Levothyroxine and T3

[mcrossbonfire]

I am currently taking 150mcg Levo and want to add in T3. I would be grateful if someone can advise me how much of each I should take as a starting point.

Many thanks

[Marz]

Have looked at your earlier posts/threads and cannot see a FT3 result.  Am sure others will be along with some advice to help you soon .....  Hope adding the T3 works for you.  Do you have good levels of Ferritin - Iron - Folate - B12 - VitD ?  When these are low - thyroid hormones do not work well - I have read.   So do ensure the foundations are in place first before embarking on the T3 journey.  I have read many posts here where people have started T3 - then it has not been a success.  Digging and delving often reveals their levels of the above vitamins and minerals are not optimal.

Hope you soon feel stronger .....

[radd]

mcrossbonfire, 

We usually start with a quarter pill of T3 to introduce slowly to see how it is tolerated. It is much stronger than T4 and effects are often felt straight away and dose raised after a few days//week. 

It would be helpful to members if you supplied recent test results including ranges (numbers in brackets) as your med doses will depend on these.

If you are not optimally medicated on T4 alone (near top of range) you will have no need to reduce. I reduced mine too much and after the wonderful initial high of T3, it took months to regain the T4 loss and I felt awful. On the either hand you don't want to overmedicate as this can be equally detrimental.

For many who are taking T4 alone when it is not working, the ratios of T4 & T3 are important to get a balance that allow meds to synthesis and progressively work better in the body as the T3 will enhance T4 in the long run..

As Marz says above optimal levels of iron, nutrients and cortisol are imperative for success.

[hose1975 in reply to radd]

I was optimally medicated by fT4 result on 150mcg but my fT3 was at the bottom of the range. I'm now taking 150mcg T4 and 22.5mcg T3 and my fT3 is now optimal.

 I think it depends more on your fT3 result than anything else, as it's said that the fT4 result will drop once T3 is added to the mix (certainly true in my case - fT4 now mid-range). You may not need to drop any T4 at all.

[Redditch]

I would drop the kevo to 100 and take 10 T3 for five days then increase the T3 to 20

Things to remember Levo takes 4 days to hit your system T3 takes 20 minutes.

Break up your T3 take it in tiny bits spaced by half an hour. Go carefully!

[mcrossbonfire]

Thank you all for your responses. I just had a blood test done yesterday. As soon as I get the results I will post them.

Marylyn