Can the T3 within NDT elevate AM cortisol?And not be best thyroid med for me?

[Gillybean1]

Good Morning. Is it possible that the NDT within the Armour I am taking is elevating my AM cortisol? Looking back my AM cortisol has been up about 3 years on and off. But at the moment I feel shaky inside , very weak quads and hamstrings, very poor energy ,worse than ever. I currently take 1 1/4 grain daily in split doses . I am baffled as to why my T4 and T3 seem to have dropped back despite 1/4 grain dose increase this year.

Ive had alot of blood tests done as dyastolic is low ( sometimes below 60 but then I am very inactive due to the fatigue), D ,B12, Folate ,Iron panel ,BNP ,FBC, all suprisingly good considering how I feel, except electrolyte chloride and sodium are low (i understand this can be common with Hypothyroidism).Started gently with electrolyte supps and chloride rich food.

On top of the usual stressors we all have domestically, and with DIO2/Hashi, additionally this year I had a pet (18 yrs) bereavement followed by popping 2 ribs in March, not a break but the pain was something else for 6 weeks. Since then I have gone downhill and noticed T4 and T3 have dropped down a bit.

I dont know whether to increase my NDT because my remaining thyroid may have declined through these recent traumas or if this is a temporary glitch? Thinking of adding 1/8 grain NDT before bedtime.

I assume as my cortisol is AM high and the rest of the time normal that its not Addisons or Cushings. My appetite is good despite my usual malabsorbtion prolems (take HCL/enzymes), still underweight, lost a little with bereavement (that happens for me) and meds increase, but v v slowly building that up. I know 'stress' can do many many odd feelings to us.

May 2023 15 weeks on 1 1/4 grain NDT

TSH 0.07 (0.27-4.2), FT3 4.9 (3.1-6.8 ), FT4 15.3 (12-22), TPO 31.4 (0-34), TG 13.6 (0-115)

CORTISOL 8am 23.3 (<20.3), 12pm 4.9 (1.6-5.6), 4pm 4.7 (<6.94), Bedtime 2.3 (<7.6)

B12 ACTIVE >150 (37.5-150), VIT D 98 (50-200), FOLATE 19.98 (>3.89), FERRITIN 77.8(13-150), IRON 17.8 (5.8-34.5), TIBC 50.2 (45-81), UIBC 32.4 (24.2-70.1), TRANS SAT 35%(20-50), CRP 0.69 (0-5), HbA1c 38 (20-41.9)

April 2023. 10 weeks on 1 1/4 grain NDT

TSH 0.09 (0.27-4.2), FT3 4.3 (3.1-6.8), FT4 16.8 (12-22)

March 2023. 6weeks on 1 1/4 grain NDT

TSH 0.05 (0.27-4.2), FT3 5.4 (3.1-6.8), FT4 18.9 (12-22)

Dec 2022. 7 weeks on 1 grain NDT

TSH 0.23 (0.27-4.2), FT3 4.72 (3.1-6.8), FT4 14.1 (12-22)

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated as always. Every best wish, G.

[radd]

Gillybean1,

Sorry no-one responded to this post. My answering will move it to the daily-feed for members to re-view, although perhaps you received helpful answers in your subsequent post?

[Gillybean1 in reply to radd]

thank you Radd for your response, and taking the time. No, unfortunately not as my next post was closed down as I didnt know 'genes' were off topic.

Every best wish to you, G

[radd in reply to Gillybean1]

Gillybean1,

Had a look and yes, I think you mean MTHFR in which impairments are notoriously common in people with autoimmune thyroid issues. 

You can use 23&me and upload the raw data for genes C677T and A1298C. I’ve used gene-genie and Xcode Life in the past. Some people find it complicated when they haven’t previously done this before. 

Alternatively you can get a test for MTHFR SNP’s with the data already interpreted. I used Regenerus years ago through a practitioner and it was expensive, but you can get it cheaper now. First glance with Google has bought up this lab that tests a home cheek swab for £115.00….  healthily.co.uk/tests/mthfr....

Just Google something like ‘MTHFR SNP’s test’ and see what else it brings up 🤞. Ensure both those common genes variants are included in the test though. 

[Gillybean1 in reply to radd]

Thank you Radd i will take a look....it may help . KInd regards ,G

[radd in reply to Gillybean1]

Gb

I just found this useful info if you are going to upload your raw data … xcode.life/23andme-raw-data...

[Gillybean1 in reply to radd]

Thank you Radd, thats very kind of you to take time. Every best wish, G

[humanbean]

CORTISOL 8am 23.3 (<20.3), 12pm 4.9 (1.6-5.6), 4pm 4.7 (<6.94), Bedtime 2.3 (<7.6)

The reference ranges for your cortisol are not helpful or sensible. Which company did the test?

Three of the ranges are of the "less than X" type, which implies that zero is a perfectly healthy result - and that is nonsense. Zero cortisol would imply the patient is dead, or very soon to be dead.

This is one of the reasons that Regenerus is usually recommended for doing a saliva cortisol test because it's ranges don't include zero as part of the ranges.

Having far too little cortisol can cause "adrenal crisis" :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adren...

...

Your first result is over the range but the rest of them are well within range, so they aren't seriously bad, and your cortisol results are not that bad.

If the ranges were more reasonable then your results would ideally follow Example 1 on this link :

rt3-adrenals.org/cortisol_t...

I don't think you have very serious cortisol problem at the moment. I am not aware of NDT having a massive impact on cortisol by itself. There are usually many factors affecting cortisol.

You might find this thread of interest :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

You might find some of the links of interest. Since your cortisol is over the range please don't take adrenal glandulars. They might push your cortisol up too high.

One thing you could try, which costs very, very little is an adrenal cocktail. They can be made with cheap ingredients at home. There are some links on that subject in the above thread. If it doesn't help or causes problems then just stop taking it.

[Gillybean1 in reply to humanbean]

Thank you Humanbean, you are always very helpful and very kind to take the time. Every best wish, G.