Is there anybody out there that needs to run outside the ranges in order to feel good? At the moment my t4 and T3 levels are both at the top of the range with a fully suppressed tsh. I take t4 and T3, I maintain all the recommended supplements at or near the top end of the range, I have a decent varied diet.I had an rai so no thyroid at all. Why am I still so hypo. I'm still cold, have scaly skin on my legs, pulse around the 60 mark ( used to be 75), I've recently found myself struggling for breath and feel like I need to breath through my mouth in order to get enough air, my hearing is a constant problem to the point I almost needed hearing aids along with tinnitus (at the moment my ears are better than usual and I honestly put this down to the higher weather temperatures, they improved on day 3 of the warmer weather.) I also had raised TPO antibodies on my last medichecks test ( does that mean I get to add hashis onto the list with graves?
I've never had acne on my back but now have spots on my shoulders. I sleep well then wake up feeling like I haven't been to sleep.
I feel like I can say I know that I'm hypo at the moment but the screen says otherwise so I'll never win the discussion. Does anybody else use biological markers like pulse and core temperature and test themselves accordingly knowing they are out of range but feeling good.
I remember what I used to feel like and this isn't it.
Something isn't working and I really feel like my thyroid is at the root. It doesn't help that I have ms and eds, because fatigue and pain are all symptoms of those which makes it too easy to say it can't be my thyroid because you're at the top of the range.
When I noticed the acne I googled thyroid and acne hey presto hypo symptom, then breathlessness and thyroid and that's a thing too. I worry about my hearing because that says if it isn't treated soon it could become permanent.
According to the numbers I can't be hypo but I really feel I am.
Just wondering if some people have to run above the reference ranges to feel normal.
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Jimjamio
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Could you share your actual T4/T3 doses, and actual blood test results? It’s always good for the forum to see the actual numbers in order to give relevant input.
Would be helpful to know your history with thyroid issues and your history of dose changes.
Please include your full iron panel results (not just ferritin) As breathlessness could be related to iron.
Have you had your cortisol tested? Do you have results for sex hormones?
Are you gluten free? Dairy free?
More information will help us all weigh in. Others will come along with some different questions/input too!
Jimjamio, a little food for thought. Some symptoms you describe might actually be because you're overdosed. There's no clear dividing line between symptoms of too much or too little thyroid hormone when taking replacement medication. Acne is often caused by excess hormones, as is struggling for breath, unrefreshing sleep, fatigue and pain.
As FallingInReverse has suggested, it would be helpful if you could supply test results/ additional information. Many hypo symptoms overlap with those of peri menopause …. but I’m unsure if this relates to you?
We need to see how high in the ref range FT4 and FT3 sit
T3 affects every cell in the body so unless an adequate amount reaches the nuclei of the cells, attaches to T3 receptors and becomes active the person will suffer deficiency
You may have cellular rather than glandular hypothyroidism....you can look that up.
It could be that you have a type of thyroid hormone resistance (RTH) where adequate T3 is not entering the cells....this is not easy to work out.....it turned out to be the cause of my poor health....I had to do the investigation myself and it took a long time....it's all in my bio.
On a supraphysiological dose of T3 monitoring the dose has to be done by clinical evaluation...not lab numbers. So yes, that is how I monitor my T3 level.....resting heart rate, hand tremors, basal temp etc
I self medicate with high dose T3-only which would be danderous if I didn't have RTH but my doctors are aware of this and now accept that I understand what I'm doing and leave me responsible for my treatment
Raised antibodies indicate Hashi's
Low cellular T3 can afect any or all parts of the body
So, to help, we need more background info and more accurate labs
I see from your post a few months ago you used to be on T3 only? It might be that you’re one of those people who just doesn’t get on with any amount of levothyroxine. We have a few on this forum so hopefully they’ll see this.
As others have said, having high in range FT4 or over-range FT4 can cause confusing symptoms that feel “hypo” instead of “hyper”. I suspect you don’t need more hormone replacement—it’s something more subtle than that.
What are your ferritin, folate, B12 and Vit D levels like?
Sorry for the original lack of info. I see all the posts and the first thing that's requested are results I was just hoping to find someone that needs to ignore those numbers to feel good and is still alive. I don't think I'm over medicated but maybe wrongly? My latest thyroid results:
T4 16.7. (9-19)
T3 5.1 (2.9-4.9). First time this has been this high
TSH .004 (.35-4.94)
These were a couple of months ago
Latest vitamin work is from last August but I am still taking the same and have been for a while
Folate serum 45.4 (8.83-60.8)
Active b12 150 (37.5-188)
Vitamin d 300 (50-250) that was on 170,000 iu a week I have since lowered it to 120,000 (I'm really not worried about the vit d after reading Jeff t. Bowles, my chronic tennis elbow and rib clicks finally stopped after years once I got above the range, another reason I wonder about the ranges we are all being asked to fit in.)
Ferritin 229 (30-400)
TPO 40.3. (0-34 )
CRP 11.3 (>3). This is always high no idea why ms?
Oh I'm a dude as well 48 years old ms, eds, graves, had an rai. My wife has already told me it's the man o pause but I think there could be another explanation.
Redapple I'm in a weird situation really, where all of my symptoms could be explained by one of my other conditions which really doesn't help. If I was over medicated wouldn't my pulse and/or temperature be affected? As far as I'm aware I've never been over medicated never feel wired or restless. I sleep well, but when I get up I'm still knackered. I'm cold tired and slow.
At the moment I struggle to clean up on the kitchen and do a load of laundry, this is not me as a person, I love being outside, making things, I would still skate every day if I could, or go swimming fishing or walking.
I really feel like I have previously when under medicated ( this has happend before a lot, with the worst case ending up half a degree off hypothermic with a pulse of 33)
I really hope I'm not over medicated because if I am I'm screwed, I think I'm taking the wrong treatment in one way or another but I have no idea how or why.
I'm not free anything in my diet and if I had to give up dairy i would cry. Please don't make me give up dairy
I've had my cortisol tested before and taken the synacthen test supposedly all good.
Dippydame your bio is absolutely amazing what a story, and what an amazing person you are for being brave enough to take control. I've read recovering with T3 by Paul Robinson and it really made sense.
I was on a T3 only trial before the price hike, taking 40mcg in the morning and 40 at lunchtime and I felt I was almost there but got denied any more so had to revert to combination therapy. I'm worried about just stopping t4 and knowing what T3 to take. I'm really tempted to just stop my t4 and take T3 as necessary until I feel something like normal. Did you just stop your t4 and start T3 ?
At the moment I am prescribed t4 only which they have just reduced to 175 from 200 because of the above results, I was taken off the T3 against the guidelines when I told them this and asked for my 20 T3 a day back they just said no. I do know a very nice doctor near my parents in the States that I do get to see every once in a while, he is more than happy to prescribe T3 I just really wish I didn't need to rely on my parents to help me source it from 5000 miles away
My dose for a long time has been 200t4 and 20t3
I actually increased my T3 to 40 in order to get those last lab results.
Thank you everyone for your replies
I actually have an appointment with an unknown NHS endocrinologist tomorrow morning. Not looking forward to it at all.
I must start trying to write a bio like dippydames it's going to take a while.
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\"We just treat ranges\" 
Different ranges - confusing
Where in range does T3 need to be?
I feel better with free t4 higher in range.
Bottom of T4 range - Graves 
