NICE - Is This What Causes Doctors To Test For TSH & T4 Only?

[Ellie-Louise]

I was looking at the NICE website this morning and came across this advice to those treating Thyroid Disease patients.

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng145/...

Scroll down the page to

1.4

Follow-up and monitoring of primary hypothyroidism.

[Lalatoot]

My surgery won't test ft3 routinely as they say that that is the remit of the endo and that they are not qualified to deal with that degree of knowledge. They do however test it if they have taken over the prescription of t3 from an NHS endo.

[TSH110 in reply to Lalatoot]

unbelievable I’m not a doctor but I get it! It’s hardly phd level! Too lazy to think more like they’d rather follow robotic garbage guidelines! This situation has to change it’s ridiculous. Yet another way to gaslight us and keep us ill.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I'd put it that the page you linked to doesn't help. At all.

But not testing FT3 has been widespread for many, many years. I don't think the NG145 guidance was a cause so much as a continuing failure of the endocrinologists to recognise any reason to test FT3. And to continue dismissing any who support testing FT3.

[TSH110]

depressing isn’t it

[radd]

Ellie-Louise

I think to test FT3 levels would confirm FT3's importance, that the medical profession appear to deny. And to truly understand TFT’s, one must have a basic knowledge of the influencing factors of deidinases (the activating/deactivating thyroid hormone enzymes) which many endos of the diabetic variety do not possess.

As the answer to low FT3 levels isn’t always to add some more, the medical profession exploit this and those in real need are passed by.

[Lottyplum in reply to radd]

My GP said T3 is irrelevant! Then they wonder why we have issues with them+their understanding of thyroid issues!

[TiggerMe in reply to Lottyplum]

Another one that ought to try carbimazole for a week or two and then see how he feels about fT3 😉

[arTistapple]

I think it’s a combination of extremely power hungry, utterly lazy people, who certainly are not as bright as we are led to believe.

[annnsandell]

I have found in the last 2 years that even if T2 is requested on the lab form, they don't do the test.

[Hedgeree]

The only time I've been able to get FT3 tested on the NHS was by my endocrine surgeon after a partial thyroidectomy. She said they only usually test it if someone has thyroid cancer or are also taking T3 so I just asked if I could have it done and she requested it.

Recently I did ask a young new GP at my surgery, he checked online but said the surgery doesn't test FT3 levels.

[Brightness14]

I read it but there wasn't a treatment plan for people without a thyroid. Interesting thank you for the read, it says a lot about the treatment or lack of.

[serenfach]

I had to wait a year for T3 to be tested as it has to be ordered from an Endo now. He was happy with results over a year old. I asked if he would be happy with old results for someone who had diabetes (his specialist!). He said he would have to plead with the labs to get it done, but they did do it.

I have a new idea now. Men can go and get their testosterone tested easily if they say they have floppy problems, and are then given drugs, of which there is a range, to help. So I now ask if a man can get a hormone tested and treated, why cannot a woman?

Dont need T3? Dont need testosterone. Easy as that.

It tends to hit them where it hurts!