Hello again ,just wondering if anybody could give me a bit of help.
I have been on 100 Levo for about a year, and last November I started adding some T3 because I had a test and it showed my rT3 was high. I have added my T3 slowly, increasing by a quarter tablet each fortnight. I am now on a whole tablet and have been for about 3 weeks now, along with my Levo being the same. Two days ago I took my Levo down to 80 (I have it in a liquid form) and kept my T3 the same (25mg/1 whole tablet).
Over the last few days, about a week, I have been really trembling, and not sure why. It seems to be worse in the morning, and it seems to be inward trembling, but my Mum has noticed it outward as well. Struggled to type my pin in at the supermarket today! It does seem to go later on in the day but it is quite bad in the mornings.
I do suffer with my nerves, but never like this, and it does seem to be wore when I am outside of the house ( I have social anxiety) but this seems to be in the last week.
Just wondering if anyone could shed any light. I am saving up my money in get another private test done, to find out where my levels are at soon as I can.
Thank you for any help, much appreciated.
Written by
Bellerin
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The thyroid gland secretes mostly T4 and very little T3. Most of the T3 that drives cell metabolism is produced by action of the enzyme named 5'-deiodinase, which converts T4 to T3. (We pronounce the "5'-" as "five-prime.") Without this conversion of T4 to T3, cells have too little T3 to maintain normal metabolism; metabolism then slows down. T3, therefore, is the metabolically active thyroid hormone. For the most part, T4 is metabolically inactive. T4 "drives" metabolism only after the deiodinase enzyme converts it to T3.
Another enzyme called 5-deiodinase continually converts some T4 to reverse-T3. Reverse-T3 does not stimulate metabolism. It is produced as a way to help clear some T4 from the body.
(to read the rest of the answer go to the date March 24, 1999)
Maybe you are on a bit too much thyroid hormones and maybe reduce a little.
You are taking 25mcg of T3 - equal in its effect to around 100mcg of levo plust 80 levo, so you are taking approx 180mcg of thyroid hormones which may be a little too much. It is hard at times to judge but you shouldn't have trembling.
Thank you, I had thought that but why would it go in the afternoon? I want to take my Levo down, but since I have I have had the shakes, its mainly in my hands. From other tests I have I don't convert well, and the Levo hasn't change any of my symptoms in the whole 18 months that I have been on it, so that, along with the high rT3, that made me add some T3. I have been adding for nearly 4 months and it only seems since I've taken down the Levo I have started shaking in the morning. Sorry, I am not very good at taking it all in, so much information out there and I don't know where to start, and I have trouble absorbing it. Thank you very much for your detailed response
Don't worry about not 'taking it in' - when hypo many feel our brain is 'slower' in understanding and besides we shouldn't be trying to solve it on our own and it should be the professionals but they have no understanding how the patient feels.
I don't know why you'd have the 'shakes' when you reduced levo as it is a storage hormone and I doubt it would have an effect as quickly as a few hours. This is an excerpt from a previous post:-
Thyroxine has a half life of 6-7 days
What does this mean.. if you are normal it takes 6-7 days after ceasation of hormone treatment to drop to 50% blood concentration after equilibrium was achieved.. then another 6-7 days to reach 25%.. and another week to reach 12.5%.. etc.
Apparently it also depends on individual blood chemistry
If your symptoms haven't changed at all in 18 months with levo, it maybe that it doesn't suit you. I have also read that if we adjust thyroid hormones, either up or down, we should allow about two weeks taking note of any changes before we adjust again and if symptoms are relieved we stay on that dose.
I'm not medically qualified but maybe try T3 only by stopping T4 and increasing T3. After a few months you may be able to decide.
Bellerin, my understanding is that T3 peaks in your system after 3-5 hours. This may well explain the signs of overmedication. Perhaps drop back the amount of T3 by a 1/8 -1/4 of tablet ( 25mcg?) and see if trembling stops. As other posters have suggested, as your dose is now equivalent to 180 mcg T4. As you have reduced the T4 only 2 days ago the effect in the body is yet to be felt...
These are a couple of about how the addition of T3 work:-
January 30, 2002
Question: I’m a physician who has just begun using T3 in my practice. One thing I’m concerned about is the short half-life of T3. Shouldn’t patients divide their daily dose up and take part of it at least twice each day, or instead use sustained-release T3? It seems that this would allow the effects of T3 to continue through the day rather than stop midway or in the evening?
Dr. Lowe: The short time that T3 is in the circulating blood isn’t the limit of its beneficial effects on the body. When T3 binds to T3-receptors on genes, the binding regulates the transcription of mRNAs, and the mRNAs are later translated into proteins. The transcription and translation initiated by the binding of T3 to T3-receptors occur in waves, and these waves far outlast the T3 that started them at the chromosomes. Moreover, the newly synthesized proteins themselves far outlast the transcription and translation.
As a result, a single dose of T3 will be long gone from the patient's system before he or she experiences most of the benefits of that dose—a molecular and metabolic yield that may smoothly spread out over one to three days. The "rocky road" ( August 7, 2001
Hello, it is often advised that if there is a problems with reverse t3 then it is necessary to take only t3 to bring the rt3 down to normal levels before adding in any t4. Please research this for yourself though before deciding to stop T4.
Thank you I have been on T4 for about 18 months with no improve at all, but I wanted to change to T3 only eventually, but I am not sure how to take my Levo down, do I just stop it completely, or do I do it gradually over a couple of weeks at a time, like I did when I've been increasing my T3? Sorry just sure where to go for info. Thank you for your reply
Because the t4 is inactive in itself and must convert to t3 to be of active use to the body the rt3 could be blocking that conversion of t4 to free t3 at cellular level and is making even more rt3 instead , therefore taking t3 only may be the key to help reverse the problem with rt3 , However t4 does takes ages to reduce stored level in the system. Please do some research under 'taking t3 only to reduce reverse t3' . Also you may need to split your dose of t3 during the day to keep a stable level in your system. You may also want to re introduce some t4 once the rt3 is cleared so I can't tell you what to do because I don't have any medical training and it is not something I do myself as I actually take T4 only as I don't have a conversion problem. I strongly advise you to research on internet by asking questions of people taking t3 only. Just type in taking t3 only to clear reverse t3 and see what information come up, or go on 'stop the thyroid madness site' and ask questions. You may need lower dose of t3 too as it is active , perhaps a reduced dose would reduce shakes. Hand tremor is a symptom of too much thyroid hormone.
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