Anybody dealing with low T3 syndrome?
 

Apparently I have an untreated thyroid issue. My thyroid tests are normal except for Low T3. Anyone dealing with this??? I also have isolated high phosphorous.

Here is a post I made recently with links about high phosphorus (in response to a question about high phosphorus coming from vitamins):

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post1133636-128.html

Low T3 means you are either not making some from the thyroid, or not converting T4 properly. It needs an endocrinologist to evaluate.
The thyroid makes both some T3 and mostly T4. Under stress T3 should increase, but sometimes it does not.

I struggled for 10 miserable years trying to get HELP from an MD back from 1991 to 2002...his mantra was "you are normal".....I was not and back then knew nothing about thyroid, I was 53 when this all started and I was in depression for 10 long years....

I could write a book, today all these docs go by numbers and we are not numbers...we are symptoms..back before labs existed the docs knew when patients came in with laundry lists of symptoms, they knew to start with Armour as it's been around for 100 yrs or so.

Anyway, my D.O. back in 2002, on the phone called in for Armour and in 4 days the long years of depression lifted....this old D.O. knew, he was from the Dr. Broda Barnes era...he was stilling working PT into his 90's....my D.O. that is. He did no labs, he just knew.

I follow the folks and book Stop The Thyroid Madness and take only desiccated thyroid drug....no synthetics for me, I could write my book. I am fortunate too that I see only integrative MD's....I had a lot of hard lessons with the conventional MD's.. STTM have a blog too. The STTM theories are for best optimal thyroid support, TSH needs to be almost suppressed, and T3 and T4 coming in at the upper end of their ranges. That's where I am about now after with Armour since 2002. And for the most part feel good, except this hip mess, I know an old record, but it's the worst thing I never dreamed I'd end up with.

PS: I see that there is not a thyroid section here.

Hi,

Did your doctor want to refer you to endocrinology? There are a lot of different thyroid tests and results for say T3 as opposed to Free T3 can be interpreted different ways. Also just because a GP thinks your other levels are normal doesn't mean an endocrinologist would agree. Lab ranges are usually above what an endo wants to see which is typically a TSH between 1-2.

There is synthetic T3 called cytomel. When added to Synthroid Or other T4 replacement it allows a little more flexibility over Armour where the ratio of T3-T4 is fixed. This can be a good option for some. I have taken it for over 13 years in addition to the standard T4 treatment which left me still exhausted and not myself even with "normal" levels. The addition of a tiny amount made a huge difference in my well-being. It was like flipping a switch and getting the old me back from before my post-baby thyroid crash.

When in doubt consult the specialist! I hope you find answers soon. :hug:

Ranges
 

I have my actual results if anyone knows what this looks like....and has any idea what might cause it


My results are as follows

I believe the last time my TSH was tested it was at 1.8, normal range .3 - 3

free T3 3.6, normal range 4 - 6.8

free T4 14 normal range 12 - 22

I've been dealing with low T3 for about a year now. There's not a whole lot they can do for it. They think it is more of a chronic illness problem than a thyroid problem, at least for me. They just keep monitoring my thyroid levels every 3 months. My endo talked about starting cytomel but said there was only a10% chance I would feel any better. That didn't seem worth going through all the trouble of adjusting the synthroid to get it all balanced.

While I am not an expert on thyroid.... I do have some suggestions based on your test results.

T4 has 4 iodine molecules on it, and T3 has 3. T4 is mostly made by the thyroid gland and is inactive. T3 is also made in small amounts and will respond to stress/injury/trauma hopefully. If you do not consume iodine in your salt (say you are on a low salt diet) or you do not use iodized salt, or you do not use a multivit with iodine in it, then you should consider using a kelp tablet daily. The average suggested iodine dose is 150-200mcg a day.
Here is a monograph on Iodine:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/iodine

T4 is distributed to the tissues and converted there to T3 as needed. This is supported by two minerals, zinc and selenium.
So if you are low in either or both, you won't convert well.

Make sure you are taking a good multivitamin.... Centrum Silver will have all 3 nutrients in it.

Another thing to consider is that T3 is the cofactor for conversion and activation of betacarotene (pro-vitamin A). If a person is low in T3, or not converting, or any other hypothyroid reason, then you will not be making real Vit A for your needs.
When a person is an extreme hypo...their skin can turn orange...with the build up of betacarotene. But not everyone does. Centrum has a mixture of Vit A and betacarotene. It has 2500IU combined, with betacarotene listed at 40% of that.

When I was hypo years ago I had the orange skin. It went away slowly as I was corrected with T4.

Today I use 8000IU of Vitamin A acetate , to supplement the A separately because multivits don't have enough. I had a noticeable improvement in dry eyes, and skin after only a month on this. Once I seemed so much better I dropped from one a day to one tablet 3 times a week. I bought my Vit A at Target. It was very inexpensive. One should not increase doses of A....past the RDA. Vit A is toxic in long term high doses (upper limit is 10,000 IU) but it is critical for hypothyroid patients IMO. Just use it carefully.
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-Consumer/

I think getting tested for Hashimoto's is a good idea. But not all hypothyroid issues are autoimmune. The thyroid is also in a partnership with adrenal functions. This is why going to an endocrinologist is a very good idea. This type of doctor can evaluate both adrenal issues and the thyroid issues.

http://www.holtorfmed.com/adrenal-he...id-connection/

Thanks for the response. I have the orange/yellow skin issue on my hands and feet. This happened many years ago when I had an eating disorder. It has never gone away. I am thinking maybe I did more damage than I thought and even though its been 6 years I have not quite healed yet.

It took about a whole year for my heels to lose the orange color.

My hands were quicker.

My bloodwork was very borderline, but the endo did check my skin and see the orange. I had a right sided goiter, and a no take up of the radioactive technicium for the testing on the left side.
So the final diagnosis was "atypical" since I had no Hash antibodies. My goiter regressed, and after more than a decade, I started having palpitations from the T4. Even after 1/2 dose lowered from 75mcg ... so I stopped the thyroid. My tests have all been about the same as when I was on it....so whatever was wrong with me seems to be over.

It has all been a great mystery.