This would appear to suggest my thyroid has become overactive and the antibodies suggest possibly Hashimotos or Graves. Confused to say the least, any help would be greatly appreciated and am expecting an urgent phone call from GP surgery as know that being hyper is much more dangerous than being hypo.
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sobs1962
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Your T3 is too low for you to be overactive .... hopefully someone else will be along to advise you about this because you do have a conversion problem.
This would appear to suggest my thyroid has become overactive
No it doesn't, you have a diagnosis of underactive thyroid, it's physically impossible for it to become overactive. However, it is possible to be overmedicated and your over range FT4 suggests this. But, your FT3 is very low in range so your over range FT4 and very low FT3 suggests that you are not converting T4 (the inactive hormone) to T3 (the active hormone that every cell in our bodies need) very well.
It's low T3 that causes symptoms. Your conversion needs improving.
Good conversion needs optimal nutrient levels so you need the following tested:
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
If all these are at optimal levels (not just anywhere within range) and your FT4 remains high with a low FT3 then you could benefit from a lower dose of Levo and the additionof some T3.
Optimal nutrient levels are:
Vit D - 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml)
B12 - top of range for Total B12, minimum 70 (preferably 100+) for Active B12
Folate - at least half way through range
Ferritin - half way through range
When you speak to your GP he will want to lower your dose of Levo. Tell him that you have spoken to the thyroid charity - ThyroidUK - and have been advised to test Vit D, B12, Folate, Ferritin as they are very important for thyroid hormone to work properly. Don't mention the internet or forum, just say you've spoken to ThyroidUK. Ask if he will do these tests, if not do them with Medichecks.
the antibodies suggest possibly Hashimotos or Graves.
They suggest that the cause of your hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's which is where the thyroid is attacked and gradually destroyed.
Fluctuations in symptoms and test results are common with Hashi's.
Most doctors dismiss antibodies as being of no importance and know little or nothing about Hashi's and how it affects the patient, test results and symptoms. You need to read, learn, understand and help yourself where Hashi's is concerned.
Some members have found that adopting a strict gluten free diet can help, although there is no guarantee.
Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks.
You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily is said to help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
Hashi's and gut absorption problems tend to go hand in hand and can very often result in low nutrient levels or deficiencies so it's essential to do those tests I have mentioned. You are welcome to post these results, including reference ranges (plus units of measurement for Vit D and B12), for comment and suggestions for supplementing where necessary.
Do you take a B complex or Biotin supplement? If so did you leave it off for 7 days before this test?
I was on vitamin b complex for years due to my heavy drinking following my daughter's death in2007, I only drink very occasionally now and it was decided last year that I no longer needed to take these, my GP took me off vitamin d3 in October 2019 despite blood tests showing chronically extremely low levels. I feel like I'm banging my head off a brick wall, why do all doctors think they know it all,they clearly don't.
I was asking about the B Complex/Biotin because if you take these in the week before a blood test then it can give false results if Biotin is used in the testing procedure, if you didn't take them there is nothing to worry about.
my GP took me off vitamin d3 in October 2019 despite blood tests showing chronically extremely low levels.
What was the level? GPs generally will only prescribe D3 until your level reaches 50nmol/L then you have to continue with supplements you buy yourself. Post your latest result, with the unit of measurement (nmol/L or ng/ml) and I can help you with what dose of supplement you need to take and the important cofactors we should take when taking D3.
I am so sorry to hear about your daughter's death ... when my Mother died my Grandmother was grief stricken because nobody expects your child to die before you do. Are you getting support for your bereavement?
I've actually started taking my D3 again as know is important for thyroid health, but I honestly don't know what my levels were as don't think GP would actually give me the results as they don't want us to know certain things,they just say that everything is NORMAL. I know the virus is currently the NHS top priority at the moment and I worry that all other health problems will just be thrown to one side and forgotten about. Just a quick note regarding switching from hypo to hyper apparently this is extremely rare but can happen as I've looked it up and is more likely during development of Hashimotos.
The answer to that is no,I already had severe depression and anxiety before she was born and was born with brain damage which I have subsequently found out could have been due to my hypothyroidism as this was not diagnosed until 2002 and she was born in 1992,looking back,I'm sure I had it then as I remember piling on a load of weight at the end of the 80s and it appeared to correct itself. The main problem with all this is that I have always blamed myself for my daughter's disability and continue to do so as she was inside my body when the brain damage occurred. I try not to think about it because it just makes me feel like sobbing uncontrollably and I feel bad enough as it is. I have been waiting to start some form of specialist psychotherapy for over two and a half years.
HypERthyroidism is when the thyroid over-produces thyroid hormone.
HypOthyroidism is when the thyroid is incapable of producing enough.
The thyroid cannot regenerate to the point that it can suddenly start over-producing hormone. If it can regenerate at all.
What happens with Hashi's is that the thyroid is attacked by lymphocytes, produced by the immune system, which kill off the cells.
The dying cells dump their stock of thyroid hormone into the blood causing the levels of T4 and T3 to sharply rise, and therefore the TSH drops, becomes suppressed. Doctors who know nothing about thyroid often take this to be hypERthyroidism - i.e. over-production of thyroid hormone - but it isn't. Unlike true hypERthyroidism, the levels will go down by themselves as the excess hormone is used up/excreted.
But, this isn't rare, it's the way Hashi's works. You may have read the contrary, but there is an awful lot of rubbish to be found on the internet.
Just a quick note regarding switching from hypo to hyper apparently this is extremely rare but can happen as I've looked it up and is more likely during development of Hashimotos.
Yes, that's right, but if you were having a Hashi's "hyper" swing then your TSH would go very low and both FT4 and FT3 would go high. You have a high FT4 and low FT3, that's not a hyper swing, that's poor conversion. Your low TSH is saying it's detecting enough thyroid hormone - the high FT4 - but the low FT3 is telling you it's poor conversion.
As for your Vit D level, do you have online access to your results? NHS England is supposed to provide this but apparently not all surgeries are on board with it yet. If you have online access you will be able to get your result from there. Otherwise, you can ask your surgery to let you have a print out of your results, we are legally entitled to our results and they cannot refuse nor do you have to give a reason for wanting them. So always ask for a print out of all blood test results, whatever they are for, if you don't have online access.
You can't possibly know how much D3 to take if you don't know your result, you could be taking too little and it wont help, or you could be taking too much and it could build up to toxicity levels, so it's vital to get your result and base your dose of D3 on that.
GP surgeries are dealing with other things, suspected virus cases aren't being dealt with by GPs, they stay at home and follow government advice and if it gets bad enough they go to hospital, so you can ring the surgery and ask for your results, including reference ranges, because they will be dealing with patients but may not be offering face to face appointments at the surgery.
For about 5 months, was prescribed it for my anxiety apparently and what annoys me is that you'd expect the doctor to realise what effect it would have on my thyroid conversion,so clearly it would appear we know more about our conditions than the so called "experts".
In the twenty years I was on levothyroxine and propranolol I saw 6 different thyroid specialists...not one thought the propranolol was an issue...but it was
You must be on levothyroxine as tsh very very low t4 high but there is practically no conversion. You either need t3 or NDT as you need t3 direct. I recommend metavive 2 which is sold as a supplement from natural choice but definitely has t4 and t3. Drop 50 levo at first and add 1 metavive 2 and stay on it for 10 days then drop another 50 add
Another metavive 2. Ans so on . A metavive 2 is roughly equal to 50 levo by experience know this. You buy online from uk and has no fillers at all
I'm not sure where you are,but in England under the NHS trying to get an endocrinologist who is prepared to prescribe Liothyronine (T3), is just about impossible,due to pharmaceutical companies being able to manipulate a hole in legislation regarding what they charge the NHS for certain drugs and consequently the cost is over 32million pounds a year and this is the reason why getting prescribed is nearly impossible as when cost goes back to GP surgery they don't want to know. I realise that I could buy these online or through private prescription,unfortunately I cannot do this as I am not currently working and on state benefits without access to credit as have serious debt problems. If you or anyone else can suggest something,I would appreciate it but please bear in mind that I am not prepared to do anything without first consulting an endocrinologist or someone who actually knows what they are talking about.
Let me add this, the last post you made above is: "If you or anyone else can suggest something,I would appreciate it but please bear in mind that I am not prepared to do anything without first consulting an endocrinologist or someone who actually knows what they are talking about."
I would just say this: the majority of endocrinologists, GP's, gastrologists, neurologists, etc. that I have seen would do you even less good, as far as your thyroid health goes, as would the "experts" on this forum, all of whom have more "experience" in the realities of what the disease is, what it feels like to have it and self-dose it for years, many for decades, and I would put ten times, the weight on many of their answers than a roomful of endo's but, it's your thyroid and your health and may peace be upon you.
Fair enough,but any medication that needs a prescription needs a doctors signature and I most certainly can't afford to buy the medication as not working and have no money and I get free prescriptions on the NHS so it looks like I haven't really got a choice. I know no-one should have to buy a medication because doctors won't prescribe it but honestly, I've almost got to the point of accepting the fact that I may be ill for the rest of my life however long that may be but what choice do I have?
I am in the U.S. but my suggestion would be to educate yourself and then take someone, anyone, a witness, to your NHS appointment and demand they prescribe what you know will make you euthyroid or as close to feeling normal as possible. Peace be upon you.
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