Went to see endo and she put me on 10mg of T3, reduced my T4 to compensate.
Was on 162mg of T4. Now I’m on 125mg of T4 and 10mg of T3.
I’m taking my T4 meds’ first thing waiting half an hour and then taking my T3.
Been doing this for 3 days but beginning to feel groggy! Not great in the evening!
Any thoughts ?
You can take both T4 and T3 together with one full glass of water.
Your doctor has given you the equivalence of your dose of levo.
Research has shown that when taking T3/T4 combination, a dosage of 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 is recommended which your Endo has done. It may be that your dose is still too low as you are not benefitting from the change.
You're not really achieving anything by separating your T4 and T3 by half an hour, simply take them together. Alternatively, if you feel that you naturally dip towards the end of the day for instance, you could take your T3 then. Another option is to take your T4 at night and your T3 in the morning. It's trial and error really.Three days is too soon to know how well you are going to be doing on that dose combo, but it may have been that your T3 should have been added to your existing dose of T4, rather than reducing it, and that the reduction from 162 mcg to 125 mcg was too much, or even that your T4 is still too high now you've added T3, it isn't always obvious. Without seeing your blood results at that time, nor knowing why the Endo added T3 to your T4, or what your symptoms were, it's not possible to say, and we can only guess. Do you have the results and their ranges, to post here?
What are your most recent blood test results and ranges for TSH, FT3 and FT4
As you have Hashimoto's are you on strictly gluten free diet?
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
Ideally ask GP for coeliac blood test first
amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...
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thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...
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Low vitamin levels are extremely common with Hashimoto's. Have you had recent blood test results and ranges for vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12?
These must be optimal for Levo or T3 to work
Some endocrinologist don't drop Levo that much when adding T3
My own endo only dropped my Levo by 25mcg and added two doses of 5mcg T3 ( split dose - 5mcg on waking and 5mcg mid afternoon) More on my profile
Thoughts.......
Too much T4 all in one dose. Split into 2 or even 4.
Too much T3 in one dose, split into 2 or even 3
The total 10 mcg of T3 may be too much however you split it. The swap ratios are all guess work and conjecture.
Take smaller T3 doses at midnight and midday and the larger dose 2 or even 3 hours before normal waking/rising time.
Give it time for your whole system to adjust and settle, if things trend worse, reduce doses slightly, wait and see
By guided by what a healthy thyroid gland would secrete and when!
Sorry.. i thought id replied to you you wont see my reply
I guess im doing my doses all wrong too i didnt drop my 100 Levo to add 10 T3 im taking 100 levo at night at 9.30pm my 10 T3 im taking at 10am as i have a cup of tea at 7.30am to wake myself up then i find by 6pm im nodding off on sofa never done that before any advice for me please!
I used to take all my t3 in the morning, but found I was freezing and tired around 6pm. Now I take half in morning with levo and half at around 3pm. Makes a big difference, but like others have said it’s trial and error.
Yes its similar to how i feel its such a tiny pill to cut into 5mcg twice a day im finding first thing in morning i dont wake up too good so i have a cuppa maybe i should take the t3 at 7am i feel im doing something wrong.. trying to eat n fit in b complex twice a day vit d3 plus iron
It seems to me that we all have to find the confidence to trust ourselves more.
What works for one, doesn't for another - treating T3 as " gold dust " and believing that the endo knows best doesn't necessarily work and puts another layer of stress on an already stressed out, unwell person, who only hopes something will work and may trust blindly.
I read so many posts of when and how to incorporate the additional T3 - it's another learning curve, but I suppose, if it is a trial, it's time sensitive and you'd be inclined to follow the endos recommendations, believing they know better than you on how your body works.
Obviously blood tests are necessary to have an unemotional overview - but I think we need to start trusting ourselves and adjusting the balance of hormones according to our own unique body clocks and to how we feel and can you feel a difference, and have you been given enough to make a difference ?
It takes time for the body to adjust to the T3. Why not take your Levo at night and the T3 in two doses starting in the morning and then in the afternoon.
I agree with Bunnyjean, Levo at night, but you may be ok with T3 in one dose first thing. Decide what you want to do then stick with it for three weeks, although T3 is short acting, your body has to get used to it. A 5mcg dose may not do anything at all
Advice on taking t3
Moving onto NDT
Results with T3 and 50mg T4
