Advice on results please.

[Soaping]

Hello lovely people im bck again after my 4month assessment with my professor I have been taking 17 & a half mcg of T3 daily and 75mcg T4. Tests were done at the usual times advised.

My professor has asked me to cut out the 2 & a half mcg T3.

So now will be taking 15mcg T3 & 75mcg T4.

My results were tsh 0.22 (0.27-4.2)

T4 15.09 (12-22)

T3 5(3.1-6.8)

My cholesterol has not gone down since taking T3 and is 6.7mmol

HDL 1.99

NON HDL 4.72

Triglycerides have risen to 3.06 from 1.08. He was very concerned anout this and asked how i felt anout statins, i told him i wasnt keen and we would speak on next appointment in 3months time.

The cholesterol side is really scaring me and i do not know what to do. My diet is not bad 🤔 low carb, hardly any alcohol or sugar. Any advice please.

[TiggerMe Ambassador]

Sounds like your Professor is a TSH in range chaser... how are you feeling?

With your cholesterol still high (under replaced thyroid hormones) and results like these I'd be looking for an increase not a decrease, personally I need my fT4 above 50% and fT3 higher

Free T4 (fT4) 15.09 pmol/L (12 - 22) 30.9%

Free T3 (fT3) 5 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8) 51.4%

[greygoose]

Agree with TiggerMe . That FT3 would be too low for most hypos, and that's why your cholesterol is high.

There's a direct link between cholesterol and FT3 levels. If your FT3 were high enough the cholesterol would have dropped. You don't need statins, you need T3.

Besides, cholesterol in and of itself is nothing to worry about. It's not going to give you a heart attack or a stroke, as doctors claim. It just doesn't do that. Your body needs cholesterol, it's made of cholesterol. Cholesterol is not the enemy. High cholesterol is a symptom, not a disease.

And it has nothing to do with your diet. It's made in the liver, and the liver keeps levels stable by making more when you consume less and vice versa. But when T3 is low, the body cannot process cholesterol correctly and it tends to build up in the blood. But it won't hurt you.

So, if I were you, I would stop worrying about it and insist your professor give you back your 2.5 mcg, and then some!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

was test done as recommended 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)

T3 ….day before test split T3 as 2 or 3 smaller doses spread through the day, with last dose approximately 8-12 hours before test

Ft4 is likely too low

suggest you INCREASE Levo to 87.5mcg

And keep Ft3 as is

This will help increase Ft3

What are your most recent vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin

What vitamin supplements are you taking

[Soaping in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for your replies. Yes i left the appropriate timings as suggested by you before blood draw.My ladt vits vit d was 104mml but 18months ago. B12 1103 year ago. Folate year ago 11 3. Not had a ferritin for 20months was 69.9.

Costs alot keep getting all the blood tests done as GP wont do them. I dont feel too bad. Still constipation but thats been a life long thing with me. Weight stable. I dont have the energy orvmotivation i would like.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Soaping]

Really need to test vitamin levels at least annually

Ferritin was on low side ……could be lower now

What vitamin supplements do you take

What was reason for thyroidectomy

Are you on gluten free or dairy free diet or tried them

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Soaping]

Yes i left the appropriate timings as suggested by you before blood draw.

Free T4 (fT4) 15.09 pmol/L (12 - 22) 30.9%

Free T3 (fT3) 5 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8) 51.4%

Suggest you increase in Levo dose then to 87.5mcg

Retest in another 8 weeks this should improve both Ft4 and Ft3

Aim for both Ft4 and Ft3 at least 60-70% through range

You could agree to small reduction in T3 …..AFTER next test if Ft3 improves a lot ….. ideally only change one thing at a time

[Soaping in reply to SlowDragon]

I take Vit D k2 10,000 british suppliments.Thorn B complex.

Started taking swanson NAC see if helps cholesterol.

Try to have liver or pate when i can.

Mostly gluten fee for gut issues.

Not tried dairy free that will be a hard one 🤔.

Muli nodule goitre high risk rating so they removed but was not cancerous 🤔.

Hard to up my t4 as i would need Professor (he is a well known respected endo, i dont know if i can name on hete) to tell GP to do this and he told me to stay on the same im caught between pillar and post 😔. He justvsaid hes been on statins for years stops you having hear attack or stroke but i really am against.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Soaping]

You need to test vitamin D

10,000iu is high dose

Possibly too high

Cholesterol is high because thyroid levels are too low

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Soaping]

Almost everyone on T3 will have below range or suppressed TSH

If your endo is trying to keep TSH in range you are likely to have very low FT3/Ft4

[AKatieD]

Malcolm Kendrick is interesting on cholesterol. I have not read the book but there are blog posts discussing it.drmalcolmkendrick.org

[Soaping in reply to AKatieD]

Thank you I will have a look

[McPammy]

I would address the high cholesterol if they were my results. High cholesterol builds up plaque in your arteries including your brain. I have read that this can cause dementia and Altzimers. And as here in the UK we have the second highest number of cases of dementia in the world and high cholesterol levels, it’s like a silent killer or dementia creeps up. I would seriously consider a low dose statin as your professor suggested if you’ve tried everything else as it could be an hereditary cholesterol issue. The main aim for thyroid hormone replacement medication is to aim for a healthy persons levels. So if your TSH is suppressed you’re taking too much. Your t4 and t3 blood levels are showing good when leaving quite a gap of time before the blood draw. But as soon as you take your meds the levels increase which you’re not seeing in the blood results. I would trust your well respected professor and follow his guidance.