I’m seeing doctor on Wednesday to discuss my free t3 result as it’s raised 7.2 (3.5 to 6.5)so abnormal
TSH 0.37 (range 0.1 to 5) norm
Free t4 18 (12 to 23) norm
Hope he doesn’t take me off my new t3 meds as prescribed by my endo for a trial
Any advice re the labs.
I had only taken the t3 an hour before the bloods were drawn
I’m on a trial now of 150 t4 and 20mcg t3 split into two doses
Thankyou
Myish
I had only taken the t3 an hour before the bloods were drawn
I’m on a trial now of 150 t4 and 20mcg t3 split into two doses
You have started on a too high dose of T3 - SlowDragon explained in reply to your previous post:
It’s important to start T3 very SLOWLY.
Usually starting on just 5mcg initially for first week or so
Plus you took your T3 before the test. Always advised here on an almost daily basis:
* Book the first appointment of the morning, or with private tests at home no later than 9am. This is because TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day.
In fact, 9am is the perfect time, see first graph here, it shows TSH is highest around midnight - 4am (when we can't get a blood draw), then lowers, next high is at 9am then lowers before it starts it's climb again about 9pm:
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
If we are looking for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or looking for an increase in dose or to avoid a reduction then we need TSH to be as high as possible.
* Nothing to eat or drink except water before the test - have your evening meal/supper as normal the night before but delay breakfast on the day of the test and drink water only until after the blood draw. Certain foods may lower TSH, caffeine containing drinks affect TSH.
* If taking thyroid hormone replacement, last dose of Levo should be 24 hours before blood draw, if taking NDT or T3 then last dose should be 8-12 hours before blood draw. Adjust timing the day before if necessary. This avoids measuring hormone levels at their peak after ingestion of hormone replacement. Take your thyroid meds after the blood draw. Taking your dose too close to the blood draw will give false high results, leaving any longer gap will give false low results.
* If you take Biotin or a B Complex containing Biotin (B7), leave this off for 7 days before any blood test. This is because if Biotin is used in the testing procedure it can give false results (most labs use biotin).
These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with phlebotomists or doctors.
Myish, Endos usually request that bloods be done 2 to 4 hours after doses. If we take blood tests soon after our thyroid meds we measure the sharp peak of the hormones in the blood. Most of the day the hormone levels we have circulating do not match the sharp peak. If an endo asks me if I do my bloods after a dose I say that that's what I have been told to do and that I always follow the same protocol so I can compare like for like. I never say what that protocol is and I never get bloods done 2-4 hours after doses.
Endos seem to think that because the most common size of t3 tablets are 20mcg or 25mcg that this is the therapeutic starter dose. This is wrong. And they expect you to switch to it overnight. This is too great a shock for the body - some folks are lucky and get away with it but others need to build up slowly.
My endos protocol for introducing T3 was reduce levo by 50mcg and add in 20mcg lio T3 and she expected me to change overnight. I didn't. It took me 9 weeks until I had worked my way slowly to this prescribed dose. I sat it out for another 8 weeks to do bloods. My ft4 was 0% through range and my ft3 76% through range and it didn't suit me in the least!
It took 2 years of slow adjustments one thing at a time and waiting 8 weeks to get blood tests until I reached doses and levels I wanted to stop on for a while and those doses are 100mcg levo and 7.5mcg lio.
If the endo hadn't cut my levo by 50mcg and just added lio T3 slowly in 5mcg increments, I might have arrived at these levels quicker and without 2 years of bad symptoms. I need to add that before adding lio my levo dosage was 100mcg and my ft4 was only 60% through range so indeed there was no need to alter that.
Thankyou Lalatoot … it’s early days and I’m so thankful to be trying t3 ….. I’ve been desperate as g felt so bad for 12 months … not been able to work because of fatigue and brain fog …. And although vit d /iron / b12 were low ( also treating these ) I have previously had armour thyroid and that’s the best I’ve ever felt so looking to get NDT but at least my endo is considering it …. I was originally on 200 t4 but that has been increased from 100 a year ago It’s like walking in mud
Thankyou for your reply …. I feel I need to arm myself with info as my GP may want to stop the t3 …. It was the endocrinologist who prescribed it
There’s absolutely no point testing thyroid levels until at least 6-8 weeks after being on constant unchanging dose levothyroxine and T3
ALWAYS Test thyroid levels early morning ideally before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
Day before test split T3 into 2 or 3 smaller doses spread through the day and last dose T3 approx 8-12 hours before test
ESSENTIAL To retest vitamin levels at least once a year, more frequently when improving low levels
Hi Myish, I don't believe you are overdosing on T3. Mine was similar after waiting ten hours before testing. (I take 50 mcgs of T3) I don't know how they arrive at those ranges. That's another topic. We know that T4 ranges have been keeping women under dosed for years. In fact, some test results for T3 can be over 9.0. This comment was made by doctors prescribing T3 for their wives.
Blood results - advice 
Blood test results
Results help since taking combo of t4/t3….
My latest blood results
