I don't know the answer because I've never been where you are.
What I would say is that no thyroid hormone replacement works well if ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D are not optimal levels, and conversion can also be compromised by inflammation, depression, dieting, any physiological stress ( emotional and physical ) and or dieting or ageing.
I take Natural Desiccated Thyroid and in my opinion it is very different from synthetic thyroid hormone replacement and worth considering once you have built up your core strength vitamins and minerals.
Thank you! Is it worth switching tomorrow perhaps just to feel better I wonder or will it not work if vits and minerals are down. My Vit D and B12 are good. Folate low and Ferritin 39
I read that ferritin needs to be over 70 to support conversion of T4 into T3 :
Ranges vary so aim for at least half way through whatever the range is that you have there .
I find I need to maintain my ferritin at around 100 : Vitamin D at around 100 :
Vitamin B12 active at over 70 + / serum B12 at 500 + and folate at around 20 :
If you work your core strength up to optimal maybe your existing symptoms will improve:
T3 is generally seen as the last resort, after exhausting T4, and T3/T4 combo options.
Natural Desiccated Thyroid DT is pig thyroid dried and ground down into tablets referred to as grains, and contains all the same known hormones as that of the human gland.
Each grain contains trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin plus a measure of T3 at around 9 mcg and a measure of T4 at around 38 mcg per grain.
Depending on where you live sourcing T3 and or NDT is not easy so this is something else you may need to consider as prices have risen substantially owing to there being fewer sources available to purchase from when without a prescription.
If you are fortunate enough to have a prescription I guess it's a different ball game.
It takes ages to build up ferritin - it took me over a year just to get from 22 to around 50 : and If the tablets are tolerable just keep going or maybe try a liquid preparation ?
Having just read that you have Hashimoto's it's common to have stomach issues and this may well be why you are not able to absorb the ferritin supplements.
I read of several forum members recommending the writings of Dr Izabella Wentz as she too has this disease and suggests healing the gut first before all other health issues.
I think if you can tolerate the Ferrous Fumarate I started with that 3 x 322 a day :This didn't suit me and I wasn't offered anything else :
I purchased Solgar Gentle Iron and that was ok and didn't upset my stomach - I also took liquid iron Spatone x 3 Sachets and I also ate liver twice a week:
There are other preparations and stronger liquid iron than I purchased :
I now maintain my ferritin at around 100 by supplementing weekly with a tub of Asda frozen chicken livers : these are very clean and mild and I defrost and flash fry in a little olive oil and then blitz down into a pate and I keep in the fridge.
A spoonful a day, with a dollop of Hellman's helps this medicine go down.
I've just detailed above but there are several liquid iron products that I haven't tried, at stronger levels than Spatone - just as there are other iron tablets that made be better absorbed than those I purchased -
You'll need to look around and see what you think suits you best and it's all bit of trial and error I'm afraid, but you will need patience building up ferritin.
The only official liquid T3 I know of is Liotir from Italy.
Not suitable for everyone as is contains a significant amount of alcohol (ethanol). And not available in the UK.
Generally it is claimed that people absorb T3 pretty well (quoting something like 90 to 95%) even in tablet form.
(There are several things offered for sale as liquid T3 - every one of which seems to have been knocked up in a kitchen or garage. And plastered with "Not for human use. For research purposes only." or some other form of words they hope acts as a disclaimer against government action and legal liability. Most of them in the USA. I wouldn't touch any of them.)
No worries. I know that I’ve read in the past (and obviously it’s just one opinion) that 60mcg is about average for a full replacement dosage of T3 only. And your FT3 results would suggest that 50mcg isn’t enough.
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blood results back - feeling worse than ever
Should I stop T4 and take T3 only medication?
please see my latest test results 
Are these results ok?
