Hi - would be interested in any comments on these results. I’m on 10mcg Liothyronine (split into 2 doses) and 50 / 62.5 mcg alternating Levothyroxine. Tests done as per advice. I am also on B12 injections every other day, prescribed folic acid but have been taking folinic acid which I think helps reduce my anxiety most of the time. (A massive thank you to SlowDragon for encouraging me to follow up on B12 deficiency)
TSH 0.73 (0.3 - 4.9)
FT4 13 (9 - 19) 40%
FT3 5.78 (3.3 - 5.8) 99%
My mood is a lot better but I still get very tired particularly early afternoon. My problem at the moment is that I seem to be catching every cold that’s out there, have had sinus and gum infections. Every time my body is needing to fight something off I feel like I’m back to square one - utterly exhausted, anxiety returns and very low mood. I have wanted to try to address possible adrenal issues but haven’t made much progress.
I take a B Complex, Vit D, Magnesium, Vit C, Zinc in a bid to improve my immune system. I take these at lunchtime well away from my Levo / Lio. Any other suggestions? I’m gluten free, my diet is generally good although when I have no energy to cook my husband’s meals are not brilliantly nutritious! I’m trying to get into the habit of having apple cider vinegar with my evening meal.
Now that I am on Liothyronine the unbalance in my “through the range” % has flipped the other way. Should I perhaps be increasing Levo and decreasing Liothyronine a little each? Interested in thoughts. Thanks as ever.
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GW1000
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For me... I need fT4 above 50% so I'd be inclined to increase to 62.5mcg daily and let that settle in for 6 weeks minimum and then perhaps try 7.5mcg T3.... it's never helpful changing two things at once..... the other thing I found to banish the afternoon slump was to take a single dose of T3 rather than splitting and I found I needed slightly less of it, fine tuning takes a bit of tweaking and experimenting 🙃
For good zinc uptake you need reasonable albumin levels for it to bind to, so this means enough protein in your diet?
Hi - thanks. Yes, I think increasing Levo is worth trying. Should I be worried about that potentially putting me over range on FT3 before I reduce that though?
I get enough protein mostly through meat, fish and eggs. I do have yogurt in the mornings and some cheese but not a massive amount. What might I expect through cutting out dairy entirely?
When was your last dose of Levo & T3 prior to this test - how many hours for each?
Recommended blood test protocol: Test at 9am (or as close as possible), fasting, last levo dose 24hrs before the blood draw, last T3 dose 8-12 hours before blood draw & no biotin containing supplements for 3-7 days (Biotin can interfere with thyroid blood results as it is used in the testing process).
Testing like this gives consistency in your results and will show stable blood levels of hormone and highest TSH which varies throughout the day. Taking Levo/T3 just prior to blood draw can show a falsely elevated result and your GP/Endo might change your dose incorrectly as a result.
You may well need to increase Levo but that all depends on dose timing before the test.
Yes bloods done exactly as advised. Have been grateful to learn from this group long enough to know the importance 🙂. Still feel like I’m being difficult when they try to offer me an afternoon appointment but I stand my ground!
Thanks. That’s quite a drop in T3 - halving my dose. Would be easier to manage as I have Roma capsules so it’s a bit of a faff trying to split them. But a 50% drop in T3 feels quite drastic . When on Levo small changes seemed to affect me a lot hence ending up alternating 12.5mcgs on top. The ease of doing so is attractive though!
If you left the correct timing of 8-12hrs between last dose of T3 & test then FT3 is far too high and you need to add some Levo in which will bring it up a little anyway.
I'm not sure what dose sizes are available for Roma but yes in capsules its very difficult to split or adjust dosing.
Generally one is aiming for FT3 of around 70% and FT4 the same.
Thanks. It was 10 hours before. It would explain some anxiety. It’s really hard to separate out symptoms - my anxiety was increasing long before I started T3 largely due to long term untreated B12 deficiency I think. I would say it decreased with starting T3 (which I did slowly) and it’s still nowhere near as bad as it was but it comes and goes more than I’d like.
SlowDragon wondering if you have a view - and realise my attempt to tag you in the main post didn’t work! I owe you a huge thanks for giving me the push to investigate my B12 properly.
The range on Ft3 is narrower than most common range of 3.1-6.8
But assuming range is correct ….I would reduce T3 by (ideally) 2.5mcg …but as you have Roma capsules I would reduce by 5mcg …..but at same time increase Levo by 12.5mcg
Hi. You said you're catching every cold going even tho supplementing, esp zinc. However, did you know (,I learned from drs in USA) that to get zinc in your cells (zinc prevents replication of viruses) you need quercitin to get the zinc into your cells; quercitin is the gun, zinc is the bullet. I take my D3/K2, zinc, quercitin, B complex, selenium (via Brazil nuts)+ magnesium and vit C. I'm 75+came thru the COVID pandemic and since without catching COVID even tho didn't take the jab. Maybe quercitin would help ?
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