Can T3 reduce thyroglobulin antibodies?

[ceedee81]

I was diagnosed in 2018 with Hashimoto's. Had Hypothyroidism since 2002.

My thyroglobulin antibodies were over 4000 at diagnosis. Over the years I've slowly managed to reduce them by changing my diet, introducing T3 etc.

My last blood test in September 2022 showed slightly elevated T3 levels so since then, I have slowly reduced the dose. In Sept 2022 my antibodies were 971.

I have just got the results from a test I did on Monday and my antibodies have gone up to 1249. I haven't done anything different other than reduce T3. Prior to this the antibodies were steadily going down so I'm not sure why they've gone back up.

I have a plant-based gluten-free diet, I don't drink, smoke, take recreational drugs and I eat pretty healthily. I'm not sure what else I can do to get these damn antibodies down! Any advice?

T4, T3 FT4 and FT3 are all within range.

[tattybogle]

The ongoing nature of hashimoto's disease is that the antibody level will go up and down over time anyway ~ with a general trend towards 'down' over very many years . (this general lowering over time doesn't seem to be dependant on doing good things to help them .... i do all those 'bad' things you listed and my TPOab were >3000 in 2003 and 195 in 2017)

Each time the immune systems lymphocytes attack the thyroid , some thyroid peroxidase or some thyroglobulin will be spilled from it , and some Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies , or Thyroglobulin antibodies will attach to the spilled thyroid peroxidase / thyroglubulin to mark it for removal by some other part of the immune system .

Even though your antibodies went up when you lowered T3, that may not have had anything to do with why they went up at that time.

What influences the timing/ spacing of the immune systems attacks on the thyroid is not something that much ( any? )research has been done on.

Much of what we observe in changes in antibody levels could be unrelated to what we think we are 'doing' about them .

[ceedee81 in reply to tattybogle]

Thanks. I thought that may be the case but hoping I was wrong. It's so frustrating when it was slowly coming down and now for no reason at all it's gone up by over 270. I'm now not sure whether to put my T3 back up anyway as I only really lowered it to see if it affected my TSH level at all (I know T3 inhibits TSH).

My levels at my Sept 2022 were:

TSH: 0.005

FT3: 5.65

FT4: 16.1

Levels now:

TSH: 0.02

FT3: 4.7

FT4: 18.4

Peroxidase antibodies have dropped by 4 incidentally.

Worth putting the T3 back up as I did feel better on the higher dose, but wanted to see how lowering it affected my levels?

[Star13 in reply to ceedee81]

what dose of T3 were you on and what dose are you now taking of T3?

[ceedee81 in reply to Star13]

I was on 25mg and I reduced it to 12.5mg. I can't really take anything in between as I wouldn't be able to cut them evenly so it's either a full tablet or half of one.

[Star13 in reply to ceedee81]

If it was me and I had that result then I’d go back to the original dose. What about your vitamins Vit D, B12, Folate and Ferritin are they all at optimal levels? When did you last test?

[ceedee81 in reply to Star13]

All tested about 3 months ago and at pretty regular intervals before that and all have always been optimal. I feel 10 times better now than I did before I started T3 but just want to get it at optimal level. I think because my TSH has been low for so long and every time I get a blood test, the doctor says that having a low TSH for years can lead to osteoporosis, it's frightened me into wanting to all my thyroid levels as perfect as possible.

[greygoose in reply to ceedee81]

But why are you so obsessed with reducing them? They have a job to do - as Tatty explained - and are therefore necessary. There level doesn't have any relation to the severity of the disease.

(I know T3 inhibits TSH)

I wouldn't exactly call it 'inhibiting'. The pituitary stops producing TSH because it considers you don't need it anymore. And, if you're taking enough T3, it's true, you don't need TSH anymore. So, why try to raise it? Especially if it means reducing your T3 to the point it makes you feel bad again. TSH doesn't make you feel anything, whether it's high or low.

[ceedee81 in reply to greygoose]

I guess because doctors have led me to believe high antibodies = more health problems, potential thyroid cancer and therefore thyroid gland removal. Granted my GP has been pretty useless but I was always under the assumption that very high antibodies could be catastrophic. Is that not the case?

[greygoose in reply to ceedee81]

I've been hypo - possibly Hashi's - since I was 8 years old. Now I'm 78. Very high Tg antibodies were found when I finally got tested at 55. They haven't actually been tested since because majority of doctors are totally uninterested in antibodies - a lot don't even know what they are. I've never had a doctor mention more health problems, thyroid cancer or anything else because of them. And certainly no-one has ever suggested that I should have my thyroid removed because of my Hashi's - that is not the normal protocol. So, now, I don't think it is the case that high antibodies could be catastrophic. They are just an indication that you have Autoimmune Thyroiditis. And, as far as I know, they have never done me any harm.

[ceedee81 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you. Maybe I should stop obsessing about the number. Thanks for taking the time to reply. You've been very helpful 😊

[greygoose in reply to ceedee81]

You're very welcome.

It would certainly make your life easier if you stopped obsessing about it.