Hi,
So I've got some Liothyronine, which I belive I need to increase my T3 levels. I was wondering how I take it? My last blood test results in June were:
Serum TSH 0.12 (range 0.27 - 4.20)
Free T4 26.7 (range 10.80 - 25.50)
Free T3 4.9 (range 3.10 - 6.80)
Do I take a little bit with my Levothyroxine or do I stop taking that (which I feel nervous about) and take it on its own?
Any advice would be great!
Hi Hattie, I'm sorry I cant help with how to take t3 but would you mind messaging me with where you have bought it from please? I'm getting desperate but don't want to buy anything dodgy. Thank you so much x
Hattie87
You need to reduce your Levo by 25mcg and add 1/4 of a tablet of T3 (6.25mcg or 5mcg depending on whether you have 25mcg or 20mcg ones). I wouldn't do both at the same time, reduce the Levo first and wait a week or two before adding the T3 - my opinion only. You may need to add another 1/4 of a tablet of T3 after 2 weeks but I would then leave it at that and retest 6 weeks after going up to 1/2 tablet of T3.
Slow and gradual is the way to go with T3. You may find you need to lower Levo even more, you may find your Levo dose is OK after the first reduction. You may find you only need a small amount of T3. It's all trial and error, but don't rush it.
Thank you!
Start with 6.25 mcg and reduce your levo by 25 mcg. You can take the two together in the morning - or whenever you take your levo. Increase by 6.25 mcg every six weeks until you reach one whole tablet, then hold for six weeks and retest. Then see how you feel. You might need to reduce the levo further, you might need to increase the T3 a bit more.
T3 should be taken in exactly the same way as levo. Some people prefer to split the dose, some take it altogether. Depends which suits you best, but always take on an empty stomach, etc. just like levo. 
Where did you get the LT3, Hattie? From a GP? Pharmaceutical Liothyronine is powerful stuff. It can be like taking the concentrated caffeine from 10 liters of coffee. You’ll feel it in from two to five hours. Irrespective of having eaten. Besides making the heart race and misbehave, too much will give you insomnia, anxiety, and fatigue like you’re saddled with an extra 20 stones. On the bright side, it flushes out of your system in about two days, making the torture only temporary. But it accumulates over time also (several days.
My endo overpresxribed it to augment levothyroxine, so I have a little three times each day.
Be careful, go slow, live long and prosper!
Oh no, this sounds horrible and makes me feel so nervous about taking it! Tourture?! How much did you start taking? Are you feeling better on it now?
I can assure you that that won't happen on 6.25 mcg. You don't have to take so much that you suffer like that. That's crazy! You just build up slowly until you feel well, not until you're a gibbering wreck! I take 68.75 mcg all in one go, and I've never felt like that. So, don't be nervous about taking it.
T3, in contrast to Levo can be taken with food.
Really? Good to know. I take 2x a quarter and the one before my evening meal I’m sometimes really hungry but make myself wait as close to an hour as poss after my tablet. So with your statement I could eat sooner?
No it can't. Not if you want to absorb it properly. You need to wait an hour to eat, just like taking levo.
Thanks Greygoose. My first 1/4 is with my Levo, so ages from everything. My second 1/4 is always at least an hour after my cup of tea and generally an hour or longer before my evening meal. Just occasionally I’m really hungry, so maybe then I might eat something really little like a raw carrot after 45 mins. I’ll try my best to keep the gap. 🙂
Essential to have good levels of vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 first before starting T3
Have you had these tested recently? Add results and ranges if you have them
Do you have Hashimoto's? High thyroid antibodies
Yes I've been tested and they're all good, I've only had one antibodies test but didn't have high levels.
Hi Hattie87
I’m sorry I can’t help you either but could you PM me with where your sourced your T3 from I will be so great full.
Hope you are feeling better very soon.
Hello Hattie87,
I seriously think you should consult your doctor before taking Liothyronine. I took half of a 5 mcg tablet one day, and my heart went crazy. Isn't 0.12 lower than 0.27 ? I'm no doctor, but I've been dealing with this for 22 years. If you are already below the normal range, then you are headed to hyperthyroidism. And, if you take Liothyronine on top of that, it could be very dangerous. This is a very potent drug.
TSH is below the range because FT4 is elevated above the range. It’s possible that’s there insufficient conversion to fT3 though as this is middle range.
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