T4 and T3 in range, vits all OK, but TSH extremely depressed (see results below). Doc wants to reduce my dose of levothyroxine, but I am experiencing symptoms associated with low thyroid (low resting pulse and pulse in middle of night- 52 bpm), bradycardia, dry skin). I don't have any of the symptoms only associated with high thyroid. I do feel jittery (tired and wired) a lot of the time, with frequent insomnia, but it's hard to separate those symptoms from the stress of caring for my husband who has long Covid! I think I might be having an autoimmune flare up due to the stress which is confusing things? Had cortisol levels tested and they're fine (though slightly high at lunchtime).
I posted yesterday but didn't include my full results. I'd really appreciate any thoughts (Diogenes?). I take 150mcg levo a day (I weigh 62kg).
Though your FT4/FT3 ratio is OK at less than 4/1 and each level seems OK, your dose of 2.4 mcg T4/kg weight is high. It maybe your efficiency of uptake is poor but I'd consider lowering T4 to 125 to see if this changes anything for the better. It looks as rather than too little T4, it may be a touch too much. But it can only be tested by trying and seeing what happens. Otherwise it might be a case of introducing a little T3 and slightly lowering T4.
Thanks-that's helpful. Out of interest, how do you explain my low pulse rate within all of this? I have been using pulse rate to help me understand whether I am low or high.
The heart is sensitive to T3 as it diesn't convert T4 but gets it from conversion by other organs. It's just possible your T3 may be a touch low for you, as you have some leeway to get it higher. But that would only happen by taking T3 direct as taking more T4 to get a higher FT3 might not be possible.
The only question that matters is how do you feel? Your T4 & T3 levels look alright in the upper range but how do you feel. If you begin to take T3 you will experience more towards hyper than hypo. I took T4 for 28 straight years before crashing. No doctor had ever said a word to me or changed my dose from 88 mcg of T4 & I came to think I wasn't converting T4 to t3. I was totally against T4 as I had terrible, blistering headaches. When I got on T3 I went from 50mcg of T4 & 30 mcg of T3 to 100 mcg T4 & 20 of T3 and that's where things went bad. I had been feeling great on this last dose, which came after nearly 2 years on the 50 and then 75 T4 with 30 T3. It was working out good but I had 4 teeth pulled and got so sick with terrible headaches I almost gave up. I went back to 75T4 & 30 T3 and feel better at this time but it is still a search for a "perfect" dose which probably doesn't exist. There are many others on this site that have more experience. I still have my thyroid but don't see what good it's doing me if I have to depend on these pills for an underactive thyroid that is now experiencing hypo/hyper thyroid. I may try NDT soon, don't know. I'd really like to be rid of all these medications but that doesn't seem likely, as I struggle daily with tryng just to feel "normal," whatever that is, again. Peace be with you.
Thanks for your thoughts and sorry you are struggling, like so many, to find the right dose. I have good days and bad days and I'm finding it hard to separate my thyroid levels from the general stress of Covid and possible peri-menopause symptoms. I felt better for 6 months when I upped my dose of Thyroxin, but now that no longer seems to be working and I can't figure out if I feel high or low. What a difficult condition this is. My daughter is Type 1 diabetic, which is very hard, but she has an external sensor which tells her if her sugars are high or low...wish such a thing existed for thyroid!
You're right about the Covid, everybody is very anxious and it gets to me; my endo had Covid-19 but pretends it didn't even effect him. I don't know how you can act like Trump and deny it's anything more than a cold or the flun but then he has the best doctors and everything at his beck and call so ... a very dangerous time. May Peace be upon you in these scary times.
My husband has been off work for the last 4 months with pleurisy then chronic fatigue following Covid. There are an estimated 60,000 + people like him in the UK with Long Covid.
Are you replying to me? If you are you need to reply on my post to alert me. I only noticed this reply as another poster had replied to me.
If you are replying to me I’m not arguing the facts of Covid. I was curious as to why you wouldn’t believe your Endo re his Covid because as I said the majority of people that get Covid do not need hospitalising and/or have lasting effects after.
No one knows what the "majority," of people who get Covid-19 feel like or go through. It is a vicious virus that has killed a 1/4 of a million people needlessly in the U.S. and all due to a POTUS with and empty head and no common sense.
Hi Alice, just to say I also have a low TSH (between 0.02-0.04) but normal T4 and I also have a similarly low heart rate. In the last year (starting pre Covid) I have started feeling emotionally up and down with times of very low mood or irritability which I'm putting down to perimenopause (age 46yrs) but reckon there could be link to thyroid issues too. One thing my doctor said about getting thyroid dose right is whether your periods cycle is close to normal (if applicable). Mines settled to 26 day cycle ( it was pre-Hashimoto at 28days) but if I go on lower dose of levo I feel rubbish and cycle increases to 30-32days.
That's so interesting. I'm 47 and I think my cycle has also reduced by a couple of days. The doctor has agreed I can stay on this higher dose fortunately but I am monitoring my heart rate/insomnia etc. Thyroid + perimenopause is all fun and games, isn't it! Hope you manage to keep tabs on it all...
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