Thyroid symptoms

[Age44]

I have been having classic hypothyroid symptoms... Low BBT of 97.4 throughout the day, constipation, lack of energy, leg rash, difficult periods, etc...,I am 44 and I am gluten intolerant. My doc did a TSH, it was 1.7. I had a panel run on my own which showed my TPO ab as 6, total T3 as 74 and my free T4 as 1.2. TPO is a little elevated as some ranges suggest that anything over 4 is symptomatic. The Total T3 is a little low. At this point, I am considering taking a Thyroid Support supplement which will boost my iodine, selenium and other useful minerals and then running tests again in 2 months. Does that seem to be a reasonable approach? Or should I be finding a doc who will prescribe a low dose of thyroid medication? Any advice would be appreciated.

[Age44]

Thanks for your response.
My TPO is 6. Ref range says should be <9 IU/ml. ( I have read that anything over 4 may be an issue)
My TSH in this test is 1.31 mIU/l. Red range is .5-4.5
My T3 is 74. Range is 76-181 ng/dl
And T4 is 1.2. Range is .8-1.8 ng/dl

I don't have the free T3.
Symptoms are fatigue, weight gain around middle despite very low carb, gluten free diet, no trouble falling asleep, but waking a lot during the night, severe cramps and heavier periods, joint pain in low back, lower energy levels in cardio activities, overly sensitive to caffeine now - heart palps and insomnia if I drink more than one cup of coffee in the am. Bilateral Leg rash below knee - eczema-like and very dry skin.

[flyingfool]

If you have Hashimoto's, taking iodine can be counter productive.  With elevated antibodies would suggest you do have Hashi's.

Most over the counter thyroid supplements are nothing but vitamins that cost money but do virtually nothing.  The FDA prohibits the sale of any over the counter supplement withh any measureable hormone content in them.  So most of these thyroid supplments are nothing but an advertisement gimik in MY opinion and many others.  

Total T3 is an outdated test of limited value. you really want the "Free T3" test.  However if your total T3 is low, chances are pretty good that so too would be the levels of free T3.

Selenium is OK but you can get too much.  You can get Selenium naturally by eating a couple Brazil nuts a day.  Selenium can help the conversion of T4 into T3.  It is not a huge boost but it doesn't hurt if you don't get too much.

You should always please post your lab results along with the reference ranges used.  As each lab is different.  They are ususally shown in parenthesis next to your result.

Your Free T4 levels are not horrible but it all depends on the range.

What are your symptoms?