Is there an optimal way of taking T3 and Levothyroxine? Should they be taken separately?

[Arkenstone]

I was recently told by an acquaintance that Levo and T3 should not be taken together. Is this true and if so what is the optimal way of taking T3 as well as Levothyroxine?

[Lalatoot]

You can take them together. Most folks do. In support of taking them together on combo you can say that folks on ndt take them together.We treat t3 the same way as levo with regards to not taking near food or supplements and with water only.

Only difference is that it is suggested that we take last dose of T3 8 to 12 hours before bloods.

[shaws Administrator]

Our original thyroid hormone replacement - from 1892 up until the BTA removed it from being prescribed (they may have now changed their mind) contains all of the hormones a healthy gland would do. This is an excerpt from USA and the following link: -

Because NDT is an FDA-regulated but not "FDA-approved" drug (as a result of the grandfathering of the drug), it is subject to severe restrictions on marketing and is often excluded from formularies, which limits sales and makes it less profitable. This means that manufacturers are unable to fund major research studies that could more fully evaluate the effectiveness of the drug.

Still, there has been some research supporting combination T4/T3 therapy, as well as NDT, and it's largely downplayed by the conventional thyroid world. For example, a major Danish study, published in 2009 in the European Journal of Endocrinology, found that T4/T3 combination therapy was superior to levothyroxine-only treatment, with measurable improvements in quality of life, and reductions in depression and anxiety, in patients taking combination treatment. The most important finding, however, was that 49 percent of the patients studied preferred the combination treatment. Only 15 percent preferred levothyroxine-only treatment.

Noted endocrinologist Dr. Wilmer Wiersinga, in discussing paradigm shifts in hypothyroidism treatment, described research conducted in the 1990s to evaluate thyroid function after surgery to remove the gland. According to Dr. Wiersinga, it's virtually impossible to achieve normal function on levothyroxine only, and that additional T3 is required.

Dr. Wiersinga believes that some patients have genetic differences that create that need for T3 in some patients. He has said:

healthcentral.com/article/o...

[Arkenstone in reply to shaws]

Thank you so much Lalatoot, Shaw and everyone else who answered my query.

[Gingernut44]

Your acquaintance is wrong. You can take them together, after all your thyroid would be making these hormones at the same time. You can also split your doses of either or both if it suits you.