Low TSH

[cafree1]

My thyroid was destroyed 20 years ago.  I take Armour Thyroid.  My TSH has been 0.01 for the past 20 years no matter the thyroid dosage. My Free T4 is 1.5, my Free T3 is 4.0.  I suffer from insomnia,  my doctor thinks Armour is the reason.  Has anyone had these issues

[Red_Star]

I have insomnia with low magnesium and hyperthyroidism. Otherwise I sleep like a baby. :)

[gimel]

I really want to try and help, but to do so I need your answers to all the other questions in my previous posts.

[cafree1]

24 hours between tests.  Believe it not I've been on higher doses. My T4 is 1.5 and my T3 is 4.0

[gimel]

Reference ranges shown on the lab report for the  T4 and T3 results?  Any other symptoms besides insomnia?

[cafree1]

I'm tired.  This is something new for me. I exercise daily.  Even though my labs appears to be fine except for TSH I seem to have a higher heart rate after taking thyroid of about 95.  Resting in the am it is 56 or 54.

[cafree1]

Did I miss anything

[gimel]

Reference ranges?

[gimel]

Do I understand you correctly that you take 6 grains of Armour in the morning and 4 grains in the afternoon, for a total of 10 grains?   That would be a total of 600 mg, containing 380 mcg of T4 and 90 mcg of T3, which would be the largest dose I have ever heard of .  Do  you have any other symptoms besides insomnia?
Also, what about the other questions?  

[Gracevd70]

Wow...and I fight for 2 grains.

[cafree1]

Yes

[gimel]

To cafree1 There is much to discuss but first I have a few questions.  What is your daily dosage of Armour?   Do you take it in one dose for the morning, or do you split into two doses  for morning and afternoon?  Did you take your morning dose of Armour before the blood draw?   How long was it between your med dose and the blood draw for those tests?   All this is important in trying to assess your test results.  Also what are the reference ranges shown on the lab report for those results?

Gracevd70.  It is not that the T3 causes a low T4 by pulling it to make T3.  The  ratio of T4 to T3 in Armour is about 4 to 1, which is a higher ratio than the normal output of a thyroid gland.   So for patients taking Armour and other desiccated thyroid med, this results in FT3 being higher in its range than FT4.  This is also partially due to T3 having a much shorter half -life than T4, which means that T3 raises your serum levels faster than T4.  

[cafree1]

I take 6 grains I. The am and 4 grain on the pm

[Gracevd70]

I don't have a real answer but I can tell you I've lost my thyroid 2 yrs ago and been on Synthyroid and Synthyroid with Cytomel and now Armour thyroid since August of last year and EVERY blood test and I've had many have my TSH super low .....and my Endo rips a little med each time and still my TSH is low along with FT4 & FT3.  It's my understanding that t3 containing meds will cause a low t4 level as it pulls to make t3.....But again im not sure if this is correct.