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Tummy looks 6 months pregnant an no sex drive

Here i am again its been since march 15 i was put on syynthyroi to help energy,i dont think my levels were all that bad but i have so many signs of hypo.My dr has been working with my hormones since last august,never has my sex dIrive returned,so she aaded synthyyroid.....i feel better but fat tummy and NO interest at all in sex..here are my last labs taken May 16,,,,,T3 uptake(is that the same as free ts..37  range is 30-39...T4 8.4 levels range from 4.8 to 13.9   Tsh 1.22 levels range from 0.34 to 4.82..i have no iea how to make sense of these..these labs are thru different labs than my results in Dec..they were thenT4 free 1.12 range=0.82 to1.77    TSH 1.280 range=0.450-4.500   Dhea 152.8 range =35.4-256.0.My last estrogen levels were in the 100s when started out theyy were in 30s and test is in 80s was first in 40s i think i do better with it high..i woner about changing from synthyroid to armour...I dont understand,all these years i have been treated for anxiety and depression and it my hormones and thyroid..how bad are my levels all my r said is she has room to play with the dose she upped me to 1 1/2 synthyroid..started doing that but stopped for surgery so last 3 ays on 1 1/2 pillls/..please anyone have u taken thyroi meds to help sex drive energy an weight loss and oes the med kill sex drive?
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Avatar universal
thank u..oh i guess it was april 15 i was put on the synthyroid not march.
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Avatar universal
It will take 4-6 weeks for you to feel the full benefit of the increase.  So, yes, it would be a good idea to wait 4-5 weeks, re-test, re-evaluate symptoms and see where you should go from there.  You're on 37.5 now, and that's still a low dose.

Synthroid, Levoxyl, generic levothyroxine, etc. are all thyroid meds that contain T4 only.  T4 and T3 are the two main thyroid hormones.  Our thyroids produce mostly T4, but T4 has to be converted to T3 before our cells can use it.  This happens mostly in the liver.  Some people do not convert T4 to T3 well...even though their FT4 may look very good, FT3 remains low.  In this case, people have to take a med with T3 in it.  T3 can be in synthetic form (Cytomel or generic).  Dessicated thyroid meds (Armour, Naturethroid, Erfa, etc.) contain a combination of T4 and T3.  So adding a T3 med or swothing to a combo T3/T4 med is "adding a direct source of T3", i.e. you get the T3 directly without your body having to convert it from T4.  
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Avatar universal
Thanks so much for the info..the pills im taking are the 25 mcg lowest dose pill i believe..so maybe i just need to give it more time since she uped it...i will ask her on next cvisit to retest all w of those,what do u mean add a direct source of T3? Thanks
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Avatar universal
T3 uptake is nt the same as free T3.  It is considered a somewhat obsolete test and of limited value.

Your FT4 is still on the low side and hasn't improved a lot.  Since you have two diferent labs with two different ranges, you have to convert each to a percentage of range to compare them.  In December, you were at 32%, now you're at 37%.  50% of range is the rule of thumb for FT4, so it looks like the increase was in order.

Unfortunately, your doctor is not testing FT3, which is the test that correlates best with symptoms.  Without seeing your FT3, it's very difficult to advise you on whether a switch to dessicated or addition of synthetic T3 might help you feel better.

What dose of Synthroid are you taking 1 1/2 pills of?

Inability to lose weight and loss of libido are both symptoms of hypo (undermedication).  The meds do not kill sex drive...being hypo kills sex drive.  

If I were you, I'd request that your doctor run FT3, FT4 and TSH every time you have labs.  I agree with her that there is plenty of room in your labs to play with the dose.  However, if you do not convert T4 to T3 well, you will have to add a direct source of T3 to your meds to feel better.    
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