I had my thyroid removed in 2008. I have been on various doses of Levothyroxine since but in order to feel well my TSH is always suppressed and T4 tends to be top end or above range (even up to 150% conversion), whilst my T3 has fluctuated between 2.7% and 59% conversion (usually hovering between 30-50%). I have had a yearly battle with GP who states I need to reduce (usually a different panicked GP each time) and we have the same conversation again.
I had major surgery in January which did seem to really upset things. I had diarrhoea for 3 weeks and my levels in April were:
TSH: 0.04 (0.27-4.2)
T4: 26.8 (12-22) 148%
T3: 4.3 (3.1-6.8) 32.4%
At that time I was on 175 dose x 2 per week and 200 x 5per week
After much back and forth to GP I have reduced my dose gradually over several months. Now on 175 x 5 per week and 150 x 2 per week (so effectively reduced my dose by 25)
My last results were:
TSH: 0.04
T4: 22 (12-22) 100%
T3: 5.3 (3.1-6.8) 59%
I have put on some weight during this time and had some intermittent bouts of constipation, very low mood, body aches and been generally very tired
I have an upcoming appointment with NHS endo (fingers crossed re them being open minded) and was wondering:
Best approach for presenting my case for a trial on T3 as this has consistently been low over the years
If they agree what are the rates you drop Levothyroxine per dose of T3 I don’t want a huge unhelpful reduction in Levothyroxine that is unnecessary
Thank you for any advice