Hello I'm hoping someone can help me with my recent blood results please. I don't understand how my TSH is so suppressed but my T3/4 is low. I feel unwell with nervous anxiety and palpitations. I feel over medicated but my T3 says otherwise. I am currently taking 50mcg levo and 4 X metavive each day.
I don't understand what's happening and feel very unwell.
Thanks for reading
What time of day was the blood draw? TSH is highest before 9 am and drops to its lowest around midday.
What do you mean by feeling over-medicted? Anxiety and palps? They could very well be hypo symptoms. And I would imagine your FT3 is too low for your needs.
Thank you GG for responding. My bloods were taken at 6.30 am.
I have been feeling progressively worse over the last month. I have lots of palpitations and breathlessness, with a tired but wired feeling. I have a tight chest and feel like I'm shaking inside but there's no tremor in my hands. My anxiety has taken my appetite completely and I have daily headaches. The depression is back.
I am perimenopausal and don't know if my symptoms are peri or thyroid related.
I don't know how to increase my ft3 without further suppressing my TSH.
Xx
But it doesn't much matter if you suppress your TSH! That it the least important of the three readings. Your pituitary is obviously a bit sluggish, so trying to keep your TSH in-range will make you ill - worse than you already are! So, forget the TSH and concentrate on your FT3. That's the most important one. And your symptoms sound pretty hypo to me.
Generally, with over-medication, you should feel very hungry and hot. You seem to have low appetite, which is one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. I agree with others that FT3&4 are the important numbers and TSH may be misleading.
Hi I get very confused as my symptoms overlap as i swing from hot to cold.,I feel nauseous and in a state of panic then tired and depressed. I cant control my temper and I can't stop crying. Had an awful night last night and have to face work this morning and feel dreadful.Im going to increase my dosage today.
Thanks for responding
X
Oh you sound very hypo! There is not a rigid dividing line between hypo and hyper symptoms. There's a lot of crossover. Which is why we can't rely on symptoms alone, and need blood tests as a back-up. Yours are saying you're still hypo.
It's such a relief to hear someone tell you it's ok, it's my thyroid again (or lack of). At least I can do something about it. Its so hard to get the dosage right, like trying to hit a moving target. I'm ok for couple of months then crash. Throw in menopause too and It's so bloody hard.Anyway, thanks again. Hope you guys know how much you help people like me.
X
Hello Liam ;
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you daily with trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg.
T4 - Levothyroxine is basically a storage hormone and needs to be converted by your body into T3 the active hormone that runs all your bodily functions from your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual wellbeing through to your inner central heating system and your metabolism.
No thyroid hormone replacement option works well until your core strength vitamins and minerals are up and maintained at optimal levels and through trial and error over the past few years I know now I need my ferritin at around 100 : folate around 20 : active B12 75 ++ ( serum B12 500++ ) and vitamin D at around 100.
Some people can get by on T4 only :
Some people find that T4 monotherapy seems to stop working for them at some point in time and that by adding in a little T3 - likely replacing that little bit lost when they ' lost ' their thyroid - their T3/T4 hormonal balance is restored and their well being improved.
Some people can't tolerate T4 and need to take T3 - Liothyronine only.
Whilst others find their health restored better taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as that of the human gland and derived from pig thyroids, dried and ground down into tablets referred to as grains.
NDT has a known value of T3 and T4 in each grain/tablet and the original treatment for hypothyroidism and used successfully for over 100 years on prescription through the NHS though available in other countries Over The Counter.
I haven't looked back at previous posts but if you have exhausted the NHS endocrinologist route and can't afford to see someone supportive of you privately - you might consider switching to NDT.
The TSH is not a reliable measure of anything once on any form of thyroid hormone replacement and especially after a thyroidectomy as your HPT axis on which the TSH relies as working well - doesn't work well - as this Hypothalamus - Pituitary - Thyroid feedback loop is now broken - as there is no Thyroid there to complete this circuit loop.
We must be dosed and monitored on our Free T3 and Free T4 readings with a view to them being balanced and high enough in the ranges to relieve the disabling symptoms of primary hypothyroidism.
I fully understand that in primary care your doctor is likely dosing and monitoring you on just a TSH reading - I was there and spent 2 years in an ever decreasing circle of wellness when I fell into this forum and started reading up for myself - it took me another 2 years to get myself better and build back up my vitamins and minerals and now I self medicate with NDT and am much improved.
Thankyou. I'm going to increase my dose today and I'm also looking into changing my medication x
I don't think I'd finished writing when you pinged me - so maybe look through again - as I specialise in typo's sometimes !!
Just seen that we have spoken previously - so do not want to sound like ' that broken record ' :
A grain is an older measurement equivalent to 65mg
Which size Metavive are you taking Metavive 1 or Metavive 11. How and when do you take them. Are you splitting the dose in two.
Hello, I take 3 x metavive 11 daily (2 in the morning and 1 lunchtime) along with 50mcg of thyroxine.
Thank you I have just started on Metavive after being well on Thyroid s for years. I too have no thyroid. When I was well my FT4 was higher that yours and my FT3 was always over six, so perhaps room for an increase.
I am starting on Levo 87.5 plus 5 Metavive 1. The Levo is not yet working yet only two weeks in on that. To achieve the results I was on I will have to increase the Metavive too. I have had all of your symptoms in the past year sorry to hear that you have too.
Just a thought increasing your Levo to 62.5 and then to 75 would give you more FT4 and FT3 then you should become well. If I were you I would not change the medication yet only increase it, slightly to start with.
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