Am I over medicated?

[Sailing14]

I changed brands to Mercury Pharma 4 weeks ago and feel over medicated now.

Would anyone be able to advise if this is possible on the above results recently.

Thank you

[FallingInReverse]

What symptoms do you feel that feel over-replaced?

How many hours before the blood test was last Levo dose?

How do the above compare to your precious blood test on the different brand/same dose?

[Sailing14 in reply to FallingInReverse]

Thank you for your reply. I took my t4 2.5 hours before blood test (I made a mistake but had to carry on with blood test).

The bloods are similar on the new brand.

I am struggling with a shoulder injury and fungal infection and I am on a strong medication for it. I am feeling as though the t4 has an affect first thing (on my muscle injury and some more energy) but it doesn’t last.

Could I need a slight dose increase while I am going through the pain and medication?

I don’t understand why I feel better just after the t4 and for a couple of hours only. It was suggested I would need t3 (by slow dragon), as I had radio iodine treatment in 2004 and was going to contact Roseway labs about this, but I am unsure they would agree due to my results of t4 t3 and tsh.

Hopefully, you can advise further.

[TiggerMe Ambassador]

Your results look pretty good but if you feel over medicated then try a small decrease once or twice a week and see if you can find the illusive sweet spot, some people find they need a little less in the summer

[Sailing14 in reply to TiggerMe]

Thank you for your reply. I have messaged falling in reverse regarding this above as it seems a different picture than I thought.

[DippyDame]

What symptoms are you experiencing?

How severe are they?

How much levo are you taking?

Is your low TSH also making you think you might be overmedicated?

If so ignore the TSH it isn't a reliable marker

FT3 followed by FT4 are the important numbers....and your numbers look very good.

High FT3 suggests overmedication....your FT3 is fine

Did you test following the advised protocol?

4 weeks really isn't long enough for a dose/ brand change to settle.

Suggest you give it another couple of weeks before thinking of changing anything

[Sailing14 in reply to DippyDame]

Thank you very much for your help. I feel the picture might be different than previously (as message above).

[SlowDragon Administrator]

You Tested too soon after brand change

Suggest you retest again at 8-10 weeks, including vitamin levels

Recommended that 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)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

Post all about what time of day to test

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Testing options and includes money off codes for private testing

thyroiduk.org/testing/

Medichecks Thyroid plus BOTH TPO and TG antibodies and vitamins

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Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes BOTH TPO and TG antibodies, cortisol and vitamins

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Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/testing/thyro...

Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test

support.medichecks.com/hc/e...

Medichecks and BH also offer private blood draw at clinic near you, or private nurse to your own home…..for an extra fee

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

(Doesn’t include thyroid antibodies)

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10% off code here

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[Sailing14 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for your help on this.

I have received advice from you before about adding in t3 due to 2004 radio iodine treatment. I was going to contact Roseway labs and trial this but I am unsure if they would agree due to my current figures.

Do you think I have room to add 12.5 of t4 as I only receive benefit from the dose I am on for a couple of hours and the pain eases in my shoulder and I feel I have more energy but it doesn’t last.

My vitamins are okay at the moment but b12 was under 500 but not by much.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Sailing14]

Thank you for your reply. I took my t4 2.5 hours before blood test (I made a mistake but had to carry on with blood test).

I would wait and retest in another 4 weeks and make sure last dose levothyroxine is 24 hours before test

Day before test, put your morning dose levothyroxine somewhere else so that you don’t take it on autopilot

[FallingInReverse]

Hi Sailing, not only is 4 weeks too soon to test, but unfortunately you can’t tell anything from the results if you’d just taken your Levo.

You would just be testing the pill you’d just ingested, and it’s not a settled or comparative level to your other tests.

Please refer to SlowDragon s post above. It’s essential to not only follow protocol but also to follow it consistently across all blood tests over time.

Otherwise there is no way you can glean any insights between blood tests and how your dose changes are impacting your symptoms.

I haven’t read through your past posts or any context of your history.

But as we manage this disease, we recommend getting into a cadence of one change, low and slow, and waiting a full 6-8 weeks between testing.

Especially when there are so many other variables (from injury to flu/colds, to unusual stressors and busy times in life, etc etc).