my daughter over the years has taken various doses of levothyroxine only and levothyroxine with T3, and T3 only, but she has never felt completely well no matter what she takes.
Her doctor told her eight weeks ago to cut back to 100mcg. levo. to see where her levels were, of course he only tested TSH so has just done the advanced thyroid test with Medichecks.
She did the test at 6.15am. and took her last levo. 16 hours before the test and fasted for eight hours.
She takes iron. B12, B complex, and Vitamin D.
Her results are,
TSH 0.78 range 0.27 - 4.2
FT4 16.6 range 12 - 22
FT3 2.71 range 3.1 - 6.8
Thyroglobulin AB 15 < 115
Thyroid Peroxidase AB 9 <34
Ferritin 140 range 13 - 150
CPR 5.31 range 0 - 5
Folate 3.45 >3.89
Active B12 150 range 37 - 150
Vitamin D 94 range 50 - 200
Medichecks doctors comments were CPR is raised when inflammation or infection is in the body, which in turn can cause Ferritin to rise.
Folate low, advice re diet to raise it or take supplements,
Wait for it "a low FT3 can VERY OCCASIONALLY be the cause of hypothyroidism"
Should she increase her levo. or add in some T3 or both?
(I feel she felt the best on T3 only but it made her constantly hungry)
Any advice would be really appreciated.
Thank you.
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lucylocks
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Why did her doctor want her to reduce to 100mcg Levo? She certainly needs an increase in Levo and if this still shows poor conversion, I would push to add T3. What were your daughters blood results like on previous combination treatment?
Which B Complex is she taking? When my B12 was optimal but folate still low, I was advised to take a separate methyl folate supplement.
Has she ever tried a gluten free diet? This certainly helped reduce my overall inflammation.
the doctor panicked because her TSH was undetectable.
She is now going to demand an increase.
She takes B12, B Complex, Vitamin D and iron.
She was gluten free for a while but stopped as she felt no different.
She does not always get the same brand of levo. and I have told her to tell the chemist she must have the same brand, and when she did, he said we cant always do this because of Brexit.
SlowDragon gives good advice 😊. To half such a large dose immediately is mad. Were her symptoms so severe that the doctor panicked? Do they know what they are doing 🤔.
Her FT3 is now below range, her FT4 is low in range and TSH is NOT the most important indicator, and increasingly being shown up as unreliable in recent scientific papers, but still over relied upon because of flawed science long imbedded in the treatment protocols.
So FT3 is the form of thyroid hormone that is bioavailable ie used by all our bodies cells in energy production. Our body converts FT4 to T3,.
TSH is not a thyroid hormone. I’m stopping there. If you know the basics, you can pretty much tie a GP up in knots. 😊 Honestly I have never regretted taking the pain and reading up on my condition. All good thyroid books cover and outline thyroid function, Dr Peatfield wrote a book and it is very good by others recommendations. I read ‘be your own thyroid advocate’. I found this good grounding.
As to feeling hungry all the time , I found when I ate gluten (especially pasta) I kept eating until I was stuffed and then used to fall asleep 😴. I went gluten-free as advised by SlowDragon with no expectations. Cannot believe difference! Helped stop heartburn, I visibly looked less bloated in a matter of days and stopped falling asleep after meals. I’ve written my journey in my profile so hopefully it might inform others.
We are all different, but when you read lived experience on here it is probably one of the most valuable sources for learning about thyroid conditions, and a good book of course 😊👍
Also I am much more mindful of hydration than I used to be which also helps keep constipation at bay. (Along with being adequately medicated).
When going gluten-free free it has to be strictly. As someone on the forum said ‘you can’t be a little bit pregnant, you either are or you are not’. I love that saying! 🤣. But seriously, there is no benefit in being mostly gluten-free in this instance. And gluten is in so much. It takes some real vigilance to navigate mainstream foods. Once you know your brands and have identified any replacement products ie gluten-free options, life gets a bit easier. Many find benefits from being lactose free. Now this I do (but) I do occasionally abandon being lactose free, but only the odd day as I find several days eating dairy plays into heartburn.
Have a chat with your daughter, see if she can commit. It doesn’t help everyone, but some people will sneak the odd sandwich not realising the damage done, or a friend who hasn’t a clue will cater for them. 😱
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Latest Medichecks Results - low FT3 - Dr will refer me to NHS Endo, should I try? Do I need to up my Levo in the meantime?
My friends results 
Medicheck results 
My second test results just arrived. Can someone help. TY:)
