Can anyone explain the above in plain English lol. I noticed it whilst looking back at my test results I have posted on the forum and I Google’d it but didn’t really understand what I was reading.
And does anyone know if a ratio of 3.280 is good or bad?
Thanks
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Dadof5
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Do you always do all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Hi Dadof5 , this post might help (or not ) healthunlocked.com/thyroidu.... working-out-t3-t4-ratios...-or-t4-t3-ratios...-trying-to-understand-the-different-methods-and-understanding-the-results.
It's not a question of good or bad - how do you feel ?
As I understand things - when diagnosed hypothyroid we are prescribed T4 - Levothyroxine with a view to help relieve symptoms and being hypothyroid is living / managing a 'slowed ' metabolism and all that that involves.
Once on T4 monotherapy we generally feel best when our T4 reading is in the top quadrant of it's range as it needs to convert in the gut into T3 - which is the active hormone that runs the body - and drives one's metabolism which includes repair and regeneration of all your bodily functions.
In a healthy individual not of any thyroid hormone replacement T3 generally converts in a ratio to T4 at around 1 / 3.50 -
once on T4 we know that your T3 will express lower than in a healthy person - so you will likely convert at around 4 -
and if you find yourself wide of the middle at 4 - and above 4.50 you may find that even once the core strength vitamins and minerals are optimal and all other known issues resolved - as best you can -
that you would benefit with the addition of either a little T3 or switching to full spectrum thyroid hormone replacement - depending on your original diagnosis.
How well your metabolism is running can be done on a daily basis through physical symptoms such as temperature , pulse, blood pressure and possible a daily bowel movement.
So, you can check the above easily yourself and gauge if you are ticking over nicely - or not.
Symptoms of too fast a metabolism could be a fast heart rate, sweating, insomnia, loosing weight, increased appetite, faster bowel movements. irritability, anxiousness, and generally speeding up of the body -
Symptoms of too slow a metabolism could be a much slower digestive system, inability to easily loose weight, increased tiredness, aching limbs and body, constipation, brain fog, lack of concentration, lack of memory ;
Going on just what this 1 question asked - I hope this explanation is of help -
Your metabolism would seem to be running a bit fast for someone on T4 monotherapy but seeing one reading taken out of context is not useful.
If we knew your natural - when well and without any health issues T3/T4 conversion ratio and where your Free T3 and Free T4 need to sit - we would then know. to some degree, where we needed to medicate back to -
Treating with thyroid hormone replacement is likened to treating with Cinderella hormones
as there is such fine line as to where you need to be to feel ' just right ' for you -
just a pity it's not instant fix - as we need to take into account co-factors and life style :
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