Blood test after increased tiromel

[lisan1]

I found this on Mercola.com

Since the only change will be in the FT3 level, which has a short half-life, the serum FT4 and FT3 levels (and TSH, if indicated) can be measured 48-72 hrs after the splitting of the doses if the patient had been on the hormone for 4-6 weeks before the splitting of the doses. This is because the Free T4 hormone is the one that takes a number of weeks to build up to its steady-state serum-level.

Surely this means that I don't need to wait 6 weeks to have a blood test if I only increase my Tiromel (t3) since, as it says in the text quoted, it's fast acting and the reason to wait 6 weeks is because t4 has a week half life.

[shaws Administrator]

The main point, I believe and am not medically qualified, is that blood tests don't inform us of how well the dose/hormones is working.

It is how our body reacts to the doses and if symptoms are being relieved so that we have none, and feel our health is now normal - that's what is the most important fact and the dose which suits the person.

The blood tests were invented and introduced along with levothyroxine - T4 only. So if we add in or take some additional hormones i.e. T3 or NDT results cannot be comparable with taking levothyroine alone.

I am not medically qualified but that's my viewpoint. For instance I take T3 only, therefore T4 will be negligible as I take none and T3 would show higher than when on T4.

[Clutter]

Lisan1,

The reason to wait 6 weeks is nothing to do with T4's half life, it is because it takes time for the T4 and T3 to build up in the blood stream.

This link is discussing NDT dose adjustments but the principle is the same for T4 and T3 dose adjustments thyrophoenix.com/adjusting_...