Underactive and looking for advice please

[UnderactiveSue]

I've been on a combination of 125mcg of Levothyroxine plus 10mcg of Liothyronine for over 10 years. I don't feel this dosage is effective any more. My recent blood results were: TSH 0.03, FT4 13.3 and T3 1.9. Any comments or advice will be much appreciated. Thanks.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

UnderactiveSue

As reference ranges vary from lab to lab, if you add the ranges to your results we can interpret them and help you. If you don't have them, and the tests were done at your GP surgery, as at the reception desk for a print out of your results (don't accept verbal or hand written results, mistakes can be made).

They should look like, eg

TSH: 2.5 (0.2-4.2)

etc

[UnderactiveSue in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for your reply SeasideSusie. I have my bloods done at the GP surgery. I have to specifically request the T3 to be tested. Also I have to request the details of each reading. I will try for a print off of the results but I don't think they will do that. It's like getting blood out of a stone! I'll try anyway.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to UnderactiveSue]

UnderactiveSue

I have to specifically request the T3 to be tested

You are lucky it's tested actually. Even when a doctor requests it, it's down to the lab to make the decision to test FT3. Generally it's only done if TSH is out of range.

Also I have to request the details of each reading.

None of us are automatically handed our results. We have to ask for them.

I will try for a print off of the results but I don't think they will do that

They cannot refuse. In the UK it is our legal right to have copies of our medical records and blood tests without charge under the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection

Act (GDPR). . Ask for a print out, if they refuse then remind them of your legal right and that by refusing they are breaking the law.

Further information here if you encounter any problems:

thyroiduk.org/tuk/NHS_Infor...

At my surgery there is no online access for results (or anything else). I just walk into the surgery, ask the receptionist for a print out of my results from xxxx test done on xxxx date, and there and then it is printed out for me and handed over with a smile. Don't ask a doctor, they don't like you to know or understand anything, but as long as a doctor has seen your test results they must be made available to you with no charge.

With these results you've given:

FT4 13.3 and T3 1.9

FT4 ranges we see here are 7-17, 9-19, 11-23, 12-22, and others, so you see why we can't interpret your result, with one range you could be 63% through range and with another you could lbe 13% through range.

As for the T3 at 1.9 - is that Free T3 or Total T3. It makes a lot of difference and the ranges are very different. Total T3 is not a useful test, it's Free T3 that tells us what we need to know, i.e. do we convert T4 to T3 well enough?

[silverfox7]

Excellent advice as usually from SS but just something else to be aware of. Yes you can request results to be printed out but just recently rly I've seen on here and other thyroid site that some are being charged for them. As SS says there is no longer any charge and this was stopped May 26 2018 so just throwing this out to you as your doctor may have chosen To forget it! Before that they were able to claim a reasonable amount for paper and ink but I suspect the word reasonable was open to interpretation so it was stopped completely. I think 10p a sheet was considered usual but some were really overstepping the mark.