Hello I'm new here and would be very grateful for some help regarding the medication - Liothyronine

[Dannii7]

I'm 39 and have been diagnosed with under active thyroid 11 years ago. My medication, Levothyroxine, has creeped up to 175mg but has been stable on 150 for a while now.However, for a good year I have been feeling like I did when I was first diagnosed - brain fog, forgetfulness,tired,weight gain. I have been to my doctors numerous times where he politely told me to buy myself a pair of new shoes and smile more in the mirror! I managed to get a blood test form off the nurse instead. The last time I went to see the doctors just before I went on holiday, I asked to be referred to the Thyroid Specialist at my local hospital as I think I need my T3 tested - his reply was he doesn't think anything is wrong with it and he doesn't want to be a laughing stock. He then proceeded to ask if I was depressed and he could give me a prescription for it!

While I was on holiday, I bought over the counter the medication Liothyronine which I have been told is better than what the NHS offer you, Levothroxine. I'm just needing some help to know if I take the same about as what I'm taking now or its a different strength or shall I keep away from it altogether.

I hope anyone can help.Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[Marz]

Hi and Welcome ! Members here would prefer to see your latest thyroid results before suggesting how to take T3 - ensuring you really need it ...

Have you had anti-bodies tested, Also you need to know the following - B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD. Good levels are required for thyroid hormones to work and for you to feel well.

Some of your symptoms could be linked to low nutrients - especially if you have Hashimotos.

I am not anti T3 - I take it myself - but caution is required 😊😊

[Dannii7 in reply to Marz]

Hello Marz Thank you for replying. I did have my blood results but I threw them away out of pure frustration! I will ask for another printout from my nurse then post them. Thank you again.

[Marz in reply to Dannii7]

Pop them in a new post so more people see them ... Will look out for them 😊

[Clutter]

Danii7,

Your GP is terribly patronising. Perhaps you could see another GP at the practice.

GP can't possibly tell whether or not FT3 is good without testing. However, FT3 is rarely tested in primary care unless TSH is suppressed <0.01 as they are looking for evidence of hyperthyroidism not low FT3 in hypothyroid patients. You can order private thyroid tests, preferably TSH, FT4 and FT3 together, via thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Liothyronine is a different thyroid replacement hormone. It is 3 x stronger than Levothyroxine so you should not take mcg for mcg dose. Most people with low FT3 will benefit from adding a little Liothyronine (T3) to their Levothyroxine. We would have to see thyroid results and ranges, including FT3, to advise how much.

[Dannii7]

Thank you for your advice Clutter. I will defiantly be sending off for a private thyroid test. Unfortunately, the only other GP available is his son who is worst! He is honestly a lovely man who has helped both my eldest son and daughter in the past but I'm just constantly hitting a brick wall with him regarding my thyroid.

[marsaday]

Very often the way to get better is through self treatment. This involves taking charge of your thyroid meds and looking at vitamins and minerals.

If you have some T3, this is the direct from of thyroid hormone and is stronger acting than T4 which you get on the NHS. We all make T4 and T3, we just make a very small amount of T3 in the thyroid. The majority comes from T4 conversion to T4. This occurs in the liver primarliy.

Women are said to have a worse track record on converting T4 to T3. The culprit in all this is oestrogen. If you have high oestrogen in the system this has a form of blocking in the conversion process.

If you are going to start using some T3 always start with a really low dose. Some docs think we only need T3 in a very small ratio to the T4. Something along the lines of 98:2 (100 T4 and 2 T3cmg).

Some patients need much higher levels of T3. We are all different, but it is important to find out what amount may help your system. So you don't go throwing in a lot to start with, just a small amount. I personally use 3mcg T3 per day and i will miss some days as well in the week. I take 150 T4. It doesn't sound much, but the 3mcg T3 really makes a positive difference.

So use 1/8th of a tablet of T3 to start with. I use a stanley blade to cut the T3 into 1/8 sizes.

If you are still away, buy some more as it is cheap as chips abroad.

Also look into Vitamin D levels and get on some of that. We really should all be taking 1000 IU's per day in the winter in the UK.

[jgelliss in reply to marsaday]

marsaday Thank you so much for your very informative explanations that just a small amount of T3 added to a higher T4 can be sufficient to feel optimal . Personally I too dose with a higher dose T4 and a very small dose of NDT for the T3 mix . Nutrients factor into our thyroid meds to their part . Selenium , B-12/folate , Iron if needed it Vit."D" as marsaday mentioned .