TSH post levo raise - how low can you go?

[HotelHurricaine]

Hello again,

I've been on a mini trial of raising my levo by 12.5mcg / day for 8 weeks in hope of raising T3 and losing a bit of weight.

Is TSH of 0.13 (0.27-4.2) too low?

I feel great and weight has been going down gently.

The Dr's report from Medichecks says only if I experience overactive symptoms to consult my Dr. and otherwise to re-test in 3 months. I am not experiencing overactive symptoms (although I did when I added 25mcg at the beginning of my trial).

I have also noticed much higher ferritin and folate since last tests in July, which may also be contributing to higher T3.

I am going to reduce heme supplement from 3/day to 1/day as ferritin has gone up quite quickly from 86 to 135 since October tests.

Should I be reducing levo or staying same for 3 months and re-test?

Thanks in advance all xx

[HotelHurricaine]

July '23 test results for comparison

July test results

[greygoose]

Well, you can't go lower than zero! lol And that's the problem with dosing by TSH - one of them, anyway. Your TSH can be zero but your thyroid hormone levels too low. So, just ignored the TSH. You don't even need it as you're taking T3 because you're not reliant of conversion of T4 anymore. Doctors don't understand TSH or what it does and doesn't do. They don't understand any hormones, come to that.

So, if you feel good on that dose, don't change anything. Reducing your levo probably wouldn't raise the TSH, anyway, as you're taking T3.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to greygoose]

I don’t think she is taking T3 …

But I would agree don’t change dose

Retest again in another 8 weeks

[greygoose in reply to SlowDragon]

Oh, sorry. I misunderstood.

[HotelHurricaine in reply to greygoose]

No problem, I'm not on T3, just levo. I increased levo by 12.5mcg per day 8 weeks ago, as well as continuing to supplement with heme and raised ferritin from 86 to 135 and also T3 from 3.7 to 4.4. I assume its impossible to know whether T3 has increased due to ferritin increase or T4 increase or both?

The articles quoted on this forum tend to refer to TSH of 0.2-0.4 being ok for heart / osteoporosis risk but I can't find any reference to a TSH as low as 0.13 - or am I misinterpreting something?

Just want to check I'm safe to let TSH be this low. I know my GP would say not!

[greygoose in reply to HotelHurricaine]

My TSH has been zero for years. And I'm still alive and kicking.

TSH has nothing to do with hearts and bones. That's a misunderstanding on the part of doctors because they do not know the difference between a suppressed TSH caused by very very high FT3, long-term, in hyperthyroidism/Graves', and a suppressed TSH caused by taking exogenous thyroid hormone in hypothyroidism, where the feed-back link is damaged, anyway. In the former case, the risk to hearts and bones is due to the high FT3, NOT the low TSH. But, of course, they are incapable of admitting they're wrong.

So, you TSH is fine, just ignore it.

[HotelHurricaine in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for clarifying greygoose I appreciate it.

[greygoose in reply to HotelHurricaine]

You're welcome.

[TiggerMe]

Looking good 👏 feeling great 😀 keep doing what you are doing 🤗

[HotelHurricaine]

thanks all, I will carry on and re-test in 8 weeks. 🙏

[FallingInReverse]

Re the iron, after all I’ve read about how long it can take to get ferritin up - first, do supplements really work that quickly for a lot of people or is it rare?

Also, if ferritin did raise towards top range so quickly, wouldn’t a retest of the full iron panel (at least iron…) be strongly recommended since iron and ferritin are so closely linked but not always correlated, and high iron is so dangerous.

Lastly, is high ferritin equally as toxic as high iron?

[HotelHurricaine in reply to FallingInReverse]

Hi FallingInReverse I've been using 3 Arrows heme supplements from the US which seem to work much quicker than any iron salts available in the UK and several people on this forum have found them to work well and quickly.

I have done a full iron panel this week too and think all is well - I posted here earlier in the week and was not told otherwise (but I'm not very up on how to read a full iron panel).

Re high ferritin vs high iron, humanbean might be able to help here.

Iron panel test results December 23

[FallingInReverse]

Yes! Asking because my daughter is 1 month into Three Arrows for rock bottom ferritin and just below range iron. So anxiously waiting to test her and see how it’s going.

And for me I just learned too that I have rock bottom ferritin BUT my iron is fine - so it’s chicken livers for me! But curious about the impact the three arrows has on your iron. Recent was 18 - what was previous?

[HotelHurricaine in reply to FallingInReverse]

My last 5 iron levels:

December 23 - 18

October 23 - 16.5

July 23 - 11

April 23 - 10.1 (I started with 3 arrows heme about here)

Feb 23 - 14

It does seem 3 arrows heme has had an impact on my iron levels as well as ferritin.

[FallingInReverse]

thank you!!!!