Hi Lisa!

Welcome! I'm sorry I didn't get to this sooner. Thanks for visiting AHSTA, too!

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I think one of the things that will help you (and us here) is to see your test results (Free T4, Free T3 and TSH). These are the labs you want to have for the purpose of proper medication. If you were overdosed, you would want to know what dose produced what levels and what is making you hyperthyroid (or for that matter hypothyroid).

It takes awhile to get the right dose to produce the right set of labs. If you have TSI autoantibodies, it means you have Graves' disease, as "normal" healthy people do not have TSI. Do you know the lab result? That would be useful. Yes, you could have Graves' disease with TPOAb (as many of us do), and that's why you want to get the right thyroid tests (Free T4, Free T3 and TSH). You'll want to do that monthly until you can find a euthyroid state (normal levels, or more accurately normal for YOU).

I do understand how you must be feeling -- feeling ill. Don't worry about all the idiot doctors (and they are plentiful) out there who don't believe you. It's very common in thyroid autoimmunity for doctors to just think things are swell with all of us when we may be falling apart at the seams. We may not always show outward appearances of it, but what's going on inside can be horrific, disabling and depressing (and depressing that many doctors don't get it). I mean, what's a thyroid gland? Gee, it only regulates our metabolism and helps with cell development. No big deal, right? They should try living without one and see how things go!

LDN may not be curative, since there's no proof of it (yet), but it does make many people feel more well, stabilizes antibody levels, reduces nodules, and provide better energy. So, what's the harm in trying it to see if it can work for you? All that said, I hope you can get on top of your labs... keep careful records of everything. Do not take "no" for an answer as it concerns your involvement in your own health. 

Like you, I'm sensitive to a lot of meds. You can start out on a low-dose of LDN to get used to it, like 1.5 mg, then work your way up to 3 mg or even 4.5 mg (typically a dose of 4.5 mg is given for 150+ lbs).

Do not despair -- there is help out there for you. Ask as many questions as you like. I will be gone for a couple of days but will be happy to get back to you if you have any more questions.

Valerie

Hi Lisa,

Well... you do look like you are mildly hypothyroid, according to that panel, in particular the TSH and FT4. That FT4 looks a little low, and the TSH does indicate hypothyroidism, but it's probably your Free T3 that is making you feel awful at too high a dose of T4. It's possible you were on too much T4. That's why it's important to stick with one dose (hopefully the right one) and retest for T4 in 6-8 weeks, unless you feel horrible in which case you may want to test earlier, but it takes that amount of time for T4 to fully saturate and give an accurate result.

Given your antibody tests, I would say the diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease is in fact the correct one, especially with a TSI of only 1, but it does beg the question, what is the range for that TSI test? If it's <125%, I wouldn't worry, but if they are using a different type of range like less than 1, it may mean something totally different. Do provide a range for the TSI.

The TPO results you listed do indicate Hashi's or at least some kind of thyroid inflammation.  I think you were feeling too hyper on the dose of T4 you were on. Maybe you could start out on 25 mcgs, test, then adjust the dose. You are not very hypothyroid -- just on the edge of it, so you may only require a low dose of T4 for now. After all, a Free T3 of 3.7 is quite healthy and amply robust with that range. Yeah, why not try a lower dose of T4 and see how that goes?

I think Armour could be a mistake for you given that your Free T3 indicates you are a good converter or good at producing enough T3. Armour includes T3 and it may make you feel more hyperthyroid as you try to bring your T4 up a bit.

There is a solution to this. Because you have a mild case, it's going to be trickier not overdosing yourself. Now, you may go even more hypothyroid later, but for now, you need to dose to what your levels are indicating. I hope that helps.

Valerie