T3 or not T3

[Tinacros]

Hi Below are my recent results. I’m on 100mg thyroxine. My T3 is low but it’s higher since I stopped taking the T3... as when I was on it I felt no difference, but I was only on 75mg thyroxine then. I really would like to feel the benefits of T3 that u all describe but I just can’t find the right balance. I definitely don’t convert by the looks of thing. I’ve also got

Low ferritin (non anemic iron deficiency), so I buy ferrous sulphate at GP isn’t interested! Vit D is ok and I’ve recently started having 2 Brazil nuts a day. My tsh is low so if I decided to add T3 again what ratio would I do xx

[Lalatoot]

You would start on a quarter tablet once per day. Then after a week or two add a second dose of a quarter tablet. That might be it. You could then wait 8 or 12 weeks and see how you felt and how bloods were. You maybe only need a little T3 added.

Or you could add a quarter tablet every 2 weeks until you were taking a whole tablet.

[Tinacros in reply to Lalatoot]

Would I keep to 100mg thyroxine? And would that push my tsh lower.

[Lalatoot in reply to Tinacros]

Yes adding t3 tends to suppress tsh. I wouldn't change the levo dose. Taking t3 may slightly lower your ft4 level anyway.I tend to look on it as adding a little t3 to make up for poor conversion.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

How low was ferritin

It can take many months to improve low ferritin

What are actual results for vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

We need optimal vitamin levels for levothyroxine or T3 to work well

As Lalatoot suggests

Add 1/4 tablet T3 .....after 1-2 weeks add 2nd dose approx 10-12 hours later

Retest in 6-8 weeks

Test as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Last 2.5mcg T3 roughly 8-12 hours before test

[Tinacros in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi folate was 21.6 and b12 was 642. Vit D was 115. Ferritin was 21. I’ll start by adding quarter tab again. I’d love to get my T3 up.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Tinacros]

So ferritin is still far too low

Are you vegetarian or vegan?

Aiming to improve ferritin up to at least 70

[Tinacros in reply to Tinacros]

No I’m not vegan or vegetarian x

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Tinacros]

Read the many in-depth replies by humanbean on low iron and ferritin

Increase in eating iron rich foods

Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week plus other red meat, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption

List of iron rich foods

dailyiron.net

Links about iron and ferritin

irondisorders.org/too-littl...

davidg170.sg-host.com/wp-co...

Great in-depth article on low ferritin

oatext.com/iron-deficiency-...

drhedberg.com/ferritin-hypo...

This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.

Thyroid disease is as much about optimising vitamins as thyroid hormones

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

restartmed.com/hypothyroidi...

Post discussing just how long it can take to raise low ferritin

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest every 3-4 months while supplementing

Post discussing why important to do full iron panel test

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Why low ferritin needs improving

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Are you on absolutely strictly gluten free diet

[JAmanda]

Yes I'd try adding in T3 now. Try 5 or even 10 and retest in six weeks. I'm constantly experimenting to try to find the sweet spot. Was on 100/20 but am now trialling 112.5/15.

[Zahrazori in reply to JAmanda]

What is the tablet called for T3?

My T3 is slightly low and I was advised to take thyroxine on a small dose 25 mcg is this the right medication

Would love to know which is the right medication

I don’t understand what NDT is?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Zahrazori]

NDT = natural desiccated thyroid (made from animal thyroid tissue)

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Some years ago, I started compiling a list of many of the abbreviations and acronyms that appear on the Thyroid UK forum ( healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk/ ) regularly. The idea was to make it relatively quick and easy to look up abbreviations and acronyms without being waylaid by the many irrelevant possibilities that web searches tend to return.

I continue to update the document quite frequently!

dropbox.com/s/2423slilh0or6...

You might never have downloaded a copy, or not for some time, perhaps months or years If so, I suggest you download a copy and save it (or a shortcut) somewhere easy to find.

Please, if you think there is anything missing or wrong, let me know. Post on the forum or send me a Private Message.

If I have posted this because you asked about, or referred to, an abbreviation or acronym, please take this as intended, a way of helping you now and into the future. Not a criticism that you asked.

[Zahrazori in reply to helvella]

Thank you ever so much for taking time out and sending me this information that will benefit so many others too love this site and the lovely people on this group thank you so much x

[helvella Administrator in reply to Zahrazori]

T3 is also called liothyronine (which applies ONLY to T3 as a medicine) and, sometimes, triiodothyronine (which applies to T3 whether as a medicine or as T3 in your bloodstream).

However, we very often see it referred to as Cytomel - the brand name of a liothyronine tablet in the USA by Smith, Kline & French in 1956. This is confusing as we are often unsure whether people are referring to the specific product or any liothyronine tablet. There are numerous other brand names around the world.

[JAmanda in reply to Zahrazori]

I'd have a good search round here to get up to speed. Then post your T3 t4 and tsh levels and ranges and what you're taking and people will advise. If you don't know them get tested privately. T3 is liothyronine. You are taking t4 levothyroxine which converts to T3. I'd have a good google about hypothyroidism - as you'll read here, it's all about learning the condition and managing it.

[Sarahsf]

That sounds like me. My results are similar. Out of interest, do you suffer insomnia.?

[Tinacros in reply to Sarahsf]

Yes I suffer from insomnia. I put that down to my menopause though ☺️

[Eliotf]

I am doing t3 twice a day: am with t4 & about 1245pm