Thank you in advance to everyone who recommended I get my Ferritin, Iron, etc checked as well as TSH labs. I had to pay out of pocket (I'm in the US). 3 weeks after adding 2.5 mcg of Liothyronine to my 75mcg Synthroid my TSH levels improved. Below are my levels prior to adding 2.5 mcg of T3 and after:
75 mcg T4 only 2.5mcg T3 w/ 75 mcg T4 Range
TSH: 2.29 Now 1.04 (.4 - 4.50)
Free T4: 1.30 Now 1.30 (.8 - 1.80)
Free T3 2.50 Now 3.10 (2.30 -4.20)
Total T3 102 Now 95 (76 - 81)
My other labs are as follows NOW:
FERRITIN 33 (20-288) NOT GOOD!
IRON 121 (37-145)
B12 968 (232-1245)
VIT D 53 (30-100)
ZINC .7 (.5-1.0)
SELENIUM 216 (109-218) before starting T3, lowered supplement
FOLATE >20 (>4.6)
I'm happier with my thyroid levels; my insomnia is still horrible but that is probably from emotional problems. My voice is still horse; but I've only been on the T3 for about 3 weeks. HOWEVER symptoms of low Ferritin: I do have hair loss, fast heartbeat at times, no appetite, some tinnitus. I read that Ferritin deficiency can be a cause of low thyroid function, but my TSH levels/T3 have improved. My Endo Dr. didn't even care if I took the vitamin labs, etc. so I don't know what input she will give me regarding this. I don't know if IRON supplementation is safe since my Iron is within range. I also always feel WIRED, never fatigued or run-down even on only 5 hrs. sleep. I will ask my acupuncturist/functional dr since my Endo Dr isn't about nutrition, but any feedback regarding this would be greatly appreciated.
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bessygo
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I've always found Stop The Thyroid Madness website very helpful when looking for 'optimal' ranges for lab results. Being in 'range' is not the same as being 'optimal' for people with thyroid disorders.
Thanks for your feedback. I have magnesium in some of my supplements but also take 200 mg of OptiMag NeuroMag which is Magnesium as L-theonate and lysinate glycinate from my functional dr. Perhaps I should take a 2nd dose of it. I take it a couple of hours before bedtime since I don't want it to interfere with any supplements I take. Unfortunately it doesn't touch my insomnia. I am only on 1 dose of 2.5mcg of T3 and was taking it at 11pm but thought that might be not good for my sleep issues and have started taking it at 4am instead. I am thinking of getting a Total Iron Binding Capacity Blood Test since my Iron levels are okay but my Ferritin is low to see what's up. I should have gotten that test but just got the Iron/Ferritin test; pitfall of not having a dr guide me through this. Thank God for this support group!
It doesn't specify in that link what the optimal level for ferritin is, but many people on this site lose their low iron symptoms when ferritin is kept around mid-range.
This suggests that you might need a ferritin level of about 150 - 160 and a serum iron level of 95 - 112. Women should probably aim for serum iron in the lower half of that range and men for the upper half of that range.
In people whose bodies handle iron in a healthy way, if they take iron supplements while their ferritin is low the body will shovel the iron from supplementing into ferritin rather than into serum iron, and serum iron itself will not change much.
But in some cases the serum iron will rise and the ferritin might hardly change.
Unfortunately, without testing there is no way of knowing in advance how your iron and ferritin levels will be affected if you supplement. As a result it is essential to test iron and ferritin regularly while supplementing.
If iron does go high then stop supplementing immediately. This link explains some reasons for high iron / low ferritin :
Please note that the above link does not include reference ranges or units of measurement, so the numbers given are not actually helpful. There is no guarantee that US numbers for iron testing bear any relationship to European numbers. I think that Reason 2 given on that link is more common than Reason 1.
Also note that it is very helpful to include percentage saturation in any iron-related testing in future.
Yes, I got MTHFR test for CC(677C>T) and CC (1298A>C) mutations. I do not have those, but I have 2 copies of 1298 A>C mutation. Based on that my MTHFR enzmatic activity may be decreased by as much as 40% below normal but am not expected to be at increased risk for elevated homocysteine levels. Whatever that means. My Endo Dr won't have clue about this. I got it checked since a mental health therapist was telling me to take folate supplement for depression but I found out I should get my MTHFR tested before to see if I could She didn't even know about the MTHFR effect; had to research that myself.
Yes, my selenium was on the high side so I took a look at my supplements. One on them had a high level of selenium so I'm taking that every other day now.
Since I still have symptoms of lowish body temperature, hoarse voice, oversensitivity to cold/heat; and looking at my levels...I may see if it might be good to lower my Synthroid T4 back to 50 mcg and add another 2.5 mcg of T3 for a total of 5 mcg of T3. I know 2.5 mcg is a tiny amount, but I am very sensitive to meds. Thought gluten free, my Hashimoto's antibodies went from 66 to 78 (I never ate much gluten anyways....I doubt I have a leaky gut, since most of my micronutrients were in a good range, and don't have celiac disease). My acupuncturist said I could cheat a little every now and then on the gluten (I never had any digestive issues with it) My B-12 is in good range: 968 (range 200 - 1100).
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