[jmwatson1982]

#1060258

I have a strange question: any one here ever have a FT3 ring up low with Graves’? Looking through past reports on my labs, when I was hyper, my Ft3 (they didn’t run it often) always rang up actually pretty low in range (my lab range for FT3 is a range of 2.4 – 4.2, yet twice I rang up 3.1-this was with no anti-thyroid medication, and another time it was at 2.7, but that was on methimazole.) yet I know I have Graves’ because the uptake and scans showed I did, along with other antibody testing that ruled out Hashi’s. What gives? What would cause such a low FT3? I always figured it would be high, but it actually seems low?

[barbra]

#1181590

Hi,

It’s not a strange question at all and I wish I knew the answer to it.

It looks like your T3 is in the normal range, which is about where mine is. I have Graves’. All my levels are “normal” and I do not feel well right now.
I don’t know what causes low T3. And since it doesn’t get tested every time it’s hard to keep track of where it stands.

Maybe someone else here on the forum has the answer.

Hugs.
Barbra.

[jmwatson1982]

#1181591

It’s a bit weird! Right now, my second RAI was pretty successful and now I need replacement thyroid hormone(which has been a journey in itself getting the right dose and trying to feel good) so I could understand my FT3 levels coming back low during this hypo period. But I happened to notice my FT3 was on the low end/decent when I was majorly hyper. Another person offered an excuse that your body uses up energy quickly when hyper, and that tends to be the T3, so your FT3/TT3 might be normal or a bit low even when hyper because your body is just burning through it so quick. Makes a bit of sense!

ETA:, I also still suffered from hyper symptoms when my methimazole just wasn’t cutting it anymore and after my first RAI while my labs all showed ‘normal’ ranges. I ended up having a really high uptake and scan both times I did them, even though my labs were great, so it’s definitely something that runs deeper than what your labs show. They had no real explanation for it-the only thing they could really say was perhaps it’s the antibodies.

[Kimberly]

#1181592

Hello – You would certainly expect T3 and T4 to either both be elevated or both suppressed, but that’s not always the case. Here’s some info from the National Institutes of Health; interestingly, illness can cause T3 to be suppressed:

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003687.htm

Hopefully, your doc is looking at all factors — all the various lab ranges as well as your symptoms — in helping you with dosing decisions.

[ChristinaDe]

#1181593

Hi Jmwatson ~ Your question doesn’t seem the least bit strange to me. In fact, it made me go back & take another look at my own labs. And now I’m more than a little curious about this too.

My FT3 was at the bottom of the normal range (2.6 – bottom was 2.4) when I was 1st diagnosed w/ hyperthyroidism & Graves’. It made no sense to me then, never really got a good answer at the time (other than it meant I had the subclinical type of hyperthyroidism & they don’t really know why some people are super sick w/ the subclinical version while others have no symptoms at all), and then I eventually forgot about it. When I went hypo after TT, my T3 was 2.5 (so it barely dropped at all but that didn’t strike me as odd since that value made sense w/ the hypo TSH). Now it’s 2.7, but my TSH is in a good place & I have no symptoms other than some eye bags & thin hair (hair seemed to quit falling out when my TSH normalized, so not sure if it’s really still a symptom or if it just needs more time to regrow).

Anyway, now that I’ve put all that in context for myself, I’m feeling a bit confused too. How can my T3 basically remain the same (low-normal) whether I’m hyper, hypo, or “normal”? It doesn’t seem to really move in my case. I think I’ll revisit this w/ the endo I have now when I see her next. The other one really couldn’t explain it to me at the time I was diagnosed, maybe this one can. Or maybe someone on the forum has more experience w/ a T3 that stays consistently low-normal despite changes in the other thyroid labs. Weird part is that it doesn’t seem to affect how I feel. That’s just counter-intuitive, isn’t it? Hmmm. Now I’m wondering if it has any relationship to hair or eyes since it’s the only value that’s a little off & those are the only 2 areas of concern I have left.

I’m glad you posted this question. I want to know the answer to it too!!

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