testing is only part of it. interpretation of the test results is just as important if not more important. Like TSH < 5 is just perfectly fine according to most doctors - but we know better.
and you are always being sold. your doctor is selling you what she has learned or sold by the pharma companies. STTM and place like this are selling you things that they have learned from personal experience from countless people who have been there and done that and suffered the whole way through it. at the end of the day, docs don’t have to live the problems they create (or refuse to treat). YOU DO. It’s your body, it’s your life. Push for answers, do your own research, and make up your own mind. DON’T do what I tell you to. DO what you think is best for you.
Anything look out of the ordinary? I am thinking that I’ve got room to increase dose a little bit, but I am not sure what is optimal levels for these hormones. Can anyone help me out with disecting this?
The short of it is this: the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists argues for a 0.3-3.04 range. The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry predicts that this range will be further narrowed to 0.3-2.5 in the near future. At best, a TSH > 2.5 is a problem; at worst, people/groups like PureChance, Stop the Thyroid Madness, etc. are correct in saying that a TSH > 1 indicates a thyroid issue.
TSH around 1.5 says there is a possible problem
your free T4 is ideal.
your free T3 is .1 below ideal (that’s not too significant).
so then what?
well, you could have a problem with too little cortisol which would cause an increase to your Reverse T3. RT3 blocks your free T3 from working (which causes a rise in TSH).
IF you have hypothyroid symptoms then I would request RT3, 8am Cortisol, and ferritin tests.
taking T4 is known to cause issues with a number of people and high RT3 if their cortisol is not up to the task. that is why I keep harping on people to get their cortisol in shape before tackling thyroid or hormones.
would it be helpful to request to be put on a natural thyroid supplement like Armour? When I asked my doctor about it on the initial visit, she told me that she did not want to do that because of a shortage in it she and her clients experienced a year or two ago.
if your free values are basically ideal, what good would armour do?
it would just give you more T4 which your body has to process and if you don’t have enough cortisol, then that extra T4 will just convert to yet more RT3 causing even more problems.
[quote]PureChance wrote:
if your free values are basically ideal, what good would armour do?
it would just give you more T4 which your body has to process and if you don’t have enough cortisol, then that extra T4 will just convert to yet more RT3 causing even more problems.[/quote]
I don’t have much experience working with saliva results or how to interprete them.
IF you go the blood test range where you want to be above 75% of the max, then they seem a bit low + your thyroid numbers look much worse on 12/08/10 then they did on 01/26/11.
plus since you started the T4 only it could have caused a huge drop in your current cortisol numbers. You can’t really go by what they were since you have started on a new medication.
IF you thyroid numbers are perfect and your Cortisol numbers are perfect AND you are not experiencing any symptoms then you know your system is in balance.
right now we know you thyroid numbers look suspicous, we don’t know your current cortisol, and you are suffering from multiple symptoms… seems to be saying that there is a problem somewhere… now you just have to figure out where.
[quote]PureChance wrote:
I don’t have much experience working with saliva results or how to interprete them.
IF you go the blood test range where you want to be above 75% of the max, then they seem a bit low + your thyroid numbers look much worse on 12/08/10 then they did on 01/26/11.
plus since you started the T4 only it could have caused a huge drop in your current cortisol numbers. You can’t really go by what they were since you have started on a new medication.
IF you thyroid numbers are perfect and your Cortisol numbers are perfect AND you are not experiencing any symptoms then you know your system is in balance.
right now we know you thyroid numbers look suspicous, we don’t know your current cortisol, and you are suffering from multiple symptoms… seems to be saying that there is a problem somewhere… now you just have to figure out where.[/quote]
Appointment with Doc yesterday and she increased my T4 to 75mcg/day and added in T3 (cytomel) of 25mcg/day.
She is going to also check into Armour thyroid replacement. I’ll let you know how it goes since gaining 10lbs the last month hasn’t been fun; especially when working out 1 hour everyday.
adding more T4 when you don’t know if you have sufficient cortisol could end up causing even more problems.
why won’t doctors just run the tests necessary to discover the root of the problem and fix it? and why don’t pig fly? (I am just as likely to get an answer to my second question, as I am to my first)
Docs are into disease management. If its not an obvious disease, they do not know what to do. Insurance companies and health plans can attack them for doing otherwise. If labs are not out of range, it is not a disease.
Health optimization and management is not something that they typically understand.
TSH ranges are not meant to be ranges for health. They are a statistical measure that indicates that some of the people in the sample population had undiagnosed hypothyroidism. A few lab ranges were revised to reflect health concerns, such as fasting cholesterol and fasting glucose. The cholesterol changes were championed by drug companies who sell statin drugs, and by doctors that were in their pockets.
We scold doctors for not understanding what “normal” means. We should also not state that statistical ranges are wrong, because as such, they cannot be wrong. The issue should be adding recommendations that supplement the statistical ranges, as is done for a few items now.
Most recent labs after the switch to compound T cream. Any thoughts?
Testosterone 523 (350-1200)
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin 27 nmol/L (6-60)
ESTRADIOL 36 pg/mL (25-75) This was 58 on 2/13/10 I also have some AI coming in a week.
Testosterone % Free 2.1
TESTOS, FREE 110 (35-155)
I don’t feel any different with the T cream vs the injections. I did, however, notice a little less muscle mass with the t-cream vs the injections. I may increase my TT by introducing AI, but may want to ask for a slightly increased dosage to try to get to the 800-1000 level that is best for me.
2-14-11
Testosterone 523 (350-1200)
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin 27 nmol/L (6-60)
ESTRADIOL 36 pg/mL (25-75) This was 58 on 2/13/10 I also have some AI coming in a week.
Testosterone % Free 2.1
TESTOS, FREE 110 (35-155)
Armour thyroid - 1 grain 1x/day
T Compound cream - .6 ML of cream/day (we are increasing the strength or amount to get in the 800 level range)
Arimidex - .5mg 2x week on wed and saturdays.
Adderall - 30mgXR 1x/day
I was taking the T4 50mcg/day for a few months before the 1-26 blood test. We changed to 1grain of armour after those readings.
As far as symptoms go, I’ve felt a lot better: body temp is up from a consistent 95-97 to 97-99. I do not get cold hands anymore. Symptoms wise it seems that it is working, I was thrown off by the T4 being low which is what created my questions.
No new symptoms. I do have less endurance when it comes to lifting weights from before Thyroid treatment, but that might be the change from the 100/week injection to the copound cream.
You appear to be an anastrozole/Arimidex over-responder. You might do better with 0.25mg over the course of a week. Hard to do with tablets, easier with a liquid by the drop. Alternative explanation is a bogus lab result.
Any mood changes, social withdrawal, short tempered, intolerant, body aches?
[quote]KSman wrote:
You appear to be an anastrozole/Arimidex over-responder. You might do better with 0.25mg over the course of a week. Hard to do with tablets, easier with a liquid by the drop. Alternative explanation is a bogus lab result.
Any mood changes, social withdrawal, short tempered, intolerant, body aches?[/quote]
I think you are right. I was having lack luster orgasms so I laid off arimidex for a week and the orgasms went right back to amazing. Its not blatently obvious if you are low or high estrogen, just a few little things change. I believe I have found those things to focus on trying to taper my arimidex to the right level. FYI,my doc does not perscribe me arimidex.