Re: Question about optimizing ferritin

[Guest guest]

Hmm....your free T3 with your TSH reveals you are hypo. Your mild

hyper last year suggests that you might have been in the swings of

Hashi's. Your reaction to Armour---yes, it could have been the

Ferritin, but it's not low enough to my mind to cause the reactions

you describe, even though you need to improve it. How long ago did

you try the Armour? How much did you try? And...the cortisol test--

it's not a 24 hour test and it's the only test that will accurately

tell you if you need adrenal help.

Janie

> Hi all,

> I'm new here, and been lurking for a while. I was mild hyper for a

short

> spell last year, and now my TSH is 2.56 (.4 - 5.5) with FT3 at 299

(230 -

> 420) and FT4 at 1.1 (.8 - 1.8). I am presently experiencing

shortness of

> breath and nightmares. My hair has thinned, but could be due to the

> shifting around of my status; hair loss seems to be slowing down

(or maybe

> I just don't have that much left to shed!). I am currently on no

> medications, and will re-check my levels in 3 weeks. I tried

synthroid,

> which helped get my FT4 up when I was experiencing insomnia, but

the FT3

> was still too low. I tried Armour, but had a bad reaction

(headache,

> nausea, anxiety - perhaps too much too soon, but what I experienced

didn't

> feel like my natural hyper, and I had no palpitations). I will

refrain from

> going into more detail regarding my history in order to be brief.

>

> As of last week, my cortisol was just above the normal range (22.7

ref: 4 -

> 22), and my ferritin was 44. I was wondering if someone could

provide

> suggestions regarding the ferritin (i.e., should I take slo-fe +

folic

> acid, etc.). I don't eat red meat, but I hear that clams and dark

meat

> turkey are good sources. In addition, comments regarding any of

these

> matters would be welcome.

>

> Thanks,

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Janie,

Thanks for your reply. When I was hyper, I had TSI of 198 (>125),

and TPO-ab of >70. Recently, my TSI was still elevated at 130, and

TPO-ab was at 11.2. Nevertheless, I still think I am slightly hypO.

Maybe I am still leveling out after d/c thyroid replacement - that

is why we are going to re-test in 3 weeks. When I was taking

synthroid, my dose was 37.5mcg (which I was on for about 5 months),

and I don't recall the exact amount of Armour...maybe 15-30mg. I was

surprised at my adverse reaction. I was only on Armour for about 2

weeks, and I switched directly from synthroid. I have been off all

meds for about 3 weeks now.

The 24 hour cortisol test - I assume you are referring to urine

collection. I had the serum test (total). Wasn't sure how best to

get it done, as there is controversy from what I can tell.

Any ideas?

>

> Hmm....your free T3 with your TSH reveals you are hypo. Your mild

> hyper last year suggests that you might have been in the swings of

> Hashi's. Your reaction to Armour---yes, it could have been the

> Ferritin, but it's not low enough to my mind to cause the

reactions

> you describe, even though you need to improve it. How long ago did

> you try the Armour? How much did you try? And...the cortisol test--

> it's not a 24 hour test and it's the only test that will

accurately

> tell you if you need adrenal help.

>

> Janie

[Guest guest]

Hi . Go to the LINKS section on this site. You will see labs

where you can test without a prescrip. ZRT has the 24 hour saliva

test. 24 hours and saliva is the best way to know what your cortisol

is doing.

In another week, you may begin noticing being off of all meds. It

will be interesting for you to see how you feel.

Janie

> Hi Janie,

> Thanks for your reply. When I was hyper, I had TSI of 198 (>125),

> and TPO-ab of >70. Recently, my TSI was still elevated at 130, and

> TPO-ab was at 11.2. Nevertheless, I still think I am slightly

hypO.

> Maybe I am still leveling out after d/c thyroid replacement - that

> is why we are going to re-test in 3 weeks. When I was taking

> synthroid, my dose was 37.5mcg (which I was on for about 5

months),

> and I don't recall the exact amount of Armour...maybe 15-30mg. I

was

> surprised at my adverse reaction. I was only on Armour for about 2

> weeks, and I switched directly from synthroid. I have been off all

> meds for about 3 weeks now.

>

> The 24 hour cortisol test - I assume you are referring to urine

> collection. I had the serum test (total). Wasn't sure how best to

> get it done, as there is controversy from what I can tell.

> Any ideas?

>

>

[Guest guest]

Your ferritin of 44 is a little low. In my notes, your ferritin

needs to be a min of 60 with optimum at 70-90.

Just as not having enough ferritin wreaks havoc on your system,

having too much does as well. Need to recheck these levels after 6

months or so to make sure you're not getting too much.

S.