understand that BMR/body temp can indicate hypothyroidism, but i just got tested (regular check) and my body temp is consistently a couple of degrees low. My doc says he doesn't know why, so I'd be careful about treating yourself the way you seem to be tempted to do. I don't have to worry about paying for health care (Canada) but i do know what it is like to be broke, so i am truly sympathetic, but hormones are very tricky and you really can't judge your own situation by others' experiences. I've been in major depression for over two years now and am treatment resistent. In January, i was on antidepressants and we discovered my thyroid meds were too high, so my doc dropped me a bit. At the end of April, i had been off all antidepressants for two months and my thyroid level was good. He keeps me a little on the high side to help with depression, but honestly, I'm not convinced it has made any difference. When my level was too high, the only thing it affected was being too hot and having my heart pounding all the time. This is not something to second guess. Please, find a way to ge the blood test.