Two month N=1 experiment plus questions: 250 mg NMN + 50 mg pterostilbene

[DanH44]

Have you looked under the hood at free T3, T4, and thyroid antibodies? Re. the WBC, mine are also low, but just slightly below the reference range. You're getting down there at 3.3. I'm guessing your neutrophils are low? My understanding is that a little low is OK (nothing to fight) but too low can be a problem. What does your doc say?

REALLY interesting about the lecithin. I'm also using that for choline. Given the relative success of your experiment, I'm curious why you're giving up.

Yes. At various times I've done complete thyroid and antibody panels. It's idiopathic. LIkewise with my beta cells (idiopathic): still putting out some insulin, but not enough for me to eat carbs freely. Which I don't want to do anyway. The thyroid issue showed up 6 years ago with a TSH up at 93. I'm completely dependent on my thyroid meds. So, for this experiment, I ordered a free T4 along with the TSH and both T4's came back on the high side of normal. So, it's hard to understand why I would be making TSH.

No, my lymphocytes and platelets are also low. When we were trying to get my thyroid meds adjusted right, at one point my meds were too high and my WBCs and platelets, which had been dropping ever since I started restricting calories about 15 years ago, got down to just under the reference range and have stayed there ever since (5 years now). My platelets average 140 and my WBC averages 3.6. My doctor is completely unconcerned, but he thinks I know what I'm doing and leaves me to call the shots.

I just wanted to get your hit on this to see what the group experience is since I'm a kinda on my own with it.

Oh, and an emphatic NO! I am not giving it up. My next experiment will be NR+PT to see if I can discern a difference between NR and NMN. The NR is in the mail - should be here tomorrow! I didn't want to pre-order it in case experiment 1 messed with my liver enzymes, homocysteine, lipids, blood sugar, etc.

[slacker]

No, my lymphocytes and platelets are also low. When we were trying to get my thyroid meds adjusted right, at one point my meds were too high and my WBCs and platelets, which had been dropping ever since I started restricting calories about 15 years ago, got down to just under the reference range and have stayed there ever since (5 years now). My platelets average 140 and my WBC averages 3.6. My doctor is completely unconcerned, but he thinks I know what I'm doing and leaves me to call the shots.

Low platelets are common with cirrhosis of the liver, even with normal liver function tests. If you haven't been screened for hepatitis C, you might want to consider doing so. You are in the age group for higher risk of exposure to this viral infection. And of course, there are other conditions that can cause cirrhosis. Just a thought...

[DanH44]

No, my lymphocytes and platelets are also low. When we were trying to get my thyroid meds adjusted right, at one point my meds were too high and my WBCs and platelets, which had been dropping ever since I started restricting calories about 15 years ago, got down to just under the reference range and have stayed there ever since (5 years now). My platelets average 140 and my WBC averages 3.6. My doctor is completely unconcerned, but he thinks I know what I'm doing and leaves me to call the shots.

Low platelets are common with cirrhosis of the liver, even with normal liver function tests. If you haven't been screened for hepatitis C, you might want to consider doing so. You are in the age group for higher risk of exposure to this viral infection. And of course, there are other conditions that can cause cirrhosis. Just a thought...

Thanks! I'll definitely look into this.

[JudyH]

Thyroid
I'm not sure the TSH drop is all that significant. My TSH wanders all over the place. But having both of them high is significant. I'm wondering if at my lowish BMI, do we expect TSH to be in the 5's or is it time to increase my thyroid meds?

All I can say is wow, with a TSH of 5, I would be lying on the couch and unable to climb three flights of stairs. I have to keep mine near 1 or preferably under 1 to feel well. Obviously, you exercise and keep a good weight and BMI so you must feel well???

Do you supplement T4 and T3 or just T4? One thing I would question not knowing and just looking at those two numbers is if your body converts T4 to T3 well. That results makes me want to run a Free T3 and make sure that is up in the range like your FT4.

It is something I have debated with my doctor for years, TSH is a pituitary hormone, not produced by the thyroid so the real test of your thyroid function is FT3 because that is what your body uses. If you feel well and your body is functioning well and your FT4 and FT3 are up in the ranges, TSH is irrelevant. Unfortunately, FT3 varies greatly during the day so the test is only a snapshot of a point in time. FT4 is a more stable number but again, if you don't supplement T3 and don't convert well, it doesn't matter where your FT4 is. I do convert T4 to T3 well so I only take T4.

Last thought, do you have a thyroid nodule? My two brothers also have Hashimotos and one has a benign nodule on his thyroid. His TSH numbers are all over the place and not usable for medicating.

[DanH44]

Thyroid
I'm not sure the TSH drop is all that significant. My TSH wanders all over the place. But having both of them high is significant. I'm wondering if at my lowish BMI, do we expect TSH to be in the 5's or is it time to increase my thyroid meds?

All I can say is wow, with a TSH of 5, I would be lying on the couch and unable to climb three flights of stairs. I have to keep mine near 1 or preferably under 1 to feel well. Obviously, you exercise and keep a good weight and BMI so you must feel well???

Do you supplement T4 and T3 or just T4? One thing I would question not knowing and just looking at those two numbers is if your body converts T4 to T3 well. That results makes me want to run a Free T3 and make sure that is up in the range like your FT4.

It is something I have debated with my doctor for years, TSH is a pituitary hormone, not produced by the thyroid so the real test of your thyroid function is FT3 because that is what your body uses. If you feel well and your body is functioning well and your FT4 and FT3 are up in the ranges, TSH is irrelevant. Unfortunately, FT3 varies greatly during the day so the test is only a snapshot of a point in time. FT4 is a more stable number but again, if you don't supplement T3 and don't convert well, it doesn't matter where your FT4 is. I do convert T4 to T3 well so I only take T4.

Last thought, do you have a thyroid nodule? My two brothers also have Hashimotos and one has a benign nodule on his thyroid. His TSH numbers are all over the place and not usable for medicating.

Hi Judy,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Ha! That's funny about you and the couch. When I was first found to be hypothyroid, my TSH was at 92.9, lol. My only symptoms were that I always felt cold, had high cholesterol, had almost imperceptible thyroid swelling, and I had thyroid pattern hair loss. I had tons of energy and had worked into running a mile a day from not even being able to run to the corner and back.

I just supp with T4. I have no problems converting it. My T3 has been checked and is in the high normal range. My hypo is idiopathic with no nodules or swelling.

Yeah, I know about that TSH variance. I always get it checked at 11 AM, so as to minimize that.