These are my latest results taken at 9.15 am prior to eating, on water only. I’m taking 75mcg of levo brand Eutirox ( I’m in Spain). I’ve improved my vit D since my last test, when I was under range.Since my last test, about 8 weeks ago, I have been eating liver at least three times a week, as well as some red meat, with an orange or juice for better absorption. I’ve improved my ferritin ( from 49.70) and folate ( from 17.88). But my total, ldl and hdl cholesterol levels have risen, with total cholesterol at 220 ( <200). I take Igennus super b complex, vit D3 and K2, berberine and rhodiola. Some other tests out of range:
Creatine/urine 0.27 ( 0.60-1.80), urine analysis 1.006 (1.010-1.030), transferrin 194 (250-380), bilirubin indirect ( 0.27-0.85). Should I be concerned about any of these?
I have a dry mouth and eyes, and what feels like nerve damage @ shoulders, neck, hands and feet most of the time. I have occasional stabbing pain under my right shoulder blade, I think relating to food intolerance. Since beginning of Jan I developed right knee and right wrist problems, weak and painful but not every day.
I have an appointment with an endo on the 23rd of Jan. This will be my second appointment with this one, but in my experience I seem to have a lot of tests done, then the doctors have no idea how to interpret them.
If you have any advice on how to reduce my high antibodies I’d be really grateful. I’m eating a clean diet- sugar, alcohol, caffeine, grain, and dairy free. Though I’ve recently introduced L. Reuteri dairy yoghurt, which doesn’t seem to be adversely affecting me, though I can’t be sure. I used dairy as I can’t get the right milk brands here to make coconut yoghurt and my attempt at cashew L. Reuteri was inedible. I have lost a little weight since starting on eutirox but have lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I walk and have better energy but not enough to do weights or yoga, especially with the nerve damage pains.
Sorry for the length of the post- I’m just trying to give as much info at the start as I can. Looking forward to any advice if you are able to respond. Thankyou.
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I cook everything from scratch, so don’t think I’m getting hidden gluten. I was supposed to test for celiac at this last test, but after trying three days of eating gluten in prep for the test, I abandoned the idea. I knew that 6-8 weeks of eating gluten prior to testing wouldn’t work for me.
There's a 99.9% chance that your high cholesterol is due to your very low FT3. Raise the FT3 level and the cholesterol should drop. Cholesterol is made in the liver and has little to do with diet.
High antibodies are just an indication that you have autoimmune thyroid disease. Lowering them will not help you - even if you could - because they are the result of the disease, not the cause. Do you know how Hashi's 'works'? They have a job to do keeping the blood clean, so I'm not even sure that trying to reduce them is a good idea. They are not attacking your thyroid, they are not attacking anything. Just keeping the place tidy.
Thanks for your reply 😁That’s interesting about the antibodies. Maybe I should have said how to reduce my autoimmune response?! I suppose I’ve just been looking at how to improve my levels of. Ferritin, folate, etc. as advised from my last post. Not considering my levels of thyroid hormones I’ve never been diagnosed with Hashimoto disease, but I do have Graves’ disease, and have since been on eutirox since July 2024, after RAI in March 2024.
How would you suggest I or my doctor try to increase my FT3?
You cannot reduce your autoimmune response. At least, as things stand at the moment no-one knows how to do it. Maybe one day...
But as you don't have a thyroid, your autimmune response isn't going to affect you, anyway.
Free T4 (fT4) 1.55 pmol/L (0.89 - 1.76) 75.9%
Free T3 (fT3) 2.74 pmol/L (2.3 - 4.2) 23.2%
According to those results, you are a very poor converter. You do have some room to increase your levo but your conversion rate is so bad that is not going to raise your FT3 enough to make you well. And I very much doubt that optimising your nutrients is going to do anything for your conversion, either, it's too bad. So, the only thing you can do is to procure some T3 and that that along with your levo. Levo alone is never going to make you well.
Could you please tell me how much T3 / liothyonine (or NDT) and T4 I should start with, given these results? If possible I will get a Spanish prescription and will try to fulfil it in the Uk using the list of pharmacies. Or else I’ll try sourcing privately with recommendations from members here.
If I were you, I wouldn't change your levo at all, given that result. Endos always want to reduce the dose, but taking T3 will reduce your FT4 anyway, so best to keep on the same dose.
For the T3, you follow the protocol for taking any hormones: start low and increase slowly. With T3 that means starting on 5 mcg (or 6.25 mcg, depending on the size of the pill) and staying on it for at least two weeks before increase by 5 (or 6.25). And see how you go from there. But always hold for six weeks on the same dose before retesting.
Thankyou for your reply Greygoose. I thought conversion might be the problem about six months ago, especially after 2 RAI treatments, but in the absence of finding a doctor to prescribe T3, I concentrated on nutrient optimisation. The doctor I have the upcoming appointment with said she would consider prescribing it if I needed it, but the difficulty would be in sourcing it. I think maybe that means it’s not available through pharmacies here in Spain.
No, I don't think Spanish pharmacies do carry T3. Probably the nearest pharmacy would be in France, but I don't know if they would accept a Spanish prescription. French pharmacists are a funny lot!
Haha, you’re probably right. I just read that within the EU you should be able to fulfill any Eu prescription, but rules are there to be broken!
I’m just having a look at helvella’s blogspot for Thyroid Hormone Medicines. That should keep me busy, though not as busy as her! What an amazing effort she has made. Thankyou!!
I am in the Uk in three weeks and have friends coming here almost every month from the UK who can bring meds with them. So I thought the UK would be an easier route rather than having meds stuck in customs with admin clearance fees. But at the end of the day it all comes down to what I can afford.
If you do have any advice on dosing I would appreciate it, so I can compare to what this new doctor advises. Hopefully she will prescribe it, but I can’t be sure.
Things might have changed but, until a few years ago, while pharmacies could legally recognise and dispense against prescriptions from other EU countries, there was nothing to force that.
Germany pharmacies seemed to be pretty good, but many others weren't.
T3 is particularly expensive in the UK. My UK document has prices and links to the main database which has prices. Private prescriptions will always be more than NHS prices.
helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines - UK
The UK document contains up-to-date versions of the Summary Matrixes for levothyroxine tablets, oral solutions and liothyronine available in the UK. Includes injectables and descriptions of tablet markings which allow identification. Latest updates include all declared ingredients for all UK-licensed products and links to Patient Information Leaflets, Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d), British National Formulary, NHS Drug Tariff, etc. PLUS how to write prescriptions in Appendix F.
Now also includes latest pricing information from dm+d..
Also includes links for anti-thyroid medicines (but not product details).
I don't eat dairy either and watch the sugar content in food. One brand of yogurt I found that was really good is Forager unsweetened vanilla cashew yogurt. I don't know if they carry that by you. I eat it plain with blueberries, but sometimes I add a scoop of my chocolate protein powder in it. It gives it a nice flavor and I get a added boost of protein too.
Thankyou for the tip! I’ll definitely look out for it when I’m back in the UK. I have very little choice in the way of bought food where I am in Spain though. One day I hope to crack the cashew version of this “yoghurt”, then it’ll be ‘bye ‘bye to dairy!
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