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Does anyone know what the normal ranges of T3 and TSH are?
In Reply to: Thyroid posted by Reader on September 04, 2001 at 16:26:55:
TSH should be around 0.03. T3 levels can vary depending on the test (total or Free form)
In Reply to: Re: Thyroid posted by Helping you on September 05, 2001 at 09:47:13:
I don't know if it is the total or free form - do you know what the "T3 uptake" range should be?
In Reply to: Re: To Helping - Thyroid posted by Reader on September 05, 2001 at 10:49:29:
a TSH of .03 may look good if you're hyperthyroid, but if you're hypo, that's on the extremely low side. The usual range (although they vary from lab to lab so you need to know your lab's range) is .3 to 5. With many more progressive m.d.s thinking under 2 is better. .03 is almost non existent.
penny
In Reply to: Re: To Helping - Thyroid posted by penny on September 05, 2001 at 17:54:38:
My mistake. I meant .3
Thanks for the correction :)
In Reply to: To Penny posted by Helping you on September 06, 2001 at 00:20:55:
uses .2-5.5 for the TSH, and she says that most of her autoimmune folks feel better with the TSH near 1, and in fact I keep mine close to .2, fwiw.
In Reply to: Re: To Helping - Thyroid posted by penny on September 05, 2001 at 17:54:38:
THank you, Penny!
So does 0.03 TSH mean that I'm hypothyroid? (The T4 was 12.9) And do you know what a T3 uptake of 36 means? If I'm hypothyroid I'll try to get the Armour thyroid pills that Helping was talking about. Can you get those in health food stores?
In Reply to: my endo's lab... posted by LT on September 06, 2001 at 02:14:46:
Yes, it seems that most people feel best at the very low end of the scale, myself included. However, I'm sure you know that you need to be careful when your levels get too low because you run a much higher risk of osteoporosis.
It's quite a balancing act. There are a lot of nutritional changes that can be made, diet wise and in the way of supplementation, that can really help. One particularly good website is www.ithyroid.com. Everyone there is determined to reverse the disease and restore health, not just cope with it.
pennny
In Reply to: Re: To Penny and Helping - Thyroid posted by Reader on September 06, 2001 at 09:00:22:
No, "normally" a TSH of .03 would indicate HYPERthyroidism or borderline hyperthyroidism. A thyroid that's overproducing. The higher the TSH number(thyroid stimulating hormone) the more HYPO you are, meaning the pituitary is trying to stimulate your thyroid into action, but it's just not responding, so the harder it tries, the higher the TSH number. What are your symptoms? Have you been diagnosed? There's a new home test coming out anyday now, for those interested.
Armour is prescription medication, natural thyroid hormone derived from the pig. Unfortunately, most mainstream doctors won't prescribe it in the U.S. due to brainwashing by the Synthroid manufacturers. It took me two years to find a doc who would prescribe it, and I improved tremendously (it contains T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4 -- synthetics only contain T4). But you don't need thyroid hormone with a TSH that low. Thyroid disease is a lot more complicated than a TSH test though. For lots of information visit the following two sites where you can really educate yourself.
www.about.com (search for Mary Shomon's thyroid site)
www.ithyroid.com (alternative and nutritional approaches to healing thyroid disease)
You'll find loads of info and research at both sites.
be well,
penny
In Reply to: Re: To Penny and Helping - Thyroid posted by penny on September 07, 2001 at 12:22:42:
Thank you for your informative response. I was diagnosed as being low/normal a long time ago and have been on Levoxyl for many years. But my hair seems to be falling out, I have 5 pounds which won't come off, I get cold all the time, etc. and thought those might be symptoms of a low thyroid. But now it looks like the pills I'm taking are doing the job since my TSH is low, so those symptoms must mean something else. I'm almost afraid of going to an endocrinologist because they might make me stop taking the Levoxyl and then I might really start gaining weight!
I will check out those sites. Thank you for all your help!
In Reply to: Re: To Penny - Thyroid posted by Reader on September 07, 2001 at 14:09:18:
Sometimes the symptoms of hyperthryoidism can be almost identical to the symptoms of hypothyroidism. A number of hypers even gain weight. You really should get tested regularly. And you need to have an entire thyroid panel done, including free T3 and free T4. The TSH number alone can really lead you astray, especially if you rely on it when you're not feeling well. Best to find out what's going on and treat it appropriately. Otherwise you're seriously asking for trouble.
good luck,
penny
In Reply to: Re: my endo's lab... posted by penny on September 07, 2001 at 12:09:25:
I'll spend some time on that site -- it looks promising....
I know about that low TSH -- mine got too low, but when I decreased my meds just a bit, my thryoid nodules tripled in size and I've been miserable -- what a roller coaster...doc said she'll just have to go slower with me to get my TSH back up....this is just no fun at all, but I'm sure you know that!
In Reply to: Re: To Penny and Helping - Thyroid posted by penny on September 07, 2001 at 12:22:42:
Thanks, Penny.
Walt
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