Raised T3 to 12.5mcg - Not going well

[FancyPants54]

Hi

I started to add T3 to my 125mcg Levo just over 2 weeks ago. I started with 6.25mcg T3 in the morning with my Levo. (Latest test results on my profile).

First day I felt a wired and weird feeling 15 minutes after taking it that lasted an hour and then faded away - thankfully. I had a little more energy that day. After that I never felt wired again and I didn't really notice any more energy in the morning, perhaps a little but very little. What I did notice is heart blips and bumps as it wore off in the afternoon and then real tiredness. Throughout my journey I've never really felt sleepy tired with hypothyroidism, intense fatigue and physical exhaustion yes, but not sleepy. I don't go to bed early. I sleep easily when I get to bed and stay asleep until morning. But after adding the T3 I was properly tired. But I could fight it. Blood pressure went up a bit.

After 2 weeks I upped the dose last Friday to 12.5mcg. Again taken first thing with my Levo. I was OK until the afternoon and then the tiredness hit. Much worse this time. The heart palpitations and blips were there and I felt weak. I fought it, but it was a challenge. Saturday was hopeless and yesterday even worse. Exhausted in the afternoon. Depressed all day. Got absolutely nothing done this weekend. Just managed the washing that was all. No Christmas prep. No housework. Nothing fun. Just sat and stared at the wall. Blood pressure up a bit more, even just outside the reference range I aim for with the BP medication I have been put on. Something is not at all right.

This morning I went back to the previous dose of 6.25mcg. But this time it brought anxiety with it and misery. I bathed, applied my HRT gel and crawled back into bed where I fell asleep for a couple more hours. I finally dragged into work around 3pm. I feel miserable and hopeless. I don't feel anywhere near as sleepy tired as over the weekend though.

Any ideas? Right now I feel like not taking any more T3. On Levo my head was better, my mood a lot better, I was brighter, but physically knackered, struggling to walk far. I have a sneaking suspicion I felt better on 100 Levo a day, but my results were still low and I struggled for energy so I went up to 125.

I had a plan. Now I don't. Not sure what to do next. NDT ruined last Christmas for me. I was hoping to at least not feel desperate and depressed this Christmas.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

You might be much better to take the 2nd quarter mid afternoon

Many of us need split dose through the day

Initially 2 doses. Hold for 4-6 weeks at that and retest bloods

[FancyPants54 in reply to SlowDragon]

I'm wondering if I should have reduced my Levo to 100 before I started this.

If I do decide to reduce Levo, do I just get up one morning and take 100 + the 6.25 of T3?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to FancyPants54]

I guess you could

Personally I reduced Levo to 112mcg couple of days before. Then started on 2 x 3.15 (yes it was a speck of dust). Then after 4-5 days reduced Levo to 100mcg and upped T3 to 2 x 6.25. Which was what endo had advised (More on my profile.)

But looking at your profile your TSH is still pretty high.

[FancyPants54 in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes it is, which is why I didn't drop it. I don't understand where the depression and anxiety are coming from or the tiredness. Perhaps my best plan would be to keep to the 6.25 and existing Levo dose for another week to let this weekend settle out and then try adding in 3mcg to the afternoon and see what that does. Smack bang in time to ruin Christmas again. I do time things well.

[FancyPants54 in reply to FancyPants54]

How did you manage to cut the tablets into 8th? I have numerous pill cutters, all of them have play in their action that results in big errors on tiny tablets.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to FancyPants54]

I use a very sharp craft scalpel like this

viking-direct.co.uk/en/p/97...

Uni Pharma cut easily, even into 1/8th. Pity they are so difficult to get now

NHS agreed to fund my T3 which is harder to cut, but 1/4 and 1/2 are possible. As I take 20mcg whole tablet per day now, (in 3 doses) it's relatively immaterial on actual size of the 1/4's.

Also apparently only 0.025% of each tablet is active ingredient.

[FancyPants54 in reply to SlowDragon]

I have a knife like that and some spare blades. I'll have a go and see what I can do.

[FancyPants54 in reply to SlowDragon]

I've just read your profile. You have done amazingly well. Congratulations on becoming your own GP and finally getting well. I long to walk a few miles again. I was always walking and cycling. Now I park as close as I possibly can to where I need to go.

Have you managed to loose some weight now?

[Sybilla14 in reply to FancyPants54]

Yes you can just drop by 25mcg or you can do it slower and cut your 25mcg tablets in half or take 125 one day and 100 the next. I have been reducing my levo by 12.5mcg in 6 week intervals and still feel the effects each time I drop (or increase).

I added t3 in Jan without reducing my Levo. I started with 6.25 then added an afternoon dose and that made me feel v tired In the evenings. So i decided to take all my t3 with levo in the middle of the night and this works best for me.

I ended with pretty high ft3 so have been reducing my levo from 150mcg to c.112.5mcg. I never had what I would describe as ‘hyper’ symptoms and I find it difficult to gauge from my symptoms on any dose if I’m on too much or not enough. I do experience symptoms you described but they seem to come and go in cycles. As frustrating as it is you may just need to try different combinations of doses and timings and see where it takes you.

[FancyPants54 in reply to Sybilla14]

It's so hard to make yourself try things that have such horrible outcomes.

[Sybilla14 in reply to FancyPants54]

Yes. I find it extremely frustrating. And it also can take so long to fully feel it or realise the impact things are having. Wish there was an easy way of telling where our levels are every few days. It is such a complex disease but there is so little to guide us!

I hope you get to feel better soon and get to enjoy Christmas.

[Hidden]

it's better to take Levo in the evening/night away from T3. Take the T3 in the morning small quantities and througout the day.

[FancyPants54 in reply to Hidden]

I'm actually hoping to do it partly the other way around. I used T3 only for a while a few years ago and found that the T3 I took in the night gave me the best sleep I'd had in years. So I'm hoping to get to the point where I can take a small dose of T3 at bed time.

[jgelliss]

Great advices from the members . I can tell you from my own experiences that splitting my T3 and lowering first my T4 for 1-3 days prior to dosing with T3 made a huge difference . In addition supporting my adrenals was and continues to be tremendous help . Nutrients like B-Complex, Vitamin "C", Celtic Sea Salt , B-5 . Doing Adrenal/Cortisol/ DHEA via 24 hour saliva testing would be very helpful too . I also found that going gluten dairy sugar coffee soy free is very helpful as well . Slow and Steady win the race .

Wishing success .