T3 brands

[Lost_Girl]

Hi

I was wondering if there are any brand differences in terms of quality of Liothyronine and if anybody has used the SigmaPharma brand? Or is it just trial (and error 😂) as to what suits some more than others? Many thanks 🙏

[shaws Administrator]

Unfortunately it is trial and error as sometimes we can be affected by the fillers/binders in some tablets. When we think we're reaching an optimum dose you can increase by 1/4 of a tabletevery two weeks. This from TUK just for information.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[Lost_Girl in reply to shaws]

Thank you

[Kipsy]

Hi

I’ve been on Sigma Pharma for a couple of weeks now since the NHS granted me T3. Previously I was on Thybon Henning which I sourced myself. The Sigma Pharma stuff is great- I felt very good on Thybon but even better on Sigma.

[Lost_Girl in reply to Kipsy]

Thank you. I’ve sourced the Sigma Pharma myself as my private script was 5mcg x2 daily as an initial starting dose. Great to know it’s “available” (!!!) in UK.

[Kipsy in reply to Lost_Girl]

Yes, the pharmacy managed to import it from the US in about 5 days. I don’t know what it cost but I did suggest to my GP that she wrote a script for 20mcg and that I would quarter the tablets (I’m on 15mcg) which the pharmacy told me would save £100 a month. I was taken aback that she didn’t jump at the chance to save some money. I’m just hoping that the GP continues to prescribe it as I jumped through what felt like many hoops to get to this point.

Good luck with yours. Oh, and the other thing that I think makes a huge difference is that my vitamins are now all optimal after 18 months of testing, supplementing and retesting etc etc. This forum and the wonderful admins have given me the knowledge to regain my health after 10 years of feeling horrendous and I shall be forever grateful.

[Lost_Girl in reply to Kipsy]

Me too - I’m am hugely grateful to all on this forum- I blindly just accepted whatever I was told for 16 years.Since discovering the forum I feel I’m now on a journey - hopefully to much better health.

I’ve just had vitamins and minerals tested and awaiting results. Thank you too for your kindness.

[Kipsy in reply to Lost_Girl]

That’s great that you’re testing your vitamins. I definitely think it’s worth doing every six months. Good luck.

[MissFG]

I think there are some that seem a lot more popular such as unipharma which I started on but then there was panic as stocks ran low and it was difficult to get hold of from a reliable source, and ppl lost money and never received their orders.

I tried Mexican cynomel and put up with it way too long before realising it was this brand making me feel ill and whatever dose I played around with. I found others on here commented that they too struggled with it.

I’m now on Tiromel T3 Abdi Ibrahim and finding I’m tolerating it well. It’s one of the cheaper brands and readily available online or even better me or my friends bring a good years supply home for me at only €3 for 100 25mcg pills.

So yes it’s definitely trial and error, although in hindsight I’d go by what the majority have success on. Being unwell on T3 for 3-6 months trialling a brand out is no fun.

[Lost_Girl in reply to MissFG]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m 2 days in,feeling apprehensive and hoping for a Christmas miracle 🤔

[MissFG in reply to Lost_Girl]

Aww bless you!

Look don’t put pressure on yourself to get well it won’t happen overnight unfortunately. But taking T3 should help.

It did me or I’d still be bed ridden. It took 2-3 weeks for me to see a difference. I stuck to cynomel for over 4 months and regret it big time.

So give it time but if you don’t feel any better in say 6-8 weeks try another brand. And monitor your bloods too so you can make sure your on the right dose.

[Lost_Girl in reply to MissFG]

Thanks for the advice. I feel stronger knowing that I have a body of knowledge and experience that I can turn to on this forum. 😊

[LindaC]

Wow - sounds like there are sources out there after all!? Please can someone PM me?

From 2012 I've only ever used Cynomel and Uni Pharma [Greek] but now sourcing is becoming way more difficult due to various factors.

Thank you!

[Trigger88]

Dispensing T3 on it's own should be illegal. It's against nature. Impossible for the body to balance with other hormones.

[Singoutloud in reply to Trigger88]

Bit extreme when some are intolerant to t4. 🤔

[Trigger88 in reply to Singoutloud]

How can you be intolerant to T4? It is fundamental to Thyroid function. Something else is not right or the wrong tests or interpretation?

[Singoutloud in reply to Trigger88]

I'll reword that to say intolerant to t4 thyroid hormone replacements. Why should it be illegal?

[Trigger88 in reply to Singoutloud]

Maybe a bit emotive. I see so many people airing their blood tests. T4 T3 and all the other stuff need to be balanced. Everyone has a different way of reading them. One thing that isn't open to interpretation is nature. NDT and good diet exercise, meditation can achieve health and wellbeing. I have not had a Doctors appointment in 3 years. I get blood tests every 6 months so I can get my NDT prescription. Other than that I breathe, Exercise and eat well and I feel fantastic and I am 70 years young.

[StitchFairy in reply to Trigger88]

You are obviously one of the many fortunate people who can just take their thyroid medication and get on with their lives. Not everyone is as fortunate you.

[Singoutloud in reply to Trigger88]

Sorry I will have to disagree with your opinion on t3. NDT isn't completely natural as contains fillers/bulking agents. Whilst I'm glad you have found what works for you, everybody is different. Many people that join this group have been looking for answers for a long time. They find support and the experience of others that can help them become proactive in improving their own health. They don't need someone sitting in judgement. I was one of people and I too found what works me. I have been t3 only for the last 3 years and my thyroid is now very well managed. I self source and self test and my GP has no input to my thyroid care. The only reason i go to the surgery is get b12 injections for my PA.

[pennyannie in reply to Trigger88]

Well, I think you are very fortunate to have a prescription for NDT and presumably the relevant blood tests every six months - are these on the Nhs?

I am 71 and I too am without a functioning thyroid gland having Graves Disease, drinking radioactive iodine and then becoming hypothyroid and with thyroid eye disease.

I have been refused the correct blood tests and am on monotherapy T4.

I have been refused help with both T3 or NDT medications.

I am currently self medicating with NDT.

I believe we all would like to breathe easy and eat well, knowing we have a medical professional " on side " to help us regain our health.

I don't know f it's a postcode lottery or pot luck but many of us have struck out -

it is not an equal playing field - maybe it never was -

but at least this site offers help and guidance in an otherwise very confusing Nhs landscape.

[StitchFairy in reply to Trigger88]

T4 hormone replacement isn't exactly the same as T4 produced naturally by a thyroid gland. With replacement T4, intolerance can be caused by the excipients and/or the fact that it has to go through the digestive system.

[Hidden]

I've taken Sigmapharma brand of Liothyronine since I started T3 in April. I feel fine on it-no problems. I always check the company on my Rx bottle before leaving the pharmacy. my current Rx is Sigma.

I've had problems with various pharmacies with other drugs in the past. Notably Teva. I won't accept anything from them. Which is why I check my Rx before I leave the counter.

[RockyPath]

I take Sigma T3 in the 25 mcg. The whole thing in the morning. Under my tongue. I read this in a book on T3 by Paul Robinson. He said splitting up the dose doesn't work. And I had tried splitting the dose, on the endocrinologist's recommendation. It didn't work. But I feel great now!

I take a calcium supplement in the evening, to avoid it interfering with the T3.

I have a common genetic variation that prevents me from deiodinating the LT4. I had to discover the genetic situation myself, through 23andMe health and ancestry kit, and a search of the raw data that they let you access through their web portal.

Good luck!

[Lost_Girl in reply to RockyPath]

Thank you - I was just looking at the Paul Robinson book on the Thyroid UK site this morning 😊

[Hidden in reply to RockyPath]

I was re reading this thread and saw your comment about taking T3 under the tongue. I'm very interested in learning this fact as my last T3 lab was very low (only 1/10th of a point higher than the bottom 'normal' range.). My TSH is coming down-currently was 1.08-aiming for under 1.0 and my T4 is close to the top of my normal range.

I want to talk about stopping the T4. My thyroid has been atrophied for years from neck radiation to my larynx. So I don't believe I convert any T4 and feel it's not necessary. But one thing at a time.

I was surprised at the low T3 number as I am absolutely compliant with taking it correctly. I also had the feeling that my doctor's nurse practitioner who doesn't know me and I hadn't seen before felt I wasn't compliant.

But I have major absorption issues for a variety of reasons and maybe taking the T3 sublingual would make a difference for me.

I will try and get a copy of the book (US) and also appreciate others' input on how this has or has not worked for them.

I am very tired physically as I have not reached my optimum dose. The NP was hesitant about upping my dose though I pushed for my usual 5 mcg increase and she finally agreed to raise it by only 2.5 mcg with labs to be repeated in 6 weeks.

This annoys me because I'm a retired nurse very involved in being active in my care, understand the importance of med and treatment compliance and also have an online chart that if she reads it will show that I have a good history of working well and honestly with other long-term physicians.

So this tiny increase seems to me to be wasting my time and slowing my ability to reach optimal dose and feel well.

I was started on the T3 in April at 5 mcg. Then got a second increase of 5 mcg

4 months later-began to feel better and expected an increase of another 5 mcg at last month's visit.

So now after 9 months (with her 2. 5mcg increase) I am still only at 12.5 mcg with a very low T3 level. It seems she is making judgments about the seriousness of my commitment when she can easily know me better from reading other physician's notes on my patient portal. These doctors have known and cared for me for years.

So now I will gather 'under the tongue' documentation. I have labs due in a few weeks and don't want to confuse the issue otherwise I would start trying the new method tomorrow. Thanks for listening to my rant.

Take care. irina