After lots of doctor visits (8 total, not visits ..doctors) I realized I can't take levo or any form of T4. I started taking T3 (Tiromel). I up my dosage every week with 1/4 of a 25mg pill. Currently 37.5mgs. The problem is that I started to feel worse. My legs were stiff and super easily tired but now, I can barely walk. I know taking T3 is stopping the body produce of T4. So my initial idea was that I no longer produce enough T4 and of course, my T3 dose is mega low (for now). I plan a blood test but I wanted to ask is this normal? Thank you for your time!
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Have you got any results to share? Are you Hashimoto’s/ have autoimmune hypothyroidism? Taking T3 is not easy, it’s rather trail and error and patience! I personally would say upping 1/4 25 mcg dose weekly (ie it’s taken 6 weeks) is rather quick. Did you just stop the levo. then add the T3? Did you have your folate, ferritin, b12, vit D tested, and found them to be optimum ( upper end of range) before starting T3? Your symptoms could be the result of low vits/ mins. I take T3 only, and seem to be benefitting from no levo. after nearly a year on T4:T3 combo., and 13 years of levo. only., but it does feel like one step forward two steps back sometimes.
Thank you for your replay. I don't have results, yet. My D and b12 are okay. I waited a week (or two, don't remember) to start T3. Every place I've read says 1/4 from 25 per week is even slow. For example: thyroidrt3.com/dosing.htm I wanted to ask if someone had a similar experience: super stiff legs and easily tired from this dose of T3. It's a bit weird. I've made full blood work not long time ago and all was fine. Don't think this is the problem. Thanks again.
Perhaps tho you upped the T3 dosing you didn’t take full account of the levo. : it has a half life of 7 days so for eg if you stopped taking 100 mcg T4 in one go, then by end of seven days 50 mcg is still in system, after 14 days 25 mcg etc. It will carry on converting to FT3 ( you just said you didn’t get on with levo. not that you didn’t convert it ok). The symptoms aren’t anything I got from T3, infact the contrary as loosened hips, but could be vit/ min related. Are you Hashi, my antibodies seem to have settled down now so don’t have flares that I would think makes taking T3 even more difficult?
If taking T3 it is advisable to increase by 1/4 tablet every two weeks. I shall give you a link which might be helpfu and read 'Safely Getting Well'. This doctor would never prescribe levo - only T3 or NDT.
This doctor doesn't talk about T3 but of T4. Taking too fast T4 is a problem because of the conversion to T3. I can't find "two-week" advice for T3. Thanks.
I should have stated you should read Safely Getting Well. Dr Lowe would never prescribe levothyroxine. He only prescribed NDT (natural dessicated thyroid hormones or T3 (liothyronine) for patients who had thyroid hormone resistance.
Some excerpts:
"If so, a trial of therapy using a product that con-tains both T3 and T4 is warranted. (For an explanation of why ourpatients don’t use T4 alone, see section below titled “Use of T4 isthe Least Effective Approach to Thyroid Hormone Therapy.
and
A trial of T3 therapy is then warranted.During the trial, the patient carefully progresses through met-abolic rehab using plain T3. The method of adjusting her dose of T3,and the safety monitoring she undergoes, are based on our ex-periences with hundreds of resistance patients and our scientificstudies of those patients.[36][38][92][93][94][135][137][188][189][292][403]We want to emphasize that our patients use plain T3—not sus-tained-release or timed-release T3. They take their full dose of T3on an empty stomach (one hour before a meal, or three hours after)once each day (see Figure 1).When thyroid hormone resistance patients use T3, therapeuticeffects from a newly increased dose may occur within several daysto a week. It’s reasonable for these patients to reevaluate the inten-sity of their symptoms a week after they increase their T3 dose (seeChapter 3).We can’t give a specific starting dose for patients in general. Itvaries for different patients, depending on their health status,severity of their symptoms, and other factors.
My pain/ stiffness was diagnosed as fibromyalgia, which Dr. Lowe thought was undertreated hypothyroidism. The 1890s person in the article with rare thyroid condition had their problems after 8 months but you have been on T3 for only 6 weeks. If you go too fast , and I think a 1/4 25 mcg pill every week is fast from personal experience, you might miss your ideal dose. Have you any blood tests to share: FT4, FT3, TSH, full thyroxin, folate, ferritin, B12 and vit D, even autoimmune antibodies (TPO and TgAb)....best way to start looking at what may be wrong?
I've been diagnosed with Hashimoto 5 months ago. I started T3 6 weeks ago because all the doctors where trying levo and making me iller. I don't have pain. My symptoms are identical to the 1890s person. Tiromel is weaker than Cytomel. Even drugs.com give much more than 1/4 of 25 per week. I don't think this is the issue. I've been stiff long before T3. Now it just went too much. I will make blood tests the day after tomorrow. Thanks for your input!
The article you've cited is describing all of the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism, and
Hoffman's syndrome is still hypothyroidism, so your solution is still treatment with T3. I continue to have hypothyroidism symptoms while I am increasing the dose of T3 and finding what's right. The body is good at providing information.
If you're not experiencing a jittery feeling, with heart palpitations, and difficulty relaxing, then you're not going too fast at increasing your dose. Do give your body a week or two to adjust to each change. Some people have to take large doses of T3 to be well.
I know the solution is T3. I was just confused about why my condition got worse. Adding more T3 should've made me feel better. At least what I expected. Will make blood tests and will see. Thanks!
However as we are all so very different the palpitations etc were part of my undermedicated signs of adding T3 to T4, and didn’t go till T3 upto 25 mcg dose with 125 mcg levo. when pulse/bp went down.
Hypothyroidism treatment with T3 is not a linear path to wellness. It's more like one of those amusement park rides that takes you up a long hill, plunges off, goes through through several corkscrew turns, goes up and down a bunch more hills, and then drops you back where you feel ok again.
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