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Hypothyroid Symptoms with "NORMAL" test results. Need Help.
I am a 40 yr old female, in the past 2 months I have been feeling symptoms of hypothyroidism, and almost every symptom of Hashimoto. I have been to the ER, 2 doctors and no on will diagnose me or tell me what' s wrong. DR#1 prescribed 10mg of Lexapro because they said it was depression. DR #2 prescribed 25mg Savella because he said it was Fibromyalgia. They both refuse proper antibody tests and is going off the TSH level. My results from my limited tests were:
Vitamin D:14
TSH: 1.8
T3: 0.47
Free T4: 0.9
Cholesterol: 135
I feel that I have been improperly diagnosed. Can someone help me? Am I truly just depressed?
Vitamin D:14
TSH: 1.8
T3: 0.47
Free T4: 0.9
Cholesterol: 135
I feel that I have been improperly diagnosed. Can someone help me? Am I truly just depressed?
Best Answer
Hi
Your levels are way to low. You can take over the counter vitamin d, but your thyroid levels are very low and you need to be on meds if you are not already. They gave me depression meds when my levels were off as well. I took them for two months and that was it. They didn't help because my thyroid meds were off. I know how you feel. I felt AWFUL. I started with 50 mcg of levoxyl and 15-20 of cytomel which helped so much. I'm currently on 88 mcg and about 12.5 of cytomel. My levels are still to low. I have to ride it out. It really *****, however when you get your meds you will feel a bit better.
Your levels are way to low. You can take over the counter vitamin d, but your thyroid levels are very low and you need to be on meds if you are not already. They gave me depression meds when my levels were off as well. I took them for two months and that was it. They didn't help because my thyroid meds were off. I know how you feel. I felt AWFUL. I started with 50 mcg of levoxyl and 15-20 of cytomel which helped so much. I'm currently on 88 mcg and about 12.5 of cytomel. My levels are still to low. I have to ride it out. It really *****, however when you get your meds you will feel a bit better.
Thank You everyone for your help! It is relief to know that I am not insane. I was starting to believe it. I don't have any meds because no doctor will diagnose me with a thyroid problem. Any suggestions as to what I can do to get proper medicine?
Your doctor is ordering total T3, a test that is considered obsolete and of little usefulness. He should be ordering FREE T3. That being said, your FT3 is below range, and that should be getting your doctor's attention.
You can order antibody tests online without a doctor's order. They send the results directly to you. If your doctor won't order antibody tests, that might be worthwhile doing.
You can order antibody tests online without a doctor's order. They send the results directly to you. If your doctor won't order antibody tests, that might be worthwhile doing.
Ferritin is too low. Some studies indicate you need a ferritin level of 70 or above for hair growth. The most common low/deficient nutrients found with hypothyroidism are vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12.
Labs recommended: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb), reverse T3, vitamin B12.
Labs recommended: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibodies (TGAb), reverse T3, vitamin B12.
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You are taking about 1.5 grains which I think is fairly high for a starter dose.
With Thyroid it is almost always better to start out with a low dose and work up. I think it is more common for people to start out at 0.5 to 1.0 grains. So about 30 to 60 mg per day to start and then work up from there.
As I mentioned before and is mentioned above in others, the T4 takes several WEEKS to build up in the blood stream. Maybe a quick Thyroid 101 would help you.
The thyroid gland produces both T4 and T3 hormones. But dramatically more T4 than T3. The T4 is a "storage" hormone or a "pre-hormone". that is it is NOT directly used by the body. It remains in the blood until the body senses the need for more thyroid. In which case the T4 is converted mostly in the liver into T3 hormone.
It is also important to understand that both T3 and T4 hormone molecules can become stuck or attached to a protein molecule. When that happens the hormone is useless. That is your body does NOT use any hormone that has become attached. This is the importance of the "free" test when we refer to the Free T4 (FT4) and Free T3 (FT3). This test measures only those hormones which are free from being attached to a protein and thus are available for the body to convert the FT4 into T3. And again some of the T3 either made directly by your thyroid gland or by conversion from FT4 can become attached to a protein and also become useless. YOUR BODY ONLY USES THE FREE T3 hormone at the cellular level. SO this is why we stress the importance of the Free T3 test since ultimately that is the ONLY thing your body uses.
Armour Thyroid is made from pig thyroids. And pigs have a different ratio of T4 to T3 than do humans. The fact is that pigs produce significantly more T3 than human thyroids do. So when you are taking Armour or any natural dissected thyroid medication it has a bigger T3 kick to it than would be the output of your normal Thyroid gland.
Although nothing wrong with Natural Dissected Thyroid (NDT) and some people it is the only thing that works for them. The more common approach for most Dr.s is to use a synthetic T4 medication. And let your body convert. If you end up having an issue with converting which some people have. Then they add in synthetic T3 medication. This allows much more precise dosage control while still getting both T4 and T3 where as NDT is a "set" ratio based upon the pig T4:T3 amount.
Again there is really no right or wrong medication process other than the one that ultimately works for you as an individual. Some people have issues with certain manufacturers etc.
The warnings above are because the T4 takes up to 6 weeks to ramp up and stabilize in your blood stream. So it is possible that when the T4 levels rise and your body converts that into T3, that conversion amount combined with the T3 that is in Armour will cause you to have TOO much Thyroid and go Hyper. Hyper you have to be more concerned about because that often leads to rapid heart rate and other symptoms. You do not want to go on the roller coaster ride from hypo to Hyper like a yo-yo. You think you feel bad now, trust me it can be worse.
Also understand to NOT get over confident just because you are seeing an Endo. MANY people have found them to be really not that much better in treating Thyroid than a primary care physician. That is because most endo's are concentrating on diabetes and do not deal with Thyroid issues so they are really not more knowledgeable than a "normal" Dr.
Be aware that an Endo can be just as reliant upon "immaculate TSH belief" as any other Dr. If that is the case just run, do not walk but RUN away from AND Dr endo or otherwise who relies solely on TSH. They will almost assuredly keep you feeling like crap or have you on a roller coaster ride of hell.
Hope this helps.