Underactive thyroid- please tell me what you think of my results!

[MummySparkle]

Posting for a bit of advice. I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid 5 years ago and I've been on 100mcg levothyroxine for the last 2 years.

Recently I've been feeling sluggish, foggy, run down, achey and just constantly tired. I asked my GP to run blood a blood test.

I got the results today:

TSH - 0.2
TT4 - 23
FT3 - 3.7

My TSH is suppressed now, presumably because I'm not on too much thyroxine? I've tried reducing it in the past and I felt hideous. The only time I've felt good is when I was on 125mcg.

So basically my thyroid is fine at the moment isn't it?

Do you have the reference ranges for those tests, particularly the FT3? Without the ranges, it’s difficult to assess the results.

Also, can you clarify whether the T4 result is TT4, or FT4?

TSH is 0.4 to 4.5

I am assuming it's TT4, the range is 50 - 160
Although considering the GP said it was normal, maybe it was FT4 for which the range is 10 - 24
And the T3 range is 4 -8.3

Those are the ranges from the thyroid UK website.

I'm not sure what the NHS ranges are though. The GP said it was all normal I might have to phone the surgery again in the morning to get the results again and with the ranges too.

It doesn't make much sense

With a TT4 of 23, you would be in serious trouble, so I’m going to assume it’s an FT4 result.

You really need to have the ranges from your local path lab, but going on the ranges you got off Thyroid UK, your FT4 is high and your FT3 is low, which suggests that you are not converting the T4 into T3 that your body can use, hence the continuing symptoms.

Have you had vitamin B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D tested? If they are all at optimal levels, that may help conversion and help you feel better. Alternatively, you may have a gene that means you are unable to convert, but at the moment only private testing will find that.

If sorting out your vitamins and minerals doesn’t work, you will need a referral to an endocrinologist and perhaps the addition of some T3.

Now you’ve found the Thyroid UK website, their forum at www.healthunlocked.com is also very helpful and knowledgeable.

Has your GP referred you to an endocrinologist? Those results look as if you might benefit from adding some t3 and reducing your levothyroxine a little. As PMT said, the results indicate that your body is not converting the t4 medication aka levothyroxine into the active form t3 which is the one that your body uses. You might be able to improve things yourself if your ferritin, folate, vitamins b12 and D are all good, they are important in the conversion process. selenium is also supposed to help with conversion. Check out the thyroid uk website too, there is a lot of very useful information on their which isn't always referred to on the forum.

No referrals, the GP said that everything was fine according to his levels, so I'm not sure what the lab levels are.

I've been wondering for a while whether I had conversion problems. I didn't get a chance to call today. Will try again on Monday to get a proper read out of my results. I'm just confused by it all really!