I've had an underactive thyroid after radioactive iodine treatment 20+ years ago. After a recent health check - no thyroid results - but cholesterol results are 'a cause for concern'. I'm seeing the nurse next week when I expect statins will be suggested. The results are
Cholesterol 6.1mmol/l
Triglycerides 1.2mmol/l
HDL 1.8 mmol/l
LDL 3.8 mmol/l
Cholesterol /HDL 3.4
Any suggestions/ thoughts appreciated please
Yes, get FULL Thyroid and vitamin testing done before agreeing to statins
Low Ft3 is linked to high cholesterol
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested.
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
Low vitamin levels are extremely common after RAI or on just levothyroxine
How much levothyroxine are you currently taking
Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
What vitamin supplements are you currently taking
When were vitamin levels last tested
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
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...
If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3
£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code
Underactive Thyroid can raise cholesterol so make sure you get full thyroid tests!
Stations are not recommended for hypo folks. There is a higher risk of muscle damage when hypo if you take statins. If you do a search on here top right magnifying glass you will find reference to NHS guidance that says not to take statins until optimal with thyroid.
Thanks for the questionWhat is optimal with thyroid. I am on levothyroxine 50mcg pD and my GP has just put me on avorstatin when my total cholesterol hit 6.1
She didn’t mention anything about checking my thyroid levels at the time !!should o be concerned
50mcg is only a starter dose levothyroxine
Please write a post of your own….bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase in levothyroxine
You will need further increase in levothyroxine over coming months
Plus vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 testing
Likely to need to supplement to maintain optimal vitamin levels
When on levo NHS guidelines state TSH should be under 2. On this site fellow hypos would say TSH nearer 1 or lower with ft4 and ft3 at least 50% through there ranges and also where you feel well .
Sending you link to Hypothyroidism and Cholesterols. Sometimes the medical profession doesn’t see the links and just treats separate symptoms. Hope this helps webmd.com/cholesterol-manag...
Don’t take Statins. Address the thyroid. My friend has ended up in a wheelchair because the Statin damage will not stop. His muscles have all gone. Called something like Full Body Myosis. Very sad for him.
3 years ago your FT3 was low in range - has that changed ?
Come back with FULL thyroid and vitamin results
nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...
If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.
Hello Jenned :
In order to go forwards I needed to first look back at your question from 3 years ago and can see possible cause and effect, and why you now have this additional health issue.
Ok, so you have had RAI thyroid ablation for Graves Disease some years ago and being treated with T4 monotherapy initially at much higher doses than you currently get prescribed.
T4 is a storage hormone and needs to be converted by your body into T3 the active hormone that runs all your bodily systems, including metabolism.
The accepted conversion ratio when on T4 only is said to be 1 / 3.50 - 4.50 T3/T4 with most people feeling at their best when they cone in at around 4 or under.
So to find your conversion ratio you simply divide your T3 into your T4 and I'm getting yours coming in at around 5.14 so wide of centre and showing a slow metabolism.
Put another way your T3 is at 3.95 and at just 23% whilst your T4 at 20.30 is up at around 80% and so yes, there is an imbalance as these 2 vital hormones need to more evenly balanced at around a 1/4 ratio T3/T4.
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg with T3 being said to be around 4 tomes more powerful than T4 with the average person needing to find around 50T3 daily just to function.
So by not replacing that ' little bit of T3 ' that your thyroid gave you, you have, in effect, been down regulated by around 20% of your overall well being and I'm sure overtime though your body tries to compensate, it will struggle and other health issues crop up.
Did you do anything about trying to get T3 - Liothyronine prescribed on the NHS ?
I'm also with Graves and post RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 becoming very unwell around 8 years later - details on my profile page.
Some people can get by on T4 only :
Some people find T4 seems to stop working as well as it once did and find adding in a little T3 does the trick - making a T3/T4 combo.
Some people can't tolerate T4 and ned to take T3 only :
Whilst others find their health better restored taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as that of the human gland and derived from pig thyroid dried and ground down into tablets referred to as grains.
All these treatment options were readily available to try, from your doctor 20 odd years ago but currently in primary care your doctor has only T4 at his disposal. and should you wish to try a alternative treatment option you need a referral to an endocrinologist.
Your results are in range so you may not even get anywhere through the NHS as it has become a postcode lottery and a cost consideration rather than a decision based on the medical need of the patient.
I have been refused all the treatment options except T4 and fighting the system simply exacerbated my health issues so I jumped ship and started self medicating around 4/5 years ago now and am much improve.
No thyroid hormone replacement works well until your ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D are up, and maintained at optimal levels nd conversion can also be compromised by inflammation, any physiological ( emotional or physical ) dieting, depression and ageing, so whilst we can't stop time, we can try and do something about some of these.
Just for reference : ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/306...
For all things Graves Disease - elaine-moore.com
Just reading this again, thank you for your help. I'm trying the GP tomorrow and then hope for an endochrinologist appointment. Before the appointment I'll get a medichecks blood test.
Ok then - get the Medichecks in good time so forum members can give you considered opinion on them before you see the specialist so you go prepared with an understanding of what it all means, and what you want from the appointment.
I'm pretty sure I'm not in the right place with this post but hopefully it will be OK.After the cholesterol results other results appeared from the GP along with a prescription for 25mcg levothyroxine - I currently take 150mcg daily. No advice as to why but a message from our surgery asking me to make a nurse appointment (Friday) It seems rather back to front to react in this way. I expect the idea is to take 125mcg daily but I don't actually know that
I haven't yet had T3 tested but the full blood count is 'satisfactory'.
T4 21.4pmol/l (11-23)
TSH 0.03mU/l (0.27-4.5)
B12 556ng/l (197-771)
Folate 5.4ug/l (2.0-18.7)
Ferritin 138.3ug/l (20-260)
Vitamin D 68nmol/l (50-175) I take BetterYou 3000+k2.
I'm not expecting the nurse to do more than follow the doctor's requirements but will get T3 test privately.
Thanks to all for your advice, much appreciated.
Ferritin and Folate would be better mid-range and VitD over 100 - when these levels are OPTIMAL it can help in a more efficient conversion of T4 into the ACTIVE T3.
When testing T3 - it needs to be done along with TSH and FT4. Check out Monitor My Health - a NHS lab with a private facility at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. Testing kits sent to your home - around £27 - results by email
It's not that it's in the wrong place, but it's likely that pennyannie , SlowDragon , Marz and others who have offered sage advice will not be notified of your response and may miss it 😊
Yes, with those results, I'm sure you're correct in your assumption that Levo will be reduced, statins will be no doubt be strongly suggested, and you'll end up feeling even worse as a result of their ridiculous thyroid protocol.
Based on my own experience, 'satisfactory' and 'fine' descriptors from GPs mean absolutely nothing. After 20 years on T4 only, (albeit a high dose) my cholesterol levels were very high, and I was extremely ill with severe hypo symptoms. I refused the statins as I had witnessed what happened to my dad...he was tested and diagnosed hypo only after the statins damage, unfortunately.
I'm glad you're testing T3, and its criminal that they don't routinely test the most important thyroid hormone. If I were you, I'd try to add some T3 to your Levo by any means possible. Your folate looks low, as does your vit D. BetterYou D+K2 is excellent to raise levels, especially with slow metabolism and gut issues. Could you also get out in the sun for a short while each day without sunscreen? The sun has many life-giving properties apart from the essential D! ☀️
Hey there - this is the post I am referring to - there's a lot to read and understand - but hope it helps and makes some sense to you.
Blood test result
Big Increase in T4/T3 levels after small increase in Thyroxine
New blood results from Thriva. 
Raised cholesterol 
