Change T3 doses - when should I retest ?

[hobbycat]

NHS endo not responding to my calls about heart concerns so in the period of radio silence I’ve reduced my T3 from 20mcg to 15mcg. Perhaps not much of a reduction but the feeling of being over medicated has gone. So I’ve now been on 100mcg T4 and 15mcg T3 for a week now. When shall I do my next free T4 & T3 test ?

[Caesard]

hey there, 8 weeks after dosage change should be enough. In respect to dosing by test results, I'm giving also a strong part of the decision to the way I feel.

if you felt hyper than something should have been changed. Tests help to better establish what (T3/T4/both) but I am always giving priority to the symptom relief.

please take into consideration that symptoms might be also affected by a myriad of other issues, starting from absorption of hormone (consistency is the keyword here) to vitamins (B12, B6, D3, C, others) minerals (Fe,Ca, Mg, Zn) or other correlations (enzymes, etc)

[shaws Administrator]

If you feel fine you don't need to check your bloods. If symptoms arise you can get one then.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[Caesard in reply to shaws]

I somehow disagree, in this adjusting phase might prove very useful to test in order to corelate dosage to levels and symptom relief. Great learning curve!

[hobbycat]

Thanks Caesard, I am supplementing to hopefully I’m moving to optimum levels on vits & mins.

Thanks Shaws, I feel quite good on splitting my 15mcg T3 - perhaps a very slight backwards step in re cognitive. I’m just concerned about my heart activity since starting T3. After an exercise session my heart is very erratic in rest which is causing me to worry. My ECG was normal but actually getting a convo with anyone who is going to tell me anything seems impossible (grrhh) !! And so I’m worried about exercising on top of my raised heart activity after I’ve taken my T3 - and as I take it 3 times a day I don’t get a good exercise window in my day that I feel safe in. I feel so much better on T3&T4 - all but this excitable heart thing.

[shaws Administrator in reply to hobbycat]

I had constant palps on levo and was forever in and out of A&E. On T3 only my heart and body have been calm. I also have energy and no symptoms.

If your exercise session uses a lot of energy that could be the reason for 'erratic' heart sensations. Exercising reduces our T3 in all of our T3 receptor cells which can make us feel unwell.

nel.edu/26-2005_6_pdf/NEL26...

[Angel_of_the_North]

Low T3 is a strong predictor of "terminal" heart problems. Was your Free T3 over range? If not, you probably don't need to reduce your T3, but if you feel better on your curent dose, that's good. You also need to be sure that your vitamins are optimal: B12, folate and ferritin especially, so you can use the thyroid hormone properly.

[hobbycat]

Caesard, Shaws - thank you for your messages. I think I am just so nervous about taking more T3 though both of you seem to be suggesting that more might be what I need. Earlier this year I was on 125mcg x levo only. Then I went to 100mcg x levo and 20mcg T3 in July (the right amount of T3?) and since then I have had so many more palpitations.

In the last 10 days I have reduced my T3 to 15mcg and then the last few days to 10mcg hoping my body would settle for less of what seems to unsettle my heart. But I think my heart is now telling me 10mcg is too low so I'm going to try and settle on 15mcg.

It seems as though my body has woken up to its need for T3 - is that how it works ? Does anyone know why one's heart would say when more T3 is needed and why didn't that happen when I was on just levo ?

Shaws, the exercise study you attached above makes some sense to me - I tend to training up in the 70-80 % MHR bracket where T3 decreases. I wonder if I should exercise soon after taking a T3 dose and then take another closer to finishing than I would otherwise ?