DOES TAKING T3 HELPS LOWER T4

[Caper12]

ANYONE TAKING T3 TO LOWER T4?

[Lalatoot]

It does not lower ft4 that much for me. 15 mcg t3 lowered my ft4 by 2. Which I could have achieved by taking 25mcg less of levo.

But I can't see why you would add t3 to do that.

T3 is not easy to add and it brings its own difficulties. It will only be suitable if your body requires it. And if you work to balance doses and hormone levels. It takes at least 12 months to fine tune doses. It is not a quick fix one size fits all.

[BShankly in reply to Lalatoot]

Hi Lalatoot If you get a moment, could you outline some of the difficulties you faced when adding T3? I always read you comments and respect the wisdom in the words.

Some members have got their lives back with T3, other haven't noticed any difference.

I started adding 5mcg yesterday (with a reduced dose of 75mcg of Levo). And I know it's silly to expect anything, but from reading about the potency of T3, I thought there may have been a bit of a jolt, be it good or not so good.

Thanks for your support.

B.

[NWA6 in reply to BShankly]

I know I’m not Lalatoot but my 2cents worth is that I feel that people start with too low a dose. I don’t believe that the majority of people are as sensitive to T3 as can be portrayed. People talk about the strength compared to T4 and I’m not sure that comparison is helpful either as it makes it sound like a drug.

I’m wondering if it’s good to think of it like this (for those who want to be cautious) if you want to dye your hair you do a patch test. You’ve done a patch test with the 5mcg. Nothing changed so go to 5 x 2 doses. 5mcg is not very much. Could be enough for some (I don’t know how 🤷‍♀️) but on the whole I think it’s just not enough and you could work quicker to find your sweeet spot than Levo.

[greygoose in reply to NWA6]

With T3 you can increase by 5/6.25 mcg every two weeks. But, more than that isn't advisable because the body needs time to get used to it - especially if FT3 has been low for some time.

Totally agree with you about the comparison between T4 and T3. T4 is equal to zero T3 if you can't convert it! But, it's just a vague rule of thumb, not to be taken to the letter.

[NWA6 in reply to greygoose]

I know that’s the advice greygoose but who started that advice? I didn’t follow it and it worked out great for me so I do wonder if that ‘advice’ to too strict and not necessary.

[greygoose in reply to NWA6]

So, what did you do?

Obviously, we're all different and react differently. And, that advice errs on the side of caution. Obviously. But, it's the best advice for people who are just starting out, and don't know their bodies, nor how they will react. Some people are extremely sensitive to increases - and decreases - and even that advice might be too much for them.

Myself, I can increase and decrease by 25 mcg and not feel a thing. But, that's me. And I'm a bit of a rhinocerus. I certainly wouldn't advise anybody else do that! And what you do to yourself is one thing. But, what you advise other people to do is totally another.

[NWA6 in reply to greygoose]

I took 3 x 5mcg from day one. Upped after 6-8wks to 2 x 10mcg. After a year I went up to 25mcg. The only side affect was vivid dreams. I’d swear blind for all my life I’ve never dreamt. But when I introduced T3 I dreamt every night. It took 6mths for that to die down.

Ofcourse I can’t advice anyone of anything I’m not medically trained and have limited knowledge of what the heck is going on 😂 But for me this forum is a gathering of experiences and most of us agree that professionals also don’t know what’s going on! Lol

So for me when it comes to Levo and lio the average person is being started on too low a dose. But as you say we’re all different. I took the what I’d learned here and on line and made the assumption that as my T3 was always 0% through range then I’d stomach flooding my cells.

[greygoose in reply to NWA6]

Not a very logical assumption, if you don't mind my saying so. It could have gone completely the opposite way.

But, you're right about the professionals. None of them have got a clue!

[NWA6 in reply to greygoose]

Could have but I’m

A bold girl! Lol

[BShankly in reply to NWA6]

Hi NWA6 Thanks for reading my comment and taking the time to reply. Like Lalatoot , I respect your experiences and the support you give others on this forum. Along with the symptoms the part I find massively frustrating is the time it takes to implement any changes (be it good or not so)... I guess we're experiencing life 'on demand'... Amazon Prime, Netflixs etc. all reinforce the idea we can have anything we want next day. But not unlike nature, the body works to a different timeline.

After 9 weeks on Levo my FT4 was 108% and FT3 was 60%... I think I took Levo as far as I could and reducing the dosage to get in range (I'm guessing) would effect my FT3... so as I'm still not feeling great, I'm hoping T3 will start to make some impact soon.

Again. Thanks for your support.

Your comment and opinion is truly helpful and valued.

B.

[Lalatoot in reply to BShankly]

B

WhenI started lio (T3) I had felt unwell for 4 years after RAI even though my blood results were in normal range.

Before I started lio my results on 100mcg levo:

TSH 0.19 ( 0.55 - 4.78)

FT4 19 (10 - 25) 60% through range

FT3 4.5 (4.0 - 7.0) 16.67% through range

The endo cut my levo to 50mcg and added 20mcg lio.

Bearing in mind I had been very ill and bedridden she did say she was giving me a trial of 6 months to a year as it would take that long for my body to recover.

I slowly reduced my levo (2 x 25mcg reductions) and added in T3 (4 x5mcg increases)

The first few days of 5mcg and each increase I felt a bit hormonal and sick. But ok.

My biggest problem has been the reduction in levo. As you will see I was 60% through range so didn't need to reduce at all.

On 50mcg levo and 20mcg lio I was slightly better but still felt ill. The major symptom was a very sore throat and no voice. I could potter through the day just. My results were

TSH 0.1

FT4 10 0%

FT3 6.2 74%

There was the imbalance for all to see though the endo didn't understand.

So since then I have been increasing my levo in 25mcg stages. Once I got to 100mcg levo my FT3 was over range and I was getting tremors and was edgy so the next thing was to cut lio by 5mcg.

100 levo and 15mcg resulted in TSH 0.02, FT4 17 (47%) FT3 6.2 (73%)

Still couldn't do all I wanted to or walk a mile, throat still sore and voice husky. BUT all aches and pains and major tiredness gone (what I described as the fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue symptoms gone).

Given a different NHS endo. Had to be pushy and know my stuff over the phone consultation last week otherwise she would have left me where I was. She did admit they like both FT4 and FT3 over halfway through ranges but added that was where I was. I pointed out that 17 was 47% . So she agreed to my latest change of 125mcg levo and 10 lio. My TSH is 0.02.

I have cut the lio dose and am feeling quite good. Can get through the day and feel like me. At the end of this week I will increase the levo .

After a year I can say that lio is what I needed and that I feel good in my body. I feel me.

At the outset, as a poor convertor, all I needed was to have my FT4 in a good place and then top up my inefficient conversion with a little lio. With hindsight it would have been better if the endo had left my levo at 100mcg and add in 10mcg lio.

On 125mcg levo I expect my FT4 will be 19 or 20 at the next blood test which is what it was pre-lio on 100mcg levo. The 10mcg lio is topping up my inefficient conversion.

[BShankly in reply to Lalatoot]

Thanks for reading my reply Lalatoot and for the full response. Greatly appreciated.

Your experience sounds awful, but I'm delighted you had the strength and belief to put yourself onto a road to a better quality of life... your story gives everyone hope.

It also highlights just what an individual challenge this is. I'm guessing largely because we're all starting from different places or lived with an undiagnosed condition for longer that is acceptable.

And the time it takes to correct imbalances only makes this worse.

—

I'm not looking for any quick fixes, but I'm heartened to know that steady progress can be made. At the moment it's the aches, muscle fatigue and general ill feeling I want to improve... walking more than half-a-mile isn't easy. Although I will say some of the fatigue and anxiety has improved.

—

Thanks for your support.

Wishing you good health.

And thanks for your tireless efforts in supporting others on this forum. You're a star.

B.

[Lalatoot in reply to BShankly]

If I can help or give hope that's great.

[Caper12 in reply to Lalatoot]

I see your t4 is in range. Mine is always out of range. Do you think T3 helped you bringing t4 down?

[Lalatoot in reply to Caper12]

No my FT4 has never been out of range at the top..

My FT4 was at 19 (10 - 25) when I started T3 and my TSH was 0.19 (0.27 - 4.5)

I take T3 because my body does not process T4 efficiently.

[NWA6]

Do you want to lower T4? I think it’s more helpful to add a little bit more about yourself, your history, your test results so that other members can better understand your question.

[greygoose]

If you want to lower your FT4, why don't you just lower your dose of levo? You don't need to go to the trouble of procuring T3 just for that. People take T3 with the express intend of raising their FT3, not lowering there FT4. I really don't understand your question.

it's silly to expect anything, but from reading about the potency of T3, I thought there may have been a bit of a jolt,

lol Oh, if only! Well, it does work like that for some people. But, definitely not for me. It's been a long slow drag. But, we're all different. But, it's not about the T3 itself, it's about your body. How quickly you absorb it, how fast it gets into your cells. How much gets into your cells. So, talking about the 'potency' of T3 is a bit of a red herring. It's more about the receptivity (is that a word?) of your body.

But you know what would be helpful? If you posted your blood test results, and ranges. Then, we'll all know what we're talking about.

[BShankly in reply to greygoose]

Hi greygoose Thanks for your reply.

You offered me some feedback on my Medichecks results last week which I'm following. Thanks for that.

And it's great to hear that interpretation of T3. It puts a different spin on things. And highlights the individual and nuanced nature of taking thyroid medication.

Thanks for your support.

B.

[greygoose in reply to BShankly]

You're welcome.

[Lalatoot]

Caper

I think what your posts want to say is this.

I have had thyroid cancer.

I need to keep my TSH very low.

To keep my TSH very low my FT4 has to be well over range.

Should I add some T3 to keep my TSH low and bring my FT4 back into range?

The answer is maybe. But to know if you could do that you would need to know what your FT3 blood results were. And you would need to share them here so that we could help.

We can't suggest that you try T3 if we don't know what your FT3 levels are.