Taking t3 without thyroid gland

[Gaben22]

Dear Members,

My question regarding taking t3 only drug... Is there any of you taking t3 who had undergone thyroidectomy?

I am planning on using it as ndt suited better than levo but it is still not optimal.. Maybe I am not at my full dose yet tho..

I would be glad to hear from anyone who takes t3 only and is without gland.. What is your experience or any suggestions..?

Regards

Gaben

[pennyannie]

Hey there again Gaben

Well I'm self medicating and taking 1 + 1/2 Thyroid S and am much improved - this is my second year on this dosage and yearly check with bloods for T3, T4, ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D, mainly just to see where I am with it all.

On NDT your TSH will be low/ suppressed, your T4 likely low'ish in the range and your T3 possibly high or slightly over depending on the timing of the blood draw to medication.

The blood tests and ranges were introduced to be used with Levothyroxine and with NDT you dose to the relief of symptoms gently increasing by a 1/4 tablet/grain every week until you reach 2 grains/tablets at which time you hold the dose for 6 weeks and test then to see where you are.

I read a fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you daily with approximately 100 T4 + 10 T3. and would suggest, in the first instance, that you try to maximise your NDT since it contains all the same known hormones as your own thyroid gland, viz :- T1, T2, T3, T4, and calcitonin, they are all there for reason and since your gland is all but gone replacing like with like seems sensible to me.

I read most people use about 50 T3 just to function, but here again, it's all approximations and ballparks, as we are all different.

I'm with Graves Disease post RAI in 2005 becoming very unwell some 8 years later. I now manage lingering Graves, thyroid eye disease and hypothyroidism.

[Gaben22 in reply to pennyannie]

I am taking 3 and a quarter grain of Thyroid-S daily, it is still better then when I was taking levothyroxine only... Still don't feel that I am even near at my full health.. Graves disease sounds bad, I wish you a good health and thank you for the reply

[pennyannie in reply to Gaben22]

Hey there,

Just thinking, I don't think there's any point comparing doses of NDT with other people:

We are all different and with NDT we dose to the relief of symptoms, slowly increasing until your body tells you that this new dose is a little to high, in that you start to feel a bit uncomfortable, maybe anxious, irritable and/or running a fast pulse.

I 'm 73 with Graves Disease and still have the antibodies in my body, which I think, probably means my dose will be relatively low as I can still feel hyper, and live with lingering symptoms, despite the NHS solution to treat me with RAI, which I deeply regret as it has simply compounded my health issues.

So, anyway, on 3 + 1/4 NDT and no T4 conversion you're looking at about 30 T3 and I read most people need about 50 T3 daily just to function, so am guessing you're conversion of T4 not as optimal, as say mine.

I now yearly test ferritin, folate, B12and vitamin D and continue to take a daily maintenance dose of all of these, and read selenium is also considered worth a try to improve conversion.

Having lost your gland I tend to think replacing like for like has to make more sense, and do read of people adding a little T3 to their NDT when they feel there are almost there, but not quite !!!

[AuntieMandy]

Hi I started T3 2 years ago after total thyroidectomt in 2009.

I feel freezing cold and and exhausted for years.

I couldn’t warm up.

Thin hair , fat etc.. 12.5mg t3 twice a day added to my 150mcg thyroxine changed my life.

Good luck

[Gaben22 in reply to AuntieMandy]

Thank you, I have not tried it to add t3 to my t4 I am taking ndt, probably I should had tried the way you take maybe before.. I am glad you doing well, thanks for replying.

[ReneeC76]

I did not have a thyroidectomy but did have RAI for Graves, so basically have no thyroid function.

I couldn't tolerate T4 med and went a long, miserable year not understanding what was wrong and with doctors who knew nothing. Went to a T3/T4 combo and had minimal improvement. Then recently, went to T3 only. Huge improvements. Reverse T3 is obviously coming down and body is responding well to T3. Finally getting that hormone into my cells where it belongs!

I decided to try the Circadian T3 Method by Paul Robinson. I dose 4 times a day and this is also offering my adrenals some support.

It's my opinion that T3 only is worth a try for anyone not feeling optimal on T4 or NDT, no matter your underlying condition (thyroidectomy, Hashis, Graves, poor conversion, etc.). Make sure you supplement appropriately and go gluten free, organic, and anti-inflammatory with your diet.

Best of luck!

[Gaben22 in reply to ReneeC76]

I am going to give a try to the c3tm method soon and see how it works. Are you already doing Paul Robinson's method?

[ReneeC76 in reply to Gaben22]

I was, yes, and it was great for about 3 weeks. After this time, my adrenals corrected themselves and I no longer needed to abide by the method. This was just about 2 weeks ago. My diet and supplement protocol, along with trying the c3tm seemed to do wonders for the adrenals. But once my adrenal issue were corrected, the c3tm method started putting me into a mild hyperthyroid type state. A couple days of this and I went to dosing 4 times a day on a different schedule, taking my first dose in the morning later. I do believe c3tm is fantastic.

[Batty1]

Since you make no thyroid hormones naturally you should be on both T4 and T3.. ..

[leftbehind]

I've had a thyroidectomy. I currently I am taking 45 NP, which is an NDT, and was supplementing with T3. It seems that T3 is very more powerful than what you get in natural desiccated thyroid, and I found that I cut down from taking 3 T3, equals 15 mcgs was too strong and I went way high on the T3 level. I now take only 1 T3, 5 micrograms, along with the NP thyroid. I am in the middle of an experiment right now to see how this works. It has only been a week and I feel good so I have to see if it holds.

[Gaben22 in reply to leftbehind]

I hope it is going to give you some improvement

[leftbehind]

I should say that I am very small and weigh 107 lbs. So my doses may seem low compared to a larger person. I am usually being overdosed by doctors on everything.