Why does my t3 only seem to last 4 hours ? I'm fine after it take it and then almost 4 hours bang on I seem to come down again?

[stuartwwhouse]

I am on 150 Levo at night and 20 mcg t3 split in 2 10 mcg doses for the day

Been taking t3 for 15 days now

[Hidden]

Because it has a shorter half life than T4. That's why a split dose is recommended

[dolphin5]

T3 lasts just 4 - 5 hours in your body, so you need to take it more than once a day to keep your level up, and taking too much at once would lead to hyper symptoms. I've read that people are usually told to take it twice a day as this is best for "compliance", but that ideally your dose would be split into more than two doses to keep the level where you need it all day. I don't take it myself although there are times when I think I could benefit from it, but I haven't pushed to get it as it's not easy to manage. Good luck!

[stuartwwhouse]

I see! So I will have to split this 20 mcg t3 into a lot of bits then as I'm normally awake for about 15 hours a day ! Endo said take the whole thing in the morning , does the strength matter in the longevity of the pill ?

[Hashi2014]

Why not try 10 half tablet in morning, 5 at lunchtime and 5 teatime, that should keep you topped up all day!

good luck ......... Hashi x

[shaws Administrator]

T3 may be absorbed quickly over several hours but the effect of it lasts between 1 to 3 days, so I am not sure why you feel it's not effective for you. Maybe it's the levothyroxine is the problem.

I take T3 and also when I took NDT, I took my dose once a day and I feel normal health, thankfully.

These are a couple of excerpts from Dr Lowe who used T3 and NDT extensively plus nutritional supplements.

1. And finally, why do I specify that the typical patient use one full dose of non-timed-release Cytomel for life? Because extensive testing has shown that this is safe, effective, and most economical—when used within the context of our entire protocol.

2. Our long clinical experience shows that in general, patients respond far better to T3 alone than they do to T4 alone. Moreover, our safety monitoring of patients shows that the responsible use of T3 alone is as safe as the use of T4 or T4/T3. By "responsible use," of course, I mean employing the same precautions that are appropriate to the use of any thyroid hormone product.

3. The transcription and translation initiated by the binding of T3 to T3-receptors occur in waves, and these waves far outlast the T3 that started them at the chromosomes. Moreover, the newly synthesized proteins themselves far outlast the transcription and translation. As a result, a single dose of T3 will be long gone from the patient's system before he or she experiences most of the benefits of that dose—a molecular and metabolic yield that may smoothly spread out over one to three days. The "rocky road" ( August 7, 2001

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[cc120 in reply to shaws]

Hi Shaws, what is your dosage of NDT and your T3 please?

[stuartwwhouse in reply to shaws]

It does work but the chronic fatigue , and tired eyes returns within 4 hours of dosing , I have tried 3 times a day and that seems to help

It's just such a pain to take pills 3 times a day

The endo has just increased my dose ( a week ago) from 10 to 20 mcg so maybe I need more time?

[mandy-white]

I am on T3 only and I certainly know when I am ready for my next dose. I split my 60 into 20 three times a day.

[PinkNinja]

It might be because you are on a low dose and haven't been on it very long or it might just be that you are someone who needs to multi dose. We are all different, after all.

I could take 75mcg in the morning and 25mcg at night and be fine but I think I feel better taking 50mcg am, 25mcg mid day and 25mcg at night. Some people take their entire dose once a day and are fine.

It is also possible that your adrenals aren't in top shape at the moment meaning that you get tired a few hours after taking t3. The good news is that adding t3 can help with that in the long run. You may find that, in time, you don't get that dip but for now multi dosing is a good strategy. You may even find you need more t3. Another 10mcg would not be an unreasonable addition.

Carolyn x

[sazzyb]

Hi stuart, I only read last week that T3 peaks in your body after 2 hours then falls rapidly. My friend takes hers 3 times a day but some people split theirs even more, up to 5 times a day.

[suzannai]

T3 has a very short half life in the body and is used up quickly which is why many have to dose it several times per day. On the flip side T4 has a much longer half life.