Can levels be improved without drugs?

[Girlslovescifi]

My husband is 76 and has always been very fit and healthy, apart from type 2 diabetes. Everyone is shocked when they find out how old he is. He started feeling the cold and having cold hands, plus he was more tired, dry skin and after always having loose bowels, he’s getting more constipation. He lost his outer eyebrows years ago. He did a Medichecks test and the results are in the photo. It’s ‘normal’ but the t3/4 are towards the bottom of normal. Should he be trying to improve these? My endo always said ideally tsh should be under 2.

[greygoose]

We don't take drugs to raise our FT4 and FT3, we take levo, which is thyroid hormone replacement: the thyroid hormone T4. And, when we do take levo, the TSH should come down to about 1 or under.

Your husbands FT4/3 are very low in-range, but that TSH does not reflect that. What time of day was the blood draw for this test?

I can't see any way he could raise his Frees without hormone replacement, but I can't see any doctor prescribing it with that TSH. They like it to get to 10 before they will diagnose.

Did he get his nutrients tested at the same time?

[Girlslovescifi in reply to greygoose]

Sorry, I used the wrong word (got Covid brain atm). I meant hormones. I take both Levo and liothyronine. He didn’t get nutrients tested but I know that Metformin affects b12 being absorbed, so I tried to get him to take a good one under the tongue, but he’s stubborn and didn’t take the whole bottle. I guess it’ll be another Medichecks blood test for those. He took the blood test first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. He had Metformin the night before.

[greygoose in reply to Girlslovescifi]

Well, just taking B12 on its own wouldn't do much good, anyway. The Bs all work together so he would really need the sublingual B12 plus a B complex.

But, really essential to get those nutrients tested, because low levels can lower the TSH, I believe. If nutrients were optimal the TSH might rise to reflect those low Frees.

He sounds like a difficult man to help!

[Girlslovescifi in reply to greygoose]

He’s my rock but sooooooo stubborn about his health. 🙂

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Improving key thyroid vitamins (ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D) supports thyroid health, so I would definitely ask GP (in first instance) to test these, then post levels on the forum for further advice.

Trialling a gluten free diet may also be beneficial, as many members (myself included) finds helps reduce stomach issues.

[Girlslovescifi in reply to Buddy195]

Thank you. We’ll try and get them on the NHS but I think it’ll be a private test next. I eat GF and will try to convince him but he won’t go for it.

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to Girlslovescifi]

I too wasn’t convinced GF would help, but followed forum advice to trial for a couple of months & I felt so much better. I now wouldn’t eat it again. However, I fully understand how challenging it can be to promote diet changes with family members!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Has he also had Covid recently?

Metformin also can lower TSH

How long has he been on Metformin

cureus.com/articles/50564-e...

Retest including vitamin levels

Monitor My Health also now offer thyroid and vitamin testing, plus cholesterol and HBA1C for £65 

(Doesn’t include thyroid antibodies) 

monitormyhealth.org.uk/full...

10% off code here 

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

[Girlslovescifi in reply to SlowDragon]

He’s been on Metformin for years - maybe 15? He’s also been put on a second drug (name escapes me). He had b12 checked a while ago and doctor says it’s fine. I don’t have the results but from memory it was what the knowledgeable people on here would consider low. He had Covid at Christmas. His blood glucose isn’t good because he never follows a diet. He’s started now. Thank you for the discount code.

[DippyDame]

Until he manages to raise his FT3 level he will continue to be symtomatic.

Also, optimise vitD, vit B12, folate and ferritin

T3 is the active thyroid hormones essential to almost every cell in the body, for good health the supply must be adequate and constant

The status of his T4 to T3 conversion isn't clear....but isprobably fine (high FT4 with low FT3 suggests poor conversion)

So ( in the first instance) he needs to replace that low T4/FT4 level with levothyroxine....but as greygoose has said, that could be a challenge with TSH of 2.61.

However TSH is not a reliable marker so you could try discussing this with reference to the following...

thyroidpatients.ca/2021/07/...

and..

bmcendocrdisord.biomedcentr...

Time for a reassessment of the treatment of hypothyroidism

John E. M. Midgley, Anthony D. Toft, Rolf Larisch, Johannes W. Dietrich & Rudolf Hoermann

But, his TSH has very likely been lowered by the Metaformin, though it doesn't alter the Frees,...his TSH without Metaformin could well be high enough to initiate thyroid hormone replacement

thyroid.org/patient-thyroid...

As for the other medication we can't say what effecr that is having....can you name it?