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Need help with my levels and medicine
Hi, I am new and appreciate all your help. I started having high blood pressure and heart palpatations in Feb. In April my dr tested my thyroid and my levels were:
T3 Free 2.9 2.5-3.9
T3 Total 112 87-178
T4 5.2 6.1-12.3
T4 Free 0.75 0.61-1.12
TSH 0.07 0.34-5.60
I was given propranolol and and numerous thyroid tests. Suspicious nodules were found and a TT was recommended. The surgery was fine and the nodules were benign The surgeon put me on .125mcg of levothyroxine but I felt like this was way too much because of the hyperthyroid symptoms and I weigh 100 lbs. I'd also read where you should start at a small dose and work up. Anyway, I cut it in half (I know that's bad) but I was desperate. I am still having very high blood pressure, hearts palps , horrible headaches and I can't eat. I feel like I am putting poison in my body every day
My levels on Thurs were:
T3 Free. 1.7 2.5-3.9
T3 Total. 63 87-178
T4. 10.0 6.1-12.3
T4 Free 1.33 0.61-1.12
TSH 0.49 0.34-5.60
I am going to an endocrinologist next week. Please give me some advice on my levels and also if should I ask for natural dessicated thyroid?
T3 Free 2.9 2.5-3.9
T3 Total 112 87-178
T4 5.2 6.1-12.3
T4 Free 0.75 0.61-1.12
TSH 0.07 0.34-5.60
I was given propranolol and and numerous thyroid tests. Suspicious nodules were found and a TT was recommended. The surgery was fine and the nodules were benign The surgeon put me on .125mcg of levothyroxine but I felt like this was way too much because of the hyperthyroid symptoms and I weigh 100 lbs. I'd also read where you should start at a small dose and work up. Anyway, I cut it in half (I know that's bad) but I was desperate. I am still having very high blood pressure, hearts palps , horrible headaches and I can't eat. I feel like I am putting poison in my body every day
My levels on Thurs were:
T3 Free. 1.7 2.5-3.9
T3 Total. 63 87-178
T4. 10.0 6.1-12.3
T4 Free 1.33 0.61-1.12
TSH 0.49 0.34-5.60
I am going to an endocrinologist next week. Please give me some advice on my levels and also if should I ask for natural dessicated thyroid?
Thank you so much. You have given me hope that things will get better. I am anxious to talk to the endo. There is so much information out there that it is hard to narrow it down. Thanks for doing that for me so I can go in with some specific questions.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Everyone is different and while some people do fine on generic levo, others have to have a brand name, then again, some do well on Synthroid, and others can't take that and have to have Levoxyl. There's also a gelcap on the market called Tirosint... it's made in Switzerland and has only water, levothyroxine (active ingredient in all synthetics), gelatin and glycerin, so is considered to be, virtually, hypoallergenic. I've been Tirosint, since it came on the market in 2009, but I'm going off, in a few days when I finish my current supply, because the price has gotten so high. I used to pay $89 for a 3 month supply, which I could handle; over the past year, the cost has increased to over $325 for the same 3 month supply, so I'm switching to Levoxyl. Tirosint was not covered by my Blue Cross/Blue Shield and it's not covered by my Medicare Rx Plan. The company does have programs to help pay for it, but I didn't qualify for any of those.
As far as synthetics vs desiccated - that's a matter of personal preference. As you can see, I'm on the synthetic (88 mcg, soon to increase to 100 mcg) and I do add 10 mcg of generic T3 to my regimen daily. I like the synthetics because they are easy to adjust individually, if need be.
Some people prefer and really need the desiccated because of the amount of T3 that pigs produce, compared to humans. 1 grain of desiccated hormones contains 38 mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3. Many people on desiccated find that they don't need that much T3 or they find that their FT4 levels lag too low and they have to add synthetic T4, as well.
I do think your symptoms are caused by not having enough thyroid hormone. I understand how they can become a real game changer.
You're right that 6 weeks are baby steps in the whole process and I understand that you want to feel better now. The unfortunate thing is that almost nothing happens quickly when it comes to thyroid, because of the time it takes the medication to reach full potential and to make you well.
The T3 medication acts much more quickly than T4, so if you can get the endo to prescribe it, you should start feeling better, but it's still going to take time for your body to get well. T3 only lasts in your body for a few hours, so most of us have to take it in multiple doses throughout the day. For instance, I take 5 mcg in the morning, with my T4 and 5 mcg around lunch time to get me through the rest of the day - something else to talk to the endo about.
As with the T4 med, you'll want to start T3 with a low dose, with the understanding that you'll want to increase relatively soon, if you tolerate it well. If the endo is not willing to prescribe anything with T3 in it, don't waste time on them.
As far as synthetics vs desiccated - that's a matter of personal preference. As you can see, I'm on the synthetic (88 mcg, soon to increase to 100 mcg) and I do add 10 mcg of generic T3 to my regimen daily. I like the synthetics because they are easy to adjust individually, if need be.
Some people prefer and really need the desiccated because of the amount of T3 that pigs produce, compared to humans. 1 grain of desiccated hormones contains 38 mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3. Many people on desiccated find that they don't need that much T3 or they find that their FT4 levels lag too low and they have to add synthetic T4, as well.
I do think your symptoms are caused by not having enough thyroid hormone. I understand how they can become a real game changer.
You're right that 6 weeks are baby steps in the whole process and I understand that you want to feel better now. The unfortunate thing is that almost nothing happens quickly when it comes to thyroid, because of the time it takes the medication to reach full potential and to make you well.
The T3 medication acts much more quickly than T4, so if you can get the endo to prescribe it, you should start feeling better, but it's still going to take time for your body to get well. T3 only lasts in your body for a few hours, so most of us have to take it in multiple doses throughout the day. For instance, I take 5 mcg in the morning, with my T4 and 5 mcg around lunch time to get me through the rest of the day - something else to talk to the endo about.
As with the T4 med, you'll want to start T3 with a low dose, with the understanding that you'll want to increase relatively soon, if you tolerate it well. If the endo is not willing to prescribe anything with T3 in it, don't waste time on them.
Yes I am on 62.5 mcg a day. Do people have better luck on Synthroid or Levoxyl or does it just depend on the person? Do you feel like it is better to add a synthetic T3 than try to go to a natural dessicated thyroid medicine? Thanks a lot Barb!! I feel like I've just jumped into a whole new world that I didn't even know was out there. This forum has helped so much. Do you think the pounding headaches will eventually diminish with adding the T3? At the risk of being too much of a whiner, those headaches are changing my life - and not in a good way. Ha Oh and I was not on any medicine until after my surgery 6 weeks ago . I realize 6 weeks are just baby steps in this process . Patience is a virtue but I want to feel better now
COMMUNITY LEADER
Were you on medication when the first tests were done in April?
While your TSH was very low, then, your FT3 and FT4 were both very low in the ranges, indicating hypothyroidism, not hyperthyroidism. Some symptoms, such as the heart palpitations, high blood pressure, etc can apply to either hyper or hypo. I had them all when I was very hypo.
It's true that it's usually best to start at a lower dose and work up slowly, particularly if you have some type of reaction to the med, as it appears you might have. Otherwise healthy people can often start out at a therapeutic dose.
Your current Free T4 is over range, while your Free T3 is below range. This is an indication that you aren't converting the FT4, which is pretty much a storage hormone into the usable FT3, properly. Typically, when this happens we have to add a source of T3 to our dosage.
Just to make sure I understand - your prescribed dosage is 125 mcg/day, but you're splitting it in half, so you're actually only taking 62.5 mcg/day - is that right?
Often a change in medication is needed... you're taking the generic levothyroxine, so you can try switching to a different manufacturer or try taking a name brand of T4, such as Synthroid or Levoxyl. You will also need to try to get the endo to lower your dosage, since it's pretty obvious that you don't need 125 mcg of T4, but you'll also need to try to get her/him to add a source of T3 since your FT3, which is the hormone that the individual cells use is way too low, so you're actually very hypo (too little hormone), not hyper.
It probably seems hard to understand, but we can fill in a lot of blanks as we go along.
While your TSH was very low, then, your FT3 and FT4 were both very low in the ranges, indicating hypothyroidism, not hyperthyroidism. Some symptoms, such as the heart palpitations, high blood pressure, etc can apply to either hyper or hypo. I had them all when I was very hypo.
It's true that it's usually best to start at a lower dose and work up slowly, particularly if you have some type of reaction to the med, as it appears you might have. Otherwise healthy people can often start out at a therapeutic dose.
Your current Free T4 is over range, while your Free T3 is below range. This is an indication that you aren't converting the FT4, which is pretty much a storage hormone into the usable FT3, properly. Typically, when this happens we have to add a source of T3 to our dosage.
Just to make sure I understand - your prescribed dosage is 125 mcg/day, but you're splitting it in half, so you're actually only taking 62.5 mcg/day - is that right?
Often a change in medication is needed... you're taking the generic levothyroxine, so you can try switching to a different manufacturer or try taking a name brand of T4, such as Synthroid or Levoxyl. You will also need to try to get the endo to lower your dosage, since it's pretty obvious that you don't need 125 mcg of T4, but you'll also need to try to get her/him to add a source of T3 since your FT3, which is the hormone that the individual cells use is way too low, so you're actually very hypo (too little hormone), not hyper.
It probably seems hard to understand, but we can fill in a lot of blanks as we go along.
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