t3 only: hi guys i started t3 only yesterday so... - Thyroid UK

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t3 only

markgreenhill profile image
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hi guys i started t3 only yesterday so today is my second day.i was on ndt and at the start it was great until i got to 2 grains then i realized i couldn't raise it no more, i had to drop back down to 1.5 grains but at this amount i was feeling bk hypo again.

tests showed high t3 levels and rt3 at 24 and i think the ratio was 18 i also know i have high cortisol so it looks like i have rt3 dominance going on here.so im doing t3 to clear the rt3 out my system ive started on 6.5 early morning and 6.5 mg about 10 am ive not felt to bad just a bit weird i think my head feels clearer already i went the gym this morning and god i feel dead now really dead lol is this a low amount to start on?

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Clutter profile image
Clutter

Markgreenhill,

You were taking 13.5mcg T3 in 1.5 grains NDT so 12.5mcg is a low dose for you. 1.5 grains NDT is equivalent to 37.5mcg T3. The lower the dose T3 you can cope on the quicker high rT3 will clear but it can take up to 4 months.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Clutter

hi clutter thanks for replying.do you think it would be ok to raise my dose then?

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to markgreenhill

Markgreenhill,

I think you'll become very hypo if you don't. Perhaps try 25mcg while the T4 is washing out and then increase in 6.25mcg doses if necessary.

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Clutter

do u think taking 25 mg is ok early then 6.5 ml about 10 am maybe then hold it at that for a while? sorry for all the questions its just ive felt very dead today lol

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to markgreenhill

MarkGreenhill,

I'd try 25mcg split into 2 doses while the NDT washes out. You can increase after if necessary.

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Clutter

hi,yh i had 12.5 mg at 5 am and i feel not good still maybe i just need time to get used to the t3 .do many people have a rough time at the start of it do u know?

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to markgreenhill

Markgreenhill,

Some people do better on NDT than synthetic T4 and T3. Try a second dose of 12.5mcg in 8-12 hours.

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Clutter

thanks for your help.

radd profile image
radd

Mark,

Because you have elevated RT3, reducing or stopping T4 and introducing T3 will help but it all depends on why you have RT3 in the first place.

The T3 needs to be in small doses several times a day on the least dose you can function on because if you take too much T3 you have a big chance of pooling (T3 is unable to enter the cell so you end up with too much in the blood stream.)

Also, too much T3 can raise estradiol which can be problematic, especially for men as will not only increase thyroid binding globulin (TBG) which may stop T3 from being free (so able to enter the cells) but also decreases androgens (male hormones).

The more RT3 you have, the less T3 you have in your body (as T4 has converted to RT3) inducing hypothyroid symptoms but these symptoms can overlap with others such as high/low cortisol or low iron. If you think elevated cortisol is the reason for your high RT3, you will need to address this also, otherwise RT3 will just return.

As cortisol levels fall you may get too much sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in your blood stream which will bind to testosterone. An adequate level of "free" testosterone is required to help T3 work better. Medicating T3-only can also drive up SHBG.

As you are trying to correct a huge imbalance in your hormones it would be prudent to be kind to your body and maybe moderate gym sessions a little which will raise cortisol levels further..

You also need to optimise nutrients and iron and supplement antioxidants such as milk thistle will help the liver clear RT3 from your body. Selenium is also thought to help.

When RT3 starts to clear, I read many experience huge hyper symptoms and have to suddenly drop their dose of T3 by up to half.

You may want to read "The CT3M Handbook " by Paul Robinson to be aware of the pit falls.

.

Treating RT3

stopthethyroidmadness.com/r...

.

Selenium lowers RT3

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/777...

.

Testosterone & Thyroid Hormones

recoveringwitht3.com/blog/t...

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to radd

hi rad thanks for your reply,my iron levels etc are ok as far as i know its just the high cortisol and the rt3 that is the problem.i think its been blocking my cells and metabolism,cause my temps never changed at all on the ndt and were still low. the more i raised that ndt the more brain fog i had and mood swings where really bad.its only been 2 days and my head feels a lot clearer already,i just feel a bit dead cause my be im on a to lower dose,what do u think a safe dose right now would be for me?? i am a bit worried about getting suddenly hyper. thanks mark

radd profile image
radd in reply to markgreenhill

Mark,

It is important not to go too high with T3 as it will not speed up the rate of RT3 excretion or decay, and increases the chance of pooling.

If your thyroid is still working a little, you only need to take an amount that will suppress TSH and stop T4 production. If your thyroid is completely kaput, then you need to take less, even if slightly symptomatic.

As the T4 leaves your body, your need for higher levels of T3 will increase and you may be tempted to increase the T3 dose but it must be kept low .

I read a lot of RT3 will reduce in the first six weeks but it is important not to introduce T4 for at least 3 months in order to clear the receptors.

Taking pulse/temp will give you an idea of what is going on.

I do not know how much T3 you should be medicating as haven't done this protocol myself. I would emphasise when the receptors clear it can be sudden making you extremely hyper.

Oh yes... and give plenty of support to your adrenals.

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to radd

thanks rad for your help :) ill keep u posted on my progress i'm going to up my dose tomorrow to mybe 12.5 to time a day :)

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

Markgreenhill

I am the same as you. I have high cortisol prob, high rt3 and started adding some t3 about 3wks ago to my levo

What do you take to help your high cortisol?

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Jefner

hi ermmm i'm not taking any think right now for my adrenals,the reason being i had my first adrenal test done in november and it showed very high cortisol,since then i had palpitations start with low blood pressure so im thinking that might have changed a bit now. ive got another test here do be done 2moro to see how there getting on now.

i was taking b6.b5 zinc ,mag,selenium vit etc to supports the adrenals and i've got ashwaganda,licorice tea and phosphatidyl serine to lower cortisol but i don't want lower it if its gone low lol so i'm just waiting to see what the test says. ive also start t3 only which im finding hard at the min.

how high was your cortisol and rt3?

in reply to markgreenhill

hi markgreenhill... are u uk? why i ask is, i have received my saliva test for adrenals from genova, and when i get my results , if they are showing problems, will my doctor listen to me and take action ?hmmm i have a niggling feeling he may not!

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to

yh i'm in walsall in the uk are your talking about a normal gp? if the answer is yes i very much doubt it they haven't got a clue about any thing, in my option,the only way is through a private doctor but its very expensive.

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

I am not far from you, i am in warwickshire

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

Latest cortisol came out high on all four samples. Morning one in april was 82.43 (7.45-32.56) but early july came down to 49.26. Others no where near as high but my evening one has gone up.

Rt3 done in march 0.77 (0.14-0.54). I dont know whether that is mega high though, had no comparisons

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Jefner

both seem high u sound like you got something similer to me going on. im feeling a bit rough on this t3 im thinking of just stopping it all now.

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

What symptoms do u get with your high cortisol?

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Jefner

i'm not sure whats causes my symptoms to be honest weathers its the high cortisol or the low t3 but i get very bad brain fog at times and cant think clearly at all and i was getting weakness in my body like some time when i brush my teeth my arm aches and same when going wc i was sitting down to go for a wee lol just had no energy. this is b4 i was taking ndt then i got my energy bk for a bit but now its gone down hil now :(

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

Everyone has bern suffering with the heat as well. I feel so poorly i want to give up

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Jefner

yh it has been hot i'm not sleeping well in this heat i've even resorted to sleeping down stairs cause its cooler lol do u really feel that bad?? are you on any treatment?

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

yes I do feel that bad hon, the anxiety and nausea is really bad from waking up until early evening when symptoms seems to subside a little. Yes I am on Levo and T3 and some Holy Basil

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Jefner

hi jefner i used to get very bad anxiety and i mean bad i had a form of health anxiety for while and i couldn't work out what it was so a researched it a lot and i worked out this could be due to diet and the one food group that i found i cant tolerate is night shades it affect the nervous system in some people like me. and if i eat alot of them i get very anxious.

when i stopped them after a while i felt carm and relaxed and have been that way for a ages now but if i eat them again it comes back.its was horrible.

the thyroid and adrenals are also connected to it as is mercury, you just got to do a lot of investigation work to find these things out. i spent hours on hours on the pc look at alot of things cause then docs are useless not all docs but i mean mainly gps

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

markgreenhill

yes I know where you are coming from. I have spent months researching. I have never had any problems with anything I have ever eaten apart from two many eggs in a week which would make me feel queezy, but I rarely eat them now and they are currently off my diet anyway along with dairy.

Which nightshades are you referring to that you couldn't tolerate?

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Jefner

all of them as far as i know. like potatoes tomatoes,Cayenne pepper,bell peppers even cigarette smoke i avoid all of them now. which is a pain cause i love night shades lol

Jefner profile image
Jefner in reply to markgreenhill

I smoke unfortunately

markgreenhill profile image
markgreenhill in reply to Jefner

i used to but ive quit now:)

in reply to radd

brilliant radd... i learn more everytime i come on here...

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