T3 day one was amazing then downhill again

[Syd35]

I know it's not always a quick fix but started on T3 on Monday (5mcg x twice per day alongside reduced Levo 75mcg).

So first day I had such a good feel factor, had energy and libido was great I practically jumped on my husband (haha sorry if too much information) but libido has been non-existent for quite some time it was great to feel like it again! So a great first day followed by a very sleepless night which I understand can happen with T3.

Yesterday was day 2 and the morning wasn't so bad but crashed in the afternoon, needed an afternoon nap and worst of all was in a very bad and angry mood although slept a lot better. Woken up today feeling that tired feeling and took a while to get going.

I know it's early days so is this to be expected to feel worse before better, or am I on too low a dose? Been tracking temp, pulse and BP and all remaining stable. Or could it be I don't need T3 after all? Any suggestions very gratefully received as I try to fit the pieces of this complicated puzzle together!

[adin]

Hello, I think you no need to reduce levo, just add T3

[Syd35]

Yes as advised by private endo.

[Syd35]

Hi, yes I was debating just taking it once per day but discussed with my husband and he felt to give it a fair trial I should follow endo's advice to the letter although my own instinct said to try once per day. I don't feel any ill effects from taking twice a day but feel just as tired as before and maybe a little more achey than usual. So do you think reverting to 5mcg just once per day would be ok as I know it can be a case of trial and error but won't I feel even more lethargic if I go with once per day dosing?

[Syd35]

Thanks mearbhall that is an interesting theory, especially as I felt so good after the initial first dose. I might revert back to once per day if still no improvement over next few days.

[thyr01d]

Hi Syd35, my endo tells me not to take the T3 too late in the day or it will cause sleeplessness. Could it be that you are unintentionally inhibiting the T3 through something you are eating and drinking? We have to not eat for an hour before or after taking T3, not have caffeine (includes chocolate) and some of the supplements must not be taken within as much as 4 hours, eg iron and I think magnesium.

Greygoose is really good on the timings as well as much else.

I thought that could explain why only day 1 was good, perhaps on the other days something is inhibiting the T3.

[humanbean]

The timing of taking T3 successfully is a personal thing. Experimentation is vital to get the most out of it.

if you're taking your second dose at bedtime and it keeps you awake then try taking it an hour before lunch or two hours after lunch. Or try taking it later in the afternoon.

I found that I can tolerate T3 at bedtime as long as I take it the minute before I turn the light out and go to sleep. But if I take it an hour or two before bed I can't sleep.

I once had a doctor tell me that the body doesn't need T3 at night. This is nonsense. The body does lots of repair work during the night and it needs T3, and in fact in healthy people there is slightly more T3 produced between 10pm and 10am than there is between 10am and 10pm.

Another thing to be aware of is that experimentation with timing may go on for a long time. Your body changes once you introduce new hormones or new dosages, so what works in month 1 won't necessarily work in month 9.

High or low cortisol also make it harder to tolerate T3. I had high cortisol and found I couldn't tolerate T3 in the morning at all. Instead I took it after lunch and in the evening. But over time my reactions have changed, I've lowered my cortisol and now I take all my thyroid meds first thing in the morning. I simply couldn't have done that 3 or 4 years ago. So, keep experimenting and make your meds work as well as possible for you.