My endo wants to see my ft3 higher so has upped me to 20 mcgs which is what I'm on now.
Sometimes I think I'm taking a huge amount of T3 but then I read other posts and realise some people are on enormous amounts.
I haven't felt a huge improvement yet and am still in bed half the day.
I take my Levo first thing and my T3. 4 x a day.
Pretty soon I may have to go to 25 mcgs of T3. I've been told I can only raise by 5mcgs every 2 weeks because of the psychosis which has gone thank goodness but reappears if I raise too quickly.
Just suppose I need to a bit of moral support to tell me I'm heading in the right direction.x
Joesmum, 20mcg T3 is equivalent to 60mcg T4. It's not a large dose but is probably enough for most people when added to T4.
5.4 is good and the additional 10mcg T3 will put you pretty much top of range. I'm sure you're headed in the right direction now Symptoms can lag behind good biochemistry by a couple of months and maybe longer if you've been undermedicated for a long time. You'll need to pace yourself as you become more active and regain stamina and energy and avoid overdoing it whichcould set you back.
Might be an idea to keep a symptoms/dose/activity diary as top of range can make some people feel a bit hyper and it's good to track small positive changes.
Joesmum, T4 orT3 should be raised at any one time. Don't worry about low FT4, it's a storage hormone and doesn't need to be high when you take oral T3. Your FT3 is good so you don't need more T4.
Some people do best ..have better results taking t3 1x per day as Dr. Lowe said it was the only way it worked. It was not designed to be multidosed by the manufacturer.
What else have they tested? Do you have results for ferritin, D3, and B12? You can ask for your blood results from the surgery, if they don't have it online for you.
Symptoms do lag, but it sounds as if there may be something else going on as well.
I read a great book which describes how T3 is ineffective in small amounts likening it to waves coming on to the shore over a wall of rocks, ie you need a certain amount to get over the wall before it has any effect - this seemed to be the case for me, I went slowly up from 5, to 7.5, to 10 to 12.5 mg and only when I hit 12.5 did it have any effect - I now take 25mg twice a day (8am and 1pm and a further 12.5mg at 5pm and just before bedtime) but I'm not on any T4 - so really all I'm saying is, you might not have hit your optimal level of T3 yet -
Yes joesmum, it's better to take at least one amount of say 12.5 (or at least 10) in one go, maybe start at 10 if you're worried about going over - I definitely felt the difference when I hit that sweet spot - at least T3 clears within hours so if you did go over you'll know immediately and can lower the next dose - also, taking a small amount of T3 before bed has really improved my sleep quality, helps the liver as it detoxes at 2am by giving the cells more energy and stops the adrenal glands going into action and waking you up
I can't comment on the dosage as I'm not on T3 but what I've discovered recently is to really pay attention to "detoxing the liver" to remove metabolic waste as invariably it clogs every cell in the body including brain. If we're not removing toxins naturally through sweating etc then they build up.
Patrick Holford has written a book on detoxing or it might be worth working with a BANT registered nutritionist.
I've come to realise that what I'm experiencing is my complete "thyroid hormone pathway" is out of sync.
I've gone back to basics, done a hair test with Bionetics information on the ThyroidUk website to find out what my Primary stressors are. I found that invaluable as their chemist was able to use my bio-unique hair root to let me know which mineral would be the best to eradicate a lingering post-virus. The test comes with an included 15 minute consultation For me it has been heavy metals which has given me mental gymnastics to figure out where I've acquired them and how to get rid of them both internally and externally without causing mayhem. Some house renovations are now being considered and I'm drinking barley grass -ugh.
I'm also using high quality organic creams (Napiers Herbal) and oils (Tisserand) such as wild yam (to balance female hormones) frankincense and rose (hug in a bottle) in a carrier oil of grape seed not sweet almond (goiterogen). Neroli is great to smell drifting off to sleep. Obviously your nose will tell you if it's correct for you. Another product that I've found invaluable is Magnesium oil when rubbed onto thighs or wrists etc I've found that it has a wonderfully calming effect. Caution with this though - skin test and blood pressure check. In desperation I've also used the L'Occitaine foot cream and it has a sleep inducing, calming effect superb product though caution when getting up to go to the toilet!
Most importantly feel uplifted by the support from all of us on a similar path.
Wishing us all good health.
Mourneadventurer
Lovely helpful comments from all of you. Thank you so much. Xx
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Symptoms can lag behind good biochemistry by a couple of months and maybe longer if you've been undermedicated for a long time. You'll need to pace yourself as you become more active and regain stamina and energy and avoid overdoing it whichcould set you back.
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