How much more Levothyroxine to bring Free T3/T4 into the upper third of the range?

[youngandold]

Right now I'm taking 50 mcg of Levothyroxine every day.

Free T3 and T4 are at about half of the normal range yet I feel like this isn't enough for me as I feel many HYPOthyroid symptoms like cold hands and feet, extreme fatigue, slow digestion.

If I want to get Free T3 and Free T4 in the upper third of the range
How much more Levothyroxine would I need?
75 mcg daily? 100 mcg?

I used to have naturally very high Free T3 with borderline low Free T4.
So Levothyroxine alone might be optimum, thus not needing any T3.

 

[youngandold]

I used to have high (beyond normal range) Free T3 with borderline low Free T4 with very resistant high blood pressure, palpitations being very easily startled by sudden noises.

A cardiologist prescribed Tapazole (an antithyroid drug) but it only lowered FT4 even more, TSH skyrocketed yet FT3 remains high.
This caused extreme hyperthyroid symptoms.
Like heat intolerance so extreme I couldn't even get out of the house or even wear any clothes inside the house despite fair weather.

So this proves why adequate T4 is needed and why T3-only is a dangerous nonsense (never endorsed by Ray Peat by the way).

It looks like Levothyroxine flipped the switch from fully hyper to a bit hypothyroid.

 

[youngandold]

Before taking Levothyroxine Free T4 was always borderline low (now mid range) while Free T3 was always high (now mid range).
TSH now about 2.6

So it looks like this is the right path.

If I aim for both Free T3 and T4 to be in the upper third of the range and for TSH to be below 2 or even below 1 as Ray Peat advises then
How much more Levothyroxine do I need to take?
(Now on 50 mcg Levothyroxine)

 

[youngandold]

Criminal recidivists usually have high T3 with low T4
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/14675747/

I suffered naturally high T3 with low T4 and now that T3/T4 are more normal I look back and admit I was acting erratically.

 

[youngandold]

Long-term validity of biological markers of psychopathy and
criminal recidivism: follow-up 6-8 years after forensic
psychiatric investigation.

Abstract
This study is a follow-up investigation of a forensic psychiatric sub-
population 6-8 years after forensic psychiatric evaluation. The aim
was to examine the long-term validity of biological markers of
psychopathy and antisocial behavior over time. Data on criminal
records were obtained at follow-up from the National Council for
Crime Prevention. Basic data included findings of psychiatric and
psychological assessments, as well as values for serum
triiodothyronine (T3) and free thyroxin (FT4), and platelet
monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, all obtained during the forensic
psychiatric examination. Criminal recidivists at follow-up had higher
serum T3 levels than non-recidivists, and much higher values than
normal controls, while their levels of free T4 were lower. The T3
levels in criminal recidivists correlated to psychopathy- and
aggression-related personality traits as measured by the Karolinska
Scale of Personality. In violent recidivists, a remarkably high
correlation was noted between T3 levels and Irritability and
Detachment, traits that have previously been linked to the
dopaminergic system. Stepwise multiple regression analyses
confirmed the relationships of T3 levels and platelet MAO activity
with personality traits in criminal recidivists. The predictive validity
of biological markers of psychopathy, T3 and platelet MAO,
measured during forensic psychiatric investigation, is stable over
time. The results indicate chronic alterations of the hypothalamic-
pituitary-thyroid axis in this group of subjects.

 

[Jooce_user]

Criminal recidivists usually have high T3 with low T4
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/14675747/

I suffered naturally high T3 with low T4 and now that T3/T4 are more normal I look back and admit I was acting erratically.

Can you please give an example of such erratic behavior?

thanks

 

[Jooce_user]

tsh - .16 (0.40-4.50 mIU/L)
t3 uptake - 32 (22-35)
t3 free - 5.6 (2.3-4.2 pg/mL)
t4 free - 1 (0.8-1.8 ng/dL)
t3 reverse - 10 (8-25 ng/dL)

@youngandold

What do you make of this bloodwork? This was taken on 3.5 grains of thyroid

 

[youngandold]

Jooce user

Hypomania, impulsiveness hypersexuality, grandiose ideas, trouble concentrating, etc.

Free T4 is borderline low, FT3 is high and TSH is low.
I had similar labs naturally.
It is better to reduce NDT and add some Levothyroxine.

I forgot to say that my thyroid ultrasound analysis spotted changes 'most likely caused by chronic acute thyroiditis'

 

[Jooce_user]

Jooce user

Hypomania, impulsiveness hypersexuality, grandiose ideas, trouble concentrating, etc.

Free T4 is borderline low, FT3 is high and TSH is low.
I had similar labs naturally.
It is better to reduce NDT and add some Levothyroxine.

I forgot to say that my thyroid ultrasound analysis spotted changes 'most likely caused by chronic acute thyroiditis'

I would consider all of those things positive besides the trouble concentrating.

I don't have much of a libido though, so I don't think I am in this category.

How do you feel with more t4? Still energetic, but not manic?