T3 feeling depressed

[Manjiajk]

Hi, has anyone else felt depressed after starting T3? Since taking it, I feel depressed but when the tablets wear off, I feel better.

[greygoose]

T3 tablets don't wear off. T3 has a half-life of 23 hours in the blood. Which means that if you take 10 mcg Sunday morning, by Monday morning, there's about 5 mcg left. But, some of that 10 mcg will get into the cells, and stay there for about 3 days.

How much T3 are you taking? Do you split the dose?

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

I take 15mcg split into three doses.

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

So, you've been feeling depressed three times a day? Have you ever tried taking it all in one go?

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

Ive tried taking it in one dose and still have the same feeling and a splitting headache.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Was levothyroxine dose reduced, if so ...by how much

It will take 6-8 weeks for levels to stabilise

[Manjiajk in reply to SlowDragon]

levo waw reduced from 250mcg to 200mcg.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Manjiajk]

Changed too much and far too quickly...and it takes weeks to stabilise

Reducing levothyroxine by 25mcg...after 3 days start by adding 5mcg T3 (possibly as 2 x 2.5mcg ..a speck of dust)

After a week, assuming going ok...add second 5mcg dose in mid-late afternoon....HOLD at that dose for 6-8 weeks...retest

[Manjiajk]

I'd taken it for a week and feel better since stopping.

[greygoose]

Wait! Manjiajk , you started on 15 mcg? Not surprised you're depressed! That's far too high a dose to start on.

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

I started on 15mcg. How should I take it? Should I start with 5mcg per day and then gradually build up? Thank you.

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

Well, I would. Increasing by 5 mcg every two weeks. But, you might want to add back in a little T3, depending on what your last FT4 level was.

I take it it was an endo that put you on T3 and slashed your levo?

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

Thats correct. I was on 250mcg of levo per day and I've reduced to 200mcg per day.

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

Well, endos tend to know nothing about dosing T3, I'm afraid. But, what was your last FT4 result?

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

It was 27 or 28 so it was high

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

ok, so if you're going down to 5 mcg T3, add back 25 mcg levo.

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

So, 225mcg of levothyroxine and 5mcg of T3 per day?

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

Yes. Try that for two weeks and see how it goes.

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

I will. Thank you.

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

You're welcome.

[Purpledreamer in reply to greygoose]

So is what your saying 25 mcg of t4 is roughly equivalent to 5mcg of t3 and dosage should be altered with this in mind? E.g. If you are on 125mcg of t4, then reduce to 100mcg t4 and add 5mcg t3. Then after two weeks drop to 75mcg t4 and add a further 5mcg t3?

[greygoose in reply to Purpledreamer]

No, that's not what I said. Drop the T4 by 25 mcg when adding 5 mcg T3, certainly, but only if FT4 is high in-range. If it's only around mid-range, no need to drop it at all.

And, one reduction in levo is usually enough, because taking T3 will lower the FT4, anyway. And, I certainly wouldn't recommend dropping a second 25 mcg levo after only two weeks.

However, if your aim is to go onto T3 only, then further reductions of levo can be made later, at a rate of 25 mcg every six weeks.

[Purpledreamer in reply to greygoose]

Thank you

[greygoose in reply to Purpledreamer]

You're welcome.

[Purpledreamer in reply to greygoose]

If for example, I were to add t3.......

My last results were

Tsh 0.8 (0.27-4.2)

T4 17.2 (12-22)

T3 4.24 (3.1-6.8)

Starting at 125mcg t4what would be a safest way to introduce it please?

Forgive me for hyjacking 🙏🏻

[greygoose in reply to Purpledreamer]

I wouldn't have said you needed T3 with those results. I would have said you were just under-medicated. Your FT4 was only just mid-range. So, I wouldn't reduce my levo at all, if I were you. Just add in 5 mcg T3 with the 125 mcg levo.

How much T3 have you been prescribed?

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

Hi, i hope you don't mind me asking something. I came off T3. My endo was concerned I was reacting to it. Hes prescribed WP Thyroid. Ive researched this and it seems its not so great since they changed the formulation. So, I bought Metavive as it appears people are having much better results with this. I have been taking this for three days on top of levothyroxine and feel so much better already. Do I just experiment and reduce the levothyroxine as I introduce more Metavive? I'm a little unsure as to how to take it.

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

I've never taken Metavive, so am not really the right person to advise you. But, whatever you take, it's all a question of trial and error. What I would advise is that you keep comprehensive notes of doses, dates and symptoms, so that if you over-shoot the right dose, you'll know what to go back to.

Can I ask you how you reacted to T3 to make him take you off it?

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

Thats great. Thank you.

I felt dreadful on it, like I wasn't on the planet; I felt really depressed and I had itchy skin and one of my arms had come up in a rash. I didnt think anything of the rash until my appointment with him.

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

ok, that does sound bad. But, it was more likely to have been the fillers in the tablet than the T3 itself. He should have prescribed a different brand.

[Manjiajk in reply to greygoose]

I hadn't thought of that. Ìll mention that to him. He's very receptive to feedback. Thank you.

[greygoose in reply to Manjiajk]

You're welcome.

[greygoose]

Yes, but that's not how it works. No matter how much you reduce the T4 by, you should still start T3 low and work up slowy.

[greygoose]

That's an entirely different thing. Presumably, you weren't hypo before the thyroid was removed. Your body was used to normal levels of T3. But, when you've been hypo for a while, and levels have dropped low, it needs to be reintroduced slowly.