Hello, I'm new here and was hoping you could please help with understanding my recent blood test results and advise what I can do to optimise everything!
For context: almost 50, perimenopausal, diagnosed with underactive thyroid after first child almost 15 years ago. Have managed with 100mcg and mostly feel fine but it seems impossible to lose a very stubborn stone of weight and I wonder if slight 'mugginess' and occasional irritability could be due to not having levels quite right. I did up to 125mcg a few years ago after discussion with Dr to see if this helped but got unpleasant side effects - heart palpitations, jitters, anxiety and movements in my peripheral vision - aura? Am now experimenting with 100 and 125 on alternate days, only a week in but ok so far and do seem a bit clearer minded and 'bright' but possibly it's too early to notice a difference just yet. I also think my cholesterol might be high but Dr says is ok.
Ok, results as follows, taken 4 weeks ago. I really appreciate your thoughts and advice. Thank you so much for taking the time!
FERRITIN
CRP
< 4 mg/L [0.0 - 6.0]
FERRITIN
50.8 ug/L [10.0 - 291.0]
FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE
4.3 mmol/L [3.5 - 6.0]
TSH
4.69 mU/L [0.35 - 5.5]
FREE T4
17.4 pmol/L [10.5 - 21.0]
Please note change to free T4 reference range.
FREE T3
3.9 pmol/L [3.5 - 6.5]
FULL LIPID PROFILE
CHOLESTEROL
6.9 mmol/L
TRIGLYCERIDE
1.58 mmol/L [0.3 - 1.8]
HDL CHOLESTEROL
1.59 mmol/L
LDL CHOLO
4.59 mmol/L
CHOLESTEROL/HDL RATIO
4.3
NON HDL CHOLESTEROL
5.31 mmol/L
25OH VITAMIN D (TOTAL) GP
76.1 nmol/l
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ElephantShoes
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Ferritin is recommended to be half way through range so about 150 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
Don't consider taking an iron supplement unless you do an iron panel, if you already have a decent level of serum iron and a good saturation percentage then taking iron tablets can push your iron level even higher, too much iron is as bad as too little.
TSH: 4.69 mU/L [0.35 - 5.5]
This is too high.
FREE T4: 17.4 pmol/L [10.5 - 21.0]
This is 65.71% through range.
FREE T3: 3.9 pmol/L [3.5 - 6.5]
This is just 13.33% through range.
These results show undermedication. The aim of a treated Hypo patient on Levo only, generally, is for TSH to be 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their reference ranges.
Now that you've increased your dose of Levo, you should retest 6-8 weeks after the change of dose to see how things have altered.
I also think my cholesterol might be high but Dr says is ok.
You haven't given any ranges so not possible to comment, but high cholesterol tends to be a symptom of hypothyroidism, optimally medicated and it may normalise.
Vit D is on the low side, the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health recommend a level of 100-150nmol/L.
To reach the recommended level from your current level, you could supplement with 3,000iu D3 daily.
Retest after 3 months.
Once you've reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but there are important cofactors needed when taking D3.
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.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking D3 as tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.
For D3 I like Doctor's Best D3 softgels, a good, clean supplement with no excipients, just D3 and extra virgin olive oil. For Vit K2-MK7 I like Vitabay or Vegavero brands.
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking magnesium as tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
Don't start all supplements at once. Start with one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Again, wait a week or two and if no adverse reaction add the next one. Continue like this. If you do have any adverse reaction then you will know what caused it.
I've read that the best measure of cholesterol is triglycerides so you look ok there as you're in range. As to your thyroid you look under medicated- I think it's normal to feel the effect of a dose increase it those effects subside after a few days. I'd take another 25 per day.
It looks as if you really need an increase in levo. TSH is way too high and both the frees need to be increased. Hopefully increasing ferritin and Vit D levels will help as well as improving fT4 anf fT3 levels.
Thank you Miffie . I increased my Levo a week ago from 100mcg daily to alternate days of 100mcg and 125mcg. Will re-test in 8 weeks. Taking SeasideSusie 's advice I am going to try at Vit D spray with Vit K2-MK7. Can you advise how I can increase ferritin without eating liver? Marz , I take my Levo on waking at least 30 minutes before a coffee. I currently don't take any other supplements but would welcome advice on that! I will ask if my B12 can be tested when I next have my bloods done. Also, worth noting, although my last bloods were early and fasting I did have my Levo - I didn't leave 24 hours which I'm reading is what's advised. Next time.
Liver is the best of the iron rich foods, chicken liver has most iron so if you can eat/make chicken liver pate that will help, otherwise look through the link I gave for iron rich foods but nothing comes close to liver.
I take my Levo on waking at least 30 minutes before a coffee.
It's advised to wait at least an hour before having coffee:
I can't get chicken liver where I live but I understood it to be the mildest tasting of all livers.
What sort of meals does your child eat? If you make meat based meals such as cottage pie, curry, etc, you could "hide" it in there. Whizz in a food processor to make a paste and pop a dollop in
I see SeasideSusie has replied to me with that answer. Here is what she posted:
Liver is the best of the iron rich foods, chicken liver has most iron so if you can eat/make chicken liver pate that will help, otherwise look through the link I gave for iron rich foods but nothing comes close to liver.
I take my Levo on waking at least 30 minutes before a coffee.
It's advised to wait at least an hour before having coffee:
I actually replied to ElephantShoes but for some reason put your name on it, there goes another brain cell 🤣
SeasideSusie Administrator in reply to ElephantShoes
3 hours ago
Miffie
Liver is the best of the iron rich foods, chicken liver has most iron so if you can eat/make chicken liver pate that will help, otherwise look through the link I gave for iron rich foods but nothing comes close to liver.
I take my Levo on waking at least 30 minutes before a coffee.
It's advised to wait at least an hour before having coffee:
Just off to get the kitchen scales out of the fridge and the eggs out of the wardrobe 🤣 (getting older has nothing to recommend it you know!)
Let’s not worry about brain cells on a sunny afternoon, they say age is a state of mind. 😏😏😏I do think ageing has one consolation, we are less concerned about others judging us and better saying it as we see it! 😂😂😂
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