How do you manage with cutting the t3 tablets? And dosage...

[Gg145]

Hi! They only sell 20 mcg t3 here and so i have to cut the tablet in 4. But they are very fragile and so the doses aren't exact. It probably between 4 and 6 mcg.

How bad is that? Considering i don't have a choice... Can i find improvement of symptoms even on somewhat imprecise dosages?

I have no idea if i'll be able to increase the dosages also, since my weight is really low (it's atypical for hypo, yes). I think they recommend 0.83 mcg total t3 per kg.

Is anyone successfully dosing t4+t3 "above" their body weight?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Are you in France?

I thought the usual T3 was Sanofi Cynomel - which is in 25 microgram tablets?

(Mind, I know there have been supply issues with Cynomel - are you getting something else, like Thybon Henning which is 20 microgram tablets?)

This doesn't help you, I'm afraid - I'll leave that to those who take T3 and are familiar with the issues. I am just trying to make sure we understand the issue properly.

[Gg145 in reply to helvella]

In Norway! Liothyronin. The company making it is Takeda and its 20 mcg. I asked for Thybon but doctor was,like, nah Liothyronin is better, it can be reimbursed...

And now I also know they have lactose in both levo and t3 tablets xD And i have lactose intolerance (was tested by the very same doctor). I only realised after buying them... the doctor prescribing them ofcourse didn't remember or know. it's ridiculous. But at least he means well.

Gonna try with these but maybe if gastro symptoms feel too bad, will have to switch eventually to the more expensive Henning ones...

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Gg145]

Your profile says "France"!

[Gg145 in reply to helvella]

Ohh oops, I moved some time ago, i'll change it

[Toto88 in reply to Gg145]

I’ve recently started T3 but are on 20mcg thybon which can be cut into quarters - I take 5mcg every 8 hours ! It is quite difficult to get it exact ! By the way I hope you don’t me asking but what sort of symptoms did you get with lactose intolerance plz ? I may ask my GP for this test ? Thanks

[radd]

Gg145,

It's really difficult isn't it. I remembering ending up with a load of powder and just guessing 😳. You could try some different pill cutters but the trouble really lays with the tiny size of the pill.

I read once (it might have been on here, I can't remember) about someone who dissolved their whole daily dose of T3 in a glass of water, and then just sipped the approximate amount at the right times throughout the day. Again the doses would vary slightly but at least you are guaranteed to consume the whole dose as opposed to losing half of it to powder!.

I never tried it myself as wasn't sure about the quality of T3 being assured when left in water for hours. Perhaps someone else knows something?

[Gg145 in reply to radd]

Yeah for sure! I see. The dissolving in water is a good idea, it works for other medications, so it might for this too

[JAmanda]

I cut it with scissors into a little pot then don't worry at all the size of the bits as across the day I'll have taken the full amount.

[Gg145 in reply to JAmanda]

I see! That makes a lot of sense i just gotta figure out my daily dose...

[fredjones]

I have a pill cutter with a blade which I bought from a Tesco pharmacy for a couple of pounds. I take Thybon Henning T3 20mcg which has an indent half way down the pill and cutting it in half to take a 10mcg dose is no problem. On the odd occasion I don’t manage to cut it correctly (I have double vision) I just take roughly half and make sure I use all the remainder including any crumbs the following day. This is what was recommended by my endocrinologist and it seems to work. I hope this helps.

[Gg145 in reply to fredjones]

I see! Thank you, yes. It's tricky with the 1/4 of the tablet, but yeah, if i keep track of the crumbs, it should be fine i suppose. Just fidly it's so bizzare that they don't make small dosages or a liquid solution... we are supposed to dose 3 times a day and it's just really hard to do with 1/4's.

[Babette]

Me and pill cutters don't get on. I use a sharp knife and cut along the score (I only cut them in half). If it's not exact, it doesn't really matter.

[jimh111]

Just snap the tablets into two and then snap the halves into quarters. Much better than trying to cut. Splitting 60/40 doesn't make much difference as after 24 hours you will still have half the previous dose left so at worst case the split would really be 55/45. Also, our receptors have to be saturated in T3 for several hours before they action, even after the hormone has worked its way into the cell nucleus. So, small variations in T3 dosage don't make much difference, there are a lot of buffers between taking the tablet and it actually having an effect on organs.

[Gg145 in reply to jimh111]

I see! That's good to know.

[Toto88]

I use a razor blade & a very close bright lamp - the razor blade sits v easily on the middle line & if you slowly rock it back & forth it will cut correctly - this I do on a chopping board by the way ! The quarters I do by looking at the imprint of the B on one of the sides or I use a line on the cutting board & then again slowly cut it.

[overunbykids]

My T3, Tertroxin 20mcg by Aspen Pharna, is easy to break neatly into halves by snapping using my fingers. The quartering is very hard, though, and I can never get it right, either. Using a pill cutter ends up crushing it so I often have a giggle when the hubby sees me dividing up little piles of crushed bits as evenly as I can and he says I look like an amateur drug dealer lol.