How long before effects of T3 are noticed, i.e ... - Thyroid UK

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How long before effects of T3 are noticed, i.e depression and anxiety, mental symptoms?

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How long before any of u noticed a difference when adding t3 to your levo?...

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ThyroidObsessed
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Parbrook profile image
Parbrook

Within a few hours, but it then took me 2-years of gradually increasing my Liothyronine dose from 5mcg to 25mcg) and decreasing my Levothyroxine dose (from 100mcg to 50mcg) to find my 'sweet-spot'.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply toParbrook

Thanks for your reply.. i really feel my brain is lacking something since this all started a year ago with my tsh high ft4 high but ft3 in range!!... and of course my gp wants to prescribe antidepressants!! ..

Parbrook profile image
Parbrook in reply toThyroidObsessed

'In-range' is not good enough. It is simply a reference range when the test was being developed.

FT3 in the upper half of the reference range seems to suit many people, but you need to experiment with increasing your Liothyronine and reducing your Levothyroxine until you have minimal (if any) symptoms.

There is no blood test in the world that can measure how much T3 is being absorbed at tissue level and it is the lack of absorption that is the cause of most Hypothyroid symptoms.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply toParbrook

Yes this is true.. for 9 years my tsh was always below 1 and ft4 1 point above range not sure of ft3 as it was never tested then but i presume it was in upper half of range as i always felt normal, i.e no anxiety no depression no breathlessness.. then all of a sudden my tsh goes high ft4 high and ft3 lowish to mid range and im going through hell mentally and have been for a year while my silly endo just keeps putting dose up and down hoping it will come back normal and it never does!!..

Im no expert but to me its obvious i no longer convert very well after 9 years of doing ok on levo..

Parbrook profile image
Parbrook in reply toThyroidObsessed

My TSH has been below 0.05 for several years. Not a problem for me, as I give priority to eliminating symptoms.

My most recent results were TSH 0.03, FT3 4.9, FT4 8.6.

Doses are Levothyroxine 50mcg and Liothyronine 25mcg for the last 2-years.

Gcart profile image
Gcart

Like Parbrook it took at least year

Think I have got there now. But it is very individual . We are all different. You have to slowly and

Just keep trying . Good luck you will get there

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply toGcart

Yeah im just hoping mg body needs t3 that much that it responds quickly!!

Clutter profile image
Clutter

ThyroidObsessed,

I found improvement in brainfog and mood within a week of adding T3 to T4 but it took 4 months of adjusting meds and dose before physical symptoms improved.

ThyroidObsessed profile image
ThyroidObsessed in reply toClutter

Thanks clutter, i dont really have physical symptoms apart from breathlessness but i suffer shocking mental symptoms like im going crazy 😣...

Still Waiting on a response from my new endo...

Lotika profile image
Lotika

I had two really good hours after a couple of days... and was doing slightly better in general... Still not quite 2 weeks of adding T3 to levo for me.

Having what feels like a bad hashis day today and yesterday, though... a good collection hypo symptoms. Two steps forward, etc. :) Feeling sad about it as I have been making a really big effort to be much more healthy than usual.

But... onwards and upwards! According to my endo, T3 is quite the miracle for some people - fingers crossed you are one of them :) Keep us updated on your progress!

Lotika

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