low FT4 and high FT3

Hi all

I've had my blood results from my Endo and my free T4 is too low and my free T3 is too high.  The Endo has tweaked my medication so I will be taking 12.5mg Liothyronine in the morning and 75mg Levothyroxine in the evening.  I haven't started on this yet because my GP will not prescribe 12.5mg Liothyronine as it is not in his GP book.   Does anyone know where I can take a private prescription in the UK to obtain the 12.5mg Liothyronine?

Also I have high Prolactin - I am not sure why this is high or what it actually does.  My Endo kept calling it milk but I felt too embarrassed to ask him what it was as I think it is a sex hormone (and he is foreign so I couldn't really understand what he was saying).  Can anyone enlighten me?

I am also still taking the Vit D 4000 iu and will be tested again in 5 months time.

Best wishes

Jo

[goolarra]

Here's a link on the prolactin:
www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/prolactin/test.html

Prolactin is a pituitary hormone that stimulates lactation.  According to the site above, elevated levels of prolactin are associated with hypothyroidism.  New one on me!

One question on your change in meds:  I don't quite understand why your endo is adding Liothyronine (we call it Cytomel here), which is T3.  You say your T3 is already too high.  Do you have actual numbers and ranges?  

[Jo_Stafford]

Thanks so much for replying to me.   I've read the information on Prolactin and it is quite intereresting.  I hate blood tests so this maybe one reason why the Prolactin was high together with being hypo-thyroid.  It scares me a little because it is to do with fertility and I haven't started a family yet but would like to in the future.  I will be tested in 5 months time so hopefully it won't be as high.

The meds I was on before was 20mg Liothyronine (T3) in the morning and 50mg of Levothyroxine (T4) at night.  I wasn't converting the T4 (this could be due to low vit D levels) so that is why my Endo prescribe the T3.   I felt absolutely terrible on it (huge dark circles round my eyes - which relfected exactly how I was feeling).  I stopped it and started on Armour - the withdrawal symptoms were awful - headache, depression, insomnia, fatigue etc.

I have felt better on the Armour but my Endo and GP will not prescribe it so I would have to buy it for the rest of my life.   I want to give the combined Liothyronine and Levothyroxine another try as this is free and will save me heaps of money.   But I would rather feel well and pay for it than feel lousy and get the meds for free.

Best wishes

Jo

[goolarra]

I wish I knew more about what's available there.  Most people here taking T3 split the dose into two or three over the course of the day.  T3 is very fast-acting and doesn't stay in your system for long.  So this helps to smooth out the hills and valleys a bit.  There's also a time-released version of T3.

There is one caution with Armour, especially if your T3 is already too high.  Armour contains T4:T3 in the ration of about 4-5:1.  The normally functioning human thyroid produces T4:T3 at approximately 20:1.  So Armour has a lot more T3 than our own thyroids produce.  Your just have to keep a more careful eye on your free T3 levels.