Graves' Disease Support Group
Graves-Basedow disease is a medical disorder that may manifest several different conditions including hyperthyroidism (over activity of thyroid hormone production), infiltrative exophthalmos (protruberance of one or both eyes and associated problems) and infiltrative dermopathy (a skin condition usually of the lower extremities). This disorder is the most common cause of...
Hi there,
I frequently see discussions of dosing meds by TSH, and FT3 should be looked at instead.?Does that same rule apply for people without a thyroid? My endo said the FT3 will be inaccurate since FT4 converts to FT3. He only has my FT4 and TSH read. Since I had RAI, there is no chance of Graves remission for me, so do my labs read the same way?
In April my TSH was .27 and my FT4 was 1.7
I frequently see discussions of dosing meds by TSH, and FT3 should be looked at instead.?Does that same rule apply for people without a thyroid? My endo said the FT3 will be inaccurate since FT4 converts to FT3. He only has my FT4 and TSH read. Since I had RAI, there is no chance of Graves remission for me, so do my labs read the same way?
In April my TSH was .27 and my FT4 was 1.7
No, with RAI you have no thyroid function. You take the Radio Active Iodine and it kills your thyroid. Technically your thyroid is still in your neck, but it will atrophy to a point where it is barely there. One of the problems with RAI is you will never be able to be off meds. You still have an autoimmune disease ( Graves) but now it's considered Graves Disease with radio active iodine induced Hypothyroidism. My levels still fluctuate and I can be hypo or hyper if they do. There is a greater risk of developing TED and this is exasperated if you smoke. It's permanent. I didn't do research before I opted for this route. My mom had Graves and had done it and my Endo made it sound like this was the best option by far. I still may have done it, but I would have liked to TRY to control it another way, possibly reaching remission. Hope this helps!
If the person is taking T4 (Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine), he/she needs to know if the body is converting that T4 storage hormone into T3, the active hormone.
If the person is taking any form of T3 (Cytomel/liothyronine or as part of desiccated thyroid products such as Armour, Nature-Throid), etc., the FT3 level is still important to make sure the patient's level is adequate.
Everyone needs adequate FT4 and FT3 levels to be free from symptoms. One "good" level isn't enough.
Most post-RAI patients need exogenous T3 within 6 years of the RAI treatment.....this is something I've consistently read on Elaine Moore's Q&A Forum.
While you didn't share the ranges for your labs, FT4 1.7 would be pretty good on the standard .8 - 1.8 range.
Believe it or not, your TSH is a bit high for a post-RAI Graves' patient and could indicate the need for a higher dose and/or the addition of T3 if you're not taking it already.