Excerpt from Hypothyroid Mom - Top 5 Reasons Doctors Fail To Diagnose Hypothyroidism...
"Mary Shomon, author of the book that changed my life Living Well With Hypothyroidism, shared this important list of recommended lab tests.
Thyroid Tests "Normal" But You Don't Feel Well?
If you're undiagnosed, or a thyroid patient taking thyroid hormone replacement medications, being in the "normal" range does not mean you feel well, or that your treatment is optimized. What levels are considered "optimal*" by many integrative physicians?
~ TSH - Typically less than 2.0
~ Free T4 - Top half of the reference range
~ Free T3 - Top half - top 25th percentile of reference range
~ Reverse T3 - Lower end of normal range
~ Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO) - Within reference range
~ Vitamin D - Above 50
~ Ferritin - Above 60 (Above 80 if experiencing hair loss)
* we are all different, one size doesn't fit all, so these are guidelines. Your optimal levels may vary."
Just to add to that, the vitamin D listed above is in ng/mL so above 50 ng/mL converts to above 125 nmol/L.
Queen1965... Have you never had a Free T3 test? If no, insist that your doctor order Free T3, along with TSH and Free T4. Free T3 is the active hormone that's actually used by nearly every cell in our body.
Free T4 is considered a "storage" or "pro-hormone" and must be converted to Free T3. This is a process that our body is "supposed" to do automatically, but not all of us can do this adequately. Often, if Free T4 levels are high, we find that Free T3 levels will be too low because of inadequate conversion.
You may not be converting the Free T4 at all or you may be converting it to Reverse T3, which is a mirror image of Free T3 but is inactive and blocks Free T3 from entering the cells.
When we have inadequate Free T3, it's necessary to add a source of T3. This can be done, either by adding a T3, only, medication such as cytomel or its generic, liothyronine or by switching to a desiccated hormone, such as Armour, NatureThroid, etc.
