Hypothyroidism & Dizziness

[Snqanq]

Hi everyone

Im new here, diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 3 years ago, But it seemed to be at the borderline for many years..

been up & down to correct the doses, 75 - 100mg and reverse.. Never seem to get better with the medications even though the blood test results show it fines but still remain with all the main symptoms especially tiredness, very low energy,

Im on 100mg Levo at moments, it seem to be stable for a while and TSH blood test results seem to be fine also T3 in normal range, T4 a bit high at the boderline 22.1 but they said its alright

Recently I got the dizziness in the morning about 5-6 weeks now..Follow the advised here I just have my vitamins & iron test done and it seem to be fines also,

I don’t know What causes my dizziness in the morning around 11 am onward,

I’m wondering if the medication dose should be adjusted again, reduced to 75mg ?

As I seen some people here get better when they change the dose even their blood test shows fine with their prescribed dose,

I’m in low mood, depressed with my thyroids symptoms, But really want to try to improve my health with a useful experienced advises and lovely people here other than my GP,

Best x

[greygoose]

I don't think anyone can help you without seeing the exact numbers: results and ranges. But, it sounds to me as if you may have a conversion problem.

Have you had your B12 and folate tested? Low B12 can cause terrible dizziness - among other problems.

[Snqanq in reply to greygoose]

Hi, nice to have your quick reply greygoose the experienced one..I actually save your message to follow,

Sorry not post it in details, here is an update :

TSH: 1.21 mIU/L

FREE T3: 4.01 pmol/L

FREE THYROXINE (T4) 22.1 pmol/L

Yes I have B12 test done which is high ( not low ) and its said alright

Folate is normal

Ferritin is fine, Vitamin D is fine,

Liver function ALT: 39 its bit high but GP says nothing worries..

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Snqanq]

Results are meaningless without the ranges (figures in brackets after each result)

Every lab has different ranges

What vitamin supplements do you currently take?

Fine and normal are only opinion not a result

Vitamin D at least around 80nmol and around 100nmol may be better

Folate at least over ten

B12 at least over 500

Ferritin at least half way in range

FT3 looks low

[Snqanq in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for reply SlowDragon

Iron : 26.08 umol/L

Ferritin: 93.3 ug/L

Folate : 20.1 nmol/L

Active B12: 300pmol/L

Vitamin D: 71.8nmol/L

I’m currently taking omega 369,

Vitamin D3 25ug

Vitamin C 1000mg

Vitamin B12&9 taken 10days only before test, and it shows too high,

Have to stop it now

Best x

[greygoose in reply to Snqanq]

Yes, but you still haven't given any ranges. It's impossible to interpret results with any accuracy without them because they vary from lab to lab.

That said, your FT3 is probably very low, because you are not converting T4 to T3 very well.

Please put the ranges - they are usually in brackets after the results.

[Snqanq in reply to greygoose]

Sorry Im not good at this.. trying to learn it all bit by bits..

Update in full copies:

TSH

0.27 - 4.2 R

1.21 mIU/L

FREE T3

3.1 - 6.8 R

4.01 pmol/L

FREE THYROXINE

12 - 22 R

22.1 pmol/L

[greygoose in reply to Snqanq]

OK, so, as I thought, your FT4 is high and your FT3 is too low.

T4 (levo) is more or less a storage hormone that has to be converted in the body to the active hormone, T3. T3 is needed by every single cell in your body. So, if there's not enough of it, you can experience all sorts of symptoms. And, not all of us are very good at converting.

There can be many reasons why we don't convert well, and one of them is nutritional deficiencies. So, you need to ask your doctor to test vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin.

When you get the results, post them on here, with the ranges, and someone will explain them to you and advise you what you need to do next.

[Snqanq in reply to greygoose]

Will ask dr to check on FT4 & FT3..

Also just have vitamins blood test done:

Iron : 26.08 umol/L

Ferritin : 93.3 ug/L

Folate: 20.1 nmol/L

Vitamin D: 71.8 nmol/L

Active B12: 300 pmol/L

( said is too high ) so its not low as expected before test,

Being taken Omega 3-6-9,

Vitamin D3,

Vitamin C

[Marz in reply to Snqanq]

Your B12 is high due to supplementing. Check again later to ensure it doesn't drop like a stone.

[Snqanq in reply to Marz]

Oh ok ..will do, thanks

[greygoose in reply to Snqanq]

A word to the wise: it is very unlikely that your doctor will know anything about conversion. As your FT3 is within the range for him it will be just fine.

I'm afraid we need the ranges for those results, as for all blood test results.

[Snqanq in reply to greygoose]

I don’t know if we can trust the private online blood test results? it’s shows fine ..In the normal ranges to them but for those experience people over here is low ..

I’m bit confuse but will see what a proper doctor says

[greygoose in reply to Snqanq]

Oh dear. I'm afraid you're barking up the wrong tree. There are very few doctors in the world that know anything about thyroid. Not the doctor that comments on the private blood test results, nor your GP. All they are interested in is whether your TSH is somewhere within the range. They know nothing about the finer details, like conversion. That's why forums like this one exist.

The private tests are perfectly reliable because they don't do their own testing in their own labs, they use the same NHS labs as other doctors. And, the doctors that write the comments are NHS-trained GPs. So, it's all perfectly above board. The difference is that you can get anything you need tested, whereas a GP will only test TSH, and possibly FT4. Which is not nearly adequate. So, your remark about a 'proper' doctor doesn't hold water - he was a 'proper' doctor that wrote your comments. The problem, as I've said, is that 'proper' doctors know nothing about thyroid.

Your TSH and FT4 are 'fine'. You are taking enough T4 (levo) - possibly too much. But, your FT3, the most important number, is too low to make you well. And, that is because you have difficulty converting T4 to T3. Just being in the 'normal' ranges is not good enough. It's where the result falls in the range that is important.

If we translate those results into percentages, it's easier to see:

Your FT4 is 101% of the range.

Your FT3 is only 24.59% through the range.

They should be more or less equal, with the FT3 slightly lower than the FT4. So, say, something like FT4 75% and FT3 70%.

Plus with your FT4 being so high, it makes your conversion worse, not better.

If you believe everything your doctor tells you - and he will probably tell you you're taking too much levo - then you will never get well. You need to learn about all this for yourself. I know that's difficult to believe when you just start out, but unfortunately, it's true.

Also, doctors know nothing about nutrients. They just don't learn about these things in med school. But, I cannot comment on your results, because you haven't put the ranges.

[Snqanq in reply to greygoose]

I see your points now, any advices how to up T3 and lower the T4 pls ?

Btw how to post a photo over here pls, want to post full vitamins test range,

Thanks

[greygoose in reply to Snqanq]

Well, you can lower your FT4 by lowering your dose of levo. But, you don't want to lower it too much. Just by about 25 mcg twice a week, say. So, you would take 100 for 5 days and 75 for two days.

As we don't know what's causing your low FT3, we have to search. Are you on a low calorie diet? Or a low-carb diet? Or, you could try taking selenium and zinc.

As you are taking vit D, are you also taking the cofactors vit K2-MK7 and magnesium?

[Snqanq in reply to greygoose]

to lowering dose I will follow what you advise here as been told to do quite same before,

Im not on a low calorie or low-carb diet but im quite a healthy eating.. trying to follow best foods for hypor, also cut down glutens

Recently 2 weeks taking selenium & zinc, B12 & B9 but blood test says too high then stop

B12: 300 ( 37.5 - 188 )

[greygoose in reply to Snqanq]

I don't think there are any best foods for hypo. And, gluten-free will only help if it's 100% - just cutting down won't have any effect. Do you have Hashi's?

[Snqanq in reply to greygoose]

Ok..Recently done GP Hashi’s test but it seem to be nothing wrong otherwise they should have called..

just making appt myself & waiting to see GP dr since TPO antibodies test done without any calls

[greygoose in reply to Snqanq]

Well, you can't really rely on them to know when there is something wrong. Most doctors believe that antibodies are insignificant, and just ignore them. Best ask for the results, as with any other blood test.

[shaws]

Welcome to our forum and am sure you will find members very willing to help/advise if they can.

These are some hints to get the best results for your thyroid hormones:-

1. All blood tests for thyroid hormones have to be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose of levothyroxine and the test and take afterwards.

2. Increases are usual every six weeks (after a blood test) until TSH is 1 or lower but many doctors seem to believe that when it reaches 'in range' that we're on a sufficient dose.

3. Thyroid Hormones should be taken - usually when we get up - with one full glass of water and wait an hour before eating.

4. Coffee and food can affect the uptake of the hormones so allow a decent gap between dose and food.

5. Ask for your vitamins/minerals to be checked at the next blood test. i.e. B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

6. Always get a print-out of your results and make sure the ranges are stated. Ranges are in brackets after the result.

This link also gives dizziness and it may be that a change of make of levothyroxine might alleviate it, if it is the levo which is the cause.

[greygoose in reply to shaws]

You forgot the link.

[Snqanq in reply to shaws]

Yes you forgot the links pls updated

[SilverAvocado]

Snqanq, the way freeT4 and freeT3 work is that both tests measure the available amount of hormone in your blood. These are both thyroid hormones, T4 is a storage form, and T3 is the active form needed by every organ and cell in your body. When there isn't enough T3 available for things to run smoothly we get symptoms of all kinds.

The Levothyroxine you take contains only T4, so we look at the freeT4 test to see how well the pills are raising levels. Usually we want to see this quite high in the range, yours is just over the top, so this is plenty of T4, maybe even too much.

Your body then takes that T4 and converts it into T3 so it can be used. The freeT3 test shows us whether this is happening properly. To feel well most of us will need a nice high freeT3 in the top third of the range.

When we look at your result we see that even though you've got plenty of T4 in your blood your freeT3 is only a quarter of the way up the range. This shows that your body is not converting the T4 into T3 very well. Some of us are just not good at this, especially when we are unwell. Sometimes it can be improved by fixing vitamin deficiencies and improving overall health, but sometimes we have to add a little bit of T3 directly by taking T3 pills.

The freeT3 test most closely reflects symptoms, so the reason you still feel unwell is because the freeT3 is low.

[Snqanq in reply to SilverAvocado]

SilverAvocado, clearly explains 👍