"In the field of endocrinology, if the body’s response to a hormone is blunted despite high levels of the hormone being present, hormone resistance is said to exist. The best known example is insulin resistance which can be found in many of those with diabetes type 2 and obesity. In the case of insulin resistance, insulin levels are very high but the body acts as if there isn’t enough insulin with the result being elevated blood sugar (type 2 diabetes). Could hormone resistance be the explanation of high T3 levels in those who don’t respond to levothyroxine? Or are there multiple ways that people fail to respond to traditional therapy with T4 and in our analysis we identified more of those with T3 resistance than those with the type predicted by Dr. Bianco? - See more at: metabolism.com/2015/11/10/c...
This article portrays exactly what my doctor believes I have, thyroid resistance.
I feel normal with elevated T3 and suppressed TSH and top of range T4.
When I say normal, I mean I feel fantastic, better than I have in 15ish years? I remember feeling this way up to my mid teens, enthusiastic about life, energetic, with no physical complaints at all. It's like someone just gave me a new body, a new life.
It makes me sad that so many are poorly treated and feel like I did up to a few weeks ago.
Written by
Rachel_81
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Thanks for your link and I hope that many Endocrinologists will take up prescribing at least some t3 for their patients. But they are toeing the guidelines laid down by their Associations.
I think that for some levothyroxine doesn't help them because it is a synthetic hormone. Even though T3 is also synthetic it doesn't need to be converted and I understand that people with Thyroid Hormone Resistance need super doses of thyroid hormones to feel well and they may not have hypothyroidism:-
"First, resistant patients recover from their hypothyroid-like symptoms and signs only with extraordinarily large dosages of T3 (called "supraphysiologic" dosages). Second, despite these large dosages—which might hospitalize a person who doesn't have tissue resistance—the patients have no indication of tissue overstimulation."
This is an article regarding Thyroid Hormone Resistance too:
For me, like you, I am well on T3 only and I was also good on NDT but very unwell on levothyroxine.
My personal opinion is that the blood tests were introduced for levo only and if we don't take levo the blood tests can only be a guide. A couple of other excerpts:
1. Our treatment team uses the TSH level only initially to help clarify a patient’s thyroid status. But during treatment, we completely ignore the level. The reason is that the TSH level is totally irrelevant to normalizing the patient’s whole body metabolism and relieving his or her suffering. The only clinical value of the TSH level is to see the effect of a particular dose of thyroid hormone on the pituitary gland’s "thyrotroph" (TSH-secreting) cells.
2.You may find it helpful to keep in mind a clear-cut double standard of the endocrinology specialty. Endocrinologists keep thousands of thyroid cancer patients on TSH-suppressive doses of thyroid hormone. But these specialists vociferously warn of grave dangers if hypothyroid patients use the same TSH-suppressive doses. However, meta-analyses of studies show that these doses are harmless to thyroid cancer patients, despite them staying on the doses for decades. Rather than harming the cancer patients, TSH-suppressive doses appear to benefit them: researchers write that the patients report feeling better on these doses than hypothyroid patients do on T4-replacement. (In T4-replacement, of course, the patient uses a dose of thyroid hormone that doesn't suppress the TSH.)
I agree that it makes little sense that TSH suppression is harmful, if we are dosing synthetically then TSH is not needed to stimulate the Thyroid right?
And if the thyroid was giving us what we needed then we wouldn't have felt so awful.
My endo is only concerned that I dont get hyper symptoms and that we monitor my bone density. I personally think that if she were to say that the T3 would have 10 years knocked off my life I would still take it, my quality of life before was not acceptable.
I will now read the links! Thanks for all the information!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Does anyone know of any evidence that supports the need to target higher levels of T3 / T4 in treatment of hypothyroid patients?
Blood Test Results - Newly Diagnosed Hypothyroidism & TTC
Hypothyroid with High RT3 & Defective DIO2 Gene. On T3 only treatment. No improvements.
Slow Release T3 - How long to leave between intake and blood test?
blood test result after adding t3. I desperately need help. This is my only hope. 
