Please, I need more help. How to switch on T3.

[olgadimitri]

This forum was extremely helpful, thank you so much for all information you are shearing. Please, I need more help. How to switch on T3. I have hypothyroidism for 30 years. With help of this site I found that I have Hashimotos ( very high thyroid antibodies). Now I'm on 170mg of T4. Last 10 yeas have unbearable muscle pain, fatigue, digestion problems, all that symptoms. I decided to try T3 . Please tell me how properly to add T3 to my regular T4. May be it will help me. I'm living in Sri Lanka now, very bed situation with endocrinology here. They are not doing some blood tests which are common in America and Europe or they are too expensive here. Please look at my last blood test, what I could get here

3rd Generation TSH 0.575 (0.4-4.0).

F.T3 3.200 (1.5-4.1)

F.T4 1.490 (0.89-1.76)

Iron 60 (37.0-145.0)

Ferretin 63.0

B12 level 569.0 (197.0-883.0)

Please tell me your opinion.

[Clutter]

Olgadimitri,

Your FT3 is good so I'm not sure how much benefit you will get out of adding T3 to Levothyroxine. You could however quarter a 25mcg tablet and add 6.25mcg to see whether symptoms improve.

Have you had vitamin D and folate tested?

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

[olgadimitri in reply to Clutter]

Thank you for your reply . I will check vitamin December and folate next time . Maybe this symptoms from adrenal fatigue

[olgadimitri in reply to Clutter]

Tell me please , how much of T4 I have to reduce for adding T3.

I'm now on 175 mcg of T4.

May be this supplement T3 will help me to keep my stressed under control. Or to wait another month for the new blood test?

[Clutter in reply to olgadimitri]

Olgadimitri,

I would add 6.25mcg T3 to 175mcg T4.

[olgadimitri]

I'm scare to increase my dose, it's already very high . I wanted to exchange T4 on T3, but still not sure how to do it properly . Please, maybe more people can share their experience with me.

[Clutter in reply to olgadimitri]

Olgadimitri,

You can switch 10mcg T3 for every 25mcg T4 but be careful to keep FT3 <4.1.

[humanbean]

People get very scared by taking thyroid meds, but if you are careful there is nothing to get scared about.

As Clutter said above you can switch 10mcg T3 for 25mcg T4.

If you divide your T3 tablets into four quarters (use a pill cutter or a scalpel or a hobby knife), a single quarter will only contain 6.25mcg T3 (assuming your pills are 25mcg pills), which is a very small dose. The worst that could happen with 6.25mcg is that your heart may be unused to T3 and may speed up a little bit. It should slow down again quite quickly, probably within an hour.

Your body will digest 6.25mcg and it will be out of your blood stream within about 6 - 8 hours. So even in the unlikely event you had a bad reaction to T3 it wouldn't last long. Bear in mind that being terrified of the T3 will make your heart speed up too! So please don't be anxious.

So, if you are determined to cut your level of T4 when you take T3, I would suggest :

a) Reduce your T4 dose down to 150mcg per day.

b) Take a quarter pill of T3 and take it first thing in the morning.

c) Take another quarter pill of T3 later in the afternoon.

Once the heart gets used to having T3, your heart may speed up when your body runs out of T3 and you are due another dose, as well as soon after taking it. This confuses people when they aren't used to it. But once you understand what is happening it becomes easier to understand the signals your body is giving you.

Don't be tempted to rush your increases in dose of T3, and don't rush to reduce your T4 either.

If at any time you are worried that you might be taking a little bit too much T3, then just don't take it for 24 - 48 hours hours, cut your overall T3 dose by quarter of a pill, and start taking it again with the lower dose.

[olgadimitri in reply to humanbean]

Thank you

[olgadimitri]

I take now 175mcg of T4 in the mornings. Is it correct dose if I start from today on 150mcg T4 plus T3 quarter in the morning and another T3 on the afternoon?