Hello everyone, I need help. I was taking NDT Erfa thyroid 135 mg and changed to T3 only from Uni-pharma. The first two days I took 12.5 mcg and then I took 25 mcg because I thought 12.5 was way too low compared to what I was taking in NDT. I have to say that for the first 5-7 days on 25 mcg T3 I felt a lot calmer things didn't bother me as much, was happier and motivated. After that I am back to feeling severe anxiety, can't sleep, everything bothers me and get emotional for every little thing and no motivation what so ever. I went back to feeling horrible again. It felt so good to feel like I was on the right track and the thought that I could be doing things that I haven't done for so, so many years. I am taking 25 mcg for 21 days now and I feel that I should increase. What do you think. How much should I increase. Also my period on T3 only was way shorter than what I was having before. I use to bleed up to 25 days with severe heavy bleeding. I hope I am on the right track. Thanks to all your help and support.
Need help with taking t3 only: Hello everyone, I... - Thyroid UK
Need help with taking t3 only
When taking T3, you can increase by 1/4 tablet (6.25 mcg or 5 mcg) every two weeks. Not more than that. When you get to one whole tablet (25 mcg or 20 mcg) hold for six weeks and retest.
The return of symptoms simply means that you need in increase in dose. But, increase too quickly, even with symptoms, increases the likelihood of missing your sweet-spot. It has to be done slowly. 
Do you think I increased too quickly? I am already taking a whole tablet. Do you think I should do bloodwork now? I will take it slowly from now on. I took 25 mcg because I was already taking 135 mg NDT, or else I would have started at the lowest dose and increased it slowly. Thank you
Yes, that's ok, you probably did start on rather a low dose, but it won't hurt. How long have you been on the whole tablet? Best to wait six weeks for it to settle properly, before doing bloods.
I have been 21 days on the whole tablet 25mcg, Uni-pharma. I just feel so ill, even my head hurts so bad.
How did you feel on the Erfa? Why did you change?
I never felt well, no matter what dose. I took Erfa for over 7 years. By reading a lot I learned that different people do well on different medication, so I am trying T3 only now with no doctor supervising me. I felt better on 25 mcg for a few days than I ever did on NDT.
25mcg is stated to have the effect of 100mcg of levothyroxine. I take one daily dose ( 1 and 1/4 of 25mcg tablet) when I get up and that's it.
I shall give you a link which you may find helpful and it is by a doctor (adviser to TUK before his accidental death) and he was an expert in the use of T3. He took it himself. Read, in particular, safely getting well with thyroid hormones. He only prescribed NDT or T3 for patients who had Thyroid Hormone Resistance. He was also an expert in Fibromyalgia and CFS.
naturalthyroidsolutions.com...
Hi Sean can you send me the links as well please? I'd really appreciate it. Happy Fibro sufferer with Hashis here!
You can click on the link - that will take you to another - click on that and it should open for you.
Thank you Shaws, I hope I am like you, not needing to high of a dose. If you don't mind sharing what brand of T3 are you taking?
Shaws ❤ I also only take t3 meds. How do one know the equal to t4 dose of t3 meds?
Do you take the whole dose in mornings?
Yes, I take my whole dose when I awake with one full glass of water and wait an hour before eating.
The majority on this forum find that 1 grain of NDT is equal (approx) to 100mcg of levothyroxine.
25mcg of T3 is equal to around 100mcg of levo.
I follow the advice of one of TUK's Advisers (deceased through an accident) who was also a researcher and expert in the use of T3.
I shall give you a link which may be helpful for you. We all vary in our doses so it is small adjustments until you find you've improved.
The Adviser I mention above had an accident and died and is greatly missed. He only took one blood test for the initial diagnosis and thereafter it was small increases and taking note of symptoms being relieved. He would never prescribe levothyroxine. Only NDT or T3 for patients who were 'thyroid hormone resistant.
There's lots of useful info on the following link and he himself took T3.
Perhaps you're one of those people who can't tolerate any form of T4. I'm like that, and on T3 only.
Maybe, NDT is the only medication that I took prior to the T3 now.
25mcg is an overall lower dose, possibly only half, of the thyroid hormones than your 135mg of Erfa provided. 25mg if T3 is supposed to be the equivalent of 75mcg of T4. Considering the T3 in Erfa, if that was about 15-18mg (about average for 2 grains of NDT, if my memory is correct) you’re now on approximately half your overall previous dose of thyroid hormone I’m unsure of the T3 content of Erfa NDT as I’ve never taken it, though remember reading 1 grain of RLCs was 9mg.
It could be that you felt better initially as you’d still be converting the T4 in your NDT for a few weeks after you stopped taking it, so temporarily had a higher overall dose that made you feel better then a huge drop when the T4 ran out.
I swap back & forth between NDT & T3 between winter & summer & do do gradually in spring & autumn. From going solely from NDT to T3 for a few years, I’ve found I feel better taking both but in different seasonal ratios according to outside temperature.
It might be a good idea to assess your micronutrient levels & intake as such long &/or heavy menstruation would likely leave you iron & ferritin deficient which will throw a spanner in your works. Have you spoken to your GP, endocrinologist or gynaecologist about this? There could be other health issues you need to address such as fibroids which had that effect on a friend, though it could be imbalanced micronutrients, hormones or both. Having hypo symptoms for all of my menstrual years had the opposite effect on me. It’s hard for us to know what havoc our hormones can cause when our doctors don’t understand it!
For my long and heavy bleeding I have been doing a lot of tests with an gynecologist I am waiting for the results of a test for precancers cells. Doctors only look at TSH as being important in my experience. I was shocked to have a short period on being on 25 mcg of T3 for 2 weeks. I never had that in my life before. It had to be the T3, it wa the only change I made.
25 days is excessively long!
I hope your gynaecologist & endocrinologist are able to join up the dots & sort you out, & that you do not have cancer or anything nasty. Being hypo is bad enough!!!
My fibroid friend (mid-40’s) had a Mirena fitted though she initially felt worse (months of bad PMT) before her bleeding stopped altogether. Another friend’s daughter had one fitted for a similar issue when she was quite young, but her medics found no cause.
I had hypothyroid symptoms before puberty. I had the opposite from being hypo: short cycle, short, light, & unbearably painful menstruation prior to taking HRT. I have fibroids but these made no difference to my cycle either before or after they developed.
Yes these long periods have sent me to the hospital and put on IV intravenous
Hope you get some better help soon!
Thank you
That tells me the long and heavy periods have to do with my thyroid.
It could be a blip with the period (although hopefully not) I get a temporary short period when restarting or changing dose of levo, or at the other extreme a non-stop trickle that lasts weeks on end. Once it settles down it's back to the monthly heavy menses.
I hope it really is an overall change for you though. Please update, as mine are a horror.
I never in my life had such a short period so I am thinking it had to do with the T3.
I take all the nutrients, vitamins that I was deficient in, but iron is a very difficult one for me and I eat a lot of red meat.
Vitamin C helps iron absorption. Have you tried apple cider vinegar before or on meals?
yes. I have taken apple cider vinegar when eating my steaks.
I always take vitamin c with the iron. Thank you
How much T3 do you take? 
Taking T3 Only
Frustrated...and confused. Eltroxin?
