Hi everyone I had my medichecks test results back and the doctor's said all looked okay except my thyroxine level is a bit low. Does that mean I need to up my dose? Does everything else look okay?
Here are my results:
CRP HS: 3.64
Ferritin: 46
B12: 88.8
Vit D: 104
TSH: 3.12
Free T3: 3.73
Free thyroxine: 10.7
Thyroglobulin antibodies: 701
Thyroid peroxidase antibodies: 49.1
It is the first full blood test I've done (outside of the GP which last time showed my underactive thyroid as well catered for with my daily dose of Thyroid S - before I switched to Thyroid S my levothyroxine prescription was 125mcg). But I can't shift most of the symptoms so thought there may be something else I was lacking. Does the test generally look okay?
Thanks in advance for any help with this as I'm not sure what I'm looking at with all these numbers.
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I agree with shaws . You should be aiming for TSH less than 2 (probably less than 1) and free T4 and free T3 in the top third (at least) of ranges. Currently free T4 is under range and free T3 is only 17% through range - so at least you convert well
I'd add some levo to the mix and suggest 25 mcg a day and re-test after 6 - 8 weeks ... it could take a few dose increases to get the dose right x
What are you actually taking at the moment, your last post said that your Thyroid-S supply had dried up.
Whatever you're taking you're getting very little thyroid hormone to have a below range FT4 and very low in range FT3. Also your TSH is too high for someone on any form of thyroid meds. In short, you are woefully undermedicated.
Ferritin: 46
This is far too low, it is recommended to be half way through range so 82 with that range. You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet
For Active B12 I'd want mine to be over 100. As <70 suggests testing for B12 deficiency, for me your result would be too low.
Vit D: 104
The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L. Yours is just within that range, but I like mine as close to 150 as possible.
No Folate? Did you not choose the WITH FOLATE test?
I still have some thyroid S left and so am taking it till it runs out. I've ordered some armour thyroid from the US which I am hoping will arrive before my thyroid S runs out. My last GP blood test was last autumn and the GP said I was over-medicated so I cut back a little bit on my thyroid S so now I am very confused!
I didn't see a folate option. I must have missed that. Is it worth getting that done separately or will I need a whole new test for that?
Thanks so much for your advice. I'll add liver into my diet (I was vegan for years but have just added meat to try to up my protein). I'll also add in B12 and Vit D.
One other question: I eat a low calorie diet (under 1200 a day) and exercise on a crosstrainer daily. I have read back through some other posts and wonder if I am doing myself more harm than good here. What do you think?
Medichecks recently changed their tests. Their ULTRAVIT used to include Folate but they were having many failures with that test, I think possibly because their microtainer was only 0.6ml, whereas Blue Horizon's is 0.8ml and we don't tend to see failures of the folate test with their thyroid/vitamin panel. Medichecks now omit Folate from the ULTRAVIT but have introduced a new test ULTRAVIT WITH FOLATE which has to have a venous blood draw, I imagine much more blood is taken to overcome the problem.
So your results show that you're not taking enough Thyroid-S. If you were then your TSH would be low, possibly even suppressed, your FT3 would be in the upper part of it's range and your FT4 would be in range but possibly towards the lower end.
I'll also add in B12 and Vit D.
I wouldn't take a separate B12, your result isn't low enough for that. I'd take a good quality, bioavailable B Complex, it will contain B12 and Folate, plus all the other B vitamins and keep everything in balance. Consider Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B.
As for Vit D, you probably only need 1000-2000iu daily and you should also take D3's important cofactors magnesium (helps the body convert D3 into it's usable form) and magnesium (directs the extra uptake of calcium to bones and teeth and away from arteries and soft tissues).
Low calorie diets aren't recommended, I'd just eat a healthy, clean diet. Maybe just take gentle walks, yoga or swimming for now until your levels are better.
Thanks Susie, I really appreciate it. So with my Armour thyroid that is due, I have no clue how much to take. Is there anywhere that shows the comparative amounts between Thyroid S and Armour or should I just try a dose for a few months and then test again (this time with Folate!).
Susie, you mentioned taking vitamin D cofactors of magnesium and magnesium. Was one of those meant to be something else? Calcium maybe? Or did I read it wrong?
What a doofus 🤣 I've corrected it now. The other co-factor is Vit K2-MK7.
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and Vit K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
I have had the results from my second blood test having doubled my dose of armour thyroid. They show that my ferritin has gone down from 46 to 30, by B12 has gone down from 88 to 63 and my Vit D has gone down from 104 to 91. I have been taking the B complex, vit D, magnesium and K2 supplement we discussed last time I posted, so I'm guessing I need to up my dose of these? It seems mad that my levels have gone down since taking the supplements whereas before I wasn't taking any vitamins!
Also, my TSH has gone from 3.12 to 0.11 (which is good, right?), my free T3 has gone from 3.73 to 5.25 (also better I think?) but my free Thyroxine (T4?) has gone from 10.7 to 11.8 so a bit up but still showing as very low (it is at the bottom of the range and should be towards the top end, I believe).
Do you think I should up my vitamins but keep my Armour thyroid the same? Or should I up my dose to try to improve my T4, or does it not work like that?
When taking NDT FT4 tends to remain lowish in range. However, when on combination hormone replacement we are individual as to where we need our FT4 and FT3 levels, some are fine with a low FT4, some need it higher in range. The fixed ratio of T4 to T3 in NDT isn't right for everyone, some are better on Levo plus synthetic T3 so they can adapt the ratio to suit.
I am taking this vitamin B complex once a day: Thorne Research - Basic B Complex - B Vitamins in Their Active Forms - 60 Capsules amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HST919C/...
Vitamin D 1000 once a day: Thorne Research - Vitamin D-1000 - Vitamin D3 Supplement (1,000 IU) for Healthy Bones and Muscles - 90 Capsules amazon.co.uk/dp/B0797H3VQS/...
Magnesium Citrate and K2 once daily.
So would you say that my thyroid results are generally improving? Should I stay at my double dose or increase it further, would you say? (I started out on one 60mg NDT a day before my first bloods in august and now am on two 60mg tablets a day)
Did you stop your B Complex for 7 days before the test?
Did you take your last dose of NDT 8-12 hours before the test?
If you did both of these things then your results will be accurate.
For some reason all of your nutrient levels have worsened.
If those were my results I'd increase the Vit D to 2,000iu daily.
You might be better taking a B Complex with more B12 in it. Have a look at Igennus Super B, at the recommended dose of 2 tablets it has the same methylfolate dose as Thorne (400mcg) but has 900mcg methycobalamin compared to 400mcg in the Thorne, so that may help raise your B12 level.
What are you doing about your ferritin level? It was 46 last time and I mentioned that this was low and needed to be half way through range and what you could do to raise it. It's said that for thyroid hormone to work properly it should be over 70, so with yours at 30 it currently needs working on.
Your thyroid results are improved but, as I explained before, taking NDT tends to lower FT4. When we talk about FT4 generally needing to be in the upper part of it's range for most people to feel well, that is when on Levo only, it doesn't apply when taking NDT. When we take a combination hormone replacement, some people are fine with a low FT4, some need it higher in range, it's up to each of us individually to find our own best level.
If I were you I'd leave your dose of Armour as it is and concentrate on optimising your nutrient levels.
When you next test, choose the one that also tests folate. If you do Medichecks it will have to be the ULTRAVIT WITH FOLATE test which requires a venous blood draw. Virtually the same test can be done with Blue Horizon's THYROID PREMIUM GOLD, it includes folate and can be done by fingerprick.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. Yes I stopped my B vitamin and took my armour thyroid the night before.
I will double up my vit D and switch to the B complex you recommend. To be honest, I’ve not done anything about the ferritin and it’s got worse this time. I don’t eat meat so find it hard to up my iron easily but I’ll look into that and see what foods I could increase. In the meantime, would you recommend an iron supplement too?
I shall do the folate test next time, for sure, I was just avoiding a doctors trip for the blood test but if it can be done via finger prick test I shall choose that one next time, thanks. 🙂
It's not a good idea to take iron supplements without first doing an iron panel and full blood count. These will tell you if you have iron deficiency (the iron panel) or anaemia (the full blood count).
If you take iron tablets and you already have a good serum iron level and transferrin saturation, then you could take these too high and too much iron is as bad as too little. So I never suggest anyone takes an iron supplement when the only result they have is low ferritin.
All I know is that if you eat liver it should be no more than 200 grams per week due to it's high Vit A content, and if supplementing with iron tablets then regular monitoring with an iron panel is necessary to ensure levels don't go too high.
Thanks...yes, that´s a problem with liver capsules. I bought organ chicken liver capsules and they recommend taking 3-9 capsules a day depending on my needs...it´s impossible to know how much vit A I´d be getting with each serving. I guess regular testing is the only way of knowing...
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