Im starting t3 only to see if it is a better fit for me 20mg twice daily - any advice on how to take it or if anyone has had good results?

[Tiredmom80]

T3 dosing

[greygoose]

What were you taking before? And, do you have any labs on whatever it was?

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

I was on a combination of t4 and T3 100mg eltroxin plus 20 mg Thybon, now changed to 20mg x2 thybon a day

Last bloods TSH 0.10

Free T4 17.4

Free T3 11.9

I had been feeling pretty crappy and my metabolism was l literally at a stand still

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

sorry this was my original post but then i did something weird with my log in and i think i have two accounts now!

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Sorry, can you give the ranges for those results, please? That FT3 looks pretty high.

I agree with jimh11 that taking half in the morning and half in the evening might be a good idea - time will tell, it's all trial and error. But, I'm wondering if starting on 40 mcg might not be a bit much. Can't tell without the ranges for those results.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

dont think i have them and cant see anything on the blood tests except those numbers. So sick of thyroid crap just want to be 'normal!"

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Where did you get the numbers? Was it a print-out from the surgery? Ranges are usually in brackets after the results:

TSH 1.2 (0.2-4.5) for example.

We really do need the ranges because they vary from lab to lab. And, if your FT3 range is like the ones we normally see, then your FT3 is very high. So, the last thing you want to do is add 40 mcg T3 to it!

I understand your desire to be 'normal' - whatever that is - it's what we all want. But, we have to go about it in the right way.

Are you self-treating? Do you have Hashi's?

[DippyDame in reply to Hidden]

Can you add the lab ranges(numbers in brackets) for your results please.

Members need these in order to try and work out why you feel "pretty crappy".

I take my T3 in a single dose at bedtime....we are all different and often have to rely on trial and error I'm afraid.

I take it Lougatica and TiredMom80 are one and the same......maybe a good idea if you sort out your accounts before we are all confused!

[Tiredmom80 in reply to DippyDame]

Deleted other account apologies I have no idea what i did there, so the labs dont have the ranges is has a H in brackets after the t3 so this means high but nothing to actually determine their ranges.

[DippyDame in reply to Tiredmom80]

Thank you. It sounds as if you would benefit from a comprehensive thyroid test to include -

TSH

FT4

FT3

Vitamin D

Vitamin B12

Folate

Ferritin

Antibodies

Have you seen this?

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

You can post results including ranges and members will then have enough info to do a proper analysis...

Do you know if you have a conversion problem? The conversion in the body of the storage hormone T4 to the active hormone T3 which is required in a constant and sufficient supply by every cell in the body. This is helped by optimising nutrients before introducing T3.

A hight FT4 with a low FT3 indicates poor conversion

Poor conversion may also be the result of a genetic (Dio 2 ) polymorphism

40mcg can be a hefty dose of T3, though some people with thyroid hormone resistance need more.

Did you build this up very slowly increasing by a quarter tablet every 6/8 weeks. The body needs time to adjust to any dose change, adding too quickly is likely to make you feel unwell.

If you are hypo you cannot become hyper!

What you experienced was overmedication....not the same thing.

Unfortunately there is no quick cure (think headache/paracetamol)

Was the change to T3 only suggested by an endo or are you self medicating.....many of us do?

We are all in this rediculous thyroid mess together....basically because medics are not adequately trained in matters thyroid.

Best...

DD

[Tiredmom80 in reply to DippyDame]

Thank you so much for all of that, i absolutely will be getting proper panel on next tests. No i dont self medicate i see an Endo and he had mentioned about the poor conversion, I had been on the 20mcg T3 for months with also 100mg eltroxin, so now eltroxin is gone and im on ethe 40 mg t3 daily, it was a straight switch he never mentioned anything about slow increase? And yes sorry i meant over corrected rather then hyper, i guess i just felt how that must feel to be hyper.

I used Armour before that worked well but its just far too expensive for me at the moment

[jimh111]

Take it morning and bedtime. I find the bedtime dose gives deeper sleep which is more restorative. I reckon the brain has to work hard during sleep to tidy everything up and give a clear mind the next day. Also 80% of growth hormone is produced during deep sleep and GH helps restore tissues and avoid aches and pains.

[Hidden in reply to jimh111]

thank you!

[jimh111]

Your fT3 figure looks wrong. Did you take your liothyronine a few hours before having the blood taken? This would give a false result.

I suggest you take one and a half Thybon initially untill you've been of levo for a little over a week and then switch to two Thybon daily. Maybe also skip levo for a couple of days before going to one and a half Thybon.

With 2 x 20 liothyronine you will be on a smaller overall hormone dose but you may feel better on it. If you feel hypo after a few weeks you could ask if you could take a little levo with it.

[Tiredmom80 in reply to jimh111]

Thank you, funnily enough i did stop my levo because i knew myself i was going from hypo to slightly hyper, but as the time of the tests i would have still been taking it and i think i took it on morning of tests, is that a no no?

Its been only a week so i guess time will tell, thank you all for your input, so comforting to have support out there for such a complex condition. I think next time i will go else where for my bloods as that GPs lab people seem a bit rubbish

[Tiredmom80]

tried to add screen shot of results! failing miserably at technonlogy today

[crabapple in reply to Tiredmom80]

It's not you: the site only allows one picture at the beginning of the thread.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

There’s nothing on your profile

Do you have Hashimoto’s?

Obviously you need ranges on all results

Ferritin looks low

B12 looks low

No vitamin D test

No Ft3

If you are in the UK first step is to get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing

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

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 third or half 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 as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

Thriva Thyroid plus vitamins

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

[Tiredmom80 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for all that, im in Ireland, didnt not know that about the pre test medication, thats really a good tip.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Tiredmom80]

ALL four vitamins need to be OPTIMAL for levothyroxine or T3 to work

If you have Hashimoto’s, diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies, strictly gluten free diet often helps or is essential, especially before trying T3

We have to have all 🦆🦆🦆 in a row first

[Tiredmom80 in reply to SlowDragon]

Okay good advice I’m gluten free anyway . Can’t believe all the info here . Honestly thank you so much to everyone I will be so much more primed for my next tests . Don’t have Hashimoto don’t think 🙈it’s never come up

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Tiredmom80]

If you are gluten free you almost certainly do have autoimmune thyroid disease. (UK medics never call it Hashimoto’s)

About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism is due to autoimmune thyroid disease

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/300...

The obtained results suggest that the gluten-free diet may bring clinical benefits to women with autoimmune thyroid disease

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.