i am currently on thiroyd ndt (2 grains and a quarter) but as my tablets are nearly finished i will soon be starting t4/t3 combination and would be grateful if anyone can tell me what dose to start on. my t4 seems to be getting lower each time i have a blood test plus my t3 seems to say the same and my tsh is always suppressed. i had a private blood test and received the results today as follows:-
TSH 0.24 (RANGE 0.27 - 4.2)
FT4 8.8 (RANGE 12 - 22)
FT3 3.3 (RANGE 3.1 - 6.8)
i took the test 1 hour on rising on an empty stomach. i did not take my ndt tablets for the two nights before testing (it should have been one night but i was unable to take the test after the first night with no tablets due to forgetting in the morning .
i would be grateful if anyone could help understanding these results.
i also take vit d3, b12, liquid zinc and liquid vit c plus vit b1.
Written by
thyroidnodules
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
So if you are taking 2 and a quarter (2.25) grains this is equivalent to :
(35 x 2.25) T4 plus (8.31 x 2.25) T3 = 78.75mcg T4 plus 18.7mcg T3.
The nearest dose you could get to this is 75mcg Levo plus 20mcg T3.
Various problems with this though...
1) You might have 25mcg T3 tablets, in which case the nearest option is taking three-quarters of a 25mcg tablet. You'd have to cut your tablets. Some people use pill cutters, others use scalpels or craft knives. I use a scalpel. They can easily be bought on Amazon and they usually come with spare blades which is helpful. Something like this :
2) People often find absorption is different with Levo and T3 compared to NDT. You might need less or more Levo and/or T3.
3) You left an awfully long gap between last dose and the blood draw which will lower both Free T4 and Free T3 compared to what it would normally be first thing in the morning. TSH probably won't have changed much (or at all) because it changes quite slowly with a change in dose.
thank you. my t3 tablets are 10mcg so would be fine to take two. that is what i though 75 levo (the doc wants me to take 50mcg as my tsh is low but i am going to take 75mcg
i took the test 1 hour on rising on an empty stomach. i did not take my ndt tablets for the two nights before testing (it should have been one night but i was unable to take the test after the first night with no tablets due to forgetting in the morning .
Your FT4 and FT3 results are showing false lows due to the length of time between taking your last dose of NDT and the blood test.
The time gap between last dose of NDT and blood draw is 8-12 hours, adjusting time and splitting dose the day before if necessary.
If you are in the same situation again, rather than do the test with such a long gap, it would be best to delay the test and do it when you are back in your normal routine and can leave the appropriate time gap, otherwise you are wasting your money on a test that will give you useless results.
thank you for your reply. the last time i did a test with the normal timescale i.e. only one dose missed my tsh was slight lower and my t4 was 9 . this was at my gp practice. they did not test my t3. when i did a previous private test a year ago my t4 was 11 and t3 3.8. it never seems to change much. i will order another test in six weeks and take it from there. thank you for explaining the equivalent dosage between ndt and t3/t4 combo
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.
Private Blood Test Results 
Thyroid Private Blood Test Results
Private Thyroid Blood Test
Understanding blood test results
