New blood results on t3/t4 - please help with i... - Thyroid UK

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New blood results on t3/t4 - please help with interpretation

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Hi there,

I have just received my test results from lab on 112.5 levo and 15 mcg t3. I have taken my dose at 6 am, my bloods were tested at 2 pm, so 8 hours after:

Tsh = 0.01

Ft4 = 19.2 (12-22)

Ft3 = 6.5 (3.1-6.8).

I take my dose once daily and I'm wondering how much my ft3 changes by the evening/night/morning :) I have trouble falling asleep, but my pulse is fine, sometimes feels weak and I'm not nervous.

Would there be benefit to split this dose in some way to get less or same in the morning and still have some in the evening ?

Thank you πŸ€—

SlowDragon I know you're splitting the dose, so not sure how my bloods should look like after 8 hrs if I take it all in the morning. Thanks!

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Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot

The only way to know if splitting your dose would help you feel better is to try. We are all different and some folks need split doses. At the moment I take my levo and T3 in 3 doses split over the day.

in reply to Lalatoot

Thank you Lalatoot appreciate it πŸ€— may I ask if you tried taking it all at once and what the effects were?

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to

No I never have. When I started on levo I found I was quite sensitive to it so when I needed more than the initial 25mcg the endo suggested I take it as a second dose. I am lucky to have a good endo.

When I started on T3 I began slowly with 5mcg as advised on here and then added another 5mcg to my second dose levo and built up from there. At the moment I take 25mcg levo and 5mcg lio at 6am ; 25mcg levo and 5mcg lio at 4pm and 25mcg and 10mcg lio at bedtime. The T3 addition is fairly new . I am waiting to see what the pharmacy can supply for my latest prescription of T3. If they can supply 10mcg tablets I will stay as I am; if they supply 20mcg tablets, I will try combining the 2 x 5 mcg doses into 1 x 10mcg dose as it is a pain quartering the tablets.

in reply to Lalatoot

I see, thank you. I wasn't sensitive to levo, but I am sensitive to t3 increases. It's interesting you take 10 t3 at bedtime, do you sleep better? My internal feeling is that I might be taking too much in the morning, and don't have enough to have a good sleep at night. Or maybe my ft4 is too high for the amount of t3 I take, who knows!

I know what you mean by splitting 20, that's what I do, it's a pain!

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to

I read that the normal rhythm for T3 is highest overnight so that is why I decided to take the biggest dose at night. I sleep well.

I am a great believer in instinct so if you feel you need to split doses do.

in reply to Lalatoot

Makes sense to follow the circadian rhytm , I was reading up on about it.

I will try, thank you for all your help :)

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to

You are welcome

in reply to Lalatoot

Hi Lalatoot, I couldn't sleep last night, decided to take some t3 at night and fell asleep soundly. Took the rest of my meds in the morning and slept for another couple of hours. I think it's a sign :) thank you πŸ™

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to

Glad I could help.

in reply to Lalatoot

Hi Lalatoot, I have a quick question. Yesterday I did split my dose properly, instead of taking 15 mcg t3 I took 5 mcg t3 at 8 pm, and 10 mcg t3 at 8 am this morning. Slept only 4 hours, woke up anxious, fell asleep for 1.5 hours, took my morning dose, woke up 1.5 hours later more anxious. I wonder if this means that 5 mcg t3 was too much to take in the evening? Also my morning dose has decreased from 15 to 10.

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to

I can't say - we are all different. It is trial and error. People who take their T3 in one dose get through 24 hours without a top up so T3 must sit in the cells to some extent. Some folks take one morning dose and others need to split it to 2 or 3 doses. You just have to try what you feel might work.

in reply to Lalatoot

Thank you, I will keep trying !

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

We normally recommend on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

If/when also on T3, make sure to take last dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

Testing at 2pm

TSH may have been slightly higher if tested before 9am and before eating or drinking anything other than water. Though TSH is frequently suppressed on any dose of T3

If you took Levothyroxine at 6am you have a false high result as last dose was only 8 hours gap not 24 hours

Similarly...although it was 8 hours after taking T3 it was the full 15mcg ....ideally you would take 5mcg at 9-10pm the night before test ...and have blood test at 9am

So your T3 result s as false high

Many of us find splitting dose improves sleep. I only discovered this when I delayed my 4pm dose to 9pm the night before a blood test

Endocrinologist seem to think T3 is like speed.

It seems to actually often be the reverse ....calming and improving sleep and lowering heart rate

As you currently take 15mcg dose per day endocrinologist could/should prescribe 5mcg tablets

It's impossible to cut a 20mcg accurately into 15mcg per day

5mcg is more expensive....but then NHS needs to sort suppliers out

That's not patients problem

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

in reply to SlowDragon

Thank you SlowDragon, this is very helpful. I am keen on splitting for sure and did find t3 helped me sleep a few times I took 2.5 mcg before bed.

Unfortunately, being in Ireland, I can only get Thybon, they only do 1 strength. Ireland is a very weird place, only one type of t4 and one type of t3. Thankfully Thybon is big enough for splitting πŸ™ just pain to have to do it!

in reply to SlowDragon

Hi SlowDragon, I'm pleased to say that I took some t3 last night when I couldn't sleep and fell asleep soundly :) didn't wake up until the alarm, took the rest of my levo+t3 and napped for another 2 hours. I am a bit tired this morning, but I know I am due another increase of 2.5-5 mcg at some point. Thank you πŸ™

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