firstly thanks for all the help I’ve had so far , in a year and a half I’ve gone from a happy , healthy 55 year old to a struggling 56 year old who’s head is so mixed up , I’ve put on a stone and a half and I feel like if I do nothing I’m better off than doing the gardening I want to do , I’m going to see a private endocrinologist soon as the 100 mg of levothyroxine haven’t changed a thing ?
I’ve bought tiromel online but even at 25mg I’m no better ! Does this suggest it’s fake , I’m starting to wonder ,
I’ve improved vitamins and gone gluten free but still feel rubbish , my medichecks results suggest I’m over medicated so what do I ask the endocrinologist for ? and what should I be doing ( or nor doing ) to improve my life before I go completely mad xx
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Gilbert2023
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Can you post the numbers: results and ranges? Is it because your TSH is low that you think you might be over-medicated? Ignore it. It's the FT3 the most important.
Well, your TSH isn't that low, considering you take 25 mcg T3. And your FT3 is still low, so I'm wondering how you take it. Do you always take it on an empty stomach, at least an hour away from food and two hours away from any supplements or medication?
And how do you do your tests? Do you leave an 8 to 12 hour gap between your last dose of T3 and the blood draw?
Your FT4 is high, that's true but that doesn't indicate true hyper because of the other two results. It's more likely to be due to a Hashi's 'hyper' swing - falst hyper, and temporary.
Sorry , results are before t3 was started , concerned about reverse t3 ? and yes I always leave at least 10 hours between drugs and blood test , thankyou ( previous blood test last August showed ft4 was high , it’s gone up again so I think I need to try to get it lower )
So, you don't have any test results since starting T3? Your TSH will definitely be lower, and more than likely your FT4 will be lower, too, because taking T3 lowers the FT4.
Who is concerned about rT3? You? Don't be. With that very high FT4 your rT3 would most definitely have been high, because that's the way it works. But the rT3 itself wouldn't do you any harm. It's just a way of recycling excess T4.
Your FT4 is well over range and FT3 is low. This presents a picture of failure to convert to the active hormone FT3.
Not converting is bad enough but when your FT4 is that high, you will dreadful. I’ve been there - with an FT4 of 42 on same range.
Ferritin is high but in range. Are your iron levels high? If not iron related, this could be a sign of inflammation. Ferritin is an inflammatory marker as well as a measure of iron stores. CRP is another inflammatory marker which will give an opportunity to confirm whether inflammation is present. Simple blood test.
I was prescribed T3 by a knowledgeable endo who recognised non conversion. Levo was lowered.
I can fully empathise. You must feel ghastly.
I’m a little confused. These results are when on Levo only? Where are results since you started Tiromel?
gluten free for 3 weeks and results before tiromel , I’m on 100 accord levo but I’ve gone down to 87.5 in the last month , I’m not a patient person sorry
As your T4 is well above the top of its range you’ll probably be feeling symptoms of taking too much levothyroxine. The aim is to mimic a healthy persons range. I’d reduce your T4 from 100mcg a day to 75mcg a day. If you only have 100mcg tablets then you could request different strength tablets so you can lower your intake or cut the 100mcg in half with a scalpel and reduce that way. Whichever you need to reduce your T4 for 4/6 weeks and see how you feel then and retest at that point.
thankyou , I’m cutting tablets now so am down to 87.5 atm , about to do another test to hopefully results will show improvement as I don’t feel there has been any yet , thankyou for your advice
I do blood tests with medichecks , last August my inflammation was 1.39 so mid range I guess , now it’s 0.89 so reduced , is this too much ?
T3 is alongside levo , I’m doing a blood test soon to see if I’ve made any improvements, honestly my symptoms are pretty much around weight gain and constipation, I’m frustrated as increase activity ( gardening yesterday) seems to make my symptoms worse
Last August was a long time ago. A lot could have changed since then so we can't draw any conclusions about your present status from labs done last August.
When you've done your new test, post the results and ranges in a new post, but please also specify exactly what you were taking at the time. It's impossible to interpret labs without knowing what you're taking, and it all gets very confusing.
I would add that I still think that very high FT4 was mainly due to a Hashi's 'hyper' swing. The small dose of levo you were taking couldn't account for it on its own, even with poor conversion. A hyper swing is only temporary. Eventually levels will go down by themselves. So it will be interesting to see you new blood test results.
What form do you take ? I’m currently taking it in the citrate form as my gp suggested I have ibs c , I’m not sure if she’s right or if it’s all thyroid issues
Your first test after starting levo? OK, so that's interesting but not relevant to today.
So, as I said, start a new thread with your new results, when you get them, and tell us how much levo and how much T3 you are taking. I know you've said that above, but it's helpful to have that information at the same time as the results. Makes it easier to interpret the results.
Hi, I totally get how frustrating this all is. I'm 13 years on thyroid meds and still not there yet.Are you on 25mcg already? If you've started on too high a dose, this will likely make you feel worse. I found this out the hard way last year and took me a couple of months to get back track.
If you have, then personally, I would reduce t4 and start t3 again at 5mcg and increase by 5mcg at a time. I only increase t3 when my body tells me, but I'm on t3 only so a bit different. Other knowledgeable members will comment how long to leave before increasing.
Also, something to think about is perimenopause or post menopause. This can bugger everything up and play havoc with your thyroid. I know thyroid issues can start at any age, but It's said the majority of thyroid patients are women who start having thyroid issues in middle age. Sex and thyroid hormones are definitely connected.
They Really messed me up. Thought it was my thyroid causing my issues as my medicationwas no longer working no matter if i uppe, diwned or stopped it, turned out to be perimenopause was causing it.
My advice is to take things slowly, don't change more than 1 thing at a time, and think about whether menopause could be causing you issues.
Can you say how the t3 will make me feel worse , I’m not saying it doesn’t but I just can’t understand much now , weight gain and constipation are my key symptoms and always were , levo never changed anything so I guess I hoped t3 would but as I say I’m so confused and gps don’t help much , advice is what I need from people who understand , thankyou
What I'm saying is. You need to slowly introduced T3.Did you start by lowering t4 and start on 6.25 of t3? Anything higher could make you worse.
Post menopause is when estrogen drops. Low estrogen, progesterone and testosterone can cause issues with many things.
Yes, I believe you can. You are in menopause the rest of your life. I have friends, one in her late 70's and still has night sweats and hot flushes, the other mid 60's and suffers chronic insomnia. Both have never taken hrt.
I went through hell not knowing I was perimenopause. Hrt saved my life, testosterone gave me a life.
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Can anyone recommend an endocrinologist? 
Advised to stop levothyoxine- I thought this was a lifetime thing!? So confused 
So achy & still exhausted 
confused and fed up! 
Fluctuating thyroid 
