1.25mcg T3: A post here suggested v-e-r-y small... - Thyroid UK

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1.25mcg T3

AnotherEarlyRiser profile image

A post here suggested v-e-r-y small adjustments to T3 dosage. Starting with 5mcg tablets, how would you recommend managing such small adjustments? Do you quarter the 5mcg tablets & hope the active ingredient is evenly distributed? Or dissolve in water & then throw most of it away?

Neither seems ideal to me, especially when I take mine at about 4 - 5 a.m.!

Thanks.

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AnotherEarlyRiser
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13 Replies
Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot

The dose adjustment is 5mcg. T3 tablets are mostly 20mcg or 25mcg size. The 25mcg size is the European tablet. The 20mcg is the UK tablet.

There are companies that make 5mcg and 10mcg tablets but most folks either don't get prescribed them or buy them because of cost.

With my prescription I think 28 days of 20mcg tablets is £200 and 28 days of 10mcg is around £200 so it makes sense to split tablets.

If folks speak of a quarter tablet they mean 5mcg or there about.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Lalatoot

German Thybon Henning is 20 micrograms! As is Takeda in Sweden.

I really don't understand the reasons for liothyronine tablet dosages. They often appear random.

AnotherEarlyRiser profile image
AnotherEarlyRiser in reply to Lalatoot

20mcg is the usual size but my pharmacist here in the UK seems to have no trouble getting hold of the 5mcg ones.

SeasideSusie recently posted about being on 31.25, & some others also manage such fine adjustments, hence my query as to the best way of doing that.

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to AnotherEarlyRiser

31.25mcg will be 1 whole 25 mcg tablet plus 6.25mcg which is a quarter of that tablet. In other words one and a quarter tablets.

AnotherEarlyRiser profile image
AnotherEarlyRiser in reply to Lalatoot

Still a quarter of a tablet, then, which gave rise to my original query.

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to AnotherEarlyRiser

Quartering a tablet is done with a pill cutter or a scalpel depending on preference. I quarter mine with a pill cutter.

Bugbear123 profile image
Bugbear123

That is what my endo recommended splitting the tablets into quarters. No I take my tablets all together and dissolve under tongue so they get into the blood stream quicker and bypass the stomach. Why on earth do you get up at 4 am.

I tried that and it didn't help. Try taking the whole dose in the morning for a week and see how you feel. T3 is very powerful. When I was taking 20 mg I felt very tired. When I reduced it to 17.5 a light switch came on and I felt really well. I have looked at a couple of medical papers that show most thyroid meds are evenly distributed in the tablets. The effects of T3 usually last about 72 hours so you shouldn't need to split doses

AnotherEarlyRiser profile image
AnotherEarlyRiser in reply to Bugbear123

4 a.m. is usually about the time my bladder wakes me up! :o(

saloplass134 profile image
saloplass134

Younger Endos dont seem keen on prescribing this drug? The UK tablet I get is 20mcg and I have to split it in two which means I rarely get an accurate dose. The chemist my hospital uses say this is the smallest dose (20). I always take my thyroid meds as soon as I wake up - as they are advised to be taken alone, no caffeine etc. However, I have an excellent Endocrinologist, he is always brilliant. Even during this pandemic his secretary drops my drugs off to save me being at any risk going in to collect them. Superb treatment.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to saloplass134

It can be helpful to consider and discuss thyroid hormones as what they are - replacement hormones - rather than drugs. It somehow shifts the emphasis.

Obviously, I don't know when your chemist said 20 micrograms is the smallest dose, but it is not true now (even if it was at the time).

UK Liothyronine Tablets

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Last updated 30/04/2020.

This is a list of currently marketed liothyronine tablets in the UK.

—————————————————————

🔹 Advanz – branded Mercury Pharma formerly branded Tertroxin (marketing authorisation holder)

🏭 manufacturer Custom Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

🥛 contains lactose

  20  PL 10972-0033

—————————————————————

🔹 Morningside – also branded Iraksin (marketing authorisation holder)

🏭 manufacturer Morningside Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

🥛 contains lactose

  5  PL 20117-0323

  10  PL 20117-0324

  20  PL 20117-0270

—————————————————————

🔹 Teva – (marketing authorisation holder)

  20  PL 00289/2116

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

Some non-UK Liothyronine Tablets

🔹 Ace – branded Cytomel (marketing authorisation holder – Netherlands)

🏭 manufacturer Ace

  5

  12.5

  25

—————————————————————

🔹 Mayne Pharma – (marketing authorisation holder – USA)

🏭 manufactured in Germany

  5

  25

  50

—————————————————————

🔹 Pfizer – branded Cytomel (marketing authorisation holder – USA)

🏭 manufactured in Austria

  5

  25

  50

—————————————————————

🔹 Sanofi – branded Cynomel (marketing authorisation holders – France)

  25

—————————————————————

🔹 Sanofi Deutschland – branded Henning Thybon (marketing authorisation holders – Germany)

🏭 manufacturer Sanofi-Aventb, S.A. Josep Pla, 2, 08019 Barcelona, Spain

  20

  100

—————————————————————

🔹 SigmaPharm – (manufacturer – USA)

🏭 Sigmapharm Laboratories, LLC

  5

  25

  50

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

🔹 – identifies marketing authorisation holders

🏭 – identifies manufacturers (where known)

—————————————————————

Numbers refer to tablet dosages in micrograms.

Only products which definitely contain lactose are identified (🥛 contains lactose). Please check other products.

If there is anything inaccurate in this information, please let me know by Private Message:

healthunlocked.com/user/hel...

➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

This document is updated whenever I am aware of any changes or enhancements are needed. Please check the Last updated date. The current version is available as a PDF here:

dropbox.com/s/xlibro9l9jbfb...

Lalatoot profile image
Lalatoot in reply to saloplass134

My endo has prescribed my dose as 2 x 10mcg daily and so I get 10mcg tablets - Morningside.

This almost doubles the cost to her budget as 10mcg tablets are nearly as expensive as 20mcg tablets.

I have discussed this with her and suggested she writes the script for 20mcg per day to save money as I am happy to cut them. She refuses as her professional opinion is that I need 2 doses per day of 10mcg so that is her instruction.

Bugbear123 profile image
Bugbear123

Me too. Just go and go back to sleep

saloplass134 profile image
saloplass134

You are lucky.

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