Monitor my health results: Could you please... - Thyroid UK

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Monitor my health results

Silverangel profile image
6 Replies

Could you please decipher my results from monitor my health thyroid test? I am currently taking 100mcg thyroxine and 5mcg x 2 Liothyronine. I was supposed to have a telephone consultation on 22nd September but my endo cancelled it and I have not had another appointment given as yet.

TSH 0.14 mu/L

FT4 15 pmol/L

FT3 3.7 pmol/L

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Silverangel
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SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Silverangel

TSH 0.14 mu/L (0.27-4.20)

FT4 15 pmol/L (12-22)

FT3 3.7 pmol/L (3.1-6.8)

As we always need reference ranges to be able to interpret results, and because not everyone knows the ranges MonitorMyHealth uses, I have added them here.

Can you tell us please when you took your last doses of Levo and T3 so that we can comment accurately? Last dose of Levo should be 24 hours before blood draw and last dose of T3 8-12 hours before blood draw, adjusting time the day before if necessary, ie your second dose of 5mcg T3 should have been between 9pm and 1am the night before if your test was 9am the next morning.

What time did you do your test, and if you take a supplement containing biotin(eg B Complex) did you leave this off for 3-7 days before the test?

Silverangel profile image
Silverangel in reply to SeasideSusie

I took my last dose of thyroxine and my first dose of Liothyronine at 8.30am the day before and my Liothyronine approx 8.30pm the evening before, I did the blood test approx 8.45am, I left off my hair vitamins which contain biotin for 8 days before doing the blood test

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Silverangel

Silverangel

OK, so your results are as accurate as they can be :)

It would seem that you need an increase in your dose of T3 definitely. When on T3 this tends to lower FT4, also lowers TSH and often suppresses it (I hope your endo is aware of this). Where we need our FT4 when on combination hormone replacement is a very individual thing, some are fine with low FT4 as long as FT3 is in the upper part of it's range, some of us need both FT4 and FT3 fairly well balanced in the upper half of the range. This is something we have to find ourselves by gradual tweaking of doses.

If those were my results I'd be increasing T3 at this stage, I'd add another 5mcg and split the 15mcg into 2 or 3 doses throughout the day. I'd then wait at least 8 weeks to retest (I need that long and I still feel changes at 10 weeks). That should increase your FT3 level and it may reduce your, so you may need to increase Levo next, possibly only by 12.5mcg but you may need 25mcg. Then it's a case of fine tuning doses but always leave 8 weeks or so between dose change and testing.

Are your key nutrients at optimal levels, ie

Vit D - 100-150nmol/L

B12 - top of range

Folate - at least half way through range

Ferritin - half way through range

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Would agree with Seasidesusie, first step is to add third dose T3

Retest in approx 8 weeks

Meanwhile

Do you know if cause of your hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Have you had coeliac blood test done

Are you on strictly gluten free diet

Silverangel profile image
Silverangel in reply to SlowDragon

Thank you for your reply. I’ve never been told why I have an underactive thyroid, it was diagnosed in 1997 and was not explained, just given thyroxine that did nothing, in 2003 I heard Lyn Mynott on women’s hour and then found her website and found out there was other treatments and I had a different doctor by then who admitted knowing nothing about thyroid problems but agreed to put me on Armour of which I was on and felt 100% better until 2015 when it was stopped, I managed to get the endo to prescribe Liothyronine but only a small dose and have had symptoms come back again such as terrible sweating and gaining weight. I don’t know what the difference is between just an underactive thyroid and Hasimoto’s disease?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Silverangel

Suggest you get FULL Thyroid and vitamin testing done at next test

When were vitamin levels last tested

About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Though 20% of Hashimoto’s patients never have high thyroid antibodies, or antibodies levels vary over time

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine or T3

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least annually

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)

Low vitamin levels common as we get older too

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

On day before blood test, split T3 into 3 smaller doses, at roughly equal 8 hour intervals, taking last 1/3rd of daily dose approx 8-12 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

If TPO or TG thyroid antibodies are high this is usually due to Hashimoto’s (commonly known in UK as autoimmune thyroid disease). Ord’s is autoimmune without goitre.

About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto’s.

Low vitamin levels are particularly common with Hashimoto’s. Gluten intolerance is often a hidden issue too

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Link about Hashimoto’s

thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...

List of hypothyroid symptoms

thyroiduk.org/if-you-are-un...

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