Hi,
I have been taking 10mg of T3 in combo with Levothyroxine for the past 12 days and was wondering if anyone knows when the effects of T3 will begin to take place?
I know it is different for different people, but if some of you can let me know how T3 went for you, and how long till it worked?
I have lost a lot of hair from the condition and want to know if T3 will help me and what duration I am looking at.
Thank you
What are your latest test results that you based the addition of T3 on?
How much Levo are you taking and did you lower the dose when adding T3?
You need to go low and slow with T3, increase very gradually by 1/4 tablet each time. Some people feel a difference straight away, it took months of tweaking doses (Levo and T3) for me to feel any benefit, but I was also working on low nutrient levels and it's all connected.
What are your nutrient levels like? Are they all optimal? If not tested then you need
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
Hi spir12345, What @SeasideSusie said about blood results, plus what are all your blood results: TSH, FT3, FT4, and thyroid antibodies, TPOab, TGab, and TSI, to rule out autoimmune thyroid disease is the cause of you thyroid disorder? Dosage of T3 is all dependent upon your labs prior to starting meds, and your symptoms.
T3 is fast acting and has a short half life. Full therapeutic effects would have occurred by now. Most people feel some sort of effects by the 2nd or 3rd day. Have you felt any different at all?
T3 is dosed in as little as 5 mcg tablets, although tablets are available in higher mcg's. If you are doing straight T3 therapy (no T4), the starting dosage is usually 25 mcg. When taking T3 along with T4, the typical starting dose is 5 mcg. It is recommended to increase dosage in 5 mcg increments every 3 to 4 days until your achieve positive results. You can look this prescribing info up on manufacturers websites, or on drug websites.
When I started, I took 50 mcg T4 for a few days, felt better, but based on my FT3 results and symptoms, knew I needed T3, too. I was then prescribed a starting dose of 5 mcg T4. I felt an improvement the next day! However, by day 3 it was clear that I needed more, so I was given the go ahead to take a second 5 mcg immediately, so 10 mcg T3 with my a.m. 50 mcg T4 at the time. Eventually, I added a 3rd 5 mcg T3 in the evening. I continued on 50 mcg T4, plus 15 mcg T3 for a few months. In retrospect, I was kept at too low a dose of T4 for too long, based on my blood test results and symptoms. Then I increased to 75 mcg for a few years and before too long I reached the state of almost having no symptoms. When my FT3 and FT4 started to drop, and TSH increased a little, I switched to 88 mcg T4 along with my 15 mcg T3. That is what I am currently on. My bloods are all optimal and I have no symptoms. My TPO, however is still much too high, which is a completely separate problem.
I’m taking 5-10 mcg in 2 doses., and 25mcg levo. The 5 mcg seeemd to help but now I feel worse and I think the increase is giving me headaches and runs and stomach cramps. I’m not sure what is going on but I’m more exhausted even though tsh is down and bg is better but bg is crashing alot. Are you taking 10 mg? I’ve never heard of that dose, it seems like a lot.
Hi 000ggg, your doses are quite low especially your T4 to have a combination of the two medications. Have you got your ranges?
Yes I posted them on my last post if you want them. I’m not converting t4 but still taking it lol. Ask my endo wtf? I cant take b vitamins, vit c and many others. My antibodies were up last time but werent tested this time. I’m not going to increase dose of anything while I'm not feeling well. My cat passed away last friday to saturday and I was already sick before that with two episodes of severe runs and vomiting. One was after eating out so it could have been food poisoning. I split my dose but its hard to remember the 2nd dose.
Here is my last post:
So i tested in March at about 11-12 again and my blood work was the following.
Tsh 2.690 down from 4.26 range .270-4.2
T3 112 up from 88 range 80-200
Free T4 1.02 down from 1.43 range .93-1.70
WBC Count
3.87 K/uL (Low) WBC Count
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:4.80 K/uL - 10.80 K/uL
Vitamin D, 25-hydroxy
22 ng/mL (Low) Vitamin D, 25-hydroxy was 24 last time
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:30 ng/mL - 80 ng/mL
PTH, Intact
67.0 pg/mL (High)
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:15.0 pg/mL - 65.0 pg/mL
81.8 pg/mL (High)
Date: Sep 23, 2017 11:00 a.m. EDT
A1C 5.6 down from 6.1
Triglyceride
Learn more about this
24 mg/dL Triglyceride
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:< 150 mg/dL
Cholesterol, total
195 mg/dL Cholesterol, total
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:< 200 mg/dL
HDL-cholesterol
104 mg/dL HDL-cholesterol
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
LDL-cholesterol
86 mg/dL LDL-cholesterol
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:< 130 mg/dL
VLDL-cholesterol
Learn more about this
5 mg/dL VLDL-cholesterol
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:< 30 mg/dL
Vitamin B12
423 pg/mL Vitamin B12down from 546
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:232 pg/mL - 1245 pg/mL
Hgb A1C
Learn more about this
5.6 % Hgb A1C
Date: Mar 26, 2018 02:00 p.m. EDT
Reference Range:4.8 % - 5.6 %
i’ve been trying to increase t3 to twice a day but when I do this I’m getting terrible headaches and I’m also been having diarrhea and stomach ache I’m not feeling well for about two weeks now constantly and on and off before that. It is very hard to tell if it could be the T3 because I have irritable bowel syndrome but this seems worse than my usual for sure. My blood sugar is crashing a lot more lately too but again there could be many reasons for that. I have started supplementing vitamin B 12 again with 10,000 MCG per day . My doctor wanted me to increase the vitamin D and take a vitamin D that is taken once a week but I did not want to do that so I’m still taking my vegan drops that have k2 but I’ve increased it to 4000 a day. I really think the problem is that I’m not absorbing vitamin D for some reason I have so many digestive problems and I probably have celiac and never tested positive I have all of the signs of that and eliminatung gluten and all grain totally helped
He said if I do not feel better then more testing probably of cortisol levels. I’m not sure what to do because More T3 seems to be making me sick but on the other hand it does seem to have helped reduce my TSH, improved my cholesterol and improved my blood sugar. Mch is low again too but rbc us normal so no anemia
Presumably you mean 10mcg, not 10mg !
Are you taking as split dose on waking and afternoon
How much Levothyroxine are you taking
Do you have Hashimoto's? Have you had thyroid antibodies tested?
If high this is autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) and are even more likely to have low vitamin levels. Hair loss linked to low ferritin
As SeasideSusie says, it's essential to have good levels of vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
T3 needs good vitamins, same as T4
If you have Hashimoto's then you may need to be on strictly gluten free diet
You will need full testing 6-8 weeks after each dose increase. Suggest you test at 10mcg. Don't increase further without testing.
I am gluten free totally now. And yes I have hashis
Hiya,
When I started taking T3 I was told it was fast acting - a sort of get up and go medication, although I have been practically laughed at by so called Professionals, but then they do not know how we feel and the original diagnosis.
I feel it does work quickly for me. I take all my thyroid medication in the morning, the T3 being the first. Followed by T4. I have been on a combination of 20 mcg of T3 and currently 200 mcg of T4 (I have a none working partial gland). I also have Vitamin D and B12 deficiency and pernicious anaemia.
It would be interesting to know your results/ranges in order to see if we can help. But the T3 doesn't normally take long to get into your system in my humble opinion.
Take care 
I was taking T3 and its a slow improvement but definitely worked for me. My energy levels, improved after about 6_8 weeks and my hair stopped falling out. As you say it affects everyone differently but with what I was on you would never have known id had a thyroidectomy. Just sad now that I have to be a guinea pig and prove that I need the combo so the CCG will reinstate my T3. Stick with it and you should feel so much better.Hope it goes well.
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