Endo visit tomorrow - advice on T3 please

[mountaingoat83]

Hi all,

I'm seeing the endo tomorrow, and he's mentioned on the phone that he might be amenable to me trying some T3 (he won't raise my levo dose as TSH v low, even though FT4 mid-range and FT3 bottom of range).

I don't really know much about T3, so if he does agree, I was just wondering if there are any particular questions I should be asking him about it or anything I should know?

Many thanks,

Emma

[Clutter]

Emma, if FT3 is low Liothyronine (T3) will raise it. 10mcg T3 is equivalent to 30mcg Levothyroxine. UK T3 is only available in 20mcg so you'll need to buy a pillcutter from your pharmacy if you are prescribed 10mcg. It can be taken with your Levothyroxine dose.

If you are prescribed 20mcg it may be better to take 10mcg for a week to see how you tolerate it before increasing to 20mcg split into 2 x 10mcg doses 8-12 hours apart.

T3 will reduce TSH the same as a Levothyroxine dose will. Don't mention it to your endo, in case he decides to reduce Levothyroxine dose.

[mountaingoat83 in reply to Clutter]

Thank you Clutter. I wonder if he will let me try it then if he doesn't like my already low tsh. And if both would lower tsh, then maybe a Levo increase would be better? It's all so confusing!

[Clutter in reply to mountaingoat83]

Emma, T3 will be better than a Levothyroxine increase for raising low T3.

[mountaingoat83 in reply to Clutter]

Thank you Clutter

[shaws Administrator]

I doubt he knows much about T3 himself as all they are taught is TSH plus levo.

Tell him you are concerned because you've had little improvement on levo and the result of your FT3 tests show that this is low and because it is the active hormone required in all of our receptor cells and the most most important hormone it seems obvious that levothyroxine isn't converting sufficiently into T3.

Read or copy the whole extract re FT3 from the attached link and this is a tiny part of it:

The Broda Barnes Foundation tell us "Dr Barnes found that the primary reason for the inaccuracy of the blood tests for thyroid function is that the thyroid hormones are not utilized in the blood, but are utilized intracellularly. Therefore a patient can have enough thyroid hormones circulating in the blood to give a "normal" reading, but if the hormones are not getting into the cells, the patient will be hypothyroid.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

If he says he takes no notice of anything from the internet tell him that Thyroiduk.org is an NHS Choices for people with dysfunctions of the thyroid gland.

[mountaingoat83 in reply to shaws]

Many thanks Shaws