Answer to question about source of T3 in 5mcg factory lots

[Hashihouseman]

As prescribed

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Just read previous post where you mention this

Do you get this prescribed on NHS?

I take my T3 as split dose (10mcg, 5mcg and 5mcg) per day

So 5mcg tablets might be better/easier than cutting up 20mcg tablets

Do you know if they Are they even more expensive than 20mcg NHS T3?

[Hashihouseman in reply to SlowDragon]

I get it on prescription but the prescription is very vague and started life as 20 µg which is clearly ridiculous for most people. after long discussions with the pharmacist they went on to source 5 µg tablets which have recently been developed in Europe because of the increasing demands for T3 treatment which are becoming more accepted on the continent. I would suggest the best way of finding out more is through pharmacies and not GPs! The pharmacy I use is particularly helpful that is Saint Leonards pharmacy Exeter Devon I’m sure you could google them for contact details. Incidentally one of the recent published papers on this issue mentioned that these 5 µg tablets were becoming available due to patient pressure. It does work, eventually. The other interesting thing about this is that in most of the research on combined therapy the T3 doses have been far too high and a dosing regime that is appropriate to replace natural T3 levels secreted by the thyroid has never been properly investigated. With commercially available 5 µg tablets this research would be a lot more straightforward just as self treatment will be a lot more straightforward.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hashihouseman]

I have a very helpful independent pharmacist who understands exactly that we need same brand of Levothyroxine/T3 at each prescription

[ondrej41 in reply to Hashihouseman]

Hi. Sorry, just want to ask if you know anything about slow-release T3 in Europe where to buy it. Because it is even more convenient and physiologic to get T3 into blood little by little. What I have found is that there are pharmacies who can put anything in time-release capsule, but I would need a prescriprion for it

[Hashihouseman in reply to ondrej41]

I wouldn’t trust independent pharmacy compounding with something as powerful as t3 and I would want to see good prospective research trials on such replacement , I don’t know if there has been enough/any research or how it could affect blood level, what if the slow release wasn’t slow enough! Or changed suddenly!

[Daffers123 in reply to ondrej41]

I have tried compounded SR T3 but found it was too difficult know what dose I needed. You can get it via <doctor name redacted> he's on line

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Daffers123]

The post you have replied to is over two years old. I know it is easy to miss that.

Also, I have removed the doctor's name from your reply.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Jeni-M

Hashihouseman doesn't self source his T3, it is on prescription.

[Jeni-M in reply to SeasideSusie]

Ok thank you Seaside Susie

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Even more information about that product here:

dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

[Hashihouseman in reply to helvella]

Yes. That’s the one. This ought to be part of the standard options for replacing lost thyroid gland capacity. Everybody on replacement with a sense of lack of wellness should be asking about it. It exists, it can be obtained, it is an easy way to replace and at physiologically normal levels the cost should not be that great. The difference is subtle but nevertheless amazing and it can ameliorate the Disconnect between T4 and T3 production in levothyroxine treatment. People should not have to suffer overdose of T4 to try and pump up T3 levels, some of which will not be seen in serum blood test results because of the intracellular bias in T3 production. Furthermore, I think for some people small amounts of T3 strategically dosed should allow a combined therapy with levothyroxine which will feed whatever intracellular conversion to T3 the individual has the capacity for.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Hashihouseman]

With 5mcg tablets it would even be possible to cut the tablet in half to give regular smaller doses of 2.5mcg

[Hashihouseman in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes this is precisely what I do and down to 1.2 mcg doses (1/4 of the pill) I have a jewellers balance which can weigh down to microgram levels and a sharp bladed pill cutter so there’s some error but nothing like trying to quarter 20mcg pills which can only really be divided to precisely accurate doses by dissolving in water...... and that really is tedious. Thyroid hormone replacement really depends upon accuracy and precision in small doses and there’s no reason the drug companies can’t provide this, oh yes I almost forgot..... the endocrinologists! They’re the reason we don’t have modern civilised thyroid hormone replacement.