Help with Lab tests/ can you answer tonite?

Katpat · 11-05-2009, 01:05 AM

I got a message from Dr's office today.. They said my lab tests were worse than last time and to lower my armour thyroid dose.( I think I had more tests than I got in the mail today, maybe a thyroid panel and ferritin also) I lowered my dose after 1st testing from 120mg to 90mg and by the 4th day I felt bad, emotions all over the place, couldn't think straight so I went back up to my usual dose and the emotional thing went away. Currently today I feel somewhat shakey/ jittery. After the 2nd blood tests on 10/29 I stated taking Ashwaganda 1-2 x a day to support my adrenals. I did take my Armour before my 1st blood tests but did not before my second tests. I think the 2nd tests look better so I'm not sure why the nurse said they were worse with no further info. I wonder if some other test looked bad to them. What should I do/ tell the Dr's office?

1st tests 9/30/09 with Armour beforehand:

TSH 0.04 range 0.30-5.60
FreeT3 7.0 range 2.3 - 4.2
Free T4 1.42 range 0.75 - 1.76
Vitamin D, 25 Hydroxy 36.1 range 33.0 - 100 I have been taking 1000mg D)

2nd tests 10/29/09 without taking Armour beforehand:

Free T3 4.1 range 2.3 - 4.2 pg/mL
Free T4 0.90 range 0.75 - 1.76 ng/dL

javelina · 11-05-2009, 12:56 PM

Sorry, didn't see this last night. You have an imbalance of T4 to T3 going on, not sure why, it would be helpful to do a reverse T3 to see if your T4 is converting to RT3 and this can point to adrenal fatigue. I think you are pooling T3 and it's not going into the cells. Did you ever do a saliva cortisol test? If you have AF I don't know if the ashwaganda is going to do the trick or not.

I've been told things by my doc's assistants over the phone that made no sense to me at all (I love my doc but sometimes his staff is just goofy). It's best to see the doc directly and explain your symptoms and get more ideas about your treatment that way.

Katpat · 11-06-2009, 03:48 AM

Hi Javelina,
Thanks for your answer. I called the Dr's office & asked to have the tests you mentioned, they called back & told me the Dr didn't want to do anymore tests and would refer me to their Endo group. I told them I'd already called them before & their Drs don't work with Armour. This left me feeling kind of abandoned. The nurse never even told me which tests they were concerned about. I asked her to fax the rest of my test results which she hadn't done by the time I left work. Icalled around to try to find someone familiar with Armour without much luck. Then I saw a ND DR my insurance would pay for & her office said she works with Armour. I'm going to see her Thurs. and try her out instead as my primary care Dr. Have you ever seen a ND/naturepathic Dr?
Do you know if they can write regular RX's to pharmacies? I hope this works out, I'm concerned about my level and do feel alittle shakey. Should i just continue on my 120mg of Armour until I see her? Thanks again for your help!

javelina · 11-06-2009, 09:55 AM

The shaky jittery symptoms sound like either hyper, or more likely, pooling T3. Try to cut back the dose incrementally so these feeling don't seem to predominate.

Yes, you are lucky to find a ND who takes insurance. They are the most likely to test for adrenal fatigue and treat with natural thyroid hormones. Do some more research on your own before going so you can be a well informed patient.

My only experience with an ND was mixed. In one hand he put a bug in my ear that my thyroid and adrneal function was probably at play (before I finally got diagnosed) but on the other hand he tried to sell me on a lot of other therapies that seemed suspect to me (food allergies, which I know I don't have and O2 therapy which I'm not keen on) and the office was geared towards selling a lot of expensive boutique suppliments and remedies. So keep this in mind and try to make well informed decisions. I think it's best to simply focus on two things; the adrenals and the thyroid (as well as test for the usual vitamin and mineral deficiencies that happen with these disorders) and stick to that at the time being so as to not muddy the waters too much. I imagine the prescribing priviliges for NDs vary from state to state.

Katpat · 11-07-2009, 03:31 AM

Thanks Javelina. For now I had to make the ND my primary care provider. My old Drs office called back again & said she doesn't refer to NDs and again said the Dr wouldn't discuss Armour/tests with me at all anymore and that she told me she doesn't believe in it and will only treat someone who came to her already on it and was stable with it. The reason the nurse said my tests were worse was because this time my TSH was 0.02 last time 0.04, she felt it was dangerous because it was so low, that it should be no lower than 0.30. She didnt want to hear about supression.