Want to know if reverse t3 is my problem based on ratio of ft3 to rt3

[5states]

Hi,

I hope someone can give some insight.  I've een having pretty bad hypothyroid symptoms for a solid year, different kinds of fatigue and brain fog and worsening of reactive hypoglycemia.  I've been on Synthroid, Armour, Naturethroid, and recently Cytomel and nothing has helped much.  Now my doctor is changing my medication to reduce my reverse T3, and I'm wondering if that is likely to cause a dramatic improvement, considering my blood tests don't seem to indicate a severe reverse T3 problem.  My ft3 is 3.7 pg/ml and my rt3 is 24 ng/dl.  If I convert the units, I think the ratio of ft3 to rt3 is .0154.  Can this ratio indicate "tissue resistance"?  Also, does anyone know if the medical establishment recognizes the ratio of ft3/rt3 as a valid diagnostic for medication-resistant hypothyroidism?

Thanks,
Paul

[5states]

I think Gimel is right, the most commonly used rule is that the ratio should be higher than 1.8 (or 0.018 in my units) while some sites say it should be higher than 2.  Since 1.54 is not that far below 1.8, I am worried that I'll spend a few months clearing the reverse T3 only to find that it didn't help much.  I need a dramatic improvement not a modest one and if this doesnt give me that I dont know what my next move is.

[gimel]

"Closer" enough that there are no symptoms.  LOL

[flyingfool]

Thanks.  That is exactly what I understood to do.  But in this case it is almost exactly between 1 and 2 so that leaves it a little bit more ambiguous as to what to do.  Sure you want it "closer" to 2.  But what is "closer?"

1.54 IS closer to 2 than 1.5.

[gimel]

Calculating the ratio can be very confusing, although the calculation is straightforward.  It just depends on what units of measure were used for FT3 and RT3.  Usually I just divide the FT3 by RT3 and multiply by 10 or 100, whichever gives me a result that is a whole number between 1 and 2.  Then for comparison,  the desired level is reported as being between 1 and 2, with higher being better.  Some places  recommend a level of 2 or higher.

[Red_Star]

Hey flying fool, i used a online calculator lol. I have "issues" with maths. :)

[Red_Star]

Your RT3 Ratio: 15.4. Healthy FT3/RT3 ratio is stated to be 20 or higher. Excess reverse T3 causes include high or low cortisol (stress hormone), low ferritin/iron, diabetes, low vitamin B12, extreme dieting. As far as i know, this ratio is not a "medical establishment recognised" test for thyroid resistance.

[flyingfool]

I am always confused as to how to convert the ratio.  I thought it was the FT3 divided by the RT3 times 10.  And this result should be between 1 and 2 preferably towards 2.

Doing this I get an answer of 1.54 (0.37 divided by 24 times 10).  Just about dead in the middle of the 1.0 to 2.0 "range".  But certainly not very much closer to 2.0.

Am I doing something wrong?

[gimel]

Certainly many of the medical establishment do not test for Reverse T3, and do not know how to treat.  Those that do generally seem to agree that a good ratio would be, in your units of measure, a ratio of .018 or higher.  There is some good info about this in page two of this link.

http://thyroid.about.com/od/loseweightsuccessfully/a/weight-loss-diet_2.htm