Advice on starting T3

[jsy_girl]

Hello all

Thanks for your help on my previous post:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

So it doesn't get lost I've started a new question, as hurray I've been given a prescription for T3... only thing is (as we suspected) he advises reduction in T4 to 100mcg (when I get the T3) and introducing 5mcg T3, 3 x a day, 8 hours apart.

Retesting in 4 weeks time.

I have read multiple times on here that introducing t3 in such a high amount might not be a good idea but how do I approach this, whilst also doing a good test of whether this suits me and a blood test in 4 weeks. I could potentially push the blood test out slightly longer. I did ask about not reducing the T4 but he said we can always increase it again.

He is also going to test calcium because I said I get pins and needles, send me to an ENT because of trouble swallowing and get a coeliac and another antibody test (i think for pernicious anaemia) because of high likelihood of other autoimmune conditions when you already have one.

any and all advice welcome! thanks for reading

[Heloise]

Hi jsy, I read your previous post and have one question; why did you continue to increase when your results look almost perfect.....although no FT3.....in Nov.? After that it was downhill probably due to the fact you were overdosing T4 and now were making more Reverse T3 which is the body's way of correcting the dose of thyroid hormone. Was there a good reason for doing that? A common dose is 125 mcgs. of T4 but since you have no gland, perhaps 137 would have been perfect. Symptoms don't go away overnight so if you felt it wasn't working well at 137, you may not have waited long enough to allow them to subside.I'm just speculating and could be wrong. I am a big believer of T3 but I don't think you had

a conversion problem from your wonderful graph.

[jsy_girl in reply to Heloise]

I continued to increase because at that time I was still getting symptoms (and continue to do so) - but maybe it wasn't given long enough. I did say to my endo that that was the dose that so far feels like it suited me the best. But even so the t3 has never gotten into the top end of the range, so suspect as I had RAI and have lost the contribution my thyroid makes to t3 that I am missing that part, because of the T4 I do get i think it converts fairly well. I don't know if that makes sense?

[Heloise in reply to jsy_girl]

I think life is easier if you can handle T4 which converts well and it's a shame you didn't wait on that dose of 137 to see. Slower increments after 125 to get to your optimal would have been preferable than going past it but at least your doctor is trying. That even makes MORE sense since you WERE hyper (I assume) and what your body was probably used to. I'm no expert so this is just an opinion.

[jsy_girl in reply to Heloise]

But the problem is, is i still don’t have great t3 levels. On any level of T4 my T3 was suboptimal. So hopefully with good T4 conversion plus t3 I’ll feel a lot better. That’s the plan anyway!

[Heloise in reply to jsy_girl]

Well, hopefully that will work but you don't really know about the former because you are missing the critical FT3 number at the 137 mark. That would have been more decisive and if a little over 5 like 5.3 or 5.4 might have been perfect. Glad your doctor will do the testing you need. Best Wishes!

[jsy_girl in reply to Heloise]

Yes annoying they didn’t test that one. It’s strange that at 150 my TSH didn’t come down more and certainly my T3 wasn’t that much different from when I was on a much lower dose.

[Heloise in reply to jsy_girl]

It actually went UP a full point. When you overdosed at 150 it turned more of your T4 into REVERSE T3. This told your pituitary that you were getting less hormone so it stimulated for more. the reverse T3 can act as an antagonist to T3 at the receptor level. This scenario leads to symptoms of low thyroid since reverse T3 can be considered inactive. Factors that may lead to a preferential conversion to reverse T3 include high cortisol, glucocorticoids, stress, excess estrogen and nutritional deficiencies such as selenium, iodine, zinc and iron [Source: Paoletti].

health.howstuffworks.com/hu...

[Heloise in reply to jsy_girl]

Expect that your FT4 may go lower as it usually does when adding T3, depending on how much you take.