So these results look good or bad? short of breath hair don't grow

[blondee028]

I have hashimotos for some time now.  Lately been having shortness of breath. These are my current lab report

tsh 0.463  range 0.450-4.500
Free t4 1.29      0.82-1.77
t4   9.0              4.5-12.0
t3   73               71-180
Free t3   2.18       2.0-4.4

I am taking 100 mcg levothroxine  for years..  yesterday I lowered it to 88 because I have been short of breath and besides that  I have been trying to grow my hair for 3 years and it just won't grow breaks off and falls out.  Doc is no help  he tells me to adjust my dose to how I feel because with hash's he said its not about the tsh..

[blondee028]

Don't understand your question?

[gimel]

Yes, that should raise your Free T3 levels, but more might be required after you re-test in 4-5 weeks, and also as you monitor the effect, if any, on symptoms.  

[Jess123456]

Hi, what were your symptoms for thyroid and is yours under or over

[blondee028]

So what I did is I raised my levothroxine to 88 mcg and I take it in the morning with 5mcg cytomel and at one oclock in the afternoon I take another 5mcg cytomel.  If I take it later than that I can't sleep at night.  I will repeat my labs in about 6 weeks. Do you think that will raise my t3 levels? Seems like there always at rock bottom..I would  think this wouls help, don't you?

[blondee028]

no iron supplements

[gimel]

Your ferritin is higher than I expected.  Are you taking iron supplements?

[blondee028]

ferritin was 134  range 13-150  so I am good there

[gimel]

The range is extremely broad.  Ferritin is recommended to be around 60 as a minimum.  What is your ferritin level?

[blondee028]

I have had the ferritin checked a couple of times and it is always in range.  I agree with you t3 and t4 need to go up.

[gimel]

Shortness of breath, often called "air hunger" is a common symptom of being hypo.  As I recall you had other symptoms as well.  Based on your labs you need to increase both your T4 med and also your T3 med.  Free T4 needs to be around the middle of its range, as a minimum.  Free T3 is recommended to be in the upper part of its range, as necessary to relieve symptoms.  So you have lots of room to increase there.  

Have I overlooked any info about your ferritin level?  Low ferritin can also cause hair problems, which you previously mentioned.

[blondee028]

Need help!!!!! Just got my test results please look at them..Still having a little short of breath (went to lung doc and had PFT'S done...nothing wrong with lungs its a thyroid issue)  New lab results
Lipid panel cholesterol 246 high range 100-199
tsh 0.324 range 0.450-4.500
t4 free  1.16  range  0.82-1.77

freet3  2.3  range 2.0-4.4
vit D 66.9  range 30.0-100.0
Right now I have been on 88mcg levothroxine and cytomel 5mcg split in two doses.  Having shortness of breath.  I know I am under medicated should I increase levothroxine to 88mcg keep cytomel the same or increase cytomel???? I value your opinion.

[blondee028]

ot my results today its been 6 weeks on the new medication..Yes cytomel lowers your cholesterol .  Now remember my cholesterol was 255, I have not changed my diet. Total cholesterol 224  range 100-199
triglycerides 76 before they were 88 range 0-149
FT3 2.9 before 2.4 range 2.0-4.4
FT4 1.58 before 1.44 range 0.82-1.77
TSH 0.090 low before 0.424 range 0.450-4.500
my question is should I lower the levothroxine to 75 and increase cytomel to 2 5mcg a day.  The reason I am wondering if I should lower levo from 88 to 75 is because of severely low tsh or does it matter?

[blondee028]

Got my results today its been 6 weeks on the new medication..Yes cytomel lowers your cholesterol .  Now remember my cholesterol was 255, I have not changed my diet. Total cholesterol 224  range 100-199
triglycerides 76 before they were 88 range 0-149
FT3 2.9 before 2.4 range 2.0-4.4
FT4 1.58 before 1.44 range 0.82-1.77
TSH 0.090 low before 0.424 range 0.450-4.500
my question is should I lower the levothroxine to 75 and increase cytomel to 2 5mcg a day.  The reason I am wondering if I should lower levo from 88 to 75 is because of severely low tsh or does it matter?

[flyingfool]

yes cholesterol generally goes opposite of thyroid. WHen thyroid too low your chollesterol will rise.

Also your brain works on cholesterol. So if on a statin which lowers the amount of cholesterol it sort of makes sense to me that would cause brain fog.

Which really causes me to ask the larger question.  We are seeing a pretty significant rise in alzheimer's and dementia.  Well then consider that a very large portion of our population are being prescribed and are taking a Statin.

So this begs the question.  Are we as a society causing cognitive issues because we are starving our brains of cholesterol by the rampant perscriptions of Statins??????  Things that make you say Hummmm

[blondee028]

I can't take statins I get severe joint pain I have tried. SOB is shortness of breath.  I have also experienced memory loss with statins.  I think if I bring up my ft3 levels it will lower my cholesterol level.  I will check back when I get new results

[flyingfool]

Estrogen can "bind" with thyroid and thus take it out of being able to be metabolized by your body.

As women age the Progesterone tends to drop while the estrogen remains the same. The result in many people is that you end up with estrogen dominance which is really another name for progestrone deficiency.

So there is some possibility at least enough to investigate if the very low Progesterone may cause estrogen dominance and binding with and hampers the thyroid metabolism.  Worth checking into at least and talk with your Dr about.


What is "SOB"????.  I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean what common phrase I'm most used to it meaning (Son Of a Bi***).

Cholesterol is used as a precursor to most every hormone.  So if taking a Statin to lower cholesterol it thus would lower the cholesterol available to be used as the building block to making not only thryoid hormone but also estrogen, progesterone or testosterone.  Also taking a statin lowers the coQ10 and thus if taking a statin it is recommended that you supplment with CoQ10.

Don't know if any of this applies to anyone, just throwing out thoughts/ideas.

[blondee028]

I added the coq10 about 3 weeks ago as far as the progesterone don't think I have any or last time it was done it was maybe 2.  I did take prempro years ago and did fine on it, when I stopped it thats when the hash's kicked in.  Since then I have not used any hormones. Lowered my t4 med yesterday to 75mcg and did not take a b12 shot yesterday.  Last night I slept fine..Ill see how it goes in a few weeks.  If I get sluggish I will alternate 75 with 88.  I have done that before

[HeisFaithful]

Hi, I have hashi's and SOB. 2 questions. How are your progesterone levels, and are you on CoQ10. I take both, and both help with the SOB, chest pains and heart pounding. you can take up to 400mg of CoQ10, i take between 200-300, but my symptoms are severe.

[flyingfool]

Go by how you feel and not so much by what the numbers say.

your body ONLY ultimately uses free T3. So if you think you are on the hyper side of things, I'd personally recommend that you first cut back on the Cytomel for two reasons.

First is that you get a MUCH, almost immediate response as T3 only is used within HOURS.  T4 takes weeks and must go through the conversion process to T3 before being used.

Secondly if you keep the FT4 levels up a bit this is the "storage" hormone and if you body senses the need for more thyroid it has the residual FT4 in the blood ready, willing and able to be converted into T3.

Whereas if you cut your T4 medication it would reduce the amount of FT4 in the blood available to be converted IF NEEDED.

Just my opinion.

[blondee028]

Doc said b12 will never hurt you and you can never over do it.  he said you just pee out the excess

[blondee028]

Dr called me last night  to give me my results but  I managed to get my results before him ( I have friends)  Yes my b12 is greater than 2000..that is not a error but my blood test was taken 3 hours after my injection too.. My b12 injection is due today but I think I am going to skip it this week.
Doc told me I am slightly hyper and if I felt ok thats fine. I asked him to lower my levothroxine to 75mcg. I can feel me getting hyper. I can only sleep for 2-3 hours a night and that even with a ambien  all I want to do all day is go go go. I must say that I am breathing much much better and my hair stopped falling out and my skin is smoother. I have been getting headaches( something I never get).  My goal is to get the ft3 higher thats why the cytomel.

[flyingfool]

I think a lot of your energy may be the result of getting the B-12 up high enough.

Is your level really 2000 or did you mean 200?

Your FT4 is at 73% which is great if not even a little higher than the rule of thumb to be 50% or a bit more.

Your FT3 however is still only at 40% when the rule of thumb is 67%.

However those are only rules of thumbs.  If you feel great then that is all that really matters.  With the FT3 at only 40% I'm not too sure you have much to worry about with going hyper.  But what do I know?

[blondee028]

I meant to add NO more shortness of breath at all

[blondee028]

here are my new results  B12  >2000   211-946
folate       >19.9      >3.0
tsh 0.309         0.450-4.500
Ft4  1.52     0.82-1.77
Ft3  2.4     2.0-4.4
This is after adding 5mcg cytomel and B12 injections for 3 weeks. I have tons of energy I am awake at the crack of dawn ( used to sleep till 10am) and can go go go. I still have a fear of crossing over to hyper but right now I feel great.  One more thing I want to share I am 71 years old.  I am 5'4'' and weigh 113 lbs and to feel great at my age is a plus.