Test results

[tuf5ty]

I have been underactive for 19 years. my levothyroxine was increased in aug to 175mgs. i still feel yuk so ordered further tests from gp

serum tsh is 0.08 it was 4 in august

serum free t4 is 23.0 they state high.

Does this mean 175 is ok. do i need t3?

I am reluctant to reduce my dose again as i was very poorly and couldnt function.

Thankyou

[shaws Administrator]

Maybe you are not converting T4 to enough T3 and that's maybe why you don't feel well.

How to know whether your medication is working is you ask the question 'how do I feel', if the answer is rubbish you are either under-treated or the levothyroxine doesn't suit you.

Maybe if you ask your GP to lower your levo by 50mcg and add 10mcg of T3, it may help you.

Dr Toft, ex President of the British Thyroid Association says sometimes it is o.k. to have a suppressed TSH or even the addition of T3.

It is not a good idea to reduce medication unless the patient is clearly overactive. It can cause more problems by reducing the meds according to the TSH.

[Clarebear]

I had very similarly results to you a year ago and felt dreadful too. My TSH was 0.04 and ft4 was 22.7.

I suspect I had a problem with excess T4 converting to reverse T3 rather than T3. Moving to NDT which is a mixture of T3 and T4 has really helped and I feel so much better.

I agree with Shaws and think you should ask your doctor for a trial of T3. Xx

[tuf5ty]

Ooooh ok. I have a telephone call with my go tomorrow. i am in the uk so wish me luck.

[Clarebear]

Good luck! If your GP won't prescribe T3 then it might be worth asking for a referral to an endo, as they might be more likely tp prescribe. It's worth doing some research on which endo, as they vary so much. Xx

[tuf5ty]

Update... Spoke to my gp and she said blood results are "normal"

I asked about conversion and she said it would need to be considerably higher and mine isnt high. I asked about a referral and she results are normal so an endo wouldnt see me.

Arrrgggghhh