Good afternoon
I’ve recently had my results from NHS Endo
TSH 0.4
FT3 8
FT4 18.5
He has recommended I reduce T3 to 5mg from 10 (I’ve been taking 15, self medicating) I felt better on 15 in two split doses and now feel like being reduced to 5 going to be hard to cope with. Do my above results loos bad?
Were those tests done while taking 15mcg T3 then ?
Yo interpret the results we need to know :
How many hours before this test did you take the last dose of T3 ?
and how many hours for last dose levo ?
also please add the lab ranges used for fT4 / fT3 / TSH ~ they will usually be after the results in brackets .
Hello there, went to a different hospital NHS the Endo sent results via letter but showed no ranges. My T4 dose was around 8am and I took T3 (10mg) at 10am blood test was 2pm. I’m going to see if he will speak to me tomorrow and I will explain I’d just taken my T3 which will have impacted showing a high T3 reading. I know he’s already copied my Gp in on the letter so my next prescription will be for 5mg which I’m assuming I will not notice any difference on.
In this picture ~Top graph , Top line ~ shows how the levels of FT3 change in the blood in the hours following last dose. , and you can see that by testing at 4 hrs you have caught the very highest 'peak' level ... but for most of each day your fT3 level will be considerably lower than that .
Some endo's will deliberately ask patients to test at about 4 hrs ,, (especially if they are not happy about prescribing T3 anyway and are looking for an excuse to reduce the dose)
8 is over range on most fT3 lab ranges, a common one is [3.1 -6.8] there are others in use but i've not seen one where 8 would be in range , so your over range fT3 that the endo has seen is obviously why your T3 dose has been reduced.
You should not usually test between about 2 -6 hrs after last dose T3 or T4 , (unless you actually want to see the very highest it goes for those few hrs after it is is taken ) .... usually you want to see the mid point of T3 levels , which you would see by testing about 8 -12 hrs after last dose T3 .
(For Levo , it is usually considered best practice to tests 24hrs after last dose. but 8- 12 will do ( Levo T4 shows a similar high peak in the blood from about 2-6 hrs after taking it and you usually want to avoid testing then .. for the same reason , it will show a high peak level to the GP and they may reduce Levo dose unnecessarily if that is over range )
Had you been taking 15mcg T3 split as 10 mcg am / 5 mcg later, for a few weeks before this test ?.
I would expect that reducing from 15mcg to 5mcg will feel VERY different .. why are you assuming you won't notice the reduction when increasing from 10 to 15 has made you feel better ?
Hi Bollieforme
Basically what tattybogle says but also it would really help if you summarised your journey in your bio. To properly understand where you are at we would have to read 36 posts, but you can probably summarise your journey in a few paragraphs. I've done my bio as a case study then if I think my experience is relatable to another I can suggest they read. Sometimes people may just read your bio to get a perspective on your experience when they see a reply. It can be incredibly helpful all round and saves a lot of re-typing😂
My profile (bio and posts) can be found by clicking on my face. It is amazing how different our journeys are but we generally come up against similar problems.
thanks for the tip, I will have a go at adding to my profile. Really kind of you to me know.
You also need to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Looking through previous posts can’t see any recent vitamin results
Please add most recent results and ranges
EXACTLY what vitamin supplements are you currently taking
As you have Hashimoto’s are you gluten free/dairy free
To comment properly you really need to add the ranges in brackets on your post...they can vary a bit lab to lab which is why people ask. Based on labs in my area tbh I dont understand why he has lowered your T3 dose, there's plenty of room for inceasing seems he was on the right tracks giving it to you...lol.
I do think you should tell him you've been taking 15 not 10. An that you felt much better on that dose.
I assume you followed his advice re meds & blood testing?
this round of tests to me came with no ranges (a first for me) he never discussed reducing my T3 in our meeting, purely based on my blood test after the meeting. I didn’t tell him I was taking 5mg more, I only noticed a slight difference upping by 5mg but every little helps as they say. Can only think my T3 was high due to timing of blood test, wasn’t expecting to have one that day or perhaps I wouldn’t have taken the dose. Thanks for your thoughts. Lynne x
Ah if you took your liothyronine before the blood test then yes it would affect the results. Did your endo say it was high then? I think you need the ranges. You could try ringing his secretary to say they were missed off could u have them. Otherwise I'd use the blood ranges from the previous test he did. if u can't get them if it were me I do a private test. They are listed on thyroid uk. I think medichecks is one people use. Cheapest way is to have it sent in the post & that involves a finger pick. Other route is more expensive as you have to.pay to have the blood drawn.
fT3 of 8 is almost certainly going to be over range .. i've not seen an fT3 range higher than 6.8 at the top end .. have you got one that goes higher than 6.8 in your area waveylines ?
Apologies tattyboogle I read that result as 3.8! I now can see its 8. 🙄 Definitely over any usual ranges I agree. The test was done in a rather arbitory way from whats been reported. Either as you said to avoid prescribing or out of lack of knowledge. It really needs to be repeated as per the usual guidelines of testing.
oh yes i see ... makes sense now 
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