I am hypo and have been taking T3 only for a couple of weeks after previously taking nothing (I cannot get on with levo, and a T3 only regime worked brilliantly for me 4 years ago but this was before I hit menopause). I am self medicating as I cannot afford a specialist.
I use a HRT patch and my menopausal symptoms have been kind of kept at bay by using that the past year or so.
However, I have noticed since taking T3, these menopausal symptoms have noticably started coming back. I am concluding that my T3 is eating up my HRT hormones and/or whacking one or more of my female hormones out of balance.
Has anyone else experienced this when taking HRT or have any idea what is going on? Any advice?
I am supplementing with all the recommended stuff for thyroid as recommended here.
Many Thanks
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I can find stuff online about people already being on thyroid drugs and then starting HRT having to increase their thyroid drugs, but I can't find anything vice versa of people being on HRT and then starting thyroid drugs.
The blood tests were done when on zero thyroid meds. I had not had any thyroid meds for many months prior to the bloods being done as I do not get on with levo - it makes me worse - and only just become brave enough to go it alone sourcing T3.
>these results on previous post are after how many months with no levothyroxine
At least 5 months off levo or anything else (except HRT patch). And before, it was only very short term use of levo at 50 mg a day (about 2 weeks) before I had to give up due to awful side effects. Tried levo before over the years also with consistent bad results so had to discontinue.
>How much do you weigh approx in kilo
117 kg
>What’s GP doing about high CRP
Nothing, never has seemed to be bothered even to mention about it. I only know as asked for printout of results.
>> what vitamin supplements are you currently taking
I am currently taking Thorne Basic B Complex, Better You spray with D3 and K2, Ferretin, effervescent Vitamin C and Zinc, plus a general multi with selenium and also EFAs in them. I am taking bioactive B12 every other day in lower dose than recommended on the packet as I feel it gives me palpitations otherwise. Also Gingko Biloba (only short term).
I am definitely noticing a big increase in energy, significantly less swelling and edema (hands and legs and face) and less pins and needles, and less dizziness/POTs symptoms with the T3 and these supplements, albeit worried about the menopausal ones getting worse.
I am on the Evorel patches, which I change once every 3/4 days. I have been playing about with times on the T3 including divided doses.
I would be interested in answers to your question. I could not get on with transdermal estrogen (did nothing for me, even on high doses my levels were at the bottom of range) so I was switched to oral estrogen which works a lot better. But it lowers FT4 levels quite a lot (by increasing thyroxine binding globulin, TBG) so I ended up with too much T3 relative to T4 and now must add some levo to NDT. FT3 levels did not change on HRT, only FT4 levels did. I have not heard of HRT lowering FT3 levels but would be very interested in finding out more as I have not been on HRT for very long and don´t know what will happen in the future.
Gel don't work well for me either, The doc won't give me oral HRT which works much better because I am too fat because of my thyroid and can't lose weight. They also won't give me Mirena coil for same reason, as too fat for Op. Vicious cycle
I have not gained any weight on oral estrogen compared to transdermal. While some doctors claim that oral estrogen will cause weight gain, others say it won´t. It would seem many of the problems reported with oral estrogen concern conjugated equine estrogens (Premarin, Prempak) and not oral body-identical estradiol which is what I take. And the difference in how it works it amazing...all hot flushes and night sweats gone. On four pumps of Oestrogel daily my estrogen levels were very low and symptoms persisted. I then tried Lenzetto but noticed no improvement. I also did not get on so well with Utrogestan so was switched to dydrogesterone which works much better. Transdermal estrogen seems quite ineffective for some, and body-identical progesterone is not the best option for everyone either.
Doc is afraid of DVT/stroke risks. I am 18.5 stone so over the BMI for oral tablets. I guess I could try push for it though as the patches are just not strong enough even without thyroid meds.
It's an intricate balance between all our hormones and with HRT and T3 it can go both ways with increases or decreases of particular hormones. For a lot of people taking oestrogen will mean an increase in their T3 meds but it can go the other way too. And there is also cortisol involved in all this and most symptoms overlap whenever there is an imbalance.
Your doctor sounds like they don't know what they are doing as being on HRT has nothing to do with you body weight. Have you been referred to a menopause clinic? In the meantime you probably could do with more information on the current guidelines on HRT which a lot of doctors are not really familiar with. Have a look at the Menopausal not Mad website which is a very good source of info for that.
I have been to a menopause specialist who recommended an Op for the Mirena Coil which would give me the extra dose of what he thought were the necessary hormones safely. I was fine with this offer as they were also going to do an investigation of a lump in my stomach at the same time. This was a couple of years ago before my TSH went above "borderline" and thyroid officially became an issue for the NHS even though I been complaining years before of hypo symptoms so cortisol or thyroid hormones and their interaction were never ever mentioned.
The doc is pretty clueless about the thyroid or hormones beyond basic stuff.
The doc has said there is increased risk of DVT etc for fatter people on HRT oral so does not want to prescribe them - only patches and gel despite my menopause symptoms only partially being alleviated by the patch. Their only other offer is the Mirena op.
However, when I was weighed by the nurse a week before the Op, they said I was just over the BMI for their hospital and to lose weight which of course I cannot do, I just gain and gain fat and fluid, so am without the op.
My worst symptom (apart from brain fog and weight gain) is horrible adrenaline attacks. Not sure if that means the cortisol is low or high when this happens. My NHS morning cortisol was 398.
Mirena is for progesterone while Evorel (which one are you on?) is oestrogen and balancing them can take a really long time as you know but there is still a chance you are not on the right strength/dose of your HRT as it is, though method of delivery might be the main problem of course. When I started T3 last year I had to stop my BHRT completely for a while and only now restarted again but with Lenzetto spray and recently slowly restarting Utrogestan which had been as a bit of a problem before. I also had to increase my T3 a bit as a result.
Adrenaline for me is a sign that my T3 and cortisol are not in synch and my cortisol plummeted last year after starting T3. In hindsight I think that imbalanced sex hormones and T3 were too much for my adrenals and cortisol to deal with and in the end I stopped everything but T3 and very slowly started increasing cortisol with CT3M. Adrenaline can be a response to both high or low cortisol and you would need to do a 4 point saliva cortisol test to know exactly what's going on which is advisable becuase there is no guessing with cortisol on symptoms alone. Your morning cortisol is ok-ish if the range is over 600 though still with scope for improvement.
I am on Evorel Conti patches. The doc has recognised it is not enough but due to weight says that is all she can give me apart from the Oestrogel gel which I do not think helps at all.
>>very slowly started increasing cortisol with CT3M.
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