Am I going in the right direction ?

[Montheone]

These are my results from February when I was on 2.5 grains of Armour TSH 0.03 mU/L (Range: 0.27 - 4.2) Free T3 5.20 pmol/L (Range: 3.1 - 6.

Free thyroxine X 11.600 pmol/L (Range: 12 - 22)

And from March when I was on 2 grains of Armour

Serum TSH level (XaELV) 0.497 miu/L [0.34 - 5.6]

Serum free T4 level (XaERr) 6.6 pmol/L [7.7 - 15.1]

Serum cortisol level (XE2xW) 320 nmol/L [185 - 624]

T3 not tested on NHS !

I’m still not losing much of the weight I have gained from my thyroid condition ? lots of lower back pain in the last month especially at night - no idea if anything to do with thyroid or Muscoskeletal ?

[Gingernut44]

Why did you reduce your dose of Armour after your February test, your T4 was already below the reference range. Your symptoms are most likely due to being under medicated.

[Montheone in reply to Gingernut44]

Because my TSH was very low and my GP was querying it so private endincrinologist lowered Armour to 2 grains

[Montheone in reply to Gingernut44]

These are my results from Medichecks feb 16th but agree need to do another test

CRPHS 8.03 mg/L (Range: 0 - 5)

Ferritin <34.6 range (13- 150)

Folate serum >19.8 ( range > 3.89)

Vit B12 117.00 ( range 37.5 / 150)

Vit D 98.00 ( range 75-200 optimal)

Looks like I need more vitamin D and Ferritin ?

Not sure what CRPHS is ? But outside normal range ?

[Hidden]

Many people won´t lose weight simply as a result of being on Armour. Optimising T3 is often necessary in order to lose weight, but there could be other hormones at play as well - insulin and cortisol, for instance. But T3 in itself is not a weight loss drug. What optimal T3 levels can do is make you lose some of the fluid as weight gain in hypothyrodism is often caused not only by fat, but also water weight.

Having said that, your FT3 was no way near the upper range in February, and lowering Armour will likely result in lower FT3. Also, your FT4 is just below range. Some people feel fine that way, while others will need it higher (about midrange or slightly higher), so you may currently be under medicated on 2.5 grains.

[Montheone in reply to Hidden]

Ok that’s useful to know - I am currently on 2 grains so may go back up to 2.5 grains - will check with private endo - spoke to nhs GP today who was querying low TSH tho nowhere near as low as February but she didn’t have these results tho gave them to the surgery. She didn’t know I was on Armour and I pointed out that the NHS test didn’t test T3 but she said nhs not allowed to test T3 unless special circumstances

[Hidden in reply to Montheone]

When on thyroid hormone replacement, the TSH is of litte to no value as it was developed for people on levothyroxine only. T3 will often suppress the TSH; that´s just what it does, and we should not worry about it as long as we have no signs of being overmedicated. The free Ts will give you a better picture, although they only measure what´s in your blood and not your cells where thyroid hormone exerts its metabolic action. Hence, the need to go by symptom-relief and not dose by lab results. Most doctors worry about a low TSH because they have been told that is a sign of hyperthyroidism or overmedication. Don´t let any doctor talk you into lowering NDT simply because your TSH is low!!!

[Montheone in reply to Hidden]

Thanks ! I have emailed my private endo asking why she has decreased my dose from 2.5 grains to 2 as my T3 reading was not excessively high in February and T4 was low and no results for March for T3 but T4 still low

[pennyannie]

Hello again :

Apart from weight - have other debilitating symptoms been relieved ?

My weight was the last piece of my jigsaw puzzle after starting NDT and very subtle and a bonus to my overall improvement in well being - and around a good 12 months in that I noticed my shape had changed.

Are you monitoring yourself on temperature, pulse and blood pressure - can you see any improvements there - I found my temperature slowly rose from 35.4 to 36.6 where it hovers most days, now 4 years in and on NDT

[Montheone in reply to pennyannie]

That’s really helpful to know - I feel fine apart from excessive sweating but that is probably because we have my 94 year old mother living with us and we have to keep the temperature high !! How much Armour are you on and have you now lost weight ?

[pennyannie in reply to Montheone]

There's little point comparing yourself to me, or anybody else - we are all different.

I'm with Graves Disease and post RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 and 75 years old:

I only seem to need a small amount of NDT - probably because I haven't a thyroid gland anymore - and I take 1+1/2 grains at around 3.00 am to dovetail in with the circadian rhythm of the body:

Yes I noticed after around a year that my clothes were getting loose though eating very well.

Just seen your vitamins and minerals :

Everywhere I read says ferritin needs to be over 70 for T4 to convert to T3 and I know I feel much improved keeping my ferritin at around 100 : folate at 20 : active B12 75 + and vitamin D at around 100 :

CRPHS is an inflammation marker and yes, your body is inflamed and over range and this too will compromise optimal conversion of T4 into T3 :

What have you been diagnosed with - Hashimoto's AI Disease - that could cause the inflammation - maybe you need to look at food intolerances and believe Dr Isabella Wentz - writes extensively on this : thyroidpharmacist.com

With NDT dose adjust on 1/4 grains and monitor and track on blood pressure, pulse and temperature am and pm in between blood tests.

[Hidden in reply to pennyannie]

I only seem to need a small amount of NDT - probably because I haven't a thyroid gland anymore -

Why would not having a thyroid anymore make you need a small amount of NDT; I would have thought the opposite was true...that is, with no thyroid to make any hormones, you need more thyroid hormone? After all, your thyroid is no longer producing any hormones, and you have also lost the T4 to T3 conversion carried out by the gland itself.

[pennyannie in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I know and thought the same but remember reading somewhere that without the gland it's likely you'll get by on less - sorry - no link - just my memory and reading around stuff to rely on, and yes, as you may already know I'm dyslexic !!!

I see it more as me " main lining " and not having a fibrous tissue to work through ??

[Hidden in reply to pennyannie]

Well, I have never heard of that and that sounds illogical to me. Hopefully, others will chime in!

[Montheone in reply to pennyannie]

The recent nhs endo I talked to said I didn’t have Hashimoto’s as my thyroid peroxidase antibodies were less than 9 when the range is less than 34 and she had patients with results in the hundreds tho I was told I did have Hashimoto’s when I was first diagnosed in 1994 - very helpful about ferritin and will look dr Isabella Wentz ‘s work - what supplement do you take toImprove ferritin ?

[pennyannie in reply to Montheone]

Well antibodies wax and wane and if you had a diagnosis of Hashimoto's in 1994 you have Hashimoto's in 2022 :

This likely explains your inflammation being high and this will effect conversion of any thyroid hormone replacement.

It's suggested to get tested for coeliac disease as this can run alongside Hashimoto's.

Food intolerances seem to be an extremely common issue with thyroid AI disease and suggest you look to reading up and consider ' healing your gut ' first, by cutting out gluten, and systematically work through other products that maybe causing inflammation.

If you go into the Thyroid UK website, thyroiduk.org who are the charity who support this forum you can read of this in more detail.

[Montheone in reply to pennyannie]

Yes I aim to be gluten free and dairy free and have done for about 5 years which may explain why thyroid perioxidase level is low

[Montheone in reply to pennyannie]

Many thanks for this - really helpful and saved ! Is ferritin the same as an iron supplement ?

[pennyannie in reply to Montheone]

You can build up your ferritin with iron tablets :

You may get prescribed on the NHS if your doctor understands the relevance of ferritin needing to be optimal for any thyroid hormone replacement to work well.

There are various iron tablets, some find the tablets harsh on their stomach and I preferred a softer less harsh preparation and took an iron bisglycinate - commonly marketed as a gentler iron supplement.

[Montheone]

These are my results from Medichecks feb 16th but agree need to do another test

CRPHS 8.03 mg/L (Range: 0 - 5)

Ferritin <34.6 range (13- 150)

Folate serum >19.8 ( range > 3.89)

Vit B12 117.00 ( range 37.5 / 150)

Vit D 98.00 ( range 75-200 optimal)

Looks like I need more vitamin D and Ferritin ?

Not sure what CRPHS is ? But outside normal range ?