DearDr., Would You Please Help Me Figure Out If I

Posted on Tue, 21 Jan 2020

Question: DearDr.,
Would you please help me figure out if I need more or less NatureThroid 66mgs 1x daily. I’m experiencing symptoms of muscle weakness,joint pain and tension headaches, dry skin . I’ve had controlled hypothyroidism for many years and My TSH has always been between 1.20-1.30
Unfortunately, Dr Khurana, my endocrinologist for 30 yrs has retired after 40 yrs. I was forced to have my PCP take the bloodwork he always took. The secretary indicated it was all normal!
Here are my results:
T3 uptake 34. Range 22-35
T4 Free. 0.8. 0.8- 1.8
T4Total. 5.2. 5.1- 11.9
Free T4 index 1.8. 1.4- 3.8
TSH. 0.66. 0.40- 4.50
T3 Free 2.8. 2.3-4.2
T3 reverse. 11. 8- 25

Had I remembered how Dr Khurana showed me how to interpret the bloodwork I would now be asking.
Thank you in advance for your expertise.
Happy New Year, XXXXXXX Agresti

Answered by Dr. Mirjeta Guni (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
About thyroid hormone results;

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for asking!
I have gone carefully through your concern!
Well, i usually interpret the result of thyroid hormones considering the age of the patient, as in ages over 60 thyroid hormone dose should be kept a bit low to avoid an overdosage that would be worse than a low dose.
All of them are within the normal ranges, except of FT4 that is in the lower limits, it justifies your symptoms of hypothyroidism.
But having into consideration the other results, i would not suggest to increase the dose.
Hope the information will help.
Best wishes and a Happy New Year!
Dr.Mirjeta

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj