T3

[Tinacros]

I am in turkey at the moment and I’m going to get some t3. I’m on 100mcg thyroxine. When I posted a few people said I was converting. Now I know nothing on starting dosages. Do I lower my thyroxine as well. X

[Marz]

I would re-read your last post where you had lots of good advice about dosing. One thing I did notice was mention of low vitamins and minerals. Thyroid hormones do not work well when they are low so it would be best to improve them before starting T3. You may even find your conversion of T4 to T3 improves.

Also T3 is not a weight loss supplement and in some cases can increase apetite ! I take T3 and have not lost weight ! You mentioned weight in your last thread ..

Am not being negative - just cautious to ensure things go well for you ...

[Tinacros in reply to Marz]

No I wasn’t looking at it to lose weight.. I just didn’t understand why I’d put the weight on all of a sudden over a few months. I’ve bought vitamin D. I just thought that while I’m on holiday in turkey it might be a good idea to get some t3. Thanks anyway x

[Marz in reply to Tinacros]

Did you re-read your last post for helpful info ?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Unfortunately I don't appear to have seen your last post and didn't get to comment. However, your Active B12 is below 70 and that suggests testing for B12 deficiency, see:

viapath.co.uk/our-tests/act...

Reference range: >70*; * between 25-70 referred for MMA

Do you have signs or symptoms of B12 deficiency - check here:

b12deficiency.info/signs-an...

If you do then you should list them to discuss with your GP when asking for further testing of B12.

Ferritin is recommended to be half way through it's range.

Vit D is recommended to be between 100-150nmol/L according to the Vit D Council/Vit D Society.

You really need to optimise all your nutrients before adding T3.

Once they are optimal, retest (say in 3 months) with Medichecks UltraVit, if nutrients are optimal and FT3 still low with FT4 in the upper part of it's range, then suggestions can be made for how to introduce T3.

Also, supplementing with selenium and zinc is said to help conversion, some people prefer to test them before supplementing.

As Marz has said, this is not being negative, you need all your ducks in a row before adding T3 otherwise it could very well fail.

[Tinacros in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thankyou. I take a multivitamin with selenium and zinc in. Am I best buying them separately? It’s a minefield.. and even worse when ur gp is clueless 😟

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Tinacros]

Multivitamins are generally a waste of time as they tend to contain too little of anything to help low levels, often contain the least absorbable and cheapest form of ingredients, and can include things we should test for and only supplement if found to be deficient, eg calcium, iodine, iron.

If yours contains iron then that will affect the absorption of everything else as iron needs to be taken 2 hours away from any other supplements.

If you want to say what your multivitamin is, or link to it, I'll have a look.

[Tinacros in reply to SeasideSusie]

I take multibionta with pro biotics x

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Tinacros]

Is it this one

hollandandbarrett.com/shop/...

Going through the ingredients listed for that one

Vit D - not enough to help at only 5mcg (200iu)

Vit K - doesn't tell you if it's K1 or K2. Knowing that K1 is the cheapest form my guess is that is what is included. K1 is the blood clotting form. K2 is the form needed when Vit D is used.

Folic acid - methylfolate is the recommended form.

B12 - 2.5mcg is no use to anyone and it doesn't say which form - I'm guessing the cyanocobalamin form rather than the recommended methylcobalamin form.

Calcium - this should be tested before supplementing.

Magnesium - they've used magnesium oxide which is the cheapest form, the least absorbable of all the magnesiums and can have a laxative effect.

Iron- this should be tested before supplementing and should be taken as a separate supplement. Including it in a multivitamin means that the absorption of everything else is affected.

Zinc - they've used zinc oxide which cheap, mostly used in nappy rash creams.

Selenium - they've used the selenate form, which along with selenite are the cheapest and least absorbable forms. Selenium l-selenomethionine and yeast-bound selenium are the recommended forms.

Iodine - this should be tested before supplementing and only supplemented if deficient. Iodine used to be used to treat overactive thyroid, can make hypothyroidism worse and not recommended when Hashi's is present.

Sorry, but the best place for that is in the bin.

Post your vitamin results with their reference ranges and we can suggest what might need supplementing.

[Tinacros in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thankyou for checking x

[Marz in reply to Tinacros]

I checked the Boots one and saw it contained Biotin which can distort thyroid test results. Also contained iron. The list of ingredients did not read well to me - lots of stuff that does not make a happy body !