Total T3 vs FT3…

[Meanbeannyc]

Total T3 has skyrocketed in the past month (doubled) but FT3 stayed the same.

Any ideas why?

[radd]

Meanbeannyc,

In your previous post you said T3 had made you rage & I suggested elevated testosterone. Even elevated oestrogen can have a similar effect in some.

When sex hormones aren’t balanced, the dominant will encourage a corresponding amount of protein transporters to carry the bound hormone around the body, delivering it to where it needs to be. Elevated protein transporters risk binding thyroid hormones too, so we end up with too much bound where bloods read as a much higher 'total’ but not enough ‘free’.

Upping & lowering T3 amounts too rapidly is discouraged because apart from straining adrenals (that have to keep up/slowdown with a changing metabolism not matching cardiac output), it also increases/decreases SHBG (another transporter made in the liver known for corresponding with T3 levels).

Have you had sex hormones tested?

How much T3 & Levo are you presently taking?

[Meanbeannyc in reply to radd]

T3 had made me rage because I was on a pretty large dose. I was highly overmedicated. I was on 100/15.

I haven’t had any change to my doses in a long time.

112/5.

TSH 0.66

FT4: 1.4 (0.8-1.8) (same as always on 112)

FT3: 2.7 (2.3-4.2) (same as always on 112)

TT3: 120 (67-181) (usually reads 82-89 at quest).

[radd in reply to Meanbeannyc]

Meanbeanyc,

Exactly. If there is an imbalance, less T3 will obscure and more T3 will intensify those feelings. I had a similar experience only mine was depression.

There are millions of chemical reactions that influence our mood, & how we perceive & manage/experience life. Adding T3 to my T4 alleviated all physical conditions, brain fog cleared, energy returned, I started healing well, and yet suddenly my mental state became a mess, with low mood I couldn’t shake and crying uncontrollably most days.

Depression and anger are part of the same neurotransmitter circuit that T3 influences greatly being a neurotransmitter itself as well as a hormone. Once sex hormone imbalances were sorted so was my head. It is not about the size you are. I am small too. It is about how thyroid conditions create imbalances that inhibit the effectiveness of themselves.

[Meanbeannyc in reply to radd]

So… what’s next radd

[radd in reply to Meanbeannyc]

Meanbeannyc,

If it were me I would want to eliminate a sex hormone imbalance as the cause for not only making my thyroids meds ineffective but causing additional negative side-effects as well.

[Meanbeannyc in reply to radd]

I’ve read that people who are poor converters can take T3 for a while, fix their conversion and resume T4 only. I’ve also read some people post thyroidectomy don’t convert and then they start converting? Idk if my conversion is starting to get better?

[radd in reply to Meanbeannyc]

Meanbeannyc,

Depends on the reason for the conversion inability, ie if it was a congested liver, then taking something like milk thistle would improve conversion but if the inability was due to genetic impairments then it couldn't improve radically.