Help interpreting my results

[jennse23]

Hi, I am living abroad in Guatemala, do not have health insurance, I am 64 years old, on 100mg levothyroxine and would appreciate help interpreting my lab test results. I'd love to reduce my dose.

HORMONAS

TRIYODOTIRONINA (T3): 1.62 nmol/ L 1.23 - 3.07

TETRAYODOTIRONINA (T4): 121.6 nmol/L 66 - 181

T3 LIBRE (FT3): 4.53 pmol/ L 2.8 - 7.1

T4 LIBRE (FT4): 0.96 ng/ dL 1 a 4 días: 2.2 - 5.3

1 a 4 semanas: 0.9 - 2.3

1 a 12 meses: 0.8 - 1.8

1 a 5 años: 0.8 - 2.1

6 a 10 años: 1.0 - 2.1

11 a 20 años: 0.8 - 2.0

21 a 80 años: 0.9 - 2.5

TSH 0.55 mIU/L 0.3 - 4.2

Thank you.

[greygoose]

Hi jennse, welcome to the forum.

Given those results, I really don't think you can afford to reduce your dose. Your FT4 is barely in-range. Your FT3 is just about mid-range, but most hypos need it higher than that.

How long was the gap between your last dose of levo and the blood draw? And, how do you feel on this dose?

[jennse23 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for your response. That's interesting. I fasted for 13 hours and it was 24 hours since I took my last dose of medication. Should I up my dose a little then. I have a little hair loss, and my sleep could be better. I suffer from depression but have stopped taking other medication for this so suffer low mood also and consequently concentration etc.

[jennse23 in reply to jennse23]

would it be better to take a dessicated thryoid supplement?

[greygoose in reply to jennse23]

I think you do need to increase your dose, yes. You have a lot of hypo symptoms. Depression is a hypo symptom.

As to whether it would be better to take NDT, no-one can tell you that, you'd have to try it to find out. Some people find it wonder, but it doesn't suit everyone. And, at the moment, you appear to be converting very well, so it's not that that is causing your symptoms, just under-medication.

[jennse23 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your advice. I will up to 125mg and see how I go. At one point I was on 200mg and still extremely symptomatic and exhausted, I saw a private specialist and took a dessicated thyroid supplement as well and slowly reduced my dose down to 100mg over time. I stopped taking the dts last year so at least it seems I am now converting t3 to t4 which I wasn't before.

[greygoose in reply to jennse23]

Well, time will tell. What was the name of your dessicated thyroid supplement?

[jennse23]

originally Armour Thyroid back in 2012 but when the price skyrocketed my Endo specialist referred me to Omnicare where I bought a product called GTA by Biotics Research.