Reverse T3 Test in the UK?

[KathFrances]

Hi - I'm looking for the cheapest and easiest way to get a Reverse T3 test in the UK, preferably as a fingerprick test at home. I usually use Medichecks for my thyroid testing but they've stopped doing the Reverse T3 test. Blue Horizon will do one for £149 but you also have to find and pay for someone to draw the blood, you can't do it at home. Any suggestions? Thank you.

[Lalatoot]

RT3 doesn't tell you anything really and isn't worth the expenseIf RT3 is high you still do not know what has caused it. Only 1 of the reasons for high RT3 is thyroid related. The others are:

Chronic fatigue

Accute illness and injury

Chronic disease

Increased cortisol (stress)

Low cortisol (adrenal fatigue)

Low iron

Lyme disease

Chronic inflammation

Selenium deficiency

Excess physical, mental and environmental stresses

Long term use of certain betablockers

Physical injury

Illnesses like the flu

Starvation/severe calorie restriction

Poorly treated diabetes

Cirrhosis of the liver

Fatty liver disease

Renal failure

Fever of unknown cause

Detoxing of high heavy metals

It used to be thought that RT3 blocked the T3 receptors in cells but this has been shown not to be the case. RT3 has its own receptors and is converted to T2

This thread has good links about RT3

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[KathFrances in reply to Lalatoot]

Thanks for this. Oh golly - and I've just read a piece by Dr Westin Childs explaining why Reverse T3 is a vital test. So hard to know what's what in this complex area. I'm looking for explanations of hypo symptoms including severe hair loss, while Free T3 and T4 tests seem fine and adrenal and iron tests also are mid range. Of course, it could be the anticoagulant that I take for atrial fibrillation - but I wanted to also rule out any thyroid causes.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

KathFrances

ReverseT3 test cannot be done by fingerprick, it has to be a venous blood draw.

But don't bother, it's expensive and it takes a long time as it has to be sent to the US for processing. Lalatoot has given you the reasons why it's a waste of time and money, the test really doesn't tell you anything useful.

The one thyroid related reason for high rT3 is when there is an excess of unconverted T4, and that would be shown by a high FT4 and low FT3 anyway.

[KathFrances in reply to SeasideSusie]

Ugh - thanks, this minefield just gets more complex and confusing!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to KathFrances]

Was there a particular reason you were thinking of doing the rT3 test?

You can always post your latest resuts (with reference ranges) for full thyroid panel and key vitamins (Vit D, B12, folate and ferritin) and we can comment on them.

[KathFrances in reply to SeasideSusie]

Article by Westin Childs and info in STTM - but I've just read an earlier thread of a few days ago where people are disagreeing with Westin Childs etc. So I don't know. I'm about to get my T3 and T4 tested again so will see how they are.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to KathFrances]

KathFrances

STTM doesn't go down well with some people here.

I have experience of testing rT3 which may illustrate why it's not necessarily a helpful test.

Back in 2015, as a last ditch attempt to try to understand why I had been so unwell for years despite being diagnosed/treated for hypothyroidism since 1975 and originally doing well on Levo, I did a plethora of tests privately prior to consulting a private practioner (who, incidentally, turned out to be an expensive mistake and knew less than I did). I had already found out prior to all this testing that my conversion of T4 to T3 was poor so I had added T3 to my Levo.

Thinking it was important, one of the tests was rT3 and my result came back as 22 (10.0-24.0) with a ratio of 27.9 (ratio over 20 said to be good, but I don't understand the ratio part). So theoretically all was well, rT3 in range and ratio good.

I tweaked doses of Levo and T3, trying to find my sweet spot, and tested rT3 again 6 months later, just out of curiosity. This second test came back with rT3 at 29 (10.0-24.0) with a ratio of 13.25 so my rT3 had gone over range and my ratio had dropped. This couldn't have been due to excess unconverted T4 because at the time my FT4 was 36% through it's range and my FT3 was 76% through range. So my high rT3 must have been caused by something other than my thyroid. I've not bothered testing since, I now know where my FT4 and FT3 need to be and I have since optimised all my nutrients and thyroid/vitamin wise I am in the right place.

If I were you, and if you've not done them recently, I would do the full thyroid/vitamin test with one of our private labs. Get the full story, see where there may be any problems and go from there. Post results on the forum for help and guidance.

Comparable full Thyroid and Vitamin test bundles as follows:

Medichecks ADVANCED THYROID FUNCTION medichecks.com/products/adv...

Check this page for details of any discounts: thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

or

Blue Horizon Thyroid PREMIUM GOLD bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Check this page for discount code thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Both tests include the full thyroid and vitamin panel. They are basically the same test with just a few small differences:

Blue Horizon includes Total T4 (can be useful but not essential). Medichecks doesn't include this test.

B12 - Blue Horizon does Total B12 which measures bound and unbound (active) B12 but doesn't give a separate result for each. Medichecks does Active B12.

Total B12 shows the total B12 in the blood. Active B12 shows what's available to be taken up by the cells. You can have a reasonable level of Total B12 but a poor level of Active B12. (Personally, I would go for the Active B12 test.)

Blue Horizon include magnesium but this is an unreliable test so don't let this sway your decision, it also tests cortisol but that's a random cortisol test and to make any sense of it you'd need to do it fasting before 9am I believe.

If you want to do the fingerprick test I have some tips I can post on the forum for you, just ask.

Always advised here, when having thyroid tests:

* Blood draw no later than 9am. This is because TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. If looking for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, an increase in dose of Levo or to avoid a reduction then we need the highest possible TSH

* Nothing to eat or drink except water before the blood draw. This is because eating can lower TSH and coffee can affect TSH.

* If taking thyroid hormone replacement, last dose of Levo should be 24 hours before blood draw, if taking NDT or T3 then last dose should be 8-12 hours before blood draw. Adjust timing the day before if necessary. This avoids measuring hormone levels at their peak after ingestion of hormone replacement. Take your thyroid meds after the blood draw. Taking your dose too close to the blood draw will give false high results, leaving any longer gap will give false low results.

* If you take Biotin or a B Complex containing Biotin (B7), leave this off for 7 days before any blood test. This is because if Biotin is used in the testing procedure it can give false results (most labs use biotin).

These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with phlebotomists or doctors.

[Jillkh in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you that is really helpfuk

[vroooom5 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi, replying to an old post from you, but you mentioned to ask for any tips regarding finger prick tests. those would be helpful. My blood always trickles into the nail and then goes into the tube, possibly contaminating. thank you

[tattybogle in reply to vroooom5]

sadly seasidesusie passed away a few months ago. we all miss her a lot.

The tips she wrote are in a reply to this post : healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

i've just done one this morning. for me the key seems to be to get my heart rate going so i go for a quick bike ride round the block and then do it . ( plus all the other stuff . loads of water yesterday and this am. warm hand / arm upo in hot water , windmill arms prior etc etc )

[vroooom5 in reply to tattybogle]

Strange feeling this, but I miss her too now

thank you for the link

[tattybogle in reply to vroooom5]

also a very slight twist to the lancet as it's going in to the finger ... makes a bigger hole .