I've been trawling over my posts/diaries/test results trying to establish a pattern where I feel good. Obviously there can be many co-contributing factors, and I'm not as far as I'm aware a classic hashi as I've always had negative antibodies. I suspect I might be central hypo but no-one has ever confirmed that. Assuming that all vitamins/iron are optimal and HRT if applicable, I've found that the levels I seem to be marking "good day' in my diary at seem to correlate to a 50 dose levo and 1 metavive I with T4 around 15/16 and T3 around 4-4.9, I'm not including TSH as it varies with my own levels changing but I have noticed when it's suppressed I feel awful and when it's just within/just out of range, I feel good. Any thoughts on this would be welcome.
Is it possible to feel good on 50 levo? - Thyroid UK
Is it possible to feel good on 50 levo?
Hey there agan :
I just sent a message but it seems to have totally disappeared !!
Anyway - is there a declared content in the Metavive ?
I got all your messages this morning. There’s no ‘declared’ content but from reading around there is. I got into trouble from admin for this last time so I’ll pm you.
I’d say if you have found what works for you then 👏 and well done.
Maintenance for me is the ongoing challenge with moving goalposts, seasonality, age, commitments etc. So keep doing what you are doing, keep testing and keep up the vits etc.
Thank you Regrnallotment. Sometimes you just need to stop, get off and reassess. It was an interesting trawl through the details and I know I’ve found ‘good spots’ but the recommendations are to have frees in the top quarters- that doesn’t seem to work for me so I’ll aim for where I feel best.
yes , i think it is very possible .
see 2 graphs on here : thyroidpatients.ca/2022/06/... normal-thyroid-ranges-
the ones titled 'Medians and Distributions in 204 healthy adults ~no elevated antibodies and normal thyroid ultrasound' and ' TSH and Thyroid Hormones measured weekly over 6 wks , scaled to % of reference range' can't link images sorry , new laptop , can't find anything, lol.
We know that individual and quite narrow setpoints apply to healthy people ... some have T4/T3 towards the higher end of range ... some have T4/T3 towards lower end of range ... some have T4 a bit higher than T3 ... some have T3 a bit higher than T4.
So it's logical that once treated with thyroid hormone replacement , their bodies would still have an individual preference for where they function best, Even though we know that taking T4 and/ or T3 is likely to move them relative to previous setpoints , the idea that most people on thyroid hormone replacement will suddenly homogenise to a group who all do best at 'x' % has never made sense to me.
Thank you tattybogle that all makes perfect sense. I was determined to get my free T4 into the higher end of range and felt absolutely crap doing so, just as with too high a dose of Armour. I’ve stopped the Levo for a few days, how long roughly would it take for frees t4 to drop a bit? I already feel much better but I’m aware that might be a cortisol related issue as I never feel ‘Overmedicated’ in the traditional sense, I feel dull, foggy, depressed, slow, constipated, in short, higher levels make me feel hypo.
not sure how long to be honest, that is probably a "how long is a piece of string" type question.... but i'd be careful if making big changes such as stopping for a few days , i will sometimes miss one dose of levo out if i'm experimenting, or i might stop for 2/3 days or longer if i was sure i was very overmedicated , but as a general rule it's probably a better idea to reduce dose slightly and wait it out for 6-8 wks to see the true effects.
I find symptom effects can be hard to interpret when i make drastic changes. People often feel great the next day and think 'that's the answer' , then feel really naff soon after .. it's what happens consistently over time on same dose that gives us more reliable info.
Yes, I know what you mean tattybogle, I've stopped before and waited too long before re-starting, so I've got a rough idea. Thank again.
ps does your alert bell work ? mine is on strike i think...
No, it's a bit wonky, stays lit and sometimes doesn't light up; I know the feeling...
I think the alert button is on the fritz. I had quite a few replies and alerts recently and nothing came through. Then the other day I refreshed and it said 24 - which was completely wrong! I think someone is having a jolly with us... 😂
Mine said 700-odd yesterday- that got the heart pounding.
Wow, no need for T3 to get the heart racing there ...😂
liked it ... then realised you probably won't be alerted to that fact until next wednesday .lol.
Mine got stuck yesterday—said I had 3 to read which wouldn’t clear even when I’d read them.
Gremlins in the works…
The important thing is how you feel, not where someone / anyone else says your thyroid test numbers should be. If you feel good on 50mcg levo in the long term, then stay with that. But always listen to your body and be on the alert for symptoms that might suggest you need to increase the dose.
Thank you StitchFairy - it’s taken me a few years and a lot of mistakes to realise that!
So from reading around it seems you felt best some 2 years ago after your very first blood test after having started taking 50 mcg - T4 :
You found it difficult increasing the T4 dose - and I'm thinking you likely do not tolerate T4 as back at the beginning it upset stomach - so maybe why - you couldn't increase it - and looking at other options to raise / maintain your T3 at a level that works for you.
Maybe you need to take T3 only or NDT - Natural Desiccated Thyroid.
NDT contains a fixed ratio of T3/T4 at 1/4.22 - T3/T4 - and I compare NDT to being like ready mixed - self raising flour - with T4 being the plain flour option and may need a bit of help if making a scone.
NDT suits many thousands of people very well - though some find they need a slightly less powerful dose and add in a little T4 - whilst others find they need a more powerful dose and add in a little T3.
As I understand it Metavive is a full thyroid supplement derived from pig thyroids but with no declared medical graded content on its contents.
If you have the stock I see your options to very slowly add T3 to your 50 mcg T4 -
or restart taking NDT at a 1/4 grain and slowly build back up in 1/4 grains - to the relief of symptoms - and maybe track on your physical symptoms AM & PM blood pressure, pulse and body temperature - rather than waiting and relying on blood tests to tell you how you are doing.
Thank you for creating this post 👏
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