Can T3 tablets ruin the liver?

[CrimsonMacaw]

I've been taking T3 (Tertroxin as it's called in Australia) at a dose of 140mcg for the past year and since then my liver health has steadily deteriorated, with my ALP now high up out of the normal range and my Globulin down below the minimum.

I take it alongside NDT, however, when I was taking NDT by itself I did not have these bad liver symptoms.

Does anyone know if one of the side effects of T3 is that it ruins liver health? I've checked around on the internet and can't find anything, but really, with diet remaining virtually unchanged, it seems the most likely culprit. Or could it be due to the massive dose that I take? Most people need to take less but because I have poor absorption I need to take it in doses over 100mcg.

[greygoose]

If you're not absorbing the T3, then it won't be affecting your liver, will it. I will just pass straight through without getting into the blood.

Do you have a copy of your last blood test results? Is your doctor actually testing the FT3?

[CrimsonMacaw in reply to greygoose]

Yes, my FT3 is in the top quarter of the range. I need 140mcg of T3 to get it there. 80mcg doesn't even get my FT3 half-way into the range. But I know that there are a number of meds for those with hyperthyroidism that damage the liver in some cases. That's why I need to know if T3 dosed over 100mcg/day will also have side effects on the liver.

[greygoose in reply to CrimsonMacaw]

Hormones don't have side effects. But, too much can have consequences. If your FT3 is still in-range, then there's no problem.

You cannot compare thyroid hormone replacement (T3/levo) with anti-thyroid drugs. They're not the same things at all. Yes, anti-thyroid drugs can harm the liver, but they're not hormones. T3 is a hormone.

And, as I said, if you're not absorbing it, it can't do anything at all, can it? It goes straight through and is excreted at the other end. T3 only has any effect when it gets into the cells.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As you have Hashimoto’s poor gut function is common

When were vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 last tested?

If you have malabsorption then vitamins likely to be very low

Both levothyroxine and T3 need GOOD levels of these 4

Presumably you have low stomach acid?

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

How to test stomach acid levels

healthygut.com/articles/3-t...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

Are you on strictly gluten free diet or tried it?

[CrimsonMacaw in reply to SlowDragon]

All those vitamins you mentioned have always been low...for the past several years...and my liver was always fine. And yes I do have chronically low stomach acid which I still haven't figured out how to fix. I've tried going gluten-free and found that it had no effect on my liver. And very minimal effect on thyroid antibodies.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to CrimsonMacaw]

Improving low vitamin levels by supplementing helps thyroid hormones work

If actually deficient your doctor should prescribe

If only low , not deficient then self supplementing to improve to optimal

Vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin

Thousands of posts on here about low stomach acid and how to improve

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

Suggest you get vitamin levels tested and come back with new post once you get results

[CrimsonMacaw in reply to SlowDragon]

My original query was about my liver not the thyroid. I know those vitamins assist the liver, but their lack will not lead to liver disease. That's what I'm mostly concerned about.

And I've tried all the recommended ways to improve low stomach acid and none of them have worked. The only thing that worked was getting my metabolism up through massive doses of NDT alongside T3. But that worked only for the first few months and then stopped working. I tried upping my NDT dose but it made no difference.