I have low T3 and really low Cortisol. I've been taking 60mg of pregnenolone for a few months now and am just starting out on T3 at 12.5mcg for a few weeks. I've also been taking 10-20 propranolol, which I've just stopped in the last day.
I've just had my first normal range cortisol results back in 4 years (been suffering for 8)! So hopefully starting to make progress.
But I just seem to permanently have fluid retention and a really bloated abdomen. It's so frustrating as I don't want to stop the pregnenolone or T3 as seem to be making headway after so many years. But it gets so bad that it hurts and I don't want to go out.
Does anyone know what might be causing it? Could it have been the propranolol?
Thanks so much!
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MoJo4004
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I too had low T3 3.9(3.7-6.0) and low cortisol 150 9am (155-607).
After 12 months of real suffering. I could hardly walk. I got nowhere on the NHS UK. I went private. I was told I wasn’t converting T4 to T3 hardly. I was prescribed T3. I got it from Germany. I now take 75mcg Levothyroxine as I use to only have along with 5mcg T3 twice a day. After 4 weeks I got my bloods done. My cortisol has doubled from 150 to 311. It’s not been that good in a year of regular checking. So T3 has helped my cortisol improve and I now feel alive again. My T3 has gone from 3.9 to 5.4 too.
I wouldn’t stop T3. Have you had recent bloods to check for improvement. I too have fluid retention. Mine is mainly in my legs. I believe this is from being under medicated for too long(T3). It may take some time for the fluid to reduce. I posted yesterday about how to reduce the fluid. People saying dandelion tincture may help. Water tablets can be tricky as they wipe out good stuff too.
Yes the propranolol will have caused a reduction in T4 to T3 conversion and it makes thyroid problems worse so hopefully you will feel better once it's out of your system. The pregnenolone may be causing problems as to convert to cortisol it has to convert to progesterone first. Too much progesterone can cause fluid retention and bloating. You may find now you're off the propranolol you don't have need for T3. You need to check all your hormones and make sure you are in balance. Keep an eye on your blood sugar too as propranolol raises it as does T3. So I would have that checked out too
I take a ton of progesterone (prescribed) but I don't have fluid retention or bloating. I thought it was too much oestrogen that cause fluid retention and bloating: the important thing is for sex hormones to be in balance
May I ask what type of progesterone. I'm on utrogestan along with sandrena transdermal gel. The progesterone bloats me up terrible. 🙄 I hate it but it makes my skin glow.
Angel_of_the_North - would you please pm me with the name of your prescriber. I think I know who it is but I believe it’s not possible to give names on the forum.
propranolol blocks the action of T3 in the body which is how it slows the heart. So the bloating may well be partly due to this medication. No need to stop pregnenalone or T3 but have you any bloods to post. Have you had your ferritin, folate, vitamin D and B12 tested? I am a bit concerned that your tummy hurts. There are a lot of things that can cause an abdomen to swell such as ovarian cysts, bowel problems, so I think a visit to your GP to investigate further would be in order.
Thanks so much everyone. So good to be able to discuss with people that get it!
T3
- So in January T3 was slightly low at 3.5 - that was dosing with Levo which will have been topping up the T3 slightly.
- Before using Levo it was 2.3.
- Now stopped the T4 and taking T3 only (only a few weeks in so very much still trying to get this right) and bloods back at 7.28 (so slightly high!).
Cortisol
- Always had low morning cortisol to the point the NHS actually put me on emergency hydrocortisone (had a morning blood of 24 when should've been 300).
- HC really made me bloat, feel awful so went down the pregnenolone road, which is definitely better than HC.
- Morning (and rest of the day) cortisols are now in normal ranges - first time in 4 years!
Although I've suffered with on and off bloating most of my adult life (which I suspect was due to all these imbalances), it now feels relentless and has definitely been since starting all of this - so it must be either the propranolol or the pregnenolone.
The progesterone piece makes sense as I also tried a cream transdermally a few times as thats showing low in bloods too, but stopped as the bloating started soon after that.
I hopefully have an appointment with my doc next week to review all the bloods, so will ask what he thinks. I'm really hoping it's not the pregnenolone, as do feel this has helped hugely.
I didn't find that pregnenolone really helped my low cortisol as you can't be sure what it will convert into. I appreciate that you now have a normal result, but I still felt bad with my results skimming the bottom of the range. I found adrenal cortex better (but I'm also prescribed DHEA). It took many years to feel even half decent. Propranolol can interfere with thyroid function, so I'd avoid it unless it is essential. T3 should help, but don't increase too fast. I'm on T3 only
Thanks. I will ask my doc about adrenal cortex and dhea. I know the pregnenolone is helping me, for sure, but have a feeling it's also that causing the bloating.
Hi Mojo4004, I am having severe bloating at the moment which I think is due to under-medication, I'm on 75 mcg levo. I'm now hypo since RAI treatment. I was on propranolol for a short while after a chest infection put me in Hospital for 4 nights when first diagnosed hyperthyroid but as soon as I was sorted on carbimazole, I was taken off propranolol - it didn't make me bloated so I think your problem could be the preg.
One thing I forgot to mention too, is that I have low progesterone. I have a cream to use but haven't started yet as trying to ease all these things in separately so I know what makes me feel how.
Has anyone used progesterone cream? Been reading and apparently this may balance out any estrogen that may cause bloating.
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DHEA/Cortisol Ratio is Low
Low Cortisol
