What are the symptoms that show I may need T3?

[Shredder]

Hello all I have struggled with Levo for years until discovered NDT, particularly Armour. Unfortunately my health board stopped prescribing and then when I bought myelf it has changed and no longer works. I feel I need either a working NDT (of which thrte are none currently)or the addition of t3. I am using my body as an experiment. My question is, even though taking doses of Levo as high as 200mcg, by early afternoon my stomach swells, I become breathless and it feels like my organs are searching for something that just isn't there. My bloods say I am taking too much. It is in my blood but not in cells. Are these the symptoms that I do indeed need T3?

[Lalatoot]

Shredder To tell if you need T3 you need to be on a steady dose of levo. Then get bloods done TSH, FT4 and FT3.

Ideally TSH should be 1 or lower. FT4 should be well over half way through range. Together these would suggest that you are on enough levo. And that an increase in dose would be of no benefit symptom wise.

Then you compare the FT4 and FT3 results to see how far they are through their ranges. They should be at similar percentages through their ranges if you are converting well.

Here were my results after 4 years of levo:

TSH 0.19 (0.55 - 4.78)

FT4 19 (10 - 25)

FT3 4.5 (4.0 - 7.0)

FT4 is 60% through range FT3 is 16.67% through range. I therefore had a conversion problem and was able to convince the endo to give me a trial of T3.

Before starting T3 it is important that vitamins are at optimal levels. Re stomach bloating - I have not had it since I went gluten free a couple of years ago. I am not coeliac.

[Shredder in reply to Lalatoot]

Thanks for swift response. I was wonderi g sbout the stomach bloating as it only happens when it feels that my body has used up the levo.

[greygoose]

All hypo symptoms are caused by low T3. Because T3 is the active thyroid hormone. There are no specific symptoms that show you aren't converting.

[Shredder in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for your response. Your advice is always gratefully received. Could I possibly trouble you for some further advice please? I spoke with you on here a while ago now as I was given t3 by my endo and I found it far too strong in the dose I was given. I was then put on Armour which suited me really well but Armour has now changed and doesn't work any more. I am currently taking one grain on Thiroid from Thailand which I had left over plus 75mcg of Levo. The Thai thyroid has lots of fillers and gives me bad insomnia. The synthetic t3 I took before Armour gave me horrendous insomnia also, but I was taking a high dose. Should I come off the NDT and just try levo and synthetic t3 again but with a smaller dose (I was on 20 t3 twice a day) plus levo too. Should I increase the levo and add a small amount of t3 or should I stay on the same amount of Levo and add two smaller doses of t3? Any advice eould help me greatly as I sm struggling a bit?

[greygoose in reply to Shredder]

Certainly you could try T4+T3 again. But, you were on rather a high dose of T3 before. Do you have any labs from the time you were on that dose?

Right now, you're taking quite a high dose of T4 with a small dose of T3 - about 140 T4 plus 9 mcg T3. So, personally, I would stay on the same dose of levo, I think, and try two doses of 5 mcg T3. You could adjust either of them from there, as necessary.

[Shredder in reply to greygoose]

Thank you so much yet again.

[greygoose in reply to Shredder]

You're very welcome.