Am on T3 20 mg and t4 75 mcg. Just had results from bloods, form says overtreated. GP calling me next week.
I have severe osteoporosis, and Levothyroxine is a possible cause - impossible to know, but makes me reluctant to have more.
I know my TSH is low, but t3 suppresses it, looking at my results I can see t4 a bit low. I think, My gp will prescribe according to my wishes, so my question for here is, should I ask to increase. My t4? If I increase t3, does that make a difference to t4?
Here are my results:
serum free t3 level 3.5 (range 2.63-5.7)
T4 level 8.2 (range 9.01-19.05)
TSH 0.006 (range 0.35-4.94)
“Possible over treatment”.
Advice please on what to do?
thanks
Written by
monkeybird
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Well it's obviously not over treatment as your FT3 is low in range and your FT4 is below range. If those were my results I'd be trying an increase in Levo.
Who said levo is a possible cause of your osteoporosis? That sounds a bit weird.
You may or may not need more levo, but how do you feel on that dose? Your FT4 is below range, of course, so you may need it higher - need for T4 varies from person to person - but your FT3 is only 28.34% through the range, which is pretty low. I should think you need an increase in that, first.
Taking T3 does suppress TSH, but that's ok. It also reduces the FT4 level. Which is fine for some people, but not for others.
Whoever said 'possible overtreatment' is only looking at the TSH, which is rediculous, because you are so obviously under-treated.
monkey bird ' link between Levothyroxine and osteoporosis _ it is a well established fact, sadly'
No, this is not correct. Thyroxine (T4) is the hormone that would normally be produced by a working thyroid. By taking oral levothyroxine, you are simple supplementing what your thyroid is unable to produce. Levothyroxine as a substance does not 'cause' osteoporosis.
If you have evidence of what you are saying, it's up to you to provide a link. Not tell other people to do the research. If it was a 'well-established fact', more people would know about it. I've never even heard of such an idea, so not that well-established. It isn't even logical.
If your thyroid hormone levels stay too high for too long, there is an increased risk of developing low bone density and osteoporosis
And again: overtreatment. Not just taking levo, not levo itself. And, once again, no mention of T3.
I'm assuming that osteoporosis sufferers, who aren't also hypo, don't know an awful lot about thyroid. Probably not aware that T4 converts to T3? T3, the active hormone? Levo - T4 - is basically a storage hormone that doesn't do much until converted to T3. So, frankly, these two articles are really that informative or useful. Which is probably why people on here are not taking any notice of them.
On a public forum you will get different points of view, generally based on that person's own experience.
Greygoose has been on all the different types of thyroid hormone replacement and has found that T3 only suits her, as it does some other members of the forum.
I have been on all the different types of thyroid hormone replacement and I have found that a combination of Levo and T3 suits me, as it does with some other members of the forum.
People on T3 only will have little to no FT4 and they are fine with that, it suits their needs.
When on Levo plus T3 it's a very individual thing as to where we need each individual hormone. Some people are fine with a low in range FT4 as long as FT3 is in the upper part of it's range, or wherever it needs to be for them to feel well. Some of us need both FT4 and FT3 fairly well balanced over half way through range - I am one of those, if my FT4 is low I am virtually bedbound.
So you have to experiment to find your own sweet spot. Yes your FT3 is low but your FT4 is below range. If you increase your Levo this will bring your FT4 into range, it may also increase your FT3 depending on how much natural conversion you have.
All you can do is see what helps other people, decide what you want to do and take it from there. Whatever you do, only change one thing at a time or you wont know what's made the difference, and retest 8 weeks after every dose change to reassess and decide on your next step.
Who knows? I was on interferon and Ribavirin which destroyed part of my thyroid. Since then (30 years) been on levo. Who knows the cause of the osteoporosis, I can’t stop taking levo, obviously, but will never take interferon again.
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T3 / T4 test Results.
Blood Test Results - Hypothyroid - Free T3 & Free T4
Results on latest T3 T4
