Friends Labs

[RenKat]

I’m still at the same regime 75 Levoxyl 6 days, 88 once weekly and 25 Cytomel daily.
I’m finally thin! Super excited about that.

I had a marginally off WBC during a stressful summer, and a mono level a bit high. I refused to contemplate leukapenia. I actually have no endo, at the moment. That was the primary, suggesting a specialist for the WBC that was 3 points off, and previously had messed with medication before and really made me sick,

Anyway, I’m writing for a friend,

He is on Levothyroxine generic only, and his labs are

0.456.  Range 0.358-3.7
T4, free. 1.05     Range. 0.76-1.46

He’s not real active, is overweight and has had the same reaction to this med as I did with Synthroid. Bloating, low energy,etc.

I suggested switching to Levoxyl or Tirosint. And a low does Cytomel, as he had a heart attack in October, at 60. Not sure those labs are normal, compared to mine, but thought I’d run them by you.

Thanks for any answers.

[gimel]

I should also mention that should the doctor be concerned about adding T3 med, due to the prior heart attack, your friend should be aware that there is cardiac jeopardy from low  Free T3 as there is from excessive FT3.   So the doctor should not be concerned with raising his FT3 level within range.  

[RenKat]

Hi, gimel,
I thought as much. I have forwarded this on to him and put him in touch with my out of network/budget endo.

I appreciate your response. I hope all is well with you and this year ends in wellness and joy!

Thank you my friend.
Ren

[gimel]

Hi RenKat.  Nice to hear you are doing well.  What dose of Synthroid does your fried take?

He badly needs to be tested for the biologically active thyroid hormone, Free T3.  Knowing FT4 alone is inadequate.  Hypothyroidism is correctly defined as "inadequate T3 genomic effect in tissue throughout the body, due to insufficient thyroid hormone."     The importance of FT4 is mainly to be available for conversion to FT3.  It is FT3 that creates metabolic activity throughout the body.   Many people taking T4 med like synthroid find that their body does not adequately convert the T4 to T3

IF he goes for testing of FT3, then I also recommend that he also test for Vitamin d, B12 and ferritin.  All three are very important for a hypothyroid patient.  D should be at least 50 ng/ml, B12 in the upper part of its range, and ferritin should be at least 100.

I would not be surprised to find that he needs a soure of T3 added to his meds, and adjusted as needed to relieve hypothyroid symptoms.  Many doctors won't do that.  In that case he can read and give the doctor  a copy of my paper linked below.  

https://thyroiduk.org/further-reading/managing-the-total-thyroid-process/