# Finally got FT3 and Ferritin back!



## Prudence (Oct 30, 2012)

I ordered from directlabs a while ago, but due to the crazy snow/bitter weather, I wasn't abe to get out until yesterday to get the labs done at the place that directlabs goes through. They are as follows:

Ferritin: *33* (lab range 15-150)

Free T3-*2.0* (lab value 2.0-4.4)

Soooo, YIKES. Pretty low in both! Iron wise, I've been consistently taking it for two weeks or so, and I know it'll take a while for iron stores to build up,, but wondering if someone has a recommedation for a good iron suplliment to add in? I'm just taking 325 mg of Ferrous Sulfate (says 65mg underneath that)once at night, but should I get a bit bigger dose? Or do you feel this is a good starting point? Anyone have a favorite they like to take? Just curious is there's one out there someone loves and has had luck with.

FT3 is a nightmare, kind of what I expected. Right at the very bottom of the direct labs range, and I know that my regular endocrine office-(when they do it)-the FT3 starts at a just a slightly higher level,(I wan't to say 2.4? Maybe 2.7? Something like that) but yeeeesh. Looks like I don't convert well for sure!! I've still been doing the 2.5 Cytomel split into two doses a day, but I think it's time to start slowly raising that higher. I wanted just to wait a bit since my FT4 was so high and didn't want to overload my system, but it'll be a month next week since the dose drop in T4, so I think over the next week, raising it up little by little will help that. Feel like I'm finally getting somewhere!


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Floradix is a good and very absorbable iron supplement.

I was like you - low ferritin and low FT-3

I took iron supplements for 1 year and gave up and had endometrial ablation. I would get my ferritin levels up and have a period and they would drop back to the beginning point. The iron made me very ill and extremely constipated. Floridex is suppose to be better absorbed - please let us know how you do on it.

As far as FT-3 - I would ahve to agree that a dose increase is appropriate.


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## Prudence (Oct 30, 2012)

I did Floradix before and actually liked the taste! My problem was I'd forget to consistently take it since it needs to be refrigerated, but perhaps if I stick a note on the fridge to remind me it's there, it would get me in the habit of taking it every night.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Yes....................time to shoot for 5 mcgs. per day. That is if I understand your statement correctly that you have been taking only 1/4 of the 5 mcg. tab twice a day?

Let me know if I got that correctly?

If it is not and you are taking 2.5 mcg. twice a day for a total of 5 mcg. per day; it would be my recommendation that you only increase the by another 2.5 mcg. per day for a total of 7.5 mcg. of Cytomel!!

Yikes! Don't forget to let me know. This is tricky stuff here!


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## Prudence (Oct 30, 2012)

Andros said:


> Yes....................time to shoot for 5 mcgs. per day. That is if I understand your statement correctly that you have been taking only 1/4 of the 5 mcg. tab twice a day?
> 
> Let me know if I got that correctly?
> 
> ...


You're correct, just a quarter of 5mcg twice a day. I wanted to start slow and low because my FT4 was a bit at the top of the range-1.7 out of .8-1.8 and I wanted to let that calm down just a bit with the T4 dose drop before raising the Cytomel up. I think now, it'll be fine to shoot for taking half a five in the a.m. and try the other half in the afternoon and go from there.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

Thorne brand has an iron product that appears to be very safe -- it's called iron bisgliconate -- I think that the system is supposed to keep working while you take this one.


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## Prudence (Oct 30, 2012)

Thanks, Swimer! I'll check it out. I've slowwwlllyyy been upping the T3 as not to go too haywire, and oddly, I feel colder when I take it? It's only been since upping it and I can't tell if its my body's way of saying I need more. Either way, in a couple weeks I do a bunch of labs, thyroid included, so we'll see where I'm at. I started low dose estrogen birth control, so I know that might mean I need adjustments on T4, too.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Let us know how you do on the increase. You are very very wise to go low and slow. That ups your chances considerably. It "really" does!

Hugs,


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## Prudence (Oct 30, 2012)

Andros said:


> Let us know how you do on the increase. You are very very wise to go low and slow. That ups your chances considerably. It "really" does!
> 
> Hugs,


Thanks, Andros! I just didn't want to overdo it. They orginally wanted me to take two 5mcg a day (!) and though even if I do end up needing that much, I didn't want to just start off with that with my FT4 pushing the upper limit as it was.


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