T3 doses

[Sweetpea1157]

Hi everyone , I did write a post a few months ago asking advice on taking T3, but am unable to retrace the replies i received, so am once again finding myself having to ask the questions again . I am now in receipt of the T3 and it is a 20mcg tablet , at present I am on 75mcg of levo daily , have been told by endo to reduce levo to 50mcg and take half a T3 tablet twice a day ( 2x10mcg ) , have not been told when I'm supposed to take the doses , do I take the first dose at the same time as levo , do I, as I have to do with levo , leave 4 hours between taking any other meds and at least an hour before food , im also feeling this is too high a dose , especially as I am feeling not too bad on the 75mcg daily dose of levo , i do vaguely remember a few people here saying the endo was setting me up to fail on that dose , is it going to be safe for me to start the T3, as am still recovering from dissected carotid artery, and am still feeling some of the effects from that . Can anyone please help and re advise me as to what I should be doing please . Thankyou everyone in advance for taking the time to read this lengthy post ☺

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Sweetpea1157

Here is a link to your profile page where you will see all previous posts that you have made. You just click on your user name or your avatar to get to your profile page

healthunlocked.com/user/swe...

I am now in receipt of the T3 and it is a 20mcg tablet , at present I am on 75mcg of levo daily , have been told by endo to reduce levo to 50mcg and take half a T3 tablet twice a day ( 2x10mcg )

Whether or not you need to reduce your Levo depends on what your current FT4 result is. Do you have that to hand, with it's reference range, and TSH, also FT3?

It would be better to start on a lower dose of T3 and build up slowly. Starting on 20mcg T3 is too much, it is the equivalent of 60-80 mcg Levo and you have been told to reduce Levo by 25mcg. A much better idea is to quarter the T3 tablet, take 1 x 1/4 (5mcg) for a week, see how you feel, if all OK then add a second 1/4 (total 10mcg). Personally I would then leave it at that for maybe 4-6 weeks, add in an extra 1/4 if necessary. Only ever increase by 5mcg at a time and give it a few weeks to see how you feel on it.

do I take the first dose at the same time as levo , do I, as I have to do with levo , leave 4 hours between taking any other meds and at least an hour before food

You can take your dose at the same time as Levo (presumably morning), when adding a second dose take it in the afternoon. You may find you have a "slump" at a certain time of day, that can indicate that a good time to take it is maybe an hour before the slump. You'll have to experiment. Splitting dose is a good idea to start with. I eventually started taking mine all in one dose with my Levo and for me it didn't make any difference, some people need split doses.

You take Levo on an empty stomach, one hour before or to hours after food and no other medication or supplements for 2 hours, although some need 4 most only need 2, so you'd need to check any other medication for interactions and recommended time gaps.

is it going to be safe for me to start the T3, as am still recovering from dissected carotid artery, and am still feeling some of the effects from that

I can't answer that, I think you should ask your doctor or endo, but it would make sense to wait until you are recovered before introducing the T3.

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thankyou Seasidesusie, i think im going to wait as suggested by yourself till I'm fully recovered before introducing T3, when I do start the T3, i will take the 5mcg along with my 75mcg levo in the morning , but what about the other 15mcg of T3, do I have to discard them as suggested by info leaflet or can I keep them ?? As they are in a bottle not a blister pack , thanks once again for getting back to me ☺

[NWA6 in reply to Sweetpea1157]

I’m wondering if 5mcg is going to be too little? Just another perspective. Take 5mcg in the morning with your Levo and 5 in the evening at bedtime. Based on how you feel, introduce another 5mcg somewhere in the day, within the 6-8wks before your next blood test. After that blood test you’ll know if you need to add the last 5mcg. DO NOT THROW AWAY ANY PRECIOUS T3 (sorry for shouting 😂) presumably you’ll need a pill cutter? There’s a little storage area in most of them. So you need never waste any T3 😀 Good luck and hope you feel fantastic in a few weeks 🤗

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to NWA6]

Hi Paula6, thanks for getting back to me , wont throw T3 away , but am having probs with pill cutter , as tablet is already so small even cutting it in half is nearly impossible, tablet tends to break into bits 😠😢 , and yes , I know T3 is more precious than gold here , fingers and toes are crossed that it will help me when I start ☺

[NWA6 in reply to Sweetpea1157]

Get a new pill cutter? Mine works great 🤗

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to NWA6]

Thanks for that Paula6. 😊

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Sweetpea1157]

Sweetpea1157

I take 3/4 daily so halve and quarter my T3 tablet. The extra quarter I keep in a small screw top pot in my bedside cabinet. Next day I halve a T3 tablet, add 1/2 to the spare quarter from the day before, keep the spare half in the screw top pot, etc. It's absolutely fine.

As for how much to start with, low and slow is the way to go. I started on 1/4 tablet, gave it a couple of weeks to see if reacted in any way to it, I didn't so was happy to add a second quarter. It's a powerful hormone and some people only need a very small amount, others need more. It's very individual and we all react differently to it. Also, your body has been through a lot recently. Don't risk a bad reaction and give your endo ammunition to say it doesn't work for you, the trial has failed and removes your prescription - low and slow is the way to go.

Do you have your results/ranges so we can see if you need to reduce your Levo?

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks seasidesusie , yes i think you're right , low and slow is the way to go , ooh I'm becoming poetic lol 😂 , and am in total agreement with you , think endo is setting me up to fail so they don't have to give me T3, saving them money . I didn't even ask endo for T3, i just explained my symptoms to him , he said " it's probably nothing to do with your thyroid , but we'll give you a 2 month trial of T3 20mcg daily along with 50mcg levothyroxine " , fingers and toes crossed it will help though when I start dose ☺

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Sweetpea1157]

I'm still doubtful that you may need to reduce Levo. If your FT4 isn't at the top of the range, if it's only half way, then you definitely don't need to reduce Levo. Taking T3 tends to reduce FT4 and can lower TSH, even suppress it. Do you have your results?

As for cutting your tablet, if you're not having any luck with a pill cutter, try a craft scalpel or stanley knife.

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi seasidesusie, thanks once again for that , am going to invest in a craft scalpel, sorry should of said , am going to keep levo at 75mcg , then after a few weeks going to repeat blood test with medichecks, will keep you updated when I start T3 ☺

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi SeasideSusie , how r you , hope you are keeping well . Have been taking T3 5mcg for just over 2 weeks now , am going to increase dose to 10mcg daily , keeping levo at 75mcg, when should I be taking my next blood samples with medichecks? ? Am going to take the full 10mcg all at once and see how i get on , if have bad reaction will then will split dose to 5mcg in morning and 5mcg at night . Also may I ask , am putting the cut tablets in a screw top medicine bottle , do they lose their potency after any amount of time or is it OK to store them like that .? ☺

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Sweetpea1157]

I need to leave 6-8 weeks for my levels to stabilise after changing dose of either Levo or T3.

I put my cut tablet in a screw top jar but I only cut one at a time so it's used the next day. I wouldn't cut any more than that.

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi SeasideSusie, thanks for getting back to me , so it's OK to start 10mcg dose then do bloods after 6-8 weeks ?? , my partner cut up a few of the T3 tabs into quarters for me , are they going to be OK ?? Will obviously only cut one at a time from now on ☺

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Sweetpea1157]

my partner cut up a few of the T3 tabs into quarters for me , are they going to be OK ??

I can't say as I've never done it but I would imagine they'll be OK. You'll just have to use them rather than waste them.

so it's OK to start 10mcg dose then do bloods after 6-8 weeks ??

That's what I would do. Some people's level stabilise after 6 weeks, but I know from experience that I'm better leaving it 8 weeks.

[Sweetpea1157 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi SeasideSusie, will use cut T3 as soon as possible and wait the 8 weeks to do the bloods .

Thanks again ☺