3rd week on T3

[magsyh]

Hi folks I hope you can give me some advice here. I started T3 on private prescription. Was started at 2.5 mcg. Was ok then got headaches etc I was advised to add another 2.5 in the afternoon. All good headaches etc disappeared. Now 10 days on I'm feeling very tired after afternoon dose and all ok till I have my evening meal. Then I feel jittery and pulse hits 100. Evening I'm very anxious and have mild palpitations in bed. Morning my pulse is back to 70? What is going on, should I be adding more? I also take 50mcg levothyroxine morning with the 2.5 lio. What do I do next why the high heart rate in the evening?

[jrbarnes]

I'm also having a difficult time understanding how T3 works. Sometimes it feels like it's not enough and other times too much. I get palpitations and anxiety when my T3 is too low and I go real hypo while I'm sleeping.

[DippyDame]

Your current dose is 50mcg levo plus 2.5 mcg lio, I gather you take both in the morning away from food.

Have you added the extra 2.5mcg T3 or is that still under consideration?

Two months ago your results were....

TSH 2.83 (0.3-4.5)

Ft4 17.7 (10-22)

T3 4.25 (3.1-6.8)

FT4 is 64.17% through the reference range

FT3 is only 31.08% through the range

Both should be close to 75% through their respective ranges

Your conversion is poor and you do need more T3!

Because you need more T3 I would suggest that the symptoms you are experiencing later in the day (put simply ) is your body running out of T3 and asking for more! You are less active overnight which may explain the lower heart rate

I would be inclined to add the extra t3 to your current morning dose rather than splitting then see how you respond to that before retesting after 6/8 weeks

Keep a diary and note all dose changes and any symptoms?

Because we are all different with differing thyroid hormone needs trial and error can be the way forward.

I take T3 -only in a single dose at bedtime

I'm not a medic just another traveller who has had a long journey along the bumpy thyroid journey too many of us are forced to share....before reaching the end!

Just a few thoughts.....good luck

[magsyh in reply to DippyDame]

Yes I have been taking an afternoon dose of 2.5 in the afternoon now for about 11 days. The past few evenings haven't been pleasant that's why I was wondering if my body is now looking for more. Do I add in the morning or an evening dose? Thank you for your suggestions

[DippyDame in reply to magsyh]

Eleven days isn't long enough to evaluate the dose...but 2.5mcg isn't enough. We are told to add low and slow but 2.5mcg won't make a difference with your low FT3

I suggested above that you try adding the 2.5mcg to your morning dose. i.e one combined T4,/T3 dose - 50/5.

Leave at that dose for 6 /8 weeks then retest. You will most likely need another increase then.

Sadly there is no quick cure so patience is essential I'm afraid!

I've had a few rocky patches along the way, most of us have, so you are not alone!

[McPammy]

When I had something similar going on I made an appointment with my private Endo. I was taking my T3 twice a day like yourself but went very tired in the evenings. I was advised to add a third dose. I did this and it was like magic. I did think I may have to increase my two daily doses but he explained to add a third dose not increase the amount for the two doses. Hope that makes sense.

I take 5mcg three times a day 8am, 2pm and 8pm. It’ll take about 3 days for you to notice the difference and you sleep fine taking it later in the day too. I also take Levothyroxine 75mcg.

[Batty1]

I avoid all this T3 craziness by splitting my T4 and T3 and taking at certain times during the day.

[Celestialbeing]

Synthetic T3 did not work for me. My FT3 did not increase and I experienced side effects such as headaches, stomachs, constant hunger, constipation. The dose did not increase my FT3 level.

Only when I switched to desiccated, got on the right doses, split the dose, did I feel better and experience improved FT4 and FT3 levels

[asidist in reply to Celestialbeing]

that’s so interesting that synthetic t3 didn’t raise your levels. may i ask how much you were taking and for how long?

[Celestialbeing in reply to asidist]

My synthetic T4 was 88 mcg. The T3 was 5 mcg. Lowered the T4 before adding in the T3. Tried taking it in AM, tried taking a split dose, tried it for approx. 3 months. Had reactions to it so came off anyway.

[asidist]

i had somewhat similar symptoms starting t3 and with similar doses. i learned that palpitations and anxiety can be caused by a lack of iron/ferritin, which the body needs to be able to properly handle T3. i started supplementing and within one day of taking 75 mg, my palps and anxiety were gone. my iron levels weren’t too low so i maintain my levels by taking 75 mg every few days. if yours are lower you will likely need more to get where you need to be in a timely manner. try some iron for a few days and see if it helps! either way i suggest getting tested as soon as possible and trying to keep your ferritin levels at at least 80 or ideally around 90. you can also eat liver regularly instead of supplementing with pills to try to raise your levels if they’re not too low. hope that helps!

[magsyh in reply to asidist]

I have high ferritin. I have started taking 5mcg in the morning and 2.5 in the afternoon. So far so good.

[asidist in reply to magsyh]

hope you continue to feel well on that - let us know how it goes. i too am on the exact same doses (50 levo, 7.5 lio) though split differently

[1493]

I just started a new protocol. I take 1/2 NDT in morning and the other at night. I have been taken 5 mcg 4 times a day. Morning: 6,10 and afternoon 2, 6.

I am supposed to keep increasing until I get to 50 mcg of T3. I am doing great... doing it slowly in lower dosis has helped a lot.

It has help me soooo much! I have lost weight, lower anxiety, pain in joints and body, more energy... feeling happy... has been awhile... I am hypothyroid for 47 years and finally After trying all this is helpings

Don’t be frightened of T3

[magsyh in reply to 1493]

That's a lot of T3, I'm hoping I won't need that much.

[dtate2016]

All good advice already given. Couple of things: when trying to arrive at dosing amounts and times for T4, think in terms of weeks - thinking of T3 think In hours. T3 is used up so much more quickly than T4 - which circulates and must be converted to T3 in the liver. Something that helps the liver is salted orange juice. (Sounds strange?) But the liver works best when blood sugar is stabilized. Sipping salted (non-iodized salt) in orange juice (not gulping) can help the liver optimize its ability to convert T4.

Sometimes when T3 is waning the adrenals will try to pitch in and help, which can make us feel jittery. It’s happened to me hundreds of times - until I learned about the orange juice thing. I keep the salted orange juice by my bedside and sip it just a little if I wake up during the night. It works for me! I too am trying to arrive at the a balanced T4 dose, adding dessicated T3. I was actually over dosing on both for awhile. It was here that I learned to start low on the T3 dose, and go slow on any increases. Things are much better now. I am convinced the orange juice helped me with the T4 conversion.

Wishing you well.