Hi my TSH is 0.01 and my T4 21.2. I felt well for a while (great!) but ive tipped over and started to get overactive symptoms. I'm reducing my meds slowely but worried and dont know how to approach this. GP cluless here in ๐ฌ๐ง.
I feel appalling- my body feels like everything is going wrong ( heart, blood sugar, tingling, vertigo - feel like im on the wild ocean!) is this the small reduction in meds or because im still hyperthyroid from too much meds in me? Am i damaging my health by not reducing fast?
Anyone been in a similar position.
Thanks for your input ๐ deb
Written by
Debbiebeynon
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi thanks for helping! I am hypothyroid and on Erfa thyroid and thyroxine meds. ( 2g and 25g 6 nights a week) Ive felt wonderful on this for about a year at higher levels but started sweating and having heart palpitations- which i put down to menopause but now i have leg tremors/ to lesser tingling and diverse heartbeats, blurry vision, blood sugar issues, fluttering sensatios in lower chest ( not heart) and feel horrendous.
Ive been lowering meds a little over a month. Thinking slow best. Am i just feeling crap from this? Tingling and exhausted and heart weird intermittently - a constant.
My only blood test were for T4 and TSH as T 3 was normal on earlier tests month prior.
Are you saying you were on a higher dose and reduced to what you take now taking over a month?
Do you always have the same brand of levo?
Lots of alterations quickly is not recommended. Usually a small reduction of either levo or Efra is appropriate. A dose should be taken consistently and continuously for 6 weeks before reassessing.
If FT3 was normal and you felt well you do not need to reduce because of low TSH.
Thanks. Ive dropped too much probably and as you say probably didnt need to. When my GP suggested it i didnt go along with it at first, as i wasn't sure. I've become so confused by it all- especially as my head is so fogged!! But i now will persue these extra tests for clarity. Thank you
Anything containing T3 such as ERFA needs to be taken daily. Synthroid or levothyroxine can be taken as different doses on different days but not EFRA. Just incase you are taking it 6 days out of the 7.
Just testing TSH and FT4 cannot tell you if you're over-medicated, because you are only over-medicated if your FT3 is well over-range. It could very well be that although the FT4 is high - but is it over-range? - and your TSH is low - we don't care about that - your FT3 is low because you don't convert T4 to T3 very well. So, if you reduce your levo (T4) your FT3 will also reduce and you could now be under-medicated, and that's what's causing the symptoms.
It's often difficult to tell if symptoms are of over or under-medication because so many of them cross over. Which is why we need labs to confirm, or dispute, our suspicions. But, we need the right labs, and if there is no FT3 result, it doesn't tell us very much.
So, before you reduce any further, I would suggest you get your FT4 and FT3 tested privately - I know there's a problem getting FR3 on the NHS. And that will tell you what you need to do next.
Feeling like walking on a boat in rough water suggests low B12
When taking NDT itโs essential to test Ft3
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 once year minimum
Ideally test after 6-8 weeks on unchanging dose
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally before 9am last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
On T3 or NDT - day before test split daily dose into 3 smaller doses, spread through the day at approx 8 hour intervals, taking last 1/3rd of daily dose 8-12 hours before test
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
List of private testing options and money off codes
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.