T3 side effects

[Lfhbm]

Trying T3 again this weekend. Took 5 mcg this morning and I feel awful! Just awful! Have slightly calmed down to write this! Heavy in my body. Too hot and too cold feelings. Tightness in my chest. Head weighs a tonne. Almost feel like I'm having a panic attack - but I know I'm not. Anyone else feel terrible this quick with T3?

[shaws Administrator]

What dose of levo where you taking before beginning T3?

[Lfhbm in reply to shaws]

75mcg. Today I took 50 mcg with the Levo. Last weekend I took 75 mcg with Levo and felt pretty crap. So thought I'd try again today with lower Levo.

[Lfhbm in reply to Lfhbm]

Sorry I don't know if that makes sense. Today I took 50 Levo with the t3.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Lfhbm]

Ok so usually you're on 75 levo and today you took 50 levo w 5 t3? Is that correct? I think shaws is thinking hmm, 50mcg t3 is a lot to just throw in randomly.

It takes some time for t4 to reduce, so if you only reduced today it's possible you're on too much. Generally if you add t3 you reduce levo in advance, but 5 is such a tiny dose it seems unlikely to have created a problem unless it was already v high in the range. Do you know what your last bloods were like?

[Lfhbm in reply to puncturedbicycle]

I only know my latest TSH was 2.3. When starting T3 how long should a reduced Levo be taken for before adding T3?

I'm not finding this to be a good experience. On top of what I've already said, I ache all over like I'm 100 years old! I'm wondering if it just doesn't suit me!

Thank you so much for your help!

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Lfhbm]

Ok, you're not likely to be on too much. That tsh is too high. I can only repeat that 5mcg is unlikely to be 'too much' as it is a tiny dose. I'd add in another 10 later in the day and see how you go. Your symptoms sound like typical undertreatment symptoms. I guess there could be some sort of filler reaction, but again, tiny dose.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Omg having read shaws's reply, of course, you're feeling the effects of reducing your levo. This is why I can't get through more than 24hrs without taking levo (like when I had stopped my levo to prepare to try t3 only or ndt, I wigged out).

[faith63 in reply to Lfhbm]

i had to be off of all t4 for nearly 8 weeks, before i was able to take even 25 t3 and then was able to raise. I had horrible hyper symptoms, The levo stood in my way of raising, but did not make me lose any weight or anything else, much.

[faith63 in reply to Lfhbm]

its the t4, not the t3 that is the issue.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Lfhbm]

You said on your first question that you took 5mcg of T3. So in fact you took 50mcg of T3 with ? of levothyroxine?

[Lfhbm in reply to shaws]

No I took 5 mcg of t3 and 50 mcg Levo

[shaws Administrator in reply to Lfhbm]

O.K. 5mcg is a tiny dose and you reduced your levo to 50mcg so in general that's not a large dose.

It could be that combined, 5mcg (equal to approx 15mcg levo) plus 50mcg of levo is around 65mcg so nearly equal to what you have taken with levo.

Maybe wait a couple of days to let your system calm down and attempt again 5mcg of T3 with T4. I found T3 very calming as levo gave me lots of unpleasant palpitations.

Are you taking any other medications, supplements etc. or just levo and T3?

[puncturedbicycle in reply to shaws]

Yes, and falling levo can give you palps and anxiety big time.

[Lfhbm in reply to shaws]

Hi, I take magnesium with b6, vitamin d and omega 3. I've taken 75 mcg of Levo today and no T3. If I'm to try T3 again, how much Levo should I take with 5 mcg t3? I'm very confused by it all! Exhausted this morning. It's taken years to get T3 from my endo - my rapid ten kilo weight gain since starting Levo is ignored by all docs and seen as my fault, I really hoped T3 would give me some energy and help me to feel like myself again.

Thank you for your help.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Lfhbm]

You should take any supplements/vitamins apart from thyroid hormones. I find it best to take them at lunchtime as most have to be taken with food.

T3 isn't a miracle hormone, in that it doesn't work instantly for some and 5 mcg is so small it might not much effect. The recommendation when changing from levo to levo/T3 is:-

If you were taking 100mcg of levo, you drop 25mcg levo and add 10mcg of T3. 10mcg is around 30mcg levo. After about 2 weeks raise by 1/4 dose of T3 and so on until you feel much better and stay on that dose.Take both with one glass of water on an empty stomach which I think you know.

You should take pulse/temp before you begin because commonly both are low so thyroid hormones gradually bring them up to what was near normal. If for any reason either go too high you must reduce your dose to the previous one.

I

(I am not medically qualified but have hypothyroidism which was undiagnosed and unmedicated).

[Lfhbm in reply to shaws]

so, if I take 50 Levo for a week and then try to add t3 again, I should be somewhat balanced?

[shaws Administrator in reply to Lfhbm]

I cannot say as I'm not medically qualified and don't know how your body will respond to 50 levo + 5 T3. We have to go on how our body responds to thyroid hormones.

I think it may be better for you to take 75mcg (your original dose) and add 5 T3 and then see how you 'feel' after 2 weeks and increase T3 by 1/4 again. Your TSH at 2+ is a bit on he high side and around 1 might be better.

[Lfhbm in reply to shaws]

Thank you

[sulamaye]

Perhaps there is a filler reaction? I just can't see 5 mcg of t3 being noticed, I take 80 now but I started taking a combo under my old GP 16 years ago, she added in 20 mcg straight on top of 150mcg t4 and I didn't know how t3 worked or anything and never noticed a thing. Sometimes we can be frightened of something and that can exacerbate a reaction, did you feel frightened or nervous of taking t3?

[Lfhbm in reply to sulamaye]

Could be a filler. I can't say I was all that nervous; I tend to be a nervous person by nature!

[Lfhbm in reply to Lfhbm]

Just to add that when I started ale ok had a big reaction to it too. I had to start on half a 25 mcg pill and slowly move up. So I tend to be quite sensitive.

[bern7475]

I couldn't take standard t3 because of the same things. I now take time released t3 from a compounding pharmacy without the side effects.

[fortunata]

I take 60mcgs of T3 only a day 5mcgs sounds like a tiny dose.

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I was prescribed 75 T4 and 20 T3 with no instruction to reduce T4 first and coped OK after an initial wobble, am now on 50 T4 and 40 T3 and doing ok too. Could you have a virus Lfhbm?