Hi all, Have'nt posted for a while as i have been busy seeing an Endo who has given me a trial of T3 Yay!! Thanks to help from this forum pointing me in the right direction, i went privately and he gave me a prescription to send off to Germany, Thybon henning 20mg he advised me to cut in quarters and take 5Mcg twice a day and to retest bloods in 6 weeks. I decided to go slow and steady and take 5Mcg once a day for 2 weeks as i sometimes react to new meds. i didnt have any reaction or feel any different during the first 2 weeks so on the 14th day I then upped to twice a day. Since then i have been feeling more tired, a bit spaced out and joints and bones seem to ache more.Sometimes having weird sensations in arms and legs. Maybe some of it is down to weather changing who knows. I understand from reading on here that T3 can take months to feel any benefit or with some people they feel an instant improvement. I am going to persevere as this is my only option left as i took the DIO2 test and i am a poor converter. I am Heterozygous so inherited from one parent.
Labs from March 20
Total T4 105 59-154
TSH 1.51 0.27-4.2
Free Thyroxine 16.0 12-22
Free T3 3.7 3.1-6.8
Thryroglobulin 198.0 0-115
Thyroid Peroxidase 66.2 0-34
Labs From Oct 20
Total T4 95.5 66- -181
TSH 5.01 0.27-4.2
Free Thyroxine 15.6 12-22
Free T3 4.0 3.1-6.8
Thyroglobulin 296 0-115
Thyroid Peroxidase 90 0-34
Also Oct 20
Ferritin 138.0 13-150
Magnesium 0.92 0.7-1.0
Vit D 104 50-175
Vit B12 609 145-569
Serum Folate 18.00 8.83-60.8
I take Vit D Spray 9000iu
Cod liver oil 1000mg
Probiotic 5 Billion
Stopped taking B vits as B12 now over range
Am taking Levothyroxine 75mg and T3 10Mcg split. Cannot understand why My TSH went so high over the summer, the only difference i made was to take it at night instead of first thing in morning.
Any comments would be much appreciated , this has been a 5 year battle to get where i am today, just want to know if i am doing everything i should to improve and get my life back.
Written by
Traceycrete
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Thankyou for looking at my results, I have been taking 75mg of Levothyroxine for the last 3 years. Before that I was on 50mg. 2 years ago my Gp advised to take 100/75 on alternate days so averaging 88 per day. I tried that but it gave me heart palpitations so bad I thought I was having a heart attack. I tried for 2-3 weeks but it didn’t stop so GP then said to stop. I have spent the last 2 years optimising vitamins and changing from morning to evening with the Levo to see if that makes a difference. I also stopped taking Rabeprazole for my hiatus hernia/ acid reflux as low acid inhibits absorption of meds. That was in March 20. The Endo I saw for T3 put me on 5mcg twice a day and wants to see bloods end of December so am reluctant to increase at the moment, maybe up the levo instead then. I was under the impression that if I upped the levo then that is just more not getting converted to T3. My T3 has never risen above 4 so that’s what made me push for T3 meds. Does this jittery headachy feeling get any better the longer you take the T3? It’s not as bad as when I upped the Thyroxine but am now concerned I will feel worse when upping levo.
As you have Hashimoto’s are you on strictly gluten free diet?
Often essential
I am also heterozygous DIO2
As DippyDame says....it’s not that we don’t convert.....but that we need an underlying availability of T3 all the time ......for brain function especially
Discuss options with endo......but you need to increase one or the other
Would suspect you won’t experience palpitations when increasing levothyroxine, now you are on T3 ......but the only way to know is to try it.
If upping levothyroxine isn’t tolerated, then adding T3 is next choice
If adding a third dose T3 ....look at trialing 3 x 5mcg split into 5mcg at 7am, 5mcg at 3pm and 5mcg at 11pm
I might suggest that your initial problem is not enough levothyroxine not the Dio2 variant...you need to raise your FT4 Dio2/heterozygous doesn't impair conversion so much as a Dio2/ homozygous result.(my result)
By increasing your levo/T4 you should eventually see a higher FT3 because the body then has more T4 to convert.....it may not be perfect but unless you have minimal conversion (remember that low nutrients can also impair conversion) I would want to find out how well I convert before adding T3.
T3 is not the panacea of all ills - and I write as someone who needs a large dose of T3 which J take in a single dose at bedtime.
Your FT4 at only 36% through the ref range is far too low, it needs to be close to 75% for good health. You are undermedicated!
75mcg levo is not enough to improve this.
Looking at your results I would suggest your main (conversion) problem (at least initially ) is low T4 rather than the Dio2/heterozygous snp and that you need to start by adding 25mcg levo then test in 6/8 weeks. Review results then add more levo if FT4 is still below about 75% through ref range.....your FT3 should have risen. If you reach the higher FT4 and FT3 has not risen to about 75% through the ref range then I would add T3.
But.....I'd be disinclined to increase T3 right now and only ever change one dose at a time
If FT4 rises well on higher doses of levo you may find conversion is better than anticipated and FT3 rises too high .... you may eventually find that you don't need much, if any, T3. Far too early to make that judgement!
I'm not a medic just another member who has had a long bumpy thyoid journey to finally discover that I have inherited the Dio2 genetic polymorphism from both parents and that I also have a type of thyroid hormone resistance, possibly genetic, which means I need a high dose of T3 only. The support I received here has helped change my life.
Thanks for looking at my results. Seems yourself and slowdragon are of the same opinion and to up the thyroxine to raise T4 first. Like I said I tried that 2 years ago and it made me feel so awful with the heart palpitations that I stopped and that was alternating 100/75 . Is this supposed to settle down? I will have to try again maybe after the next bloods in a few weeks and when I’ve spoken with the Endo. When I had the result sent to me for the DIO2 it said problem converting so I assumed that I would never raise T3 without Taking Liothyronine.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Not quite my Eureka moment. What now?
Blood test results help - Low T3 and T4
Help with T3 Only Results
