Took all my t3 at once - will I be ok?

[Murphysmum]

Help.

Been toying with the idea of taking my dose all at once as I’m struggling on a slightly lowered dose of 50mg T3.

15 mins in and I’m shaking and really worried.

Help, can I reverse it? It won’t all have kicked in yet, wish I hadn’t tried this

[greygoose]

At one point in my journey, I was taking 225 mcg T3 all in one go. Just before bed. And, I slept like a log. No problems. We're all different, of course, but I doubt any permanent harm will come from taking 50 mcg all in one go. I take 60+ mcg every day all in one go. But, if you're really worried, drink a large glass of milk.

[Murphysmum in reply to greygoose]

Thanks gg.

That puts it into perspective, and I’m just reading through lots of posts of people successfully having switched to one dose, so I’m relaxing a bit.

I home alone atm and just had a bit of a panic!! Feel a bit silly now.

I’ve been going to trial once a day for ages, and I’ve got to a point where my bloods were over, but having reduced my muscle weakness and fatigue has to returned. I wanted to try a single dose to see if maybe one large dose would “flood” the receptors as I’ve read, and solve these issues on a slightly lower dose.

Right, calm down, and carry on with my day 🤦‍♀️

[greygoose in reply to Murphysmum]

Some people do need their FT3 slightly over-range. After all, ranges are only a rough guide. And, if you felt good with it over-range, personally, I wouldn't have reduced it, myself.

[Murphysmum in reply to greygoose]

I had been taking 60mcg for quite a few months, then I was put on progesterone and predictably it shot over range and I felt very over medicated, felt like I was going to explode!Didn’t take any for a few days, then dropped to 55mcg and felt better but symptoms returned. Tried 60 again and the same happened.

I’m also due hip surgery in about 8 weeks so I don’t want to be over range in case they pick it up pre op. Not sure how this’ll be viewed.

Anyway, I’ve been taking 55mcg but with shoulder weakness and some hip weakness which obvs isn’t ideal. So keen to try something that might help. The only other thing I figured I could do would be to time my dose around the blood draw and “make it” in range, but not sure that’s ideal either.

Feeling better now, hopefully this might work.

[shaws Administrator in reply to greygoose]

Dr John Lowe took his dose of T3 once daily. He stated that the thyroid hormones then saturated all of our T3 receptor cells and they sent out 'waves' and the effect could last for up to three days.

I experimented, took one dose did not take any on day 2 or day 3 and I was fine with no symptoms.

[Murphysmum in reply to shaws]

Thanks you shaws .

I have read this and I guess I should bear it in mind and calm down!

I do wonder if this is what I need, or more specifically, this is the mechanism that my cells need. I can feel fine on a higher dose for a while but then clearly it becomes too much. This is annoying though as the higher dose is the only time that I am truly symptom free.

So my reason for trying one dose is to see if the mechanism of flooding the cells is what my body needs. At maybe a lower dose, who knows.

Thank you

[shaws Administrator in reply to Murphysmum]

We can always make small adjustments if we feel the need to do so.

I hope you have success and when our body is 'content' with no sympoms it's amazing to feel 'normal' once more.

p.a. Take it on an empty stomach with one glass of water and wait an hour before eating.

[Murphysmum in reply to shaws]

Thank you.

This is what I do with both doses at the moment, so I’ll keep doing that. If it works it won’t half help with the timing of other things - everything is in such precise windows atm!

[london81]

if you are worried go to a&e, or Walk in centrein meantime i imagine taking some charcoal tabs would absorb some but i’m not medically qualified

hope you are ok

[radd]

Murphysmum,

Your body has it's own tolerance limit and you will not be able to force larger doses than this amount without some negative consequences, be it encouraging receptor desensitisation by offering more than they can cope with and/or your body converting excess to an inactive form in some sort of protective measure, etc, etc.

You would be better off transitioning by keeping the daily total the same but adjusting doses, raising one and reducing the other(s) until eventually after a few weeks your adrenals will safely withstand one large dose daily (or not). This will give you complete control and assess exactly how you are feeling.

It can be helpful for others to offer their dosing protocols but we must be guided by our own bodies and not others experiences. If you are still feeling shaky, eating anything with iron or calcium will bind some of that hormone, and be aware you might end up completely zonked out later this afternoon.

Hope you are ok 😊

[Murphysmum in reply to radd]

Thanks radd

I had begun to trial increasing/decreasing once before, but my problem with that is my body doesn’t respond to anything less than 20mcg, so after a few days with one daily dose lower than that, I became really unwell, as if I had stopped altogether.

So I’m a bit perplexed with how to do it! A couple of people before had suggested just fling for it, so today I did. A little rash maybe! However, here I am the best part of a couple of hours later and I feel ok. I guess maybe I might find in a few days I feel a bit “over” and maybe able to reduce a little? I don’t know.

Thank you, I will bear the iron/calcium thing in mind - and the zonking!

Great advice, much appreciated 😊

[DippyDame]

I take 75mcg T3-only in a single dose at bedtime, when I began my T3 journey I reached 212.5mcg and only then had slight symptoms of overmedication.

It's not unusual to feel worse before you feel better when changing doses.

I've read that wrapping a cold towel or similar round the neck can ease this

As that large dose gradually helped push some of that T3 into the cells, more T3 receptors " wakened up" and I can now cope with the lower dose

Also to allay your concerns .....I had a heart scan after the 212.5mcg dose ( my GP had a wobbly!!) and it showed a very healthy heart....I'm was then aged 74

What you felt was most likely the body adapting to the increased dose....been there.

It should settle in a few days

Some of us have a form of Thyroid Hormone Resistance and do need a higher dose in order to get enough T3 into the nuclei of the cells where it must reach to become active.....but you know that.

.I suspect if you went to A& E they would tell you to reduce or stop your T3

If you were OK on 60mcg split the I'd suggest you just give the single dose time to settle.

However this is only my personal experience....I'm not a medic so the decision is yours.

Also....the worry probably made you shake even more

You are not being silly....just sensible!!

Take care

[Murphysmum in reply to DippyDame]

This is exactly what it was DippyDame , all worry!

As I said above, I feel fine now so I’m sure it was just the adrenaline rush of the “oh lord, what have I done?” moment.

That you and grey goose have taken upwards of 200mcg and are still here helps me relax a lot! I did at one point reach 70mcg so I’m within my boundaries.

Even just chatting it over here I can see I was over reacting. I’ll give it a few days and see how I feel…. If indeed I’m not zonked every evening as radd suggested!!

[DippyDame in reply to Murphysmum]

Glad you feel fine now.

Onward!

There are plenty of naysayers out there but in the end you know your body better than any of them!

You'll be relieved to get the hip surgery over ....my 85 year old sister in law has had both hips done and recently did a fairly long coastal walk. She stops at nothing....leaves me almost speechless sometimes!!

Good luck...and keep us posted.

[Murphysmum in reply to DippyDame]

Wow! There’s hope for me yet then. I’m 46 so only half her age, that’s impressive.

So far so good so I’ll stick with the once a day for a few days yet. Let’s see. I really need to hit this muscle weakness thing on the head, esp with surgery coming up. Hips and shoulders is where it gets me and guess what I’ll need most…? 🙄

I like the cold towel round the neck thing too. Funnily enough, back before I discovered the miracle that is T3, and I had horrible spells of feeling ill out of the blue, or anxiety attacks - all sorts, I used to actively freeze and carry around a bottle of water. I found rolling it under my jawline, around my neck and cheeks really helped. A distraction or an actual aid I don’t know, but it was my saviour on a number of occasions and I wouldn’t leave home without it!

[DippyDame in reply to Murphysmum]

You can also buy ice/gel packs for pain relief....I ached all over before T3 did it's best.I keep one in the deep freeze.

My chiropractor suggested this years ago....but the bottle is a great idea and more discrete.

About 40 yrs ago I had huge neck problems / whiplash after an RTA...and they eventually gave me quite a number of sessions on traction....stretched my neck with weights! It worked well, but a nurse looked shocked recently when I told here....wouldn't do that now! Some of these old ways are better.....like earlier thyroid treatment!

I'd suggest you give the single dose at least two weeks( or more) rather than a few days, before any change....might be up and down for a bit until it settles but that's how it goes.

So yes....there is hope and you have youth on your side

I'm now 77 and doubt I'd be ( ranting)here without T3

You'll be fine, I'm sure!

[Murphysmum in reply to DippyDame]

I’m the same. I just can’t imagine what I’d be like if I hadn’t got it.

I used to have lots of aches pre T3, and funnily enough I feel like I have arthritis in my ring and pinky fingers joints since I reduced dose. I’ve never had that actual symptom before, others, but not that one! I’m assuming it’s a level thing but we’ll see. One day I might have a aymptom that ain’t thyroid related!

[radd in reply to Murphysmum]

Murphysmum,

'If indeed I’m not zonked every evening as radd suggested!!'

You’ve misread my reply which said 'zonked out later this afternoon', given after the panic of your morning, & symptoms that indicated there must have been some cortisol/adrenaline release in there somewhere 😁.

Ongoing slumps can be misinterpreted. Whether we single/multi dose, I don’t believe T3 runs out if we have been medicating a while. A slump is more likely related to the bodies ability to utilise T4/T3, dependant upon multiple factors: genetics; length of duration we remained undiagnosed; etc, and state of adrenals.

We can not know our best without trying different methods and my reply was not regarding a (post-adrenaline) slump, but observing your body’s reactions to each change as negative ones can not always easily be reversed. I hope this way proves successful with an absence of slumps 😬, & wish I could single dose as is much more manageable.

[Star13]

I always take my 40mcg of Lio in one hit in the morning followed by 100mcgs of Levo! I can’t cope with all the dosing throughout the day as it won’t work with my other meds and eating. My consultant said it’s like weather you prefer to get a caffeine hit by having a double espresso or a nice milky decaffeinate twice a day!

[Murphysmum in reply to Star13]

Hmmm. Not a fan of a big caffeine hit but let’s see!

I used to notice a dip later in the day on lower doses but not since I’ve been on more. Here’s hoping I can do one dose and it clears my lingering symptoms. What a pain in the arse this disease is!

[radd in reply to Star13]

Star13,

Haha, great analogy 👍