thyroid?

[myfortyfour]

i have had many tests for my thyroid done in the last year or so and i have noticed that my T3 free and T4 free keep going down....but they say its fine! i keep feeling worse anf my hair is falling out more along with my eye lashes. i cant loose weight even on perscription diet pills and a 1500 calorie diet! please help! what to do??

[Barb135]

What are the actual reference ranges for the FT3 and FT4?  Your FT4 seems to be right at the very bottom of, if not below, the range we usually see.  If my levels were that low, I'd feel like crud too!!  

I agree with everything gimel said.

[gimel]

Just because your thyroid tests are in the so-called "normal" range does not mean that they are adequate for YOU.  The ranges are so broad that being in the low end of the ranges is often accompanied by hypothyroidism.  I could give you a long explanation of why the ranges are far too broad, but suffice to say that members frequently report that symptom relief for them required that FT3 was adjusted into the upper part of the range and FT4 adjusted to around the midpoint of its range.  

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.  You can learn more about clinical treatment from this link to a letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he consults with from a distance.  The letter is written to the PCP of the patient to help guide treatment.  

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

I take as a good sign that you have been tested for Free T3 and Free T4.  Many patients are unable to even get their doctor to do that.  Hopefully giving a copy of the above link to your doctor might sway him to consider clinical treatment.  

If you have never been tested for the most common cause of hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, then you should request to be tested for the thyroid antibodies, TPO ab and TG ab.  Since hypo patients are frequently low in other areas, as a second priority you should also be tested for Vitamin A, D, B12, zinc, iron/ferritin, selenium, and RBC magnesium.

If you are unable to make any progress with getting your doctor to consider treating you clinically, then you will have to find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.

[myfortyfour]

....forgot to add....my TSH levels keep going down also...now they are 1.10 .
is there any thing else i could share to help me out?  i have all the test results ( all different kinds of blood tests! )

[myfortyfour]

my T3 free is 2.9 pg/ml   this level keeps going down ( in the last year )
my T4 free is .77 pg/ml  this level keeps dropping too.   but the doctor says im still normal!  then why do all my symptoms keep getting worse?

[gimel]

Please post those Free T3 and Free T4 test results and their reference ranges so that members can help interpret and advise further.  Are you taking thyroid meds?  If so, what type and how much daily?

Have you ever been tested for the thyroid antibodies, TPO ab and TG ab?