Hi all - I'm a new member and desperate for advice and info on hashimoto medication. Just to give a little history I was diagnosed 6 months ago previous to having thyrotoxicosis for two months and being told I was just having panic attacks being a single mother 😡
Anyway been on 50 mcg levothyroxine since then. My worst symptoms were joint and muscle pain - hair falling out - dry skin on my face which looked dreadful and massive weight gain and water retention and terrible mood swings plus fatigue
They only checked tsh and apparantly that's fine however only my skin and hair loss has improved on levothyroxine ( I was Vit d deficient but that's ok now after supplements
A colleague who's a gp suggested I ask consultant for t3 and use half the amount of levo and use the same amount of liothyronine. 25/25
My consultant says as my tsh is ok I dint need anything changed.
But I'm
Do depressed and fed up of being in pain and so fat - I really do feel depressed. The gp colleague isn't my gp so said she couldn't prescribe them but said j should try and push the consultant to try - she has had fab results from using both medications with a lot of her patients.
Does anyone know where I can buy liothyronine from so that I can at least TRY to get out of this misery?
Written by
Dsdc
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Welcome to our forum and sorry to hear you are not feeling well.
Many members have felt the benefit of adding a little T3 if it is needed and will pm you details of T3 suppliers but it would be prudent to have T3 tested before medicating so you have a clear picture of what is happening. Most GP's will not test T3 so members use private labs - link below.
For many, ALL thyroid meds require OPTIMAL nutrient and iron levels to work well. Ask your GP to test Vit B12, folate, ferritin, Vit D and post results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets) for members to comment.
25mcg T3 is equivalent to 75mcg Levothyroxine so adding 25mcg T3 to 25mcg Levothyroxine is quite a dose increase. It may be better to quarter a tablet into 6.25mcg doses and add 6.25mcg T3 to 50mcg Levothyroxine. You will need to check your FT3 level when taking T3 to make sure it remains within range.
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.
As you have Hashimoto's you may find 100% gluten-free diet may improve symptoms and reduce antibodies. Some members find G-F helps with weight loss too.
Just a tip - if you have any nutritional deficiencies this will reduce the effectiveness of your thyroid meds, what ever ones you take. It would be worth asking your GP for tests of your vitamin B12, vitamin D, folate and ferritin. Once the results are available ask for a copy of the results including reference ranges. Just being told they are normal is NOT sufficient.
The nutrients I listed above are the absolute basic essentials for getting your thyroid meds working well, but there are others that are important too :
as others gave already said, check your levels of vitamin d, b12, folate and ferratin. These all need to at good (not just average) levels for thyroid hormones to work in our cells.
Also have you had thyroid antibodies checked? There are two sorts TPO Ab and TG Ab. (Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) Both need checking, if either, or both are high this means autoimmune thyroid - called Hashimoto's - most common cause of being hypo. NHS rarely checks TPO and almost never checks TG.
Make sure you get the actual figures from tests (including ranges - figures in brackets). You are entitled to copies of your own results. Some surgeries make nominal charge for printing out. Alternatively you can now ask for online access to your own medical records. Though not all surgeries can do this yet, or may not have blood test results available yet online, but all should be doing this with couple of years.
When you get results suggest you make a new post on here and members can offer advise on any vitamin supplements needed
If you can not get GP to do these tests, then like many of us, you can get them done privately
Blue Horizon - Thyroid plus eleven tests all these.
This is an easy to do fingerprick test you do at home, post back and they email results to you couple of days later. Usual advice on this test, is to do early in morning, no food or drink beforehand (other than water) don't take Levo in 24 hours before (take straight after).
If you have Hashimoto's then you may find adopting 100% gluten free diet can help reduce symptoms, and lower antibodies too.
Assume you know that Levo generally should be taken on empty stomach and no food or drink for at least hour after. Many take on waking, some prefer bedtime, either as more convenient or perhaps more effective. No other medications at same time, especially iron or magnesium, these must be at least 4 hours away
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Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Advice on reducing T3 please
Help with Liothyronine?
Levothyroxine (T4) and Liothyronine (T3)
Three months of liothyronine and now my hair has FINALLY stopped falling out!
