Terrible body aches

[sharanbr]

These are my recent lab reports. Feel really terrible in terms of joint aches.
I am on 125 mg of Levothyroxine currently.

TSH - 2.6 (0.3-5.5)
FT4 - 1.33 (0.7-1.8)
FT3 - 3 (1.7-4.2)

Vitamin D 46.47

[clbseel]

Same here!  I was about to post about this as well!   My aches are in my buttocks and back and numbness in arms and such...  mostly occurs on a lowered dose.

[Barb135]

clbsteel - I posted on your thread.

[Barb135]

The "goal" is to have Free T3 in the upper half to upper third of its range, but not everyone needs it to be in the exact same place.  As I noted in my reply, yours could stand to be higher, but since there are other things that can contribute to the body/joint aches/pains, they, too must be addressed.

If you read my response on the thread you posted in regards to TSH, you'll probably understand that I barely even look at TSH, except when one is in the initial stages of diagnosis, since TSH can fluctuate by as much as 70-75% over the course of a day.  In view of that, the time of day you had your blood draw could have a bearing on your TSH value.  

It's good that you're supplementing with the vitamin D.  Your level seems to be coming up nicely, which is good.

You should try to get tested for ferritin to see what your iron levels might look look like.

Many doctors don't even think of magnesium deficiency as a possible cause for body aches/pain.  Mine keeps saying he's going to test my magnesium levels, but he never orders the test.  I finally got tired of waiting and just started supplementing.  It does help and it also helps with muscle cramping, if that's a problem.  

[Barb135]

I don't see a ferritin level in the tests in the link you provided, though there is an iron test.  Although your iron was in the normal range, it was "low normal", which could indicate that you could use a supplement.  Since those tests appear to be, at least a year old, it would be in your best interest to get the ferritin or iron repeated.  

I'm also wondering about B-12 status, since I see some results in that test that might indicate low vitamin B-12.  Have you had that tested recently?

Did you ever follow up on the suggestion to try hydrocortisone?  If your doctor is not agreeable to that, are you familiar with adaptogens?

[sharanbr]

Sorry, barb. I have been away for some time. I have ferritin tests and also cortisol tests. I will post those in a day or two. Thanks for your help

[Barb135]

I will look forward to seeing your tests results...

[sharanbr]

Below are some additional tests. These are old though but I had same symptoms then too:

Ferrittin Serum - 87 (21-274)
Cortisol - 14.56 (6.2-19.4)
Vitmin B12 - 421 (191-663)

All these are a bit old. i plan to repeat these after a month

[Barb135]

Your ferritin and cortisol were okay, but your B-12 was too low.  

Any tests that are more than a few months old need to be repeated.

[sharanbr]

I am taking sublingual vitamin B12 currently. I am yet to test this. A while ago I tested for vitamin B12 and it was close to 1000 (when I was supplementing vitamin b12 at that time).

[Barb135]

B-12 at near 1000 would be sufficient, as long as you continue to supplement and keep it there...if it drops again, you'd have issues.

[Barb135]

Your Free T4 is at 57% of range, which is a bit higher than it needs to be and your Free T3 is at 52%, which is lower than it should be.  Free T3 should be higher in its range than Free T4 in its.  That said, your levels are not "horrible"...

I know you can't get T3 medication in your country... are you taking any selenium or anything like that?  Selenium has been proven to help with the conversion of Free T4 to Free T3.  Also, have you had ferritin tested?  Ferritin is the iron storage hormone.  Iron is also necessary for adequate conversion of T4 to T3.  

Are you supplementing vitamin D?  Your level is lower than it should be, which can cause body/joint aches and pains.   Low magnesium can also cause body/joint aches and pains.  You might try supplementing magnesium citrate or glycinate and see if that helps.

[sharanbr]

Thanks. I read somewhere that FT3 should be in upper range. I see that it is not in my case. Also, my TSH seems to be a bit higher.

I am taking Vitamin D supplement of 60,000 IU. My level was around 29 and it has risen to 46 after 4 weeks. I am going to continue for 4 more weeks and test my vitamin D levels.

I have been tested for ferritin + a lot more. This link has few details:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/Sudden-overnight-pain/show/2935084