T3

[HypoHelen2867]

Hi

I've been on Levo since June I'm desperate to lose weight. Can taking T3 help me lose weight?

Thanks 😄

[Marz]

First you need to look at your latest blood test results. What did they test ? Results with ranges ? Did they test Ferritin - B12 - Folate - VitD ??? All need to be Optimal for the Thyroid hormones to work efficiently in the body. Maybe you need a dose increase ....

Sorry for all the questions - but I for one will not make claims about T3 unless the building blocks for health are in place. You first need to know if you have a Low T3 - or maybe have a conversion problem. So do give us more information.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

I agree with Marz. Some people think T3 is the magic ingredient but you do need all vitamins and minerals to be optimal first for thyroid hormone to work. You also need to know if you convert T4 to T3 well enough and if you do adding T3 long term can make you ill. Having optimal vits and mins plus optimal thyroid meds means conditions are right for residual symptoms to be alleviated including weight problems.

You haven't been on thyroid meds long and are probably still on a starter dose and it can take months for the full effect of the correct dose of Levo to start making a big difference.

It could be that you are under medicated and just need an increase in your Levo so you need FT4 and FT3 tested at the same time plus your vitamins and minerals tested.

Do you have any test results you can post, with reference ranges, as a start? Also, what dose of Levo are you on? Are you being re-tested 6 weeks after a dose increase to check your levels?

[shaws Administrator]

As the other members have suggested, being hypothyroid and finally diagnosed and given levothyroxine. It is not a 'quick fix'.

It may have taken years for us to be finally diagnosed as it is a gradual, slow, process to become symptomatic. There are around 300+ clinical symptoms but the most common plea is regarding weight gain.

Due to hypothyroid (hypo meaning slow) it slows down our whole system, heart (pulse) and temp and digestion. In order to bring our body back into a good state of health, our thyroid hormones have to be gradually increased about every six weeks till our symptoms resolve and we feel well. Quite a number have said that there weight reduced.

Many doctors mistakenly believe that once our TSH reaches anywhere in the 'range' that we are on sufficient levothyroxine (or any other thyroid hormone replacements we may take) but we feel best when it is around 1.

We have to read and learn and the first thing is to know how to get the best results.

1. Take levothyroxine first thing, or at bedtime, with one glass of water. Your stomach has to be empty so nothing to eat until after you take levo and wait about an hour before eating. If you select bedtime dosing, 3 hours should elapse before your last meal. Food (coffee too) interferes with the uptake.

2. Always have the earliest possible appointment for blood tests and allow about 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the blood tests.

3. Always get a print-out of your blood test results and make sure the ranges are stated, as labs differ and results in different ranges. It makes it easier for members to respond.

Get the tests Marz has recommended to as they are usually deficient and everything has to be optimum. Also if you take supplements or other medications they should be taken a few hours apart, particularly iron which should be about 4 hours.

(I am not medically qualified - have hypothyroidism which was undiagnosed/untreated for a long time but I'm well now).

[diogenes Remembering]

Never take T3 any old way just to lose weight. If your thyroid medications are satisfactory otherwise, it can be dangerous to use T3 indiscriminately because it can give you heart problems (palpitations, AF etc). T3 is very powerful and has to be used carefully and responsibly. The tragedy is that people can't interact sensibly with a doctor to probe what weight losing methods can be done with very careful T3 dosing because T3 is taboo in many doctor's eyes.

[HypoHelen2867]

My last blood results in August were

TSH - 0.077 Range 0.4-4.0

T3 - 3.44 Range 1.8-4.2

T4 - 1.82 Range 0.8-19

B12 - 304 Range 193-1000

Ferritin - 10.3 Range 6.0-160

Cortisol - 8.93 Range 5.0-25.0

DHEAS - 120 Range 35-430

I'm taking 75mg and 50mg of Levo alternate days. I see my Endo again in Nov.

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to HypoHelen2867]

T4 is 1.9 not 19

[Marz in reply to HypoHelen2867]

I think your B12 is too low and needs to be nearer the top of the range. Ferritin is dire and needs to be mid range so I would suggest you look around this forum for suggestions for good iron supplements. Type - Iron supplements - into the Search Box at the top of this page and read what appears.

I believe the 24 Hour Saliva Test for Cortisol can produce more accurate information - however your result does look low.

What supplements and other medication are you taking ?

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to Marz]

I've had 3 iron infusions a few mths ago. I need to get my B12 sorted as well. I'm taking pantoprazol for Acid Reflux, and HRT

[Marz in reply to HypoHelen2867]

Have you checked out if you have LOW or HIGH acid. Maybe the drug you are taking is negating your iron and preventing absorption. Have you checked to see if it is contra-indicated ?

Mostly when people are Hypo they have low acid and not high. Symptoms often the same. Have you tried the Home Test ?

webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1763...

As you can see in the above link - if you have LOW B12 then you should not be taking pantoprazole ....

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to Marz]

I had a endoscopy and doctor said I had high acid and to take the pantoprazol, they are baffled as to why my iron is so low. I even had a colonoscopy to check for bleeding, that was perfectly normal. I've been anaemic for about 15 years

[Marz in reply to HypoHelen2867]

Have edited my post above and posted a link for you. Sometimes low acid can cause foods like proteins to hang around in the stomach for too long due and not be able to break the food down into smaller molecules for the onward journey. So this food ferments and can cause problems like inflammation as the fermentation funnels upwards

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to Marz]

Thank you for your help 😄👍

[greygoose in reply to HypoHelen2867]

I don't think an endoscopy can measure the level of your stomach acid, can it?

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to greygoose]

I've had an acid test too where I had to drink some strange liquid then blow into something as well

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to HypoHelen2867]

PPI drugs like the one I'm taking Pantoprazol do stop the absorption of iron I know that

[Marz in reply to HypoHelen2867]

Why not try and find a more natural way of treating - lots of advice here on the forum from so many experienced people. Ask it in a new question.

[greygoose in reply to HypoHelen2867]

Ah. And the result said that your acid was high? Was it the Heidelberg Stomach Acid Test?

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

Even so, your doctor should know that taking a PPI will limit your absorption of... everything. So, it should be no mystery why your iron is low.

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to greygoose]

It's something I need to talk to them about and soon

[greygoose in reply to HypoHelen2867]

Good.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to HypoHelen2867]

That sounds like a test for SIBO - nothing to do with acid, but overgrowth of bad bugs in teh gut.

[HASHISmom34 in reply to HypoHelen2867]

no That is not for acid as my son did that too. That is to detect SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) which he has also.

[HASHISmom34 in reply to greygoose]

yes!! my little boy got it done for celiac and they were able to diagnose him with chronic gerd also from that.

[greygoose in reply to HASHISmom34]

Sorry, got what done?

[HASHISmom34 in reply to greygoose]

greygoose i think i hit wrong spot. someone said you might be able to diagnose acid problems with scope and that was my answer to that hahaha

[greygoose in reply to HASHISmom34]

An endoscopy? How does that tell you how much acid is in your stomach? Surely they don't go up that far!

[humanbean in reply to greygoose]

Endoscopy goes down the throat, not up the colon.

[greygoose in reply to humanbean]

Ah. That changes everything, then. lol My bad.

[HASHISmom34 in reply to greygoose]

humanbean is correct greygoose. He had the upper scope i forget the proper name which is to determine about celiac. He had blood work but they weren't convinced. The scope determined celiac for sure and found the acid issue. The colonoscopy is the lower intestine which he may have to do in the future.

[greygoose in reply to HASHISmom34]

Thank you for the precision.

[Marz in reply to HypoHelen2867]

HypoHelen2867 Why are the Docs puzzled about your LOW Iron when they prescribe the very drugs that prevent the absorption of iron.

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to Marz]

I do not know

[Marz in reply to HypoHelen2867]

Well they need to be challenged. So learn as much as you can - information enables you to ask the right questions. Go prepared

[HypoHelen2867 in reply to Marz]

Thank you I will do 👍😄

[HASHISmom34 in reply to HypoHelen2867]

your ferritin and B12 are extremely low. You should have your folate and D done also because they may be deficient. It looks like you are under medicated with T4. Conversion looks good, i can say because mine looks very different and i have a conversion issue.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to HASHISmom34]

T4 is pretty good at 1.82. Range only goes up to 1.9.

[HypoHelen2867]

Thanks everyone for your help 👍

[Marz in reply to HypoHelen2867]

healthunlocked.com/search/i...

Over 6000 posts about Iron in the above link

[shaws Administrator in reply to HypoHelen2867]

It's a big learning curve but with the help of members you can learn and get relief of your symptoms.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Also check your vitamin D. Very common to be low

Magnesium is seriously lowered by PPI's too

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/p...

We can not use our thyroid hormones if magnesium or vitamin D are low

Best advice is to read as much as you can. Vitamin and minerals levels are very important, but standard NHS thinking, doesn't at the moment seem to recognise this. You will see, time and time again on here lots of information and advice about importance of good levels of B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D, leaky gut and gluten connection to autoimmune Hashimoto's too.

hypothyroidmom.com/92-of-ha...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...