Re: Mum's test results - urgent advice please! / ?

[Guest guest]

With the GP's permission, Mum started adding T3 to her Levo on 4 October. Sheincreased slowly and is now taking 15mcg T3 early morning, 15mcg T3 early afternoon and 50mcg Levo daily.

......while she has much more energy than before, she still has very obvious hypo symptoms, such as extreme cold and worsening agony in her arms, elbows, shoulders and neck.

Mum's results are as follows:TSH 0.87 (0.3 - 4.5)Free T3 3.8 (3.1 - 6.8)Free T4 5.2 (10.6 - 22.7)Can anyone please tell me if these results are 'good'?

Is the free T3 high enough?Is it ok for the free T4 to be below the normal range?

Hello Nicola,

I'm afraid it's a `no' to all three of your above questions. Both values (FT3 and FT4) look much too low, although the important figure is the FT3. It would not matter that the FT4 is below the range if the FT3 were in a good enough position, but it is not. The only thing that might please the GP is that the TSH is in a "good" looking place... but I'm afraid the TSH is totally irrelevant once you add T3 into the mix and your mum's GP is likely to be totally unaware of that and might decree that those results are fine since the TSH is "fine" and if your mum still has symptoms then it has nothing to do with the thyroid....

I am not the best person to comment on a T4/T3 combo result, nor am I in general in favour of that combination – simply because it is extremely difficult to get the balance right. Personally I very much favour natural desiccated thyroid, where the T4:T3 ratio is already worked out in perfect proportions and you don't have to worry about that side of things. It seems to me that getting the mix of synthetic T4 and T3 "right" is one of the most difficult undertakings in thyroid dosing. might have more to say about it, but it has something to do with the T3 lowering the TSH fast and at the same time reducing the conversion rate... so the T4/T3 balance gets easily out of kilter. To get good results I gather you either need to up the T3 more and reduce the T4 considerably (or stop T4 altogether), or you up the T4, reduce the T3 and let the body do the majority of converting. Unfortunately there is not a `one fits all' solution.

Perhaps can give you some answers?

With best wishes,

[Guest guest]

Hi

Many thanks for your rapid response to my questions -

Mum and I really appreciate it.

While Mum was still on Levo, I tried to persuade the GP to give her natural

dessicated thyroid because it was this same GP who had given me Armour 2 years

ago. However, the GP said that she had been placed under pressure not to

prescribe NDT to anyone else. So, rather than Mum keep on feeling unwell, I

wrote to the GP and explained that the T4/T3 was another option and she went for

it, even though she'd never heard tell of T3 before! (By the way, all the other

4 senior GPs in the practice deny that NDT even exists in the UK!!!)

Anyhow, I'm gathering that there is still room for Mum to increase her T3 and

perhaps descrease the T4 a bit and see how that goes.

As regards , I've just started reading his book and am finding it

fascinating. However, I gather he doesn't really do advice on a one-to-one

basis and so I wouldn't like to bother him. I'll keep reading the book and see

where that gets us!

Thanks again,

Nicola

> Mum's results are as follows:

> TSH 0.87 (0.3 - 4.5)

> Free T3 3.8 (3.1 - 6.8)

> Free T4 5.2 (10.6 - 22.7)

> Can anyone please tell me if these results are 'good'?

>

> Is the free T3 high enough?

> Is it ok for the free T4 to be below the normal range?

>

>

>

> Hello Nicola,

>

> I'm afraid it's a `no' to all three of your above

> questions. Both values (FT3 and FT4) look much too low, although the

> important figure is the FT3.

>

> I am not the best person to comment on a T4/T3 combo result, nor am I

> in general in favour of that combination – simply because it is

> extremely difficult to get the balance right. Personally I very much

> favour natural desiccated thyroid, where the T4:T3 ratio is already

> worked out in perfect proportions and you don't have to worry about

> that side of things. It seems to me that getting the mix of synthetic

> T4 and T3 " right " is one of the most difficult undertakings in

> thyroid dosing. might have more to say about it, but it

> has something to do with the T3 lowering the TSH fast and at the same

> time reducing the conversion rate... so the T4/T3 balance gets easily

> out of kilter.

>

> Perhaps can give you some answers?

>

> With best wishes,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Nicola,

Could just be the amount of T3 your mum is taking is still too low. You are

correct that she should only increases T3 slowly. I'm not sure on ratios to

compare T4 to T3 but I only take T3 and my endo is happy that I take 60mcg

(split thoughout the day) with a possible increase up to 70 or 80mcg after my

next blood test. My TSH was very low last time (0.05) and the endo understood it

would be low.

I do think if your mum is converting the T4 to T3 it is better to keep taking T4

along with the T3. I believe I had a problem with reverse T3 which can only be

cleared by taking T3 only.

Will the GP prescribe more T3?

It's not easy using T3 but for me the results have been worth the multi dosing.

Judy

>

> Hi

>

> Many thanks for your rapid response to my questions -

> Mum and I really appreciate it.

> While Mum was still on Levo, I tried to persuade the GP to give her natural

dessicated thyroid because it was this same GP who had given me Armour 2 years

ago. However, the GP said that she had been placed under pressure not to

prescribe NDT to anyone else. So, rather than Mum keep on feeling unwell, I

wrote to the GP and explained that the T4/T3 was another option and she went for

it, even though she'd never heard tell of T3 before! (By the way, all the other

4 senior GPs in the practice deny that NDT even exists in the UK!!!)