After a recent blood test my Dr has sent me a letter to say I'm over medicating.
My results are:_
TSH. 0.02. (.27_4.2)
T3 3.1 (3.1_6.8)
T4. 14 (11-22)
Ferritin 174. ( 30-260)
Potassium 3.7 (3.5- 5.3)
All the other results seem about right . In the middle or above.
I pointed out to her on my previous visit regards my previous blood test that my T3 and T 4 showed I wasn't over treating myself on NDT. She's just digging her heels in!!
Thank you for any advice please.
Doctor has 'deemed you hyper' because your TSH is low. TSH is not a thyroid hormone and it rises when our thyroid gland is struggling.
I'm not medically qualified but the lower the TSH the better we usually feel. The fact that both of the following are very low:-
"T3 3.1 (3.1_6.8)
T4. 14 (11-22)"
Both T's are very important but the above two show that you need an increase in dose i.e. to bring T3 to be nearer the top and T4 too. They don't state they're Free T4 and Free T3 which would be more informative:-
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/thyroi...
You can give your doctor a copy of 'myths'.
He's doing as all doctors seem to have been trained i.e. that a very low TSH means 'hyper' but not if we are hypothyroid, We need a TSH of 1 or lower and FT3 and FT4 to be nearer the upper part of the ranges.
Thank you Shaws. I will check those web sites out.
I've read the Myths section on thyroid uk Shaw's which I'm happy to print out to give to my Dr but it does say "low TSH indicates hyperthyroidism.
So I think the Dr would latch on to that.
She's asked me to stop all my meds and tobacco in 3 months for another blood test. I don't know what to say to her now!!!!!
The blood tests for thyroid hormones were introduced with levothyroxine alone (T4) therefore if we take NDT or T3/T4 or T3 alone, our results wont compare and it is 'how the patient feels' which is the usual way to judge our dose. If we feel good we're on a sufficient amount, it symptomatic we need increases.
You take NDT - which contains T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin - blood tests.
Everdean
I once saw an endocrinologist who didn't like my suppressed TSH, so he reduced my Levo, and reduced it, and eventually managed to get my TSH just scraping back into range. The result of this was that my FT4 was in the bottom quarter of it's range and the FT3 was on the very bottom number of the range, so very similar to your results. The outcome of this was that he made me extremely ill, I had to give up working in my own business and so much damage was done that I had to be looked after for 2 years then I never worked again.
Fortunately, I had a decent GP at the time who, although really not understanding about the importance of FT3 (and neither did I at the time) and she disagreed with the endo and put my Levo back up. I still remained very unwell until I found this forum and got my act together and helped myself.
So regardless of your doctor digging her heels in, personally I would politely tell her to do one. Are you self treating with NDT or is it prescribed? If self treating then why are you bothering with your doctor over your thyroid? Just do your own tests and make your own judgement about what dose you take, making sure you keep an eye on your levels and symptoms regularly.
Of course, most important is how do you feel, which you haven't mentioned.
Thank you Seaside Susy. I'm sorry to hear how ill you were under the endocrinologist.
Yes I am treating myself on NDT. Last year I think I was on too higher dose , so I reduced it . Now as you and others have pointed out I am on too low a dose. To be honest I find it hard to judge for myself what is right for me as I also have fibromyalgia/ ME so I often feel unwell inspite of my thyroid.
The Dr does a routine blood test once or twice a year. And although I realise that it's not really necessary, it does give me a rough guideline as to where I'm going.
Thanks again for your support and advice.
You might find the following helpful. This doctor only took one blood test for the initial diagnosis and thereafter it was all about relieving symptoms with small increments. He wouldn't prescribe levo, only NDTs or T3 only.
Hello Everdean good evening I am not qualified but I would say judging by those results you are not over medicating and in fact need a dose increase. TSH is produced by the perpituary gland and the brain not the thyroid although all connected they do different functions and jobs. The perpituary gland is the over seeer which watches what the thyroid is doing and what the thyroid is producing the perpituary gland tells the thyroid to produce hormones when needed to regulate blood pressure lymphatic drainage system cardiovascular system body temperature weight brain function and more. T4 is needed for a small number of functions and conversion to T3 T3 is needed alongside other hormones to regulate heart function and brain function without it you would be at high risk of heart attack myxedema coma strokes and worse much worse. I had a doctor years ago that was the best in his field he did not rely on computers instead he read up your symptoms via medical books and studies and research and applied common sense and understanding. I lost touch with that doctor because we moved away from the area unfortunately. The medical profession has been told to ween patients off T3 because of cost and funding. On the NHS they have and are still trying to get patients off NDT and T3 only with a push from big pharmaceutical and financial influence by politicians and government.
You may find if your T3 was much higher your fibromyalgia and ME symptoms would vanish. Don't let that doc keep you sick!
I was just about to write the same thing!
Hypothyroidism, FM & ME have almost identical symptoms. Doctors are now trained by big pharma to prescribe as many drugs as possible to mask the symptoms & side effects that toxic drugs cause rather than prescribe the cheaper hormones that actually work.
I was diagnosed with FM a year after developing chicken pox that I couldn’t seem to recover from. I’d had what I didn’t know where hypo & pituitary symptoms for over 30 years at that point. I was later diagnosed with a pituitary tumour, did a lot of research & had lots of excellent help from this forum with regard to diagnosing & treating my symptoms. I now take both NDT & T3, & ensure I have optimal micronutrients as we’re advised. As I self-medicate, I can take what I need rather than be at the mercy of doctors as I am with other health conditions. I alter my dosage & ratio of THs between season’s & according to daily activity. There’s the occasional hypo/hyper blip, as I had last week, or when I have an infection, though mostly I get it just right.
Thank you Magsyh. That would be wonderful!!!!!
When on NDT, your TSH is suppressed. I don’t know why, but my endo told me that. Neither he nor my GP use it to determine if I’m optimal.
Please help - I don’t know what to think or what I should say to my Dr
Naturopath or private Dr - desperate, please help!
Letter from the endo- gobsmacked!!
Letter from the endo 
Help with blood test results please😳
