how much does thyroid levels effect cholesterol

[ainslie]

I recently reduced my erfa from 3.5 grains to 3 at end of September

For some reason Ft3 stayed same at 4.2 and Ft4 increased to 17 from 13.3, Medichecks.

I reduced from 3.5 grains to 3 because back in 2001 I didn’t have tachycardia at 3 grains and my TSH was 1.6, Ft3 4.2 and Ft4 was 13.2, at 3.5 grains I have tachycardia sometimes and my TSH is 0.008. Hertoghe said try reducing the dose slowly to 2.5, okay worth a try although many on here would disagree, he said he had patients get rid of the tachycardia by getting TSH back in to range. When his patients had tachycardia their Ft3 and Ft4 was in range.

However since my last cholesterol test with him my total cholesterol has risen from 7 to 7.9 and LDL risen from 4.73 to 5.41, my HDL. Is good at 2.07 so I have a healthy ratio of 3.81 and triglycerides of 1.04. I have only been on 3 grains about 6 weeks. So is the thyroid the culprit, has anyone had similar experiences. All other variables are the same except I take Ruxolitinib for polycythaemia which increases cholesterol but the dose increase this summer ie between the two tests was only only 6%.

has anyone any data on how much thyroid change changes cholesterol.

The strange thing is that reducing the thyroid from 3.5 to 3 grains hast reduced my ft3 or ft4 or restored TSH back in to range as it was in 2021 when I was on 3 grains, it’s still ver suppressed, maybe it needs more time but why no reduction in Ft3/4. Or are Medichecks labs not so accurate.

Or maybe slightly dehydrated.

[greygoose]

High cholesterol is usually caused by low T3 because with low T3 the body cannot process cholesterol correctly so it builds up in the blood. So, I guess the answer to your question is: 100%.

It's not because you have extra cholesterol floating around, because it's made in the liver and the liver keeps levels stable. But if the cholesterol cannot get to where it is needed - and that's why it's in the blood to begin with, it's travelling - and do it's job, then the level in the blood rises.

[Tina_Maria]

Elevated cholesterol levels are a classical symptom of hypothyroidism. In the good old days, this is how hypothyroidism was diagnosed.

As greygoose has mentioned, low levels of thyroid hormones, and in particular T3, mean that your metabolism is slowed down. T3 especially is responsible for lipid metabolism and regulates gene expression in target organs, such as the liver and adipose (fat) tissues, to maintain lipid homeostasis (equilibrium). T3 also stimulates the mobilisation and degradation of lipids.

If your thyroid hormone levels are low, the liver is unable to process lipids such as cholesterol (including LDL and triglycerides) and hence these levels will rise. When you are on the correct dose of replacement hormones, these levels should come down again, unless you have a genetic predisposition to higher cholesterol levels or are on medication that will increase it.

Without seeing the reference ranges it looks though that your T4 has fallen significantly and is probable less than 50% through the range now and your T3 has fallen as well (if the range is up to 6.8, I guess you will be around 35% through the range now?). This will be too low now for efficiently processing your cholesterol, hence the build up. If you are taking some other medication that will naturally raise your cholesterol, you may need a higher T3 level from the start to counterbalance this in the first place.

Why did you reduce your medication in the first place? Did you feel you were over medicated?

[Sunflower64]

Are you seeing Hertoghe himself or a doctor in his clinic? It seems they are not all aware of how low T3 can cause cholesterol to rise. Some hypothyroid patients have been asked by them if they eat a lot of fat…I would expect more of doctors claiming to be hormone specialists.

And dosing by the TSH on NDT is not a good idea.

I think it is irresponsible of Hertoghe to suggest reducing NDT by 1 grain based on these lab results. Normally, you would reduce it by 1/4 or 1/2 grain and then retest.