TSH: 9.90 miU/L (REF RANGE: 0.35-4.78)
FREE T4: 12.0 p/mol (REF RANGE: 10-20)
FREE T3: 7.4 p/mol (REF RANGE: 3.5-6.5)
I've been taking 100mg a day of a natural desiccated porcine thyroid supplement that has brought my TSH down in 4 months after trying for 4 years with it being stuck at 150...but now T3 is elevated I'm not sure if I should lower the dosage?
hi smilas, how close to your last dose was the blood test taken? How long on the same dose before test? Your TSH suggests under treatment. Perhaps your blood level of t3 is higher than your cellular level of t3? Or your TSH hasn’t stabilised yet? It takes ages to settle down even once you get on the right dose. I wouldn’t lower the dose of t3 based on one test unless I felt overtreated. Do you?
test was taken at least 4 hours after last dose of 100mg. I've been on that dose for about 4 months. I don't know what you mean by blood level and cellular level t3? Fist time I've heard that...TSH has come down dramatically in 5 months...Also don't know what you mean by overrated? Im still suffering major anxiety and panic attacks, pretty much in survival mode all day, shaky and having difficulty breathing, plus huge jaw and ear pain and tinnitus...but i've also been diagnosed with FND so I don't know what's causing what...
If you’re taking NDT it will (most likely) have T3 as well as T4 in it.
And doing a test 4 hours after taking your NDT will result in your blood tests showing high values of both FT4 and FT3.
We generally advise here to split your NDT dose into 2 smaller doses the day before a test, making sure to leave 8-12 hours from the last half dose to the blood test.
So I don’t think your FT3 is elevated—it’s just reading artificially high because of the nearness of taking the tablet to your blood test.
Which brand of NDT is it? (Most come in tablets of 60-65mg, not 100mg tablets).
It's called Metatvive Pro, natural desiccated porcine thyroid in 100mg capsules. Why don't the doctors tell you about the time between taking meds and blood test?? Honestly...so I now have to arrange for more tests? Seem to spend my whole life doing tests...
On that last part of your post, with your symptoms listed - have you had your b12 levels checked recently? Many are common b12 issues.
no i haven't...but I'm on Vitamn D and Co enzyme q10 as well, suggested by the neurologist...as well as diazepam for anxiety, but doesn't seem to work much...
Please check it, even if simply to cross it off.
Also note that doctors regularly make erroneous statements about the condition and the treatment. And that includes neurologists etc. So make sure you do your own research.
Here is a great overview about common misconceptions -
stichtingb12tekort.nl/engli...
thanks, Ill get it tested but going to be hard to assess whether the blood results are accurate according to that article...maybe I should just start taking it based on my neurological issues (FND)??
I just realised I am taking it but in Floradix for my iron deficiency...although a small dose of 1.2mg per 20ml dose...
Do not start taking b12 yet, as it is not a vitamin/test that is below range, now normal - all done. That first value sets the course. And then testing is virtually meaningless (something many doctors do not even understand). So a clear first value is important.
Also, if it ends up being that b12 shots are the preferred option of treating it - as it bypasses the gastrointestinal tracts (often the problem is absorption issues).
I had over thirty symptoms. Eighty percent of them went away, after years of suffering, during loading doses. It was that quick. Others have taken a couple of years to alleviate.
Anyway, get the blood work - if only to cross it off.
All the best to you.
Also, be careful around diagnosis. There are many conditions that have been diagnosed and have really been b12 deficiency. Including very serious ones - MS, dementia and depression (Note: I am not saying these are regularly a b12 deficiency in disguise - just that doctors are so uneducated about this condition, that it happens.)
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
If you scroll down on this thread smilas, I have listed my various symptoms before b12 treatment.
I found this article helpful - I now understand that I’m not converting well but also possibly anemic. Stop the Thyroid Madness and the Thyroid Pharmacist has lots of good reference articles to read related to depression, weakness, racing heart, anxiety etc.
I'm not really sure what it is you're taking. Is it what we call NDT, like Armour or Erfa? Or is it an over-the-counter supplement, of the type we call glandulars?
But, whatever it is, having the blood draw four hours after taking a dose is too soon. If taking T3 or NDT we always recommend a gap of 8 to 12 hours, and for T4, 24 hours. So, all you've tested is the last dose you took, not the normal circulating level of hormone. So, really not advisable to reduce your dose on the basis of this test alone.
Don't supplement with B12 before you have it tested to eliminate that you do not have Pernicious Anaemia.
If we have low B12 it could mean we also have Pernicious Anaemia (I have this condition) which means we have to have regular B12 injections as stomach can no longer absorb it.
I used to get one B12 injections every 3 months but now get it monthly.
How do you feel?
Metavive is classed as a food supplement not as replacement thyroid hormone eg T4, T3. NDT combo and the amount of hormone it contains is not specified.
I gather Metavive Pro 60 mg is only available from practitioners....are you under medical supervision?
Finding a suitable dose is likly to be a case of trial and error due to the lack of specific hormone content. While it may work for some the T4/T3 balance may not suit others.
Porcine gladular contains more T3 than the bovine version which I guess you already know.
100mcg may be causing you to be overmedicated.
It has obviously contained enough unspecified hormone to lower your TSH ....but TSH is not an accurate marker.
Your FT3 ( the most important lab followed by FT4) is over range which suggests overmedication, however....
it also very much depends on when you took the glandular before your test...how long a gap did you leave.
For T3, the gap is about 12 hours and for T4 around 24 hrs so, you need to split the dose in two..... half 24 hrs before test with the remainder 12 hours before.
Taking your dose closer to the test would give a false (high) reading.
Test should be before 9 AM
I would be disinclined to alter the dose until you are confident that testing has been done with accurate timing and after 6/8 weeks on a steady dose.
That result should then point the way forward regarding any required dose change
Extremely anxious all day, but seem to relax in the evening...otherwise literally in survival mode, have trouble breathing, get random ticks and muscle spasms and jaw locking...dissociating, zoning out...big tension in right jaw and pain in right ear, and insane tinnitus! Very fatigued and so nervous sometimes am afraid to move because I'm so shaky...but I'm being told its the FND I was diagnosed with...not the thyroid?
FND- Functional Neurological Disorder
Blood test results...please help me to understand them!
Increased LEVO from 125 to 150 but TSH has gone up?
High T4, T3 and Anti-Thyroglobulin. Graves Disease? 
Confused. Why is TSH low but T4/T3 also low?
Hi - TSH down but am I converting to T3? THANKS!!!
