Lab Results - Pam, Ilene, Others- thoughts please

[Redeemed]

I took my Sinthroid and Cytomel three hours before this fasting lab test was done. I have been feeling that lately I was getting too much Cytomel (10 mg. twice a day). A week before my lab test I cut back to 5 mg. twice a day. I was getting bloated with leg pain, slight headache. Now I feel a little better. But my doctor gave me a prescription for Thyroid from Canada (1 grain in the am and 1 grain in the pm). It will come in the mail in about a week. I'm hoping that won't put my T3 too high. This cortisol test was a fasting am test that was a blood draw. She also ordered compounded estrogen/progresterone cream ($66.00/monthly).


CORTISOL,AM 6...... Range: 5 - 25 ug/dL
TSH 0.18............... Range: 0.34 - 2.50 UIU/mL
T4,FREE 1.6........... Range: 0.7 - 1.8 ng/dL
T3,FREE 4.00.......... Range: 2.40 - 4.20 pg/mL

[nonstickpam107]

T3 (half of the daily dose) should be taken four to five hours before labs. So yours is a little high based on that...but it wouldn't be too high for me.

Just doing a cortisol am (on thyroid meds) doesn't really tell much. You need the 4x in one day salivary to show how it's really working. The Thyroid from Canada will be great...you might have to shave a bit off the second grain if you feel hyper...but you can always take the whole one grain morning, then take 1/2 the second grain for awhile. Then the estradiol/progest. will bind a bit of the incoming thyroid too so you might be able to take both grains.

Cortisol should be HIGHEST in the morning but most docs will NOT test if the patient has taken any thyroid med. That's usually a big no no and most docs know enough to do the 4x in one day salivary.

Your FT4 is very high...you'll see that drop when you switch to Thyroid..and that'll be a good thing.

Pam

[Redeemed]

Originally Posted by nonstickpam107

T3 (half of the daily dose) should be taken four to five hours before labs. So yours is a little high based on that...but it wouldn't be too high for me.

Just doing a cortisol am (on thyroid meds) doesn't really tell much. You need the 4x in one day salivary to show how it's really working. The Thyroid from Canada will be great...you might have to shave a bit off the second grain if you feel hyper...but you can always take the whole one grain morning, then take 1/2 the second grain for awhile. Then the estradiol/progest. will bind a bit of the incoming thyroid too so you might be able to take both grains.

Cortisol should be HIGHEST in the morning but most docs will NOT test if the patient has taken any thyroid med. That's usually a big no no and most docs know enough to do the 4x in one day salivary.

Your FT4 is very high...you'll see that drop when you switch to Thyroid..and that'll be a good thing.

Pam

Thanks, Pam. My doc said she is still learning about all of this and that there is so much information out there. She said she is willing to work with me until I feel my best. She said she would only do an estrogen/progesterone test if I really wanted it. She does not think they are reliable and said I should go by the way I feel and how my body responds. What do you think about the price I have to pay for the progesterone/estrogen cream? Is that what you have noticed as far as price range? I'm hoping this cream won't make me gain water weight like the Prometrium did (10 pounds).

[nonstickpam107]

Have you shopped around at different compounding pharmacies? Talked to compounding pharmacists in your area? (I totally totally disagree about estradiol/prog going by 'how you feel'....blood tests don't lie, and if you don't need estradiol right now than you are going to 'feel' like crap).

My doctor (30 yrs. experience, pioneer in BHRT for men and women) will NOT put estradiol with prog. in a cream. Prog. is always separate from estradiol so one can be raised without the other, or vice versa. I have no idea where this is coming from, so won't comment on PRICE, but an estradiol PATCH (generic comes bioidentical TOO) is paid for by most insurance and you can have any compound MADE into a patch, or cream by a compounding pharmacist. I've NEVER NEVER had my doctor 'get' any compound for me...they just write the Rx. based on TESTING. So..yeah..I can't help ya there. But the higher amount of estradiol the more it costs..what's the Rx. written for? How high dose? Where is she getting it? (Personally, Women's International didn't work well for me...by mail order...and my doc doesn't use them anymore).

Pam