medichecks results

[ianskelly]

Hi all ,please would you mind having a look at my medicheck results?

I did the test 2nd of december and the medichecks doctor report confirmed I was over medicated (I was at the time taking 112.5 levo and 25 lio t3 cytomel) I have now reduced to 100 levo and kept the same t3 level, as my vitamin did wasn't that high i have increase my better you vitamin d spray to 4000 and take a a good multi vit that has a high b12 level. my iron ferratin levels look low but i have heamochromatosis and have regular venesections to reduce it (but havent had any for the pst 2mths so will probably be naturally higher at this point and when it was higher 2 years ago I didnt feel better)

in brackets are high to low amounts

TSH 0.03 mU/L (0.27 - 4.2 R)

FREE T3 5.1pmol/(L 3.1 - 6.8 R)

FREE THYROXINE 18.2pmol/(L 12 - 22 R)

THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 112IU/m (L< 34 R)

CRP HS <0.3mg/ (L0 - 5 R)

FERRITIN 30.9ug/(L30 - 400 R)

FOLATE - SERUM14.12 ug/(L> 3.89 R)

VITAMIN B12 - ACTIVE 92.8pmol/(L37.5 - 188 R)

VITAMIN D 100nmol/(L50 - 200 R)

basically my symptoms are waking up every day naturally without an alarm at around 5.45-6am but feeling tired upon waking never refreshed and not really feeling awake ish untill around 11am but have a general feeling of brain fog most of the time, looking at may results what can i do to feel better ? as i havn't started to feel better should i reduce the levo further? or should i reduce the t3? (infact looking at my results do i nee t3? i haven't got a pescription and have to pay for it myself) i know i should get re-tested but i dont want to se my doctor and i struggle with the medichecks finger prick for the test so i have to pay the extra £30 for nurse to do it and try and fit it in my work commitments any advice would be appreciated

regards Ian

[greygoose]

No way were you over-medicated. Your FT3 was well in-range - even your FT4 was in-range - and you are only over-medicated if your FT3 is over-range. The Medichecks doctor was only looking at the TSH, and we all know that you should never dose by the TSH alone.

It's really not worth getting the Medichecks doctor comments, because they are only ordinary GPs, not thyroid experts, and they don't know any more about thyroid than any other GP.

How much levo and T3 were you taking, exactly? And by how much did you reduce?

[ianskelly in reply to greygoose]

Hi greygoose, I was taking 112.5 levo and 25 cytomel , I have reduced the levo to 100 and I have left the cytomel at 25 , I am posting as basically I haven't felt "normal" for a good few years, I always feel tired and have trouble concentrating ,at first I thought if i bear with I would start feeling better, I am the point were I just feel enough is enough and this is the year I need to do whatever I need to do to sort the feeling of fatigue . not sure if related / relevant but my body temp (using a ear thermometer ) tends to be around 35.5 degrees (i think it may have been a little bit lower prior to the reduction

[greygoose in reply to ianskelly]

Well, it's totally possible that you were actually under-medicated, not over-medicated at all. This is the problem with dosing by the TSH. Taking 25 mcg T3 will most definitely suppress your TSH, without it meaning that you're over-medicated. But that's just something that doctors don't understand.

So, you've only reduced by a small amount, certainly not enough to raise your TSH - but why would you want to? TSH doesn't cause symptoms whether it's high or low. And, it's suppressed because you don't need it anymore. I think I would be inclined to put my dose back to where it was, then later on try increasing my T3 by 5 mcg, and stop asking for Medichecks doctor 'advice'.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Ft4 only 62% through range Ft3 only 54% through range

Helpful calculator for working out percentage through range

thyroid.dopiaza.org

Assuming last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Day before test did you split T3 into 3 smaller doses through the day, taking last 1/3rd of daily dose approx 8-12 hours before test

If anything…possibly slightly under medicated

[ianskelly in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi forgive my ignorance what should the range be? i take my t3 every morning with my t4 and then don't eat or drink coffee for one hour, i previously split my dose of t3 in two but didnt notice a benefit. if i go back to 112.5 and after that increase t3 by 5mcg do you think the exhaustion may stop? (and as my cytomel is 25ug does that mean a fifth of a tablet? i will have my iron done in soon as part of my haemochromatosis check

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to ianskelly]

Even if you normally take T3 as single dose….on day before blood test you should split T3 into 2 or 3 smaller doses and take last dose T3 approx 8-12 hours before test

If you left 24 hours between last dose T3 and blood test Ft3 is false low result

Ft3 is actually higher than your results show

Splitting T3 into 3 doses and taking last 1/4 tablet at bedtime often improves sleep

1/2 tablet waking, 1/4 tablet mid afternoon and 1/4 tablet at bedtime

[ianskelly in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi just with you saying ft3 is higher than my results would show what does that mean in layman’s terms ? Is that good or bad ?Would it change what you and grey goose said about me possibly being under medicated ? Thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to ianskelly]

If you had split T3 day before test as recommended, your Ft3 result would have been higher

How much higher….impossible to say

But higher than this result. Perhaps at 6.0

Personally I wouldn’t increase T3

Ft3 doesn’t last long in blood from a blood test point of view

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Suggest you get full iron panel test see where iron and ferritin are now

Medichecks iron panel test

medichecks.com/products/iro...