that might give me an answer. So I really appreciate you taking the time to reply! It could be a big help.
Hi Omron. Just out of interest are you taking any supplements containing Biotin ? When I was taking a very low dose B complex which contained 25mcg of Biotin, my FT4 was a little over range on two occasions but with a completely normal TSH. The GP couldn’t understand it and I have still not found time to make an appt to raise this query with him about possible skewing of results. I did feel a bit hyper at the time of both tests-but that could have been due to the B vitamins ! Since coming off the supplements I have never had an over range FT4 again. Strangely a Medichecks finger prick test around the same time did not show over range FT4 so I presumed they use a different testing method where Biotin doesn’t interfere!
About 6 months ago I was taking a Vit B complex and Vit D. Unfortunately I don't have them anymore to see if they contained Biotin. Although I'm guessing after 6 months it's unlikely they'd still be affecting me.
Hi Omron. Yes, I agree, I very much doubt the B complex would affect your test results after so long! I think you only have to stop the Biotin a few days before a test if it’s at risk of affecting results. Back to the drawing board .... !
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