Thyroid test results

[hetrap]

I found out what my thyroid tests came back as. In May i only had the tsh done it seems which was 1.72 ( hospital range is 0.35 - 500). MyT3 and T4 were done in Oct 2021. The hospital range for T3 is3-6 and my result was 3.8. The hospital range for T4 is 9- 21 and my result was 15.1. I am on 75 mcgs. I do not feel that great but not sure it is the menopause or the thyroid. I had been HRT for a number of years but had to come off a few yrs ago. I believe it might be menopausal symtoms causing me trouble. However my cholesterol has gone up to just over 6 so was given statins. Cut a long story short ended up being badly constipated so then had to be give laxative sachets to take. Statin dosage was reduced but after a while had the same stomach pains i had before so now statin has been changed. Now i have done a stool test and it has comeback with a positive result for blood - do you think all this is related? Sorry about the "novel". Just very worried atm

[greygoose]

Oh dear. You are a little bit under-medicated on levo - 75 mcg is only a small dose - but you don't seem to be a great converter, anyway. Your FT3 is much, much too low there. And, that is why your cholesterol is high. You don't need statins, which are horrible things, and not recommended for women or hypos, anyway. What you need is T3. Raise your FT3 and the cholesterol will drop.

That very low FT3 will probably be causing all your other symptoms, too.

[hetrap in reply to greygoose]

Greygoose how can i do that because the Gps go by the guidelines that are laid and I appear to be within the range. Can i get something myself to raise my T 3

[greygoose in reply to hetrap]

You can buy your own T3 on-line. But, you'd need to learn a bit more about it before self-treating.

[hetrap]

Is it safe to buy online though?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Always test thyroid levels early morning, ideally before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

See/contact GP and request thyroid levels retested, and also vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Likely to need dose increase in levothyroxine

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase

Have you had thyroid antibodies tested

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

Approx how much do you weigh in kilo

Unless extremely petite likely to need to be on higher dose levothyroxine

List of private testing options and money off codes

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

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

pathlabs.rlbuht.nhs.uk/tft_...

Guiding Treatment with Thyroxine:

In the majority of patients 50-100 μg thyroxine can be used as the starting dose. Alterations in dose are achieved by using 25-50 μg increments and adequacy of the new dose can be confirmed by repeat measurement of TSH after 2-3 months.

The majority of patients will be clinically euthyroid with a ‘normal’ TSH and having thyroxine replacement in the range 75-150 μg/day (1.6ug/Kg on average).

The recommended approach is to titrate thyroxine therapy against the TSH concentration whilst assessing clinical well-being. The target is a serum TSH within the reference range.

……The primary target of thyroxine replacement therapy is to make the patient feel well and to achieve a serum TSH that is within the reference range. The corresponding FT4 will be within or slightly above its reference range.

The minimum period to achieve stable concentrations after a change in dose of thyroxine is two months and thyroid function tests should not normally be requested before this period has elapsed.

[hetrap in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for that. When I was first diagnosed - which was 21 yrs ago - I had a blood test that showed I was borderline hypothyroid and then 3 months later I had another blood test that showed my antibodies had gone high quite some considerable amount so was immediately put on 50mcg levo. I felt worse then and so they increased the amount - I got up to 150mcg in the end . Since then - and after about 4 yrs of starting this dose - we moved and from then on my dosage has been 100mcg then 75mcg and back and forward these 2 amounts. At the moment it is 75mcg. My thyroid checkups (blood tests) are only about once a year now. In May I had a full load of tests done (bloods) and the results all came back as very good! These tests being other than for the thyroid. I think when I have more thyroid tests I am going toask for T3 and T4 as well as they are not always done. I will remember not to take my thyroxine on the day of having the blood test. With everything else going on I am just fed up about the whole thing and the fight is starting to leave me but shall persevere

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to hetrap]

150mcg in the end . Since then - and after about 4 yrs of starting this dose - we moved and from then on my dosage has been 100mcg then 75mcg and back and forward these 2 amounts. At the moment it is 75mcg.

At moment there’s a totally inappropriate obsession by many medics to reduce levothyroxine until TSH is over 1

Many, many thyroid patients, when adequately treated with optimal Ft3 levels…..they will have very low or suppressed TSH ….it’s irrelevant

The most important result is always Ft3, followed by Ft4

On just levothyroxine it’s extremely common to end up with low Ft3 if Ft4 is kept within range

See GP - Request/insist on 25mcg dose increase in levothyroxine up to 100mcg

Retest after 6-8 weeks minimum.

If doing private testing, test early Monday or Tuesday, before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 as well

[hetrap in reply to SlowDragon]

thank you for that information

[TSH110 in reply to hetrap]

They are not good they are not even vaguely optimal! Did you feel better on the higher doses? 75mcg is only just above a starter dose and a very low dose indeed for the long term.

[TSH110]

For starters if yiu are on Levothyroxine the TSH should be between 0,2 and 0.5 so yours is far too high. You need a dose increase which might improve your free T3 levels and alleviate sone of your symptoms.Ask Thyroid U.K. admin for a copy of an article in Pulse by Toft where he states those numbers on page 6, he is an eminent endocrinologist (retired). As Thyroid U.K. is recommended by NHS choices as support for those with t hydroid disorders, you should take a copy to your doctor and say you want an increase as you are undermedicated according to one of the best endocrinologists in the U.K. (he was also surgeon to the Queen when she’s was in Scotland - drop that in if they seem reluctant to acquiesce to your request)

Your numbers may well be in range but they are nowhere near optimal and the doctor should be adjusting the dose until you are optimal and feel better. There is a lot of room for manoeuvre with the Levothyroxine. If that doesn’t help then you will have to have some T3 to improve the free T3 levels.

[eeng]

My doctor keeps me slightly undermedicated on Levothyroxine, a bit like yours does. My solution is to buy Metavive1. (Content removed by admin)

. It costs about £30 for 180 capsules and I take one a day. It more or less sorted out my constant coldness (although I'm still much colder than anyone else I work with) and the horrible discouraged feeling I had. It also helped the constipation and various other irritating symptoms. I have more energy and sleep better. It's not perfect but worth a try <edited by Admin>. They do porcine and bovine versions if you have a reason for not wanting to take a porcine product <edited by Admin>. I have tried both.

What I don't know is what effect this will have on my next blood test results. I might need to stop taking the metavive a couple of weeks before the test in case the doctor decides I am overmedicated and lowers my Levothyroxine still further, although my last TSH was just over 2 so, like you I was undermedicated.

[hetrap in reply to eeng]

thank you for that information. Where do you get thisMetavive1 from - could you tell me please? Also I would love to hear how you get on with your blood test too . I can never make up my mind whether it is the menopause affecting me or the thyroid!!!