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b'Elizabeth\\u2019s Question:\\xa0\\nI just got my lab results back and they are: TSH, Thyroid-stimulating hormone, is 1.33, Free T4 is 1.64, Free T3 is 2.9, thyroid peroxidase antibodies, that\\u2019s for the Hashimoto\\u2019s, is 16. My doctor said my Free T4 was a little high so she suggested cutting my levothyroxine, which is a T4 only medication, 50 micrograms in half, which would be 25 micrograms and to come back in a couple of months for labs. Do you think my Free T3 levels are low? I\\u2019ve been having terrible issues with my muscles and heart palpitations. \\u2013Elizabeth.\\nShort Answer:\\xa0\\nLowering her dosage is a common reaction, but is not the right one. In this case, we would most likely switch the medication to a compounded, sustained-release combination of T4 and T3. As for the heart palpitations, it is probably not related to her medication because the dose is only 50 mcg. Women in perimenopause and going into menopause will commonly experience heart palpitations and be related to adrenal dysfunction and declining estrogen levels.\\nPYHP 079 Full Transcript:\\xa0\\nDownload PYHP 079 Transcript:\\xa0\\nDr. Maki: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us for another episode of the Progress Your Health podcast. I\\u2019m Dr. Maki.\\nDr. Davidson: And I\\u2019m Dr. Davidson.\\nDr. Maki: How are you doing today?\\nDr. Davidson: I\\u2019m doing great this morning. Thank you. It\\u2019s springtime, the birds are singing. The flowers are blooming, the weather\\u2019s finally getting to be about 50 degrees, which is good here, which is actually really, really good.\\nDr. Maki: Yes, we can\\u2019t complain. There\\u2019s been less rain, more sun, that\\u2019s always fun. The weather\\u2019s definitely picking up, now, it\\u2019s interesting here in Bellingham where we live. There\\u2019s not a lot of difference between\\u2013 like winter it averaged, this, at least this winter anyway, which I thought was odd. It averaged 40 degrees almost the entire winter which is pretty nice. I\\u2019m originally from Minnesota, Wisconsin area and 40 degrees in the wintertime is there wouldn\\u2019t be any snow, there wouldn\\u2019t even be winter if it was 40 degrees all year. So, we got pretty lucky this winter.\\nDr. Davidson: And your sister, my sister-in-law, she still lives in Minnesota. When I send her the\\u2013 you know, \\u201chow warm it is?\\u201d I\\u2019m like, \\u201cOh, it\\u2019s cold. It\\u2019s 41.\\u201d And she\\u2019s like, \\u201cThat\\u2019s t-shirt weather.\\u201d\\nDr. Maki: Yes, yes yes, she thinks worse, and living in Las Vegas, like we did for so long. We\\u2019re getting acclimated certainly to the northwest and I think we\\u2019ve transitioned pretty well, but she still thinks we\\u2019re wimps when it comes to the weather. I don\\u2019t consider that. I think that back there, I think the weather is just a little bit ridiculous. It\\u2019s not as bad as it used to be like, I remember being a kid, and it was in January, it was always below zero all the time. Just frigid temperature, it doesn\\u2019t seem like it gets that cold anymore like it used to.'