Testing after taking new Cytomel / T3

[bessygo]

Since T3 seems to be absorbed and work more quickly, would it be okay to get blood levels tested after 2 weeks of adding T3? Is that enough time?

[greygoose]

Depends if you changed your levo dose at the time of adding in T3. But, even if you didn't, I still think it would be a bit too soon.

[bessygo in reply to greygoose]

My dr only gave me a 2 week supply of T3.....I've been on Synthroid for a while.....I'll try to research it or will have to get more T3 and change app'ts...However, I'm not sure if the T3 is working or not...I thought one know fairly quickly if it were working. I'm only taking 2.5 mcg since.

[greygoose in reply to bessygo]

Oh dear. It gets worse. What on earth does your doctor expect to achieve by giving you 2.5 mcg T3 for two weeks. It won't even show up in a blood test. Me thinks he's set you up to fail. Then he can say, there you are, it doesn't work!

T3 will only 'work' is you take enough of it. It's not aspirin. And it doesn't work instantly. You have to start low - usually 5 mcg - and build up slowly by 5 mcg every 5 weeks. Either he's very, very ignorant, or as I said, he's set you up to fail, thinking you won't know the difference.

[bessygo in reply to greygoose]

She is afraid because of my anxiety and insomnia, the T3 will make those symptoms worse, that is why she is starting me on a low dose. I have read others who start on the same protocol. As I stated before, my Free T3 was 2.5 (range 2.3-4.2) and my Total T3 was 102 (range 76-181). Because I have Hashimotos, I read or heard somewhere that symptoms are more important sometimes than actual blood levels....but that could be poppycock.

[greygoose in reply to bessygo]

I think you need to consider symptoms in conjunction with blood levels. Symptoms can be confusing as so many can be both hypo and hyper/over-medicated - anxiety and insomnia, for example - so, looking at the blood test results will help you know which they are.

Your FT3 was so very low that it was obviously that that was causing your anxiety and insomnia, so taking T3 is more likely to help, than make them worse. But, the fact remains that 2.5 mcg is not going to do anything. And, why only two weeks?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Even when I've only changed my dose of T3 (I take Levo plus T3), I find that I still need 6-8 weeks for levels to stabilise. Could be me and I'm strange, but it seems I need that amount of time.

[bessygo in reply to SeasideSusie]

This is why I thought after being on T3 for 2 weeks, it would should up on labs: " Straight after taking a T3 containing medication, the TSH level begins to fall and then stays suppressed for as long as five hours. Free T3 levels also increases after taking T3 medication and hit a peak after two and a half hours.: I have read different half-life measurements for T3: one said: "roughly 2.5 days:, another said: "the half life of T3 is short, typically about 4-6 hours in most people" ; another said: The half life of T3 med is less than a day. Another: "Cytomel is fast acting and doesn't stay in your system for very long - it peaks within a few hours. Its half life is only about 1 to 1.5 days"

I have been on 25 mcg T3 for about a week and take it at 11pm with my Synthroid. Because of insomnia, perhaps I should take the T3 during the day???? Cannot find answers.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to bessygo]

Because of insomnia, perhaps I should take the T3 during the day????

Experiment. Some people find taking T3 at night helps them sleep. Others find that one morning dose is fine. Others need to split T3 into 2 or 3 doses during the day. There is no one size fits all.

[bessygo in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks. Does T3 need to be taken on an empty stomach? I am thinking I should take it in the afternoon. (assuming cannot take it with any calcium type foods, or other supplements).

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to bessygo]

My personal opinion is that because we don't want anything to affect absorption of thyroid meds, they all should be taken on an empty stomach and leaving the same amount of time between supplements and other medication as is advised for Levo, i.e. 2 hours for some, 4 hours for others including iron, calcium, magnesium, D3.

[virtualreality]

Your serum T3 levels would have altered by then, and the overall level of T4 would have adapted by then to some extent, but I believe TSH takes longer to settle down after a dose change. (caveat: that's just based on information I've read here and my own experience, I haven't personally read the science on this). But it might depend on what exactly you'd be checking for. For instance, you might be able to see if the added T3 is taking your FT3 too high, but it might not be possible to tell if it's likely to be a suitable dose for you longer-term. I take a combination of T4+T3, and so far have found that I need a good 6 weeks or more for levels to stabilise after a dose change, especially TSH.