Is your T3 prescribed? Why do you want to come off it? What are your latest results for
TSH
FT4
FT3
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
If you do want to come off it then reduce gradually. Start with a 5mcg reduction, give it a couple of weeks and see how you feel. As it has a short half life then 2 weeks should be enough. If you wish to continue reducing, stick to 5mcg at a time and wait 2 weeks.
You haven't said why you want to come off T3 nor how you feel.
I'm on a combination of Levo and T3. If those were my results I'd be feeling very unwell as both FT4 and FT3 would be far too low for me.
Is your B12 pmol/L, ng/L or pg/ml (ng/L and pg/ml are the same).
If ng/L or pg/ml then the following applies:
According to an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:
"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".
"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."
Folate is very low and it's recommended to be at least half way through range (10+ with that range).
Vit D 71nmol/L (28.4ng/ml) but I’ve now started taking 6000 iu Vt D3 daily
The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml).
To reach the recommended level from your current level, based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 3,700iu D3 daily (nearest is 4,000iu) so you might want to reduce your dose a bit
When you've reached the recommended level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
All I know is top of range for whichever it is measured in is 640
I already take 450mg magnesium bisglycinate daily and have done for several years.
I use the DLux Vit D spray which is 3,000 iu per spray, so since my results came in I’ve been using 2 sprays per day.
I cannot use the K2 as it would interfere with my blood condition.
My iron is good and ferritin was 188.
I don’t remember having iron rich foods the eeek before, but my Gp said that ferritin varied with age and for my age 200 is top of the range so he was happy with that.
My folate at 4 is low but when I supplement my B12 goes up to over 2,000.
The reason I was thinking of coming off T3 and possibly increasing Levo is because I keep getting flare ups of muscle pain in my mid to upper back on the left Hand side.
I think the answer is probably no. You won't be able to come off it. Not without making yourself ill. Your conversion isn't likely to have improved over the four years you've been taking levo, but will possibly have got worse. Your body would find it very difficult to manage without that T3 now.
And, if you want to come off it because you think it's responsible for your muscle pains, I think that's highly unlikely. They could be due to low nutrients. Have you had your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested? Or, they could be due to being under-medicated, which - according to those labs below - you probably are. If it were me, I'd be increasing the T3, not stopping it.
I'm sure it is, but that doesn't mean it's the T3 that's causing it. I don't see why it would.
Your vit d is low, and will take a while to raise, but low vit d is well-known for causing muscle pain. Are you taking vit K2 - MK7 and magnesium with it? You could also try taking zinc, because that's probably low, too. And, low zinc causes muscle pain.
All I can say is, if you want to come off the T3, the best thing you can do is try it. But, slowly, as Susie explains. But, I have to say, I think it's very ill-advised.
Ah, you left 25 hours between your last dose of T3 and the blood draw? That's too long. For T3 it should be 8 to 12 hours. So, you've got a false low FT3, there. So, it's probably about 5.4, which is better. But, might still be too low for you. So, personally, I would try an increase of 5 mcg, and see what happens.
I don't think rT3 is anything to worry about at all. What do you thing it's going to do to you? It's inert.
Your FT4 is not high enough to cause excess rT3. But, there are plenty of other things that could cause it, and you wouldn't even know you had it. So, forget all about that, and try an increase in T3. You can always reduce it again if it doesn't suit you.
Doubtful you'd get it tested on the NHS, it would have to be private. But, hypos are usually low in zinc. Try it, see if it helps. It's also important for conversion.
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