Levothyroxine & t3

[Tony86]

I was told to take t3 at 06.00 then at 14.00, then take 50mg of levothyroxine at 22.00,, this seems to early and late to take tablets,, is the a length of time I need to leave between tablets,, and do I take them before or after food ??

[Barrister]

I take mine all at the same time, when I wake up in the morning, and wait for an hour before eating or drinking anything else. Clemmie

[greygoose]

When people take their hormone is a very personal thing - and something doctors just can't get their heads round! But, it doesn't matter when you take them, as long as it's on an empty stomach, one hour before eating, or 2/3 hours after eating; 2 hours away from other supplements or medication; 4 hours away from calcium, iron, magnesium, vit D3 and estrogen.

[Tony86 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you,, someone told me I have to wait 6-8 hours to take my second t3 tablet and another 6-8 to take levothyroxine,, do you know if that's true

[Clutter in reply to Tony86]

Tony86,

I take T3 with Levothyroxine in the morning and a second dose of T3 at bedtime.

[greygoose in reply to Tony86]

It's not obligatory. Lots of people would take the whole lot either in the morning or in the evening, and not spread it out. It's a case of whatever suits you best is right for you.

You certainly don't have to wait 6-8 hours to take your levo, that's just silly. You can take them together, no problem.

I take 75/100 mcg T3 only, and I take it all in one go, before bed. That's what suits me best. You have to experiment to find out what suits you best.

[Tony86 in reply to greygoose]

Ok thanks,, my doctor is no help,, I was just worried about overdosing,, I've been put on 20mg of t3 in the morning, 20mg of t3 in the afternoon and 50mg levothyroxine at night.. a few people have told me this is a high dose, it that correct.

[greygoose in reply to Tony86]

What were you taking before he put you on that dose?

[Tony86 in reply to greygoose]

100mg levothyroxine

[greygoose in reply to Tony86]

Ah! You should have said that before. That is a high dose to start on, if you haven't had T3 before. Sorry, I didn't realise.

It would have been more realistic to start you on 5 mcg once a day, keeping the 100 levo, and increase the T3 slowly.

What he's done there, is give you a massive increase in dose. If we take it that T3 is three times as potent as T4 (although that is debatable, but for arguments sake) he has given you 120 more and taken away 50. So, that leaves you with about 70 mcg increase in dose, in one fell swoop! If I've understood correctly. Which is sheer lunacy! Have you started it yet? You were right to worry about over-dosing.

[Tony86 in reply to greygoose]

No I haven't had t3 before,,, I haven't started yet, I was supposed start 2mor,, I have emailed him to get more informations but he doesn't give me much to go on,, Me and my wife didn't think he was a good doctor,, is there any suggestions on what I should do ???

[greygoose in reply to Tony86]

Personally, I would say, stay on the 100 mcg levo for the time being, and start on 5 mcg T3 tomorrow - at the same time as the levo. Stay on that dose for a week, give yourself time to accustomise, then increase by 5 mcg - reduce levo by 25 mcg - and stay on that for two weeks. And increase slowly, every two weeks, like that. When you get to 20 mcg T3, reduce your levo by another 25 mcg. Then, if I were you, I would stay on that dose for six weeks, and then get tested.

Others might have other ideas about how to go about it, but that's what I would do, if it were me.

[Tony86 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for the advice. I won't bother contacting the doctor who put me on this dosage, I think I will look for another doctor if I can.. do you think if I told 10mg of t3 in the morning and 10mg t3 in the afternoon and 50mg of levothyroxine at night would be ok

[shaws Administrator in reply to Tony86]

I think greygoose response is best and I would follow procedure and it is more helpful with the introduction of T3.

I've always taken whatever combination once daily and it lets you have a life without remembering when to take it and also your stomach has to be empty as food interferes with the uptake.

Many doctors are unfamiliar with T3 (liothyronine).

[Tony86 in reply to shaws]

Ok thank you

[silverfox7]

Excellent advice from greygoose. Your body can take a while to get used to the T3 so you may feel a little strange at first but anything worrying when post, don't sit there worrying about it. We do allreact to medications differently so as greygoose has said it's a personal thing but at the same time you have to be open to suggestions as you have no experience yourself so don't be afraid to shout out. Gosh would like to feed your GP on that dose! He would certainly learn from that!

[Tony86 in reply to silverfox7]

Thank you,, they doctor was an ENT doctor, didn't like him much, just tried to blame my allergys and went on how much t3 costs, I did email him for a bit more advice Because he never told me when to take them and how to take them and the reply was just a rude response.

[Hidden]

You need to spread the T3 throughout the day, but I doubt it makes much difference when you take the levo. I've seen reports where patients have taken an entire week's levo in one lot. No harm came to them but the levo gave out after about 6 days.