Am I taking too much Synthroid?

[Lovey1214]

Here are the blood results I got today:

TSH = .11 (low)
T4 = 10.3
T4, FREE = 1.75 (high)
T3 = 101
T3, FREE = 2.6
Reverse T3 = 15
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies = 130 (high)

[goolarra]

As I said, it's hard to know what, if anything (thyroid hormones), is in these supplements.  The descriptions I've read are questionable at best.  They seem to be dancing around what they don't want to come out and say.  

The GTA Forte was most likely completely out of your system after a 4-5 week hiatus.

If I were you, I'd ask my doctor about lowering your T4 meds.  Once FT4 comes down a little, you can see what FT3 and RT3 are doing.  FT3 could go up.  If not, you might want to add a little T3 to your T4 meds.  

Let me know how it goes...

[Lovey1214]

Thanks -- you confirmed my feeling that I am over-medicated.  I feel pretty out of it too, sleepy and groggy, but have a real hard time getting to sleep at night.  Like I am wired.  I have to medicate myself just to sleep.  

I was always spotty taking the GTA Forte.  I had been out of it for 4-5 weeks when the blood was drawn 2 weeks ago.  I don't know how long it takes to get out of my system, but I'm guessing it was no longer affecting me by the time blood was drawn.

[goolarra]

Your FT4 is obviously high; it's above range.  However, your FT3 is on the low side, especially considering how high your FT4 is.  It's at 25% of range, and 50+% is the target for FT3.  So, there's a real imbalance of FT4 to FT3.  

At the same time, your FT3 to RT3 ratio is 17.3.  So your RT3 is on the high side, too.  Do you understand how FT3 and RT3 work?  I'll explain if you don't.  High RT3 can occur when FT4 is too high.

In my opinion (I'm not a doctor), you are overmedicated on T4 (Synthroid).  If you dropped your dose a bit, it might improve your FT3 to RT3 ratio.

Supplements, like your GTA Forte II, are tricky to deal with.  Technically and legally speaking, nothing can be sold as a supplement that contains any measureable amount of T3 or T4.  However, if you read the company's literature, they say that all the T4 has been removed from the glandular, leaving only the T3, and they say this makes it "legal" to sell it as a supplement.  It doesn't, T3 is script only, just like T4.

So, we have no clue what's really in that.  Had you been taking it before the labs you just posted?  For how long?  

[Lovey1214]

I take .150 synthroid, raised to that level about 5 years ago but have been on synthroid since 1990 when I was diagnosed with Hashi's.

[Lovey1214]

TSH = .11 (low) range = 0.27 - 4.20
T4 = 10.3 range = 4.5 - 11.7
T4, FREE = 1.75 (high) range = 0.93 - 1.7
T3 = 101 range = 80 - 200
T3, FREE = 2.6 range = > 19 yrs - 2.0 - 4.4
Reverse T3 = 15 range = 8 - 24
Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies = 130 (high) range = 0 - 34

[goolarra]

Please post the reference ranges on your FT3 and FT4.  Ranges vary lab to lab, so you have to post them with results.  

Have you been officially diagnosed with Hashi's?

How much Synthroid do you take?  How long have you been taking the supplement?

[Lovey1214]

that I am suffering from exhaustion, and cannot sleep without strong sedatives.

Today when I went to the Dr. I wanted to lower my synthroid dose and they said wait until they straighten out some other issues.  But I can't sleep, and I think too much synthroid is the cause.

They also have me on a supplement called GTA Forte II which has 20 mg of porcine glandular.