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Lab results questions ...
I need help. My original Thyroid tests were:
FT4 0.90 lab range ( 0.77-1.61)
TSH Sensitive 10.11 High lab range (0.34 -4.82)
Started on Cytomel 1 month later lab results:
Ft4 0.65 Low (0.77 0 1.61)
TSH 5.23 High (0.34 - 4.82)
I was put on a half tab of cytomel and now he wants me to continue the half tab but 2 days a week take a whole tab. I am to come back next month to retest levels. I think I should take a whole tab but I am concerned my ft4 was lowered. It was normal but now its low. My Tsh was high but it did drop to a better level on the Cytomel.
I have tried Synthroid but didn't care for that. I don't recall what my results were on it. I quit it cause I felt it gave me a dull headache. SO I started over with the above tests..... I was off my synthroid for @ 2 mths before the first lab and then started on Cytomel 25 mcg.
Brenda
FT4 0.90 lab range ( 0.77-1.61)
TSH Sensitive 10.11 High lab range (0.34 -4.82)
Started on Cytomel 1 month later lab results:
Ft4 0.65 Low (0.77 0 1.61)
TSH 5.23 High (0.34 - 4.82)
I was put on a half tab of cytomel and now he wants me to continue the half tab but 2 days a week take a whole tab. I am to come back next month to retest levels. I think I should take a whole tab but I am concerned my ft4 was lowered. It was normal but now its low. My Tsh was high but it did drop to a better level on the Cytomel.
I have tried Synthroid but didn't care for that. I don't recall what my results were on it. I quit it cause I felt it gave me a dull headache. SO I started over with the above tests..... I was off my synthroid for @ 2 mths before the first lab and then started on Cytomel 25 mcg.
Brenda
I agree with flyingfool.
Doctors should test FT3 every time blood is drawn for all their hypo patients, but once on T3 meds, there's absolutely no excuse for not testing T3. You should ask your doctor to test FT3 before you change dose.
As flyingfool said, there are alternatives to Synthroid that have T4 in them. Tirosint is the newest, and many of our members have had great luckj with it. In addition, just changing brands can help with side effects since those are often caused by fillers which vary from one manufacturer to the next. If you do not convert well (something we don't know because your doctor hasn't been tsting FT3), you can take a combo of T3 and T4, either in synthetic form or as dessicated.
I think you want a more balanced approach to your thyroid. T3 is the most biologically active of the thyroid hormones and FT3 levels correlate best with symptoms. However, FT4 cannot be ignored, either. It's your "emergency" supply of hormones. Without an adequate emergency supply, the peaks and valleys are going to be much steeper.
Doctors should test FT3 every time blood is drawn for all their hypo patients, but once on T3 meds, there's absolutely no excuse for not testing T3. You should ask your doctor to test FT3 before you change dose.
As flyingfool said, there are alternatives to Synthroid that have T4 in them. Tirosint is the newest, and many of our members have had great luckj with it. In addition, just changing brands can help with side effects since those are often caused by fillers which vary from one manufacturer to the next. If you do not convert well (something we don't know because your doctor hasn't been tsting FT3), you can take a combo of T3 and T4, either in synthetic form or as dessicated.
I think you want a more balanced approach to your thyroid. T3 is the most biologically active of the thyroid hormones and FT3 levels correlate best with symptoms. However, FT4 cannot be ignored, either. It's your "emergency" supply of hormones. Without an adequate emergency supply, the peaks and valleys are going to be much steeper.
Wow. Taking T3 med and testing only for Free T4. Why would one expect anything different than the T4 going down? After all the pituitary is sensing the T3 doing its job so it lowers the TSH and thus the production of T4 produced by the Thyroid. So the test result makes perfect sense to me. But I'm not sure that is how you really want to go about treating being hypo.
T3 are also a very short half life, meaning you normally have to take more than once a day as it will spike up and then taper off within 24 hours. This can result in roller coaster rides of your symptoms within the day. T4 meds however have a very long half life measured in terms of weeks rather than hours. Which is why you have to wait 6 weeks for things to level off before taking another blood test and adjusting med dosage. Typically as stated above, a T3 only med is added to a T4 med for patients who have difficulty converting T4 to T3.
I wonder if you would not be better off taking a different T4 med. Maybe Tiosent (spelling) I think that is the liquid cap T4 med. It is free from fillers of other T4 meds and gets into the bloodstream faster and because liquid a lower dosage can be used because it is absorbed better and more efficiently. The fact that it has no filler may be what you need as some folks have side effects NOT from the T4 but rather the fillers in the pill itself. Eliminate the filler and low and behold you may not get the head aches and your low thyroid will be treated. Of course you still have to tweak the dosage. But that is always needed no matter what med you take.
Just something to thinnk about or maybe ask your Dr. about. Try doing a search or looking in this forum for threads/questions about the Triosent (spelling) drug to learn more.
T3 are also a very short half life, meaning you normally have to take more than once a day as it will spike up and then taper off within 24 hours. This can result in roller coaster rides of your symptoms within the day. T4 meds however have a very long half life measured in terms of weeks rather than hours. Which is why you have to wait 6 weeks for things to level off before taking another blood test and adjusting med dosage. Typically as stated above, a T3 only med is added to a T4 med for patients who have difficulty converting T4 to T3.
I wonder if you would not be better off taking a different T4 med. Maybe Tiosent (spelling) I think that is the liquid cap T4 med. It is free from fillers of other T4 meds and gets into the bloodstream faster and because liquid a lower dosage can be used because it is absorbed better and more efficiently. The fact that it has no filler may be what you need as some folks have side effects NOT from the T4 but rather the fillers in the pill itself. Eliminate the filler and low and behold you may not get the head aches and your low thyroid will be treated. Of course you still have to tweak the dosage. But that is always needed no matter what med you take.
Just something to thinnk about or maybe ask your Dr. about. Try doing a search or looking in this forum for threads/questions about the Triosent (spelling) drug to learn more.
I was DX with Thryoid problems in late 09 so I am new to this condition and have yet to find a happy place with it. :(
No I am on a half tab of the 25 so 12... I break the 25 mcg tab in half.
My Dr. let me go on Cytomel by request because I am overweight and I thought it would help me. My labs are only what I posted.... the t4 and tsh.
I don't have any information on t3. I go back in 1 month.
The only thyroid RX I have tried was Synthroid. I was on .88 and then .50 and then I quit it because I was getting headaches and wasn't feeling any results..... then because I quit I felt worse and went back in 2 mths later and had new labs and put on Cytomel.. Hope that helps.
My Dr. let me go on Cytomel by request because I am overweight and I thought it would help me. My labs are only what I posted.... the t4 and tsh.
I don't have any information on t3. I go back in 1 month.
The only thyroid RX I have tried was Synthroid. I was on .88 and then .50 and then I quit it because I was getting headaches and wasn't feeling any results..... then because I quit I felt worse and went back in 2 mths later and had new labs and put on Cytomel.. Hope that helps.
Cytomel only is very seldom prescribed as a long-term therapy for thyroid disorders, and when it is, it's usually because all other avenues have been explored and found not to work.
Your FT4 needs to come up, and that's not going to happen taking T3-only meds. Has your doctor been testing your FT3 as well? You're on a high dose of T3...he should be testing FT3 regularly. Do I interpret correctly that you are currently taking 25 mcg Cytomel and want to go to 50 mcg?
Your FT4 needs to come up, and that's not going to happen taking T3-only meds. Has your doctor been testing your FT3 as well? You're on a high dose of T3...he should be testing FT3 regularly. Do I interpret correctly that you are currently taking 25 mcg Cytomel and want to go to 50 mcg?
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