Does T3 use raise blood sugar levels?

[Judithdalston]

Read a reply to an unrelated post, I think it was yesterday, that suggested that T3 raised blood sugars. Has anybody got personal evidence or printed research paper about this. As well as hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, fibromyalgia I am an insulin dependent diabetic( caused by sepsis/ acute pancreatitis) and because of fibromyalgia been going down Dr. Lowe’s route of adding T3 ( initially to levo. but now a year later T3 only, nearly 70 mcg). I have noticed mY daily sugar levels are on the high side ( can be 6.5-10) day to day(not had yearly Hba1c check yet)...the last thing I need is the side-effects of less controlled diabetes. I was putting the higher blood sugar levels to be less able to walk my usual 10,000 steps daily as fibro pain worse in winter and some hypo symptoms (notably vertigo ) as still upping T3 dose. Any advice welcome.

[HIFL]

On 1.5 grains, my fasting blood sugar is normal. On 2 grains, it's high, along with FT3 over the reference range. There's a lot of references that support T3's correlation with high blood sugar here: tiredthyroid.com/insulin-re...

[Judithdalston in reply to HIFL]

Thanks for the ref. HIFL.; it’s surprising I have never heard of the FT3 - blood sugar connection before. But then I have had numerous medics. who either don’t know, or can’t be bothered to tell you! I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 17 years ago, then hypothyroidism a few years later when I suspect my TSH reached 10 plus...then down the line got sepsis / acute pancreatitis that made me insulin dependent, then 2 years later a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. It’s the latter pain, weakness and stiffness i’m trying to treat with Dr.Lowe’s T3 only protocol. Looks now like i’ll have to add daily sugar levels to my hypo diary with basal temp., bp, pulse, how I feel ...as I raise my T3 further to get to a sweet spot for everything!

[AmandaK in reply to HIFL]

Does this explain why it's so difficult losing weight, even when optimally dosed? Hypothyroidism affects metabolic rate, but the solution makes the situation worse as insulin resistance is associated with fat accumulation due to the sugars being converted to fat rather than energy. It seems like a no-win situation.

[HIFL in reply to AmandaK]

I think it's difficult to lose weight if someone is taking too much T3, which many do. I was able to manipulate my fasting blood glucose with my dose. 100% positive correlation--raise the T3, and BG rises too. Lower the T3, and BG drops into normal range. I NEVER had that problem on T4-only.

[G2G2]

I'm a T1 diabetic. From what I read some time ago, taking thyroid hormones makes injected insulin less effective. I've noticed when my NDT dose is increased, I've had raise insulin dosing accordingly.

[Judithdalston in reply to G2G2]

You’d have thought if this was ‘known’ then someone would have told me when I had to start injecting insulin? Would it have been so out of kilter to raise my TSH to be undermedicated, and get fibromyalgia? It seems an explanation but I had put it down to huge quantity of strong antibiotics I had with sepsis/ septic shock ‘wrecking’ my reasonably controlled hypothyroidism. How much do you raise the insulin per NDT dose increase?

[G2G2 in reply to Judithdalston]

It's not well known at all. No one told me either. There isn't a formula for much insulin per NDT dose. Highly individualized, of course. I raised basal by 1-1.5 units, but what you need could be entirely different. Like everything with DM, it's trial & error.

[NWA6]

Forgive me if I sound ignorant but isn’t Insulin known as the sugar hormone? The more we eat the more insulin that’s needed and so it could actually be the insulin that’s making us (non diabetic people) fat?

I always wondered why type 1 didn’t reduce their carb intake so they could keep their injections dose low and ofcourse type 2 might avoid more damage if they go low carb.

[G2G2 in reply to NWA6]

Yes, in addition to getting glucose into cells, insulin's also a fat storing hormone. It's not just insulin that causes weight gain. I'm T1 & have been eating low carb for 11 years to reduce my insulin dose injections.

[NWA6 in reply to G2G2]

Ah yes, that’s what I heard ‘fat storing hormone’ I knew it was something. Has going low carb for you been a benefit?

[G2G2 in reply to NWA6]

Yes, definitely a benefit.

[NWA6 in reply to G2G2]

Good to hear ❤️ keep well 🤗

[G2G2 in reply to NWA6]

Thanks, Paula. You keep well also.

[TaraJR]

I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycaemia when I was very ill. I was on Levo, but it was before I started on T3. When I began T3, and got on the right dose to make me well again, nearly all my hypoglycaemia symptoms went away. So I definitely think there's a link.

[Judithdalston in reply to TaraJR]

It’s that problem of getting the right T3 dose though...a year down the line and still not there!

[SilverAvocado]

Really interesting to hear replies to this question! I am not diabetic, but I'm sure there is something going on with my sugar metabolism. I always try to find clues about this in published research on thyroid, and definitely being hypothyroid disrupts the body's management of sugar in a few ways.

Its interesting to hear that adding T3 can take us to a point that would be considered disrupted, too. From my position of knowing very little about it, it makes me wonder if the T3 could just be returning us to 'normal', while prior to that the blood sugar or insulin requirement is lower?

I know that one of the things being hypo does is make the body worse at taking sugar back out of glycogen storage, so we can't increse blood sugar when we need to.