[Stymie]

#1059739

Hi All!!

I am going to see a new Endo in a month and know that I should ask her to test my T3 free. But my question is what is the difference between T3 free and T3 total? Are they the same thing? Do I ask her to test the free instead of the total?

Thank you so much for your help!

Diane

[adenure]

#1177190

Hi Diane,

Free T3 is the hormone that is available for your body to use (for energy and metabolism). Total T3 includes the bound hormone (bound up to proteins) that your body cannot use along with the free hormone.

I think I read that you’re having anxiety problems on Synthroid? Do your labs say that your “normal”? Did you say you were on generic? Give the brand name a try. I’m on brand name Synthroid and haven’t had any big issues with it. Maybe the fillers in your generic are problematic for you or if you’ve refilled, maybe they came from different manufacturers? Just throwing out ideas. It took me a good 4 months to feel better. I was on 100 mcg for 6 weeks, upped to 112 and then 2 months on that, I started to feel better. It really sucks how long and difficult the road is, but it does get better. I can’t say it’s perfect, but it is better and I can function and enjoy my life again. I’d say give Synthroid brand a shot, get labs done, get the dose right and stay on it for at least 2 months and then go from there.

[Stymie]

#1177191

Hi Alexis,

Thank you for your reply. Yes i am on Levo still. Hoping to be able to pick up my prescription for synthroid tomorrow. I am still having horrible anxiety nausea heart palpitations, shaking. I feel hyper. It seems to get worse around my menses which is right now and i feel like i want to jump off a bridge.

My last labs were this:

TSH 3.35 (.4-4.5)
T4 free 1.8 (.8-1.
T3 free 3.0 (2.3-4.2)

So my tsh is a little on the high normal but my big question is why is the T4 on the high end? Is this why i feel hyper? T 3 is almost in the middle and almost perfect.

I just want to feel well. Dont know how much longer I can go on like this. I may go get my bloodwork again tomorrow and let my old Endo take a look at it, since technically im still under his care.

Thank you so much for any help you can provide.

Diane

[adenure]

#1177192

When did you have RAI (I’m sorry I can’t remember if that’s what you had)? If you started the levo. recently (within the last month or so), your body is still trying to figure out what’s going on. I had a hypo TSH (4.35), but a high free T4. Kind of weird, but it was early on after surgery (4 weeks after surgery) and my body was all over the place I guess. After 6 weeks, my TSH went to 6. something and my free T4 was still high. My dose was upped to 112, my TSH dropped to .79 or so and my free T4 stayed in the upper normal range. Everything pretty much settled after about 8 weeks after surgery (2 weeks after my dose change to 112). If you’re relatively early on in the levo. dosing journey, it’ll probably take a few months to have normal numbers that make sense and also to feel better. I hope the brand Synthroid will help you.

[Kimberly]

#1177193

Hello – Just a quick note that the latest medical guidance (which you can read in the “Treatment Options” thread in the announcements section of the forum) recommends testing Total T3: “Assays for estimating free T3 are less widely validated than those for free T4, and therefore measurement of total T3 is frequently preferred in clinical practice.” Many docs (including my own) do test Free T3, though.

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