Ok I started bk on T3 about 11 weeks ago, after begging my GP to put me back on them, long story won't go into it...so first box I receive is 28 capsules at 10mg 2 to be taken daily making the 20mg..I decided to go slow and took 10mg (I have gut/stomach problems colitis lactose intolerant) after 2 wks all seemed ok so I took the other 10mg splitting the dose 10 morning 10 late afternoon, apart from a couple of days with gut /stomach pain and loose bowles (started bk on orange juice 🤦 so blamed that) I was ok.
Took the next 28 capsules at 20 split had a couple of day again with bowle pain loose stools but plodded on, then got my next lot to be told no 10s only 20s so can't split them, so I've been taking full 20mg in the morning...seemed ok and after 7 days thought I'd be ok..just this last 2 weeks again my bowles have gone nuts!! I've started to see my heart rate jump up beating out of my chest ( although this is not new as my heart can do this due to to much calcium) parathyroid problem!!) I'm sweating way more, I've got bad tremors again , shaking, jittery ..it's sometimes hard to separate my parathyroid symptoms to other symptoms, but could the full 20mg make me slightly hyper?? Unfortunately I can't get my thyroid bloods done until January 31st as my current surgery as closed due to a staffing shortage 🤦 so we have been moved in with another surgery 🤦not been off the toilet for 4 days now!! Always seems worse when I eat..it comes right through me☹️
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birkie
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Spoke to pharmacist who insisted he couldn't obtain any 10s and told me it would not matter if a GP prescribed 10s , if we can't get them it won't make a difference 🤦..not only I'm I in some bowle pain/diarrhoea, what happens if my bloods on 31st January show I need an increase...I can't increase by 40mg ( 20mg) capsules, again I'm left in limbo..our surgery as closed as I said ,I went to this other surgery who first denied the thyroid blood test because a GP never requested it..I'm 11wks in to these T3 capsules so way overdue, I managed after some to and frowing to get her to do the appointment!!
I also asked for an appointment with my GP, but we're told no appointments were available and I would just have to ring in the hope I can get one...😠
I get what your saying about splitting the capsules and I asked the pharmacist if I could do that, he didn't recommend I try splitting these as the ingredients are finely milled🤷 so the chances of not getting the correct dose are high🤷..but hell I'm going to have to give it a go slowDragon as these pains are unbearable ☹️💓💓💓💓
Can you phone around other local pharmacies to see if they have/can get any of the 10mcgs or even 5mcgs? Then phone GP to issue new prescription for it.
I'm a bit confused as normally speaking if you have a prescription written for a certain strength then the pharmacy is duty bound to honour that or GP has to rewrite the prescription for a different strength.
We have all but 3 pharmacy's in my small town,I tried all 3..boots even saying they don't do any T3 medication as it's very hard to obtain 🤦my GP did prescribe 10mgs but now no pharmacy in my town can obtain them, only 20mgs ..no GP appointments, as we have amalgamated with another surgery because of staff shortages at my surgery 🤦 so this surgery as double it's patients now..😠 it's a real mess!! The receptionist even said I'd be hard pushed to get an appointment with a GP as they are snowed under, yet I was the only person in that surgery on Thursday, jezzz the staff out weighed the only person in the surgery...ME!!😠 How on earth can they be snowed under? Their were no patience's waiting to be seen empty seats dead!!...I honestly don't get this...I can remember years ago going to your surgery and it being packed with patients waiting to be seen,and the receptionist saying we're fully booked...yeah I could believe her then!!!👍
You actually probably don't even need an appointment to sort this out. I often leave a message for one of the GP's at my practice to sort something out. Sometimes a GP will do it, others a nurse practioner or a paramedic (it's a fairly large practice). If it's a fairly 'minor' issue such as this a message to a GP is often all that it takes to get it sorted and usually same day.
Are there 20mcg tablets that you could cut up available as an alternative?
These are Roma, I need lactose free ones, and I think splitting them and taking a small amount at a time is better for my gut..these symptoms of gut/stomach problems have surfaced since taking the full 20mg..I'm going to try the surgery tomorrow, but this is not my surgery, and I've not been able to speak to any of the staff or GPS that were at my last surgery 🙄 ( as we have joined with this one) but I'm due another prescription soon so I will need to take charge again, fight,fight it seems this is all I do...😠😠😠
You need to measure your TSH, fT3, fT4 as you seem to be over medicated. I suggest you do a cheap test with 'Monitor My Health'. In the meantime I would reduce your liothyronine dose based on your symptoms. We need recent numbers to get an idea of what is going on but in the short term you should avoid potential over treatment, for a few days until you get soem results.
Got blood test on January 31st earliest appointment I could get and I had to fight to get that!!! Yes I do feel a bit over medicated, but I also have a parathyroid problem which can also present as hyper symptoms 🤦 but it's the gut issues that are affecting me the most..if I reduce from now until my blood test would that not give a false test because I would have gone bk to 10mg can't split as they are capsules, so if I reduced and my bloods show I need an increase ( because let's face it 10mg isn't even a started dose) my GP would just tell me to increase bk to 20mg , I'm going to try to pour half the powder out as slowDragon as suggested to try to split the 20mg until I get my bloods done, then see what my levels are, then try to fight for the 10s again because I have tremors in my hands splitting the capsules will be a challenge 😤😤
What are your results from 31st January and what were you taking?
Yes a reduction now will give different results but as T3 has a short half life your levels will stabilize in a few days and you could use that as a 'starting point'.
Just need an idea of your TSH, fT3 and fT4 for a particular dose, as a yeardstick.
Im having my bloods done on Jan 31st...so feel I need to keep up the 20mg to see if I'm over medicated,but I don't think 20 mg would make me over medicated 🤦 but maby taking it in one go could,..so I'll try spitting the powder from the capsules making 10s..then get those bloods done on Jan 31st👍👍
Oh, forgive me, I have February on my mind and was thinking January has gone. You could get an earlier test from here thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp... if you have the money to spare. Even if you've had a thyroidectomy you can have remnants of the thyroid that can be 'hot spots' that secrete hormone, hence the need to test your levels.
I would either do a private test soon or else adjust your dose to see if it resolves your diarrhoea and rapid pulse. I wouldn't do nothing until the end of the month.
You have brain fog to...I forget things daily actually it's getting worse ☹️...can't really afford private bloods, my son just recently paid for me to see a private parathyroid surgeon who as identified a 6/7mm nodule in my neck, waiting for my surgery to refer me to Liverpool for a pet chlorine scan and they are dragging there heels on this to😠😠😠 I'm going to try to split the powder into 10s from the 20s..be a challenge as I've got tremors 😁
Maybe try and get calcium levels added to your thyroid blood test if you don't have recent results. Also see what blood tests your private parathyroid surgeon would like and ask your GP to do them (otherwise you will have to pay for private ones). There's no reason you can't contact your parathyroid person with brief queries before your appointment.
My parathyroid surgeon as sent a report to my GP stating I need all blood done,PTH,cal,vit D..24 hour calcium urine,pet chlorine scan, they received this report in the first week of Dec and I've constantly asked if they have received it to be told no!! I went down to the surgery we have now amalgamated with due to NHS staf shortages, the receptionist eventually found it unopened, went to speek to someone came bk to tell me it was very unlikely I'd get any of these tests done through the surgery, what a load of bs!!! So I've to wait until some GP contacts me on what they are doing... honestly you just can't make this stuff up!!are we living in a 3rd world country? Because our health service surely are😠😠😠
This is shocking. I know GP s are overworked and I've a lot of sympathy for them, especially the rubbish they get from endocrinologists. However, although I don't know much about PTH I know elevated calcium is dangerous. I would make a complaint and say they are putting you at risk and being negligent. Negligent is a key word as it carries legal weight.
They should not delay investigating abnormal calcium levels. The blood tests at least are easy and inexpensive. It doesn't matter that the recommendation comes from a private physician, they have been alerted to a serious condition and should act without delay.
hi Birkie I have 20mg tablets and I brought a tablet cutter off of Amazon it’s brilliant, as I was cutting them with a knife and it was crumbling. But the tablet cutter is brilliant. Maybe that will help. I take 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the afternoon.
I was doing just that because I had 10s could split them 10 morning 10 afternoon, but these are those plastic capsules so splitting will be a real challenge, but I'm going to have to give it a go as I'm sure the full 20mg is causing the gut problem and possibly the hyper symptoms 👍
oh no that’s so annoying ! Damn! Why do doctors have to complicate everything. Honestly I have learnt one the last year that I know better than they do 😂🙈
Yes I'm sure I know more than they do to!!! But this is just getting to much now,. My surgery have been chopping and changing my meds since my thyroidectomy in 2019 they keep giving me thyroid meds hoping they get a different outcome, I honestly feel like I'm going round in circles, and to put the tin lid on it I've got a parathyroid problem to ( normocalcaemic hyperparathyroidism) just waiting on a pet chlorine scan at Liverpool 🤦 but my surgery just think my symptoms are minor, and nothing to bother them about, I'd like to see my GP go to his work and have a bad stomach/bowle pain then bad diarrhoea all day..I'm sure he'd seek medical care immediately 😠
honestly I know it’s exhausting I really feel for you, and the stress it puts on your brain in every days life is just so exhausting. My parathyroid glands failed after my thyroidectomy so I’m on alfacalcidol to produce PTH and ADCAL for calcium. I’m part of a good parathyroid group on Facebook I send you the link as they are great I bet they can help with some questions you have. This is all new to me as my thyroidectomy was only in June last year but I’ve learnt a lot since it. But I was left for nearly 8yrs hypo with thyroditis. My thyroid was mangled when they removed it . But anyway onewards and upwards just wish I was treated long time ago might of avoided the Thyroidectomy but it is what it is now ! I find the link for you for the Facebook group 😊
Hi thanks 👍 I'm on a great parathyroid site hyperparathyroidism UK action 4 change, it's them that have got me this far..my first diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism was in 2004 and they did the watch and wait, ignoring my high calciums over the years, I had no idea I had any high calciums until I requested my medical records in 2020 when again I was diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism 😠 I'm so mad!!.The surgeon on our site saw me on Nov 18 and did the ultrasound scan and found the nodule,now I need the pet chlorine scan to determine if it's on a nerve 😔 after my thyroidectomy I was told about hypoparathyroidism where the parathyroid glands can go dormant after surgery, but mine have again gone over active, I was only on the calcichews for 5 days then my surgeon rang to say come off them, 4 weeks later I was rushed into hospital passing a kidney stone and my calcium was very over range and it's been that way since April 2020 NHS don't want to know or bother , the surgeon (private) as said I have normocalcaemic hyperparathyroidism and still after receiving his report they are dragging there heels, I'm so sick of it and the NHS😠😠😠
oh wow my goodness that is just shocking! I just don’t understand why they ignore the data all the time! I hope you get all sorted im sure you will! It’s so bad how they treat things.
I was on Teva before that stupid gp took me off them because my T3 was 5.3..range..(1.60..6.90) and my TSH was 0.05..range (0.30..4.50) she said I was over medicated and all my symptoms were due to this T3..I now know some symptoms are due to the parathyroid thing ( nodule found in my neck on 18th November at Oxford) so when I asked to be put back on T3 I was given Roma brand, but in essence slowDragon if they can not supply the 10s Roma I can fight my corner and demand to be given Teva again 👍
Wish I could afford to try them, I'm on disability benefits so money is tight, plus my son as just paid for me to see that private surgeon in Oxford in November, so can't really ask him to help again!! Seems like many of us are.. were doomed to the NHS way of thinking.. which we all know is total crap...😠😠😠
Have you tried messaging an online chemist. Not good as we want to keep our local shops open. But if all your local ones are saying they can’t get 10mg tablets it may be your best option.
Online pharmacy might work. I use Cohens, and have it linked to my Dr (seems to be quicker that way). They would also tell you that the Dr needs to specify 10s (or whatever), but after that it runs v smoothly. They remind you to reorder, then they chase up with GP if they are slow. The one time I had to have immediate antibiotics, they rang me and said, you don't need these sent through the post, you need them now.Which local pharmacy shop shall we send this request to?
Just spoke to my GP today after a hen's teeth appointment 🤣 he did prescribe 10s and I received 2 Packs 28 in each split in to 10..7am..10 7pm..but my next pack the pharmacist said they are 20s that's all we can get...I said well that's not good as I split them..his response well you can't split these there capsules but it's 20s or nothing 🤦 so told GP today he was a bit naffed of as he said I prescribed 10s for you!! So I said maby a tablet would be better the Teva I was on before, 🤔to my amazement he checked if I'd been on Teva?? And yes I had..then he went on to inform me of the cost per month for Teva against the Roma capsules saying.."I think I can get the Roma 5mg sent to you through the post from the online pharmacy , that's better for the NHS.....😂😂😂😂 really if I don't laugh I'd cry 😭😭😭😭😭
I'm mad 😠as my gp said he was going to get them online and get them delivered to me.. But yet I'm called up by this pharmacy to say my thyroid meds are here🤦♀️That's OK for this batch, but any bets I can't get the next lot😠
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