Congratulations on getting a FreeT3 test!

Easy stuff first - your TSH is too high for someone taking thyroid meds. Thyroid textbooks indicate that people who are optimally medicated on meds like levothyroxine will have TSH 1.0 or lower. Even though we don't use TSH for dosing purposes, your level indicates the need for a dose increase.

Now, based upon the ranges you posted for your FreeT4 result, I suspect you had a "plain" T4 test. The "plain" T4 test measures hormone that is bound to proteins and not usable by the body so it's not a useful test at all. The FreeT4 test measure usable hormone. It's impossible to guess what your level might be.

FreeT4 often looks like this on a lab report: Thyroxine or T4, free, direct. Care to double check?

As you can see, your FreeT3 level is closer to the bottom of the range than the high end of the range. Most people need that level to be at least 75% of range (along with an appropriate FreeT4 level) to be free from thyroid symptoms. One "good" level without the other isn't enough.

Based upon your lab's ranges for FreeT3, 75% of range is 4.78 so,again, you need a dose increase.

If that was indeed a FREE T4 test you had done, we can deduct that you are converting properly. How can I say this? Your FreeT3 level is ever-so-slightly above the bottom end of the range when your *possibly* FreeT4 level is right at the bottom end of the range.

Conversion is happening when the FreeT3 level is proportionately higher in the range than the FreeT4 level.

All of that said, would you please clarify what you posted for FreeT4 so we can give you the best possible advice?

And, did you get a dose increase based upon these labs?

Bottom line - how are you feeling?

Thanks, CD.

Made a mistake. My Free T4 is 8.6, not the 8.8 posted earlier. It's described in the report as "Thyroxine (T4) Free, serum".

OK. Confession time. Endos in my country are still stuck in the 'just manage TSH using T4 only' mindset and I don't know of any local naturopaths who use desiccated animal thyroid formulations similar to Armour. So I bought an NDT called Thiroyd (not a spelling error) made by a Thai company called Greater Pharma. It's mentioned in STTM and has good reviews. Each pill contains 8.31 micrograms of T3 and 35 micrograms of T4. So for the 30 or odd days before my bloodwork, I've been putting my endo-prescribed T4 aside and taking three-quarters of a Thiroyd pill daily: half before breakfast and a quarter before dinner. Given my numbers, would it be a good idea to take one entire pill (half in morning, half at night)?

And, yes, I've been feeling better. Only have a little brain fog, sleep through the night without waking up most days, and the vertical ridges on my fingernails are smaller and less pronounced.

I understand.

I have a ? though - when you say:
"So for the 30 or odd days before my bloodwork, I've been putting my endo-prescribed T4 aside and taking three-quarters of a Thiroyd pill daily: half before breakfast and a quarter before dinner. "

Do you mean you take your Thiroyd pill daily (1/2 then 1/4) INSTEAD of your T4 only med (synthroid or the like)? Or are you taking T4 only for a few days THEN switching to Thiroyd?

If you don't want to share, that's ok, but if it were me...I stick to one or the other and not mix them.

If you're taking only the thiroyd- then it would be prudent to increase the dosage to one full pill (1/2 in am, 1/2 in pm) since you need an increase.

If you've been mixing them...it's hard to tell what you need fer sure, ya know?

[ Do you mean you take your Thiroyd pill daily (1/2 then 1/4) INSTEAD of your T4 only med (synthroid or the like)?]
Yup :)

Thanks again.

Don't muck about with your medication. This is important enough to see a specialist (Endocrinologist). Have him explain the thyroid to you - how it works in health, and what goes wrong when it fails to work as it should.

Thiroyd is just like Armour or Naturethroid. Sometimes we are left with no choice but to take care of ourselves.