Latest test results and low ferritin, vit d but high folate

[liaratsoni]

Hi everyone! I just had my last test results. I am currently on 75mcg T4 and 10mcg T3 after being unable to up my T3 tp 15mcg but now also experiencing awful symptoms staying where I am with extreme fatigue, a almost constant sensation of anxiety, some lightheadedness and periods of uncomfortable heart racing 2 hours after a dose. The results are as follows:

Free T4: 13.8 (10-20)

Free T3: 4.9 (3.5-6.5)

B12: 1017 (200-900) ( Have been off B12 supplements for at least a month I think multiple months)

Folate: 23.6 (2-17)

Ferritin: 23 (15-250)

Vit D: 48 (75-200)

Haematocrit: 0.36 (0.37-47)

My neutropenia is also bad again.

Clearly vitamin D deficient again and I imagine the ferrtin is why I am suddenly having huge problems tolerating T3? I am suprised my B12 is still high and am also very confused about the high folate and the fact my haemoatocrit is low would suggest some sort of anemia right or can it be because of the vitamin D deficiency. Thoughts on these results would be hugely welcomed!

[SlowDragon Ambassador]

How do you take your T3

As 2 or 3 split doses?

Was test done as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test and last half or third of T3 8-12 hours before test

Looking like you could do with increase in levothyroxine first

What vitamin supplements do you normally take?

Frequently we need to supplement virtually continuously to maintain optimal vitamin levels

Are you on strictly gluten free diet?

Or tried it

[liaratsoni in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks! I take it as two 5mcg doses but am getting awful symptoms after only 5mcg! Never had this problem before when t3/t4 and vitamin levels were better back in March!

As usual did my test empty stomach at 8.30 in the morning 8 hours after T3 and 24 hours after T4.

I was thinking that with the levo too - its went from 17.3 to 16.3 and now to 13.8! I am not currently taking any supplements and have been gluten free for a couple of years.

[SlowDragon Ambassador in reply to liaratsoni]

I think you probably need to supplement continuously.......I certainly do

Better You vitamin D mouth spray is good as avoids poor gut function

They do one that includes vitamin K2 Mk7 (1 spray = 1000iu)

Suggest you try 3000iu daily and retest in 2-3 months

Do you supplement magnesium?

[liaratsoni in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you that's interesting to know - I assume my levels have plummeted because my thyroid levels fell but definitely going to keep an eye on them long term. I used the Better you spray before so I will get that again! I don't supplement magnesium but I have been reading up about it after seeing the posts about it on here.

Regarding the T4 level - as I said I seem to be having trouble tolerating T3 I now assume due to my ferritin level but I am aware optimal ferritin is needed for good conversion as well as tolerance of thyroid meds. Should I be holding off on increasing T4 at the moment while my ferritin is bad? Thanks!

[SlowDragon Ambassador in reply to liaratsoni]

May be ....we generally say only make one change at a time

Looking at increasing your iron rich foods and starting vitamin D

Gluten free diet is very low in magnesium

So if not supplementing magnesium suggest you consider adding that in 2-3 weeks

Hypothyroidism is as much poor absorption of nutrients as it is low thyroid levels

Perhaps look at a daily vitamin B complex in a month or so

[liaratsoni in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you!

[liaratsoni in reply to SlowDragon]

Sorry if I may could I ask you another question?

As I said I am becoming unable to tolerate T3 I took only 5mcg yesterday morning and felt so dreadful that I skipped the 2nd dose and today took two smaller doses but again only an hour after the 2nd dose I feel dreadful to the point I am scared to take it. I am concerned about lowering the T3 especially as I had gastroparesis and severe reflux before I started T3 but I also feel incredibly unwell. Would you say lowering T3 while I focus on raising ferritin back up an OK thing to do? Thank you!

[SlowDragon Ambassador in reply to liaratsoni]

Sorry ...I can’t say

I know I couldn’t tolerate T3 20 years ago, because I had (undiagnosed) vitamin deficiencies and gluten intolerance

Getting vitamin levels up as quick as possible likely to help

[liaratsoni in reply to SlowDragon]

No thats helpful to know! Thanks again

[NWA6 in reply to liaratsoni]

Hi liaratsoni. When you say you feel dreadful can you describe it? Not saying I have any answers probably my own curiosity.

[liaratsoni in reply to NWA6]

Hi!

The best way I can describe it is I feel like I am not myself - I feel 'wrong' and throughout the day get varying degrees of anxiety, lightheadedness, blurry vision, headache like pain and my heart rate is generally higher than normal and I have bad periods in the hours after a dose where my heart rate goes up, I shake, sweat, get very lightheaded and feel a general sense of dread and panic. I suppose the best way I can describe the whole day is it feels like I am in a unsettling dream?

[SlowDragon Ambassador]

Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

irondisorders.org/Websites/...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Helpful post about iron supplements and testing

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[liaratsoni in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you! This is lowest my ferritin has been for a while - it was 89 four months ago when t3/t4 and vit levels were all better.

[Tara_Jane]

I had very similar results to yours last year. I also had trouble introducing T3. I think if your adrenals are compromised it can cause issues. How is your gut function? Any bloating or constipation? If so check for both SIBO and candida. I switched back to T4 only (even though that’s an unpopular choice) and stabilized a little but didn’t fully recover till I treated the SIBO and candida properly. Inflammation and deficiencies were at the base of all my symptoms.

[liaratsoni in reply to Tara_Jane]

Huge thanks! Definitely think its an issue for me and that its the adrenals/ferritin/mild anemia causing such problems and probably impacting conversion too. I'm actually hoping too that I can sort out my issues and stick on mostly T4 with a little T3 eg 100-10. I do have terrible digestion - for me its one of my main hypo symptoms to the point I had severe gastroparesis and silent reflux and couldn't eat solids last year so with less T3 I get more reflux, constipation etc. I had a SIBO test done last year when my awful digestion was severe and had been for a few months but it was ok though of course it could have changed. I did also use to have issues with oral thrush so unsure if candida is also a potential issue for me. If I may ask how did you go about testing for your candida and sorting the inflammation? Thanks!

[Tara_Jane]

Wow. Its spooky how similar our symptoms are/were. I went to a naturopath who tested for both candida and SIBO. Candida was a blood test and SIBO was a breath test (10 timed samples). I had no outward symptoms of candida so I was very surprised at that result.

I take a bunch of supplements, but specially for inflammation a quality fish oil and curcumin. If you have leaky gut/sibo/candida then dietary changes are important. SIBO has me on a very restricted diet... but with the Amy Myers products for SIBO and candida I’m moving into recovery phase. My depression has lifted and my anxiety has all but disappeared.

[liaratsoni in reply to Tara_Jane]

Thank you! So glad to hear your doing better! If I may ask are you on mostly T4/only T4 now?

[Tara_Jane in reply to liaratsoni]

Only T4. I had such an aggressive reaction to T3 that I was scared to go back there. But it seems like I didn’t need to. I just needed to fix what had been compromised because of the lowered dose. I think many times people change their thyroid medication because they assume it’s going to fix everything. The reality is that if other systems have been compromised then it can’t. My daughter has hashimotos hypothyroidism and she does really well on T3 only. For whatever reason (I suspect adrenal fatigue) I definitely don’t.

[liaratsoni in reply to Tara_Jane]

I agree - I was doing really well on 10mcg T3 (and 75mcg T4) with great vit levels and digestion but then my levels declined without my knowledge as I got better and because my doctors have been TERRIBLE with blood tests it was allowed to get to a very bad point and has affected my adrenals again with levels all shot down the range. I am sure if I had been monitored properly and just had T4 upped back then then I wouldn't be in this situation - instead my endo was later pushing for another 5mcg of T3 (without monitoring!) but looking at my results back then I think that was too much for my body which is why I couldn't tolerate it and the T4 would have been better. My T4 has actually dropped significantly recently so hopefully upping that and working on my anemia/deficiencies again will help me out with getting back to some good conversion and then if I need to I can add the other 5mcg T3 back in later!

[Tara_Jane in reply to liaratsoni]

If you’re taking T3 this does affect your T4 reading. I’m not as knowledgeable as T3 advocates on here so it might pay to do a little research about that.

This is a good account of the interplay between the adrenals and T3.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/a...

[liaratsoni in reply to Tara_Jane]

Thank you yes I used to be 88% through range on T4 then when 10mcg T3 was added I dropped to 73% through range however that recently fell to 63% (despite no dose change) and now my T4 is 36% through range! Granted this was a blood test taken 5 days after returning from 15mcg to 10mcg T3 so probably slightly falsely low but still seems a huge drop compared to drops before!

[Tara_Jane]

Also forgot to mention.. if your anxiety is getting the better of you and you think it’s related to your adrenals (heart racing after eating or moderate exercise, easily stressed) then try some adaptogens to dampen the cortisol and help your body to heal.