After introducing T3(Liothyronine)and reducing my T4 (Levothyroxine) I was feeling great for a couple of weeks. Full of energy and symptom free at last. Then for nearly 2 weeks I had frequent daily episodes of nausea, fatigue, headaches and brain fog. Although the nausea has now subsided I am experiencing a return of my hypo symptoms. I'm tired , miserable, my skin is dry, I feel dizzy when bending and the brain fog has not shifted. I generally feel rubbish again.
I have not alternated of my routines with regard to medication, vitamins, supplements or gluten free diet.
My question is am I still seeking my 'sweet spot? Should I consider changing my dose of T3 or T4? Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
18th November 2021 - reduced Levothyroxine from 150mcg daily to 150mcg/125mcg alternate days. No change to brand. Continue with 15mcg Liothyronine. All medication/supplements taken as recommended on forum.
Your TSH looks very low - probably due to being overmedicated. I know some people feel that only T4 and T3 are relevant but I had the same issue after taking T3 and it drove my TSH extremely low causing me to have hypo symptoms, sometimes worse than when I didn't take T3. You might want to try and get to a level where your TSH is between 1 and 2 and see if that helps. I gradually stopped taking T3, and focused on reducing my inflammation and I started to slowly feel much better. That was my experience in any case. You may have trouble converting from T4 to T3 so it's something you'll have to experiment with a little. It helps to reduce your inflammation, as your cells will then respond better to T4 and T3. Ferritin is one marker of inflammation as well as CRP. Until I reduced my inflammation, most of my symptoms still lingered.
No, and your 'normal' might be different to someone else in terms of how much replacement hormones you need. It really is trial and error finding what works for you. Diet is also a key component so experimenting with different foods and times of eating may work for you. Reducing stress (chemical, environmental, emotional, physical) as well as inflammation are really important for any chronic health issue. You'll need to have lots of patience but it's worth it when you start feeling like yourself! Good luck
As a consequence of having low level undiagnosed hypothyroidism for many years, I found out that I had a bit of a fatty liver after a liver scan. I had generally eaten quite healthily and rarely drink alcohol so it was a surprise to find this out but hypothyroidism can cause many issues within all organs in your body. A lot of T4 to T3 conversion happens in your liver so a sluggish liver doesn't help with hypo symptoms. I researched ways to get my liver back to normal. I don't really consume much sugar but I decided to cut out sugar completely for about a month. I started having hot water and lemon in the morning, sometimes with apple cider vinegar. I tried to eat lots of leafy greens. I drink ginger tea with fresh ginger. Along with cinnamon tea. If you have blood sugar issues, the research about cinnamon and its effects are amazing. I also drink lots of green tea as it's a great antioxidant and helps inflammation generally. I also started taking a high quality probiotic. That might sound like a lot to do in one go if you're not used to it but start with one thing and build up your protocol gradually if it's too much.
I used to exercise regularly but I wanted to reduce the stress on my body so now I mainly walk and stretch regularly throughout the day rather than do one intense workout, until my body is able to cope with the stress of somewhat intense exercise. I also do breathing exercises whenever I feel a little busy or need to just slow down - look up something called the physiological sigh. It really works!
Hi Ih22, thank you for the comprehensive response, much appreciated. I am starting my journey to a better health, so all this info is very useful. Thank you.
There’s no way my TSH could be between 1 and 2!!! If on levo only I would be bedridden and on a small amount of T3 (started with 2 x 5) my TSH dropped to 0.03 and my FT4 and FT3 levels were 40% and 70% through range. We are all different, and getting our levels good for us can be a nightmare.
I now take 12.5mcg T3 and 87.5mcg levo and my TSH dropped to 0.01 on last test (it’s done that before and then gone up). My FT4 is less that 50% through range and FT3 80%. I was feeling pretty good and certainly not over medicated.
It seems some people get very low TSH levels when on any T3. We are at a disadvantage as then it sets off the GP etc to panic mode, trying to lower our doses, making us ill, and not actually raising the TSH. 🤷♀️🙄
The post mentioned that she was feeling unwell with the ranges posted. So I shared my experience and what helped me, which is partly what this forum is for. Obviously we are all different, but we can all listen to others' experiences and experiment a bit if we want, to see what works for us!
Agree with you. I just wish the medical people that oversee our medication etc knew this. Low TSH is the bane of my life on too many occasions. Very glad that you found what suited you.
TSH is usually suppressed with any sort of T3 medication. I also know that when TSH goes down, the conversion of T4 to T3 is reduced which could be your problem that as the TSH has gone down, you’ve started to convert less well. I agree with the comments above that a reduction in T4 and an increase in T3 might be helpful for you.
Thank you. I am definitely going to alter my doses as suggested. It certainly is a bit of a roller coaster trying to find what works for you. Best Wishes
I felt so unwell for about a week thought it was my thyroid and I just rode it out because Im tired of dealing with thyroid everything and guess what it did eventually subside and cleared up and I went back to feeling better.
Hi I know exactly what you mean. It is so easy to blame everything on our autoimmune conditions. I initially thought it was something I had eaten. Just after 3 weeks of feeling rubbish I'm looking at other options. Fingers crossed.
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