Is anyone else taking this medication, and if so, have they had any side effects? I'm on my second attempt at taking it (5mcg in addition to 100mcg T4), and one week in, I feel pretty good. My mood is good and I am fairly alert, but I can only sleep every other night! Obviously the tiredness is catching up with me.
Looking back through old posts I noticed someone else saying they had insomnia when using it. I think this particular brand might be rather potent though I have no experience of other brands.
I am currently looking at sleeping aids as I don't want to give it up yet. Any recommendations? I've ordered some 5HTP.
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Emily78
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Although I'm not taking this brand of T3 initially I did struggle with insomnia once I introduced it. My sleep got much better soon after I changed the time from evening to morning dose.
I take it in the morning and this morning took it at 4am as was awake and thought I'd try a circadian dose. I have also tried splitting morning and afternoon but not bed time yet. Know it's different for everyone and you need to experiment. I am just scared I might not be able to handle T3 and I really don't want that to be the case!
You could try different approaches e.g. split dose on waking up then at 2pm or on waking up then just before sleep or whole one just before sleep. Try them for 2-3 days each time making a note if you could fall asleep, woke up I the middle of the night, etc. Then stay with the one which disturb your sleep the least.
I tried every possible sleeping aid there is. The best in my experience was to take tryptophan with magnesium. 5-HTP is similar to tryptophan however more suitable for long term use and apparently you can build resistance to 5-HTP.
Thanks for this Gr8Nica. I'll have a look for some tryptophan. How much magnesium did you take with it? I do currently take magnesium before bed but not more than the RDA. I probably need a bit more to use as a sleep aid?
I'll do as you suggest and try different dosing regimes for a few days each. At the moment I am panicking after a night of insomnia and changing things immediately, so my poor body is most likely all over the place!
Depending on the brand, I take up to 350mg of magnesium in one go.
Since you've ordered 5-HTP, you could start with a 50mg dose and slowly move up if needs be. See if that helps. After that if you want to try tryptophan take 1000mg of it.
Thank you Gr8Nica. I upped my magnesium last night and took 50mg 5HTP then slept really well! Hopefully this will continue to work for the time-being. You've really helped me.
I've been taking Thybon T3 for a few months after 15 years on NHS T3. I prefer the Thybon- when I started it I felt more awake and alert (during the day!) It may be a bit stronger. I felt the difference for a few weeks but don't really notice it now. I split my dose between morning and early evening, but I find if I take it too late at night it keeps me awake.
Thanks Quokka. I am really happy to hear these Thybon success stories. Like you, I think taking it earlier in the day is better for me. I think things are gradually improving. It's only been just over a week for me, and I think I've been low in T3 for such a long time it's probably a bit of a shock to the system!
Perhaps check for occult infections such as SIBO. I can recommend the GI map by Invivo labs.
The cascade created by being clinically hypothyroid ie not converting T4 to active T3 includes low stomach acid and subsequent unwanted guests including H Pylori and SIBO. 5HTP does help sleep with high SIBO. These unsavoury passengers are more active around the full moon! See if your sleepless nights correspond to 5 days either side of the full moon.
Other things to consider are Swannies (blue light blocking glasses from TV/computer screens) within 2 hours of sleep, EMF exposure.
I take Thybon Henning as well as Novothyral (T4/3 combo) and it took me a while to adjust but thankfully now in the groove.
Crikey that does not sound nice at all! I am really hoping I don't have SIBO. I slept OK till I tried the T3 (and time in the month is the only thing that messes with my sleep), so hoping it's not that, though I definitely need more T3 in my system to avoid this in the future.
You are very wise to suggest avoiding screen exposure before bed. I am terrible for looking at my phone/laptop late at night, or even reading on my Kindle. I'll look into Swannies, which I'd never heard of! Thank you.
Great your Thybon (+ Novothyral) is working well for you.
Strange to say (Despite recommendations to the contrary) I take the combo Novothyral in the morning upon rising without food and only 5 mcg at bedtime of Thybon. I do hope you’re able to find a sweet spot with your medications as well. Don’t forget your minerals/ electrolytes at lunch/dinner away from medication. I’ve discovered because the Thybon T3 and Novothyral is so effective that my magnesium etc is used up quicker as my metabolism increases.
I’ve posted an article by Dr Mercola on this “Without Magnesium, Vitamin D Supplementation May Backfire”
This backs up my thinking that my magnesium supplementing has been far too low for a long time. I've only been taking around 200mg a day plus using a magnesium spray. I am now going to double this dose. I'm always so cautious of over doing things with vitamins but have learnt a lot on this forum about what needs to be optimal (and that just taking the RDA of certain things won't be enough!). My vitamin D levels are optimal now but my magnesium is probably lagging so time to sort it. Thanks for the link to the article.
It's weird how some people manage fine (better even) with T3 at bed time and others can't handle it at all!
Hi Emily78. I'm currently taking 15 mcg of Henning T3, not on any other thyroid meds. Started 11 days ago.
Not affecting my sleep so far, I'm taking it all at 7am when I get up.
But I do take magnesium malate 425mg and Chelated magnesium 200mg and Melatonin 3mg about one hour before I go to bed. Prior to starting the magnesium and melatonin I always had trouble getting to sleep. I do wake up once or twice a night to go to the loo though! Anna 😊
Thanks annabhaird. Great to hear you are doing fine with the Henning. I also take magnesium before bed, but only 200mg, so upped my dose last night to 400mg, and along with 50mg 5HTP I slept really well! There is hope :-). I think I was short of magnesium anyway so a dose increase is good. You've been really helpful.
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