T3 removed

[Sharcott]

I have just tried to order my Lio T3 meds and been refused them the GP they have removed them, they are not following NICE advice who can I contact, please?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Presumably you were initially prescribed T3 via NHS endocrinologist?

GP should not alter T3 prescription - should refer to endocrinologist

pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clini...

british-thyroid-association...

Recommend you get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing to back up your need for T3

Plus wear a Fitbit and print out weekly summary of resting heart rate

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative

Recommended 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).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

If/when also on T3, make sure to take last 1/2 or 1/3rd of daily dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

For thyroid including antibodies and vitamins

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3 £29 (via NHS private service )

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

See Practice Manager and get prescription reinstated.

See GP too

[Sharcott in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you doing the fitbit and just had test results. Yes it was the endro and he set the dose.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Sharcott]

Then a GP can not stop prescription

[Vespa10 in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi. Can I ask about the resting heart rate as mine is low and my local hospital don’t see the significance? Thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Vespa10]

Vespa10

Suggest you put up a new post of your own.

Slow heart rate is hypothyroid symptom

[loueldhen]

Write to practice. They are in breech of national guidelines. They cannot remove without referral to an endo for review. Quote rmoc guidance -prescribing of liothyronine June 2019

[Sharcott in reply to loueldhen]

Thanks I have spoken to the CCG who said they cant stop them but I will write to them if I dont get them tomorrow

[loueldhen in reply to Sharcott]

Pretty sure the pressure and incentive to deprescribe comes from the CCG. Why would the GP change after all this time?

[shaws Administrator]

This is an excerpt:-

"But did you know that up to a fifth of an average GP’s salary is effectively commissions on drugs, on the basis that they decrease the NHS’s disease burden and consequently costs? However, the proverbial s**t is hitting the fan because a 10 year study has revealed that this vast increase in drug spend has done nothing at all to decrease NHS costs. To put this into numbers £30 billion has been spent rewarding GPs for prescribing drugs that have proven close to useless. And that money has come from your taxes.hink the following link will be informative to all who read it - probably what we thought in the first place.

Conducted in Britain, the largest-ever uncontrolled public health experiment ran for 15 years, cost £30 BILLION and found no benefits. The expectation was that it would save up to 30,000 lives a year, cut admissions to hospital and increase life expectancy, thereby reducing the costs of the NHS.:- "

Is it not time we took some Action to get the thyroid hormones that relieve ourclinical symptoms and not to increase profits for Big Pharma due to the 'additional' prescriptions we get to try to 'relieve miserable symptms'."

patrickholford.com/advice/h...

"

[Lora7again in reply to shaws]

GPs also get paid more for elderly patients.

[Sharcott in reply to shaws]

Its real and so wrong whats going on

[shaws Administrator in reply to Sharcott]

Why are patients' not listened to?

Why do doctors not know any clinical symptoms?

Why do doctors only take notice of the TSH alone?

Why aren't we treated upon our clinical symptoms, as we used to be?

The aim should be to relieve all clinical symptoms.

Why were lies told about NDTs which were used since 1892 onwards in order to get it removed?

Why was T3 removed (I knew the high cost was a perfect excuse) but it could be sourced more cheaply.

T3 or NDT could still be sourced - with difficulty - but people who don't have the werewithal to purchase or cannot buy (or try) alternatives should have options to levo.

Male and females with troublesome thyroid glands should be prescribed options if levo isn't working.

People shouldn't be forced to source their own thyroid hormones or be denied to try alternatives.

The main and most important fact is that the medical professionals are poorly trained and are definitely not as Dr Peatfield and Dr Skinner were who prescribed upon symptoms alone. A Trial of thyroid hormones is not dangerous.

Thyroiduk have been working behind the scenes to try to resolve issues.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/newspa...

[Babette in reply to shaws]

That's unfair on GPs and patients. Perhaps those responsible for negotiating costs should be the ones penalised if the costs aren't comparable with similar (European) countries.

[TaraJR]

Sharcott which CCG do you come under? We're hearing more CCGs saying that NICE doesn't recommend T3, and using that a reason to withhold it. A list of these CCGs is constantly updated by the Patient groups who work together, and is sent to NHSE.

[shaws Administrator in reply to TaraJR]

It doesn't really matter if they agree or not about the prescribing of T3. I suggest those who make this suggestion have their own thyroid glands removed and then try to recover on levothyroxine alone. It is patients who should have at least a trial of T4/T3 or T3 alone. (I am one who cannot be well except on T3).

No-one who has not had the experience of being desperately unwell on levothyroxine, can imagine how very unwell people can be and who cannot function at all on it.

[Sharcott in reply to shaws]

They have stoped it, not only that reduced my Levo to 75 when my thyroid results were really low

[shaws Administrator in reply to Sharcott]

How can people who have a LIcence (I assume they have) can be so stupid!!!!

I think they need their thyroid hormones checked as it seems to me they have low Free T3 as their brains cannot be working properly. T3 - and brain and heart contain the most T3 receptor cells. T3 cells are all over our body.

[Sharcott in reply to shaws]

Scary a few weeks ago a respiratory cunsultant took me off everything cold turkey because my free T 4 was a bit high, I had bllod drawn after taking my meds

[shaws Administrator in reply to Sharcott]

That statements makes me speechless and proves how their ability to treat someone who has hypothyroidism is nil and patient's health wont improve.

Blood must be drawn before taking hormones (I think you know that) and a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test must be allowed. Hormones have to be taken with one full glass of water and wait an hour before eating.