High T4 level?

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hi There,

I've recently been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I saw my doctor yesterday and he informed me my T4 level was 36. I'm struggling to understand information online to guage just how high this is compared to a normal level. Any help would be deeply appreciated. I've been prescribed Carbimozole 20mg and referred to a specialist.

Many Thanks In Advance

Andy 

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi andy93714, the best thing is to ask your GP for a printout of your blood tests. It will be useful to file all your results for future reference. 

    Each lab usually specifies a measuring unit and the normal range for each test. For example on my initial test it says: Serum free T4 level: 61.6 pmol/L [10-20]. (I was prescribed 30mg Carbimazole per day. )

    If your lab uses the same measuring units for free T4 than the normal range would be [10-20]. 

    Carbimazole will suppress the production of thyroid hormone and over time your body will use up the excess thyroxine already available in your blood stream. In my case I started to feel better after 3 weeks on Carbimazole.

    Btw, if you look up previous posts on this forum you can find a lot of information about nutritional supplements, vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for hyperthyroid patients. 

     

    • Posted

      Thankyou so much for this Dan, greatly appreciated. I will be sure to get a printout when I next see my doctor.
  • Posted

    Always get a paper copy of your lab tests because each lab has different levels for normal.  Usually the range for normal levels is printed right beside your actual level.  This will give you some idea how far out of range your level is.  In Canada, doctors do TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 to follow thyroid patients routinely.  In some places, they only do TSH and T4.  Some people have a problem converting T4 to T3 which is the active form of thyroid hormone so having all this information is helpful to managing your disease.  I'm glad you were started on Carbimazole.  What I found for me was that though the thryoid blocking drug (in Canada & U.S. it is called Methimazole) will block the excessive thyroid hormone production, it does not replace all the vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are lost from the muscles in hyperthyroid patients.  When I added Regular L-Carnitine, Vitamin D and Magnesium to my medical treatment, my disease improved more rapidly.  I asked my doctor to check all those levels and was found to be low or deficient so I felt comfortable adding those supplements.  I was diagnosed in 2007 and today I am on 2.5 mg of Methimazole 3 days a week with 500 mg of Regular L-Carnitine on the days I don't take the Methimazole.  I also continue to take the vitamin D and Magnesium along with Omega 3 to fight inflammation.  All my thyroid labs are now normal and my Graves disease antibodies are undetectable.

    • Posted

      Thankyou so much for this Linda, greatly appreciated. I will be sure to get a printout when I next see my doctor.

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