Are your levels OPTIMAL or just "in range

[GCC]

There can be a huge difference between being in "normal range" and optimal range (though your doctor may not think so).

I suggest that everyone get COPIES of their lab reports (by law now they have to give them to you if you ask for them).

Also, see if they are testing your Free T4 & Free T3 (and not only the TSH).
Many doctors only test the TSH and never test the Free T's OR test them and ignore them when they are too low.

Optimal TSH is low, around 1.0 (or at least BELOW 2.0). TSH = thyroid stimulating hormone & is a pitutary hormone. The higher it is the more your pitutary gland is begging for thyroid hormone. The lab reports will say as high as 3.5 or even 5.5 is "normal" , that is way too high!

FREE T3 & FREE T4 are actual thyroid hormones. Free is the measurement of the hormone that is "free" in the blood and not bound to proteins in the blood (and avaliable to enter the cells to do the work). "Total" or "uptake" is NOT the same as FREE. Optimal for the Free T's is in the middle to upper part of the "normal range" NOT in the middle to lower part of the "normal range". Most doctors consider anywhere in the "normal range" just fine. It's NOT. It's could be the difference between your feeling good and being able to lose weight OR feeling bad and not being able to lose weight. It's like getting an A+ on a test vs. getting a "D".

Synthroid is synthetic T4 only. The FREE T3 is often too low on Synthroid (even if your TSH is nice and low at around 1.0).

I was on Synthroid for 25 years & spent many of those years feeling lousy. Now I know why. My TSH was kept too high (even though it was officially in "normal range"). And my Free T3 was too low (even after I got my TSH down to around 1.0). I found a new doctor & switched to Armour. That made a huge difference right away. Then gradually my Free T4 was too low and my Free T3 was too high. I then went to a combo of Synthroid and Armour. That seems to be working better.

I lost about 20 lbs doing Weight Watchers Core about 6 months ago & couldn't lose any more. I had tried Atkins years ago & realize that it will work so much better for me now that my TSH is optimal and my Free T3 & Free T4 are optimal too. (When I was on Synthroid for all those years my FREE T3 was at the BOTTOM of the range, when it was tested and ignored by my doctors. I now have copies of my old medical records).

I have been reading Gary Tauges book "Good Carb, Bad Carb". It is amazing that the low fat diets were NEVER proven to work but just taken for granted as better for weight loss and heart health!

I see a simililarity between how Synthroid and the TSH test was marketed as a better treatment and test than Armour Thyroid. It was never proven that a synthetic T4 only med was better than taking natural thyroid hormones that contain all the thyroid hormones . Sorry this is so long. Best wishes.

GCC

Best wishes.

[LooseShoes]

Very interesting. I've always had the feeling that most doctors are fairly clueless about thyroid problems.

I'm glad you're feeling better.