Anyone combining t4 and t3 ???? Please help! - Thyroid UK

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Anyone combining t4 and t3 ???? Please help!

Agnes79 profile image
17 Replies

I have been taking 100 t4 and 20t3 for a few weeks now.....I am still very achy.....anyobe any advice? Shall I increase T4 or t3??? Thanks!!

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Agnes79
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17 Replies
Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79

thanks....but what two other factors do you mean? I'm having problems opening my google drive😒

radd profile image
radd

Agnes,

Do you have recent thyroid hormone blood test results including ranges for members to comment ? ? ....

What about Vit D, Vit B12, folate and ferritin levels ? / ....

Thyroid antibodies ? .... cortisol issues ? ? ...

Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79 in reply to radd

hi, just the results from last month....which I had posted....ferritin on the lowest side of the range....

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Agnes79

It would be an idea for you to post the results here to save members having to look back to find the post which contains your results.

What is your Vit D level now, have you reached the recommended 100-150nmol/L (or 50-70ng/ml) yet mentioned in a previous reply? If not then your aches might be due to that. And where do your B12, folate and ferritin lie now? Your thyroid hormone can't work properly until your levels are optimal.

It's important to retest your vitamins and minerals until they are optimal, as well as your thyroid tests while you are trying to find your optimal dose of meds.

I am on a T4/T3 combo but as I said in a reply to a previous post you need to go slowly and see how you feel for a few weeks after a dose change. You won't know which of your meds needs tweaking unless you have new FT4 and FT3 tests done. It's not something you can guess now you're up to 20mcg T3.

Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79 in reply to SeasideSusie

thank you. I will get the tests done as soon as I can and then I will post the latest results.

radd profile image
radd in reply to Agnes79

Agnes,

The last results you posted were related to you medicating 100mcg Levo and 15mcg T3.

FT3 was just over half way through range and T4 was good but your iron levels and Vit D levels were very low.

Iron is key for conversion of T4-T3 and low levels may decrease deiodinase activity resulting in conversion to reverse T3, rather than the active hormone T3 which gives you well-being.

When we have deficiencies that may impair thyroid hormone synthesis, increasing thyroid hormones may not work until the other issues are dealt with .... and can even be counter productive by converting yet more T4 to RT3.

Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79 in reply to radd

thank you! I have been working on my iron/ ferritin and it is now around 40.....I am aware that that is still not optimal so will keep on supplementing and retest in January. In three months of supplementing it went from 14 to 40......it has been quite a slow increase.....

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Agnes79

Agnes79 That isn't bad going for 3 months. It took me 3 months to go from 35-50 then another 11 months to go to 68, but I had to drop my iron supplement right down to 5mg because of worsening constipation and eventually had to stop a few months ago so my ferritin level probably dropped again. I started eating liver and in just over 2 months I went up to 85!

Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79 in reply to SeasideSusie

So, should I start eating liver???😝 any good recipies?? So it' s edible😊 thankyou x

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Agnes79

I'm not a great cook, I just fry sliced onions in butter, slice lamb's liver thinly and fry that gently in butter. I'm sure there are plenty of recipes on the Internet. I have about 120grams.

radd profile image
radd in reply to Agnes79

Agnes,

Low iron levels in hypothyroidism is common.

Hypothyroidism can result in a lowered production of stomach acid which in turn leads to the malabsorption of iron.

Also, chronic inflammation can lower serum iron levels because it pushes iron into storage, i.e into ferritin. Hashi sufferers are also more likely to have the MTHFR mutation, which can result in the body being unable to break down iron for use.

It is good yours is raising.

.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/f...

Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79 in reply to radd

thanks. Such a useful article!😊

jacrjacr profile image
jacrjacr

there is a transition period of feeling different and people on here told me that and it helped because it took a good 2-3 months b4 my body adjusted of getting the t3 directly that it needed......hope that helps.....I went from 100 mcg of t4 to 1.5 ndt

Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79 in reply to jacrjacr

thank you!

Locky1971 profile image
Locky1971

Hi, I'm on T4 /T3 combination. I've felt a lot better but as I have hashimotos I've totally changed my diet. I'm intolerant to wheat so I follow a gluten a wheat free diet and potatoes are my cause of joint pain. When I don't eat them my joints are fine. If I have just a few chips my joints are agony the very next day. I'm also very low iron and have recently changed to ferritin sulphate tablets that don't cause constipation like the other tablets did.

My diet is paleo style. I followed and still do 80% of the time kick start fat loss plan. it's gluten free, sugar free, dairy free and yo begin with cuts out all possible allergen and inflammatory foods so you can introduce them back one by one and see how you feel.

It's hard but worth it. I lost over 4 stone last year and although I've gained back 7lb I've maintained at that for over a year.

But I don't feel as well this year and my iron is 13 dropped from 61 last year my T3 is below range and my T4 is 9 so I'm quite low in everything. TSH is suppressed too. But when I overhaul my diet as I do from time to time and eat clean 100% I feel a lot better.

I also take selenium, zinc,magnesium, B12, omega 3, evening primrose, probotics,vit D,vit C and digestive enzymes. If I leave them off I feel really rubbish.

I've had palpitations before but not for a long time.

My specialist wants to put my T3 up but feels my gp would stop prescribing it as it's too expensive so I may end up on NDT if things don't improve.

Good luck and hope you feel well soon.

Agnes79 profile image
Agnes79 in reply to Locky1971

thanks so much xxx

infomaniac profile image
infomaniac in reply to Locky1971

Hi Locky, is this the kickstart plan you use?

goingcavewoman.com/7-day-pa...

I'm desperate to lose weight. I lost 10lbs on the autoimmune paleo earlier in the year but can't seem to shift anything at the moment.

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