Just been prescribed t3 and have a few questions… - Thyroid UK

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Just been prescribed t3 and have a few questions…

Racheeeel78 profile image
17 Replies

hi there,

I has hashimotos and UAT. I finally went to see a private endo who tested my T3. My blood results were: tSh 0.49 T4 21 and T3 3.1. He said I may benefit from T3 as I’m not converting t4 to t3 well enough. I’m currently taking 100mg levo and have been for 6 months (gp started me on 125 and I went overactive) The endocrinologist recommended to drop my levo from 100mg to 75mg as t4 is high and add in 10mg of t3.

My question is should I drop the levo first then add in the t3 a week or so later?

Do I need to split the 10mg of t3 into two or 3 doses?

Can I take levo and t3 together in morning?

How do people add t3 in day if can’t eat 3 hours before or two hours afterwards?

my b12 is 644 and he’s recommended I have injection once a month from my Gp.

My vitamin D is top of the range at 170

Folate is 10

Ferritin 50 but saturation and serum top of range so taking iron supplement daily 30 mg.

thank you!

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Racheeeel78
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17 Replies
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Recommendation on here is

Reduce levothyroxine 3-4 days before starting

Add 5mcg T3 with levothyroxine in the morning

Wait a few days or a week before adding 2nd dose T3 approx 10 Hours after first dose

What brand and dose tablets have you been prescribed

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSlowDragon

I’m not sure of brand yet, my endo getting from Germany for me So will be a few weeks until I start. It will be 10mg though...

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toRacheeeel78

Thybon Henning 20mcg tablets most likely

Now easily available on private prescription from specialist U.K. pharmacies

thyroiduk.org/if-you-are-hy...

100’s of members get Thybon Henning 20mcg tablets on private prescription

Cost 50-60p per tablet

Cutting tablets into 1/4’s to get 5mcg dose

Either use sharp craft scalpel or a pill cutter

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSlowDragon

yes, he mentioned cutting them in half and is getting me them at the pricing you mentioned. I’ll invest in a pill cutter if I’m to quarter them to get two doses a day. Thank you

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toRacheeeel78

I prefer to use craft scalpel

But many people find pill cutter works well

You need a pill dispenser to keep the spare 1/4’s in

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSlowDragon

thank you, I’ll try the craft scalpel and I have pill dispensers for my vitamins. :)

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Looking at previous posts

You have Hashimoto’s

Are you on strictly gluten free diet or dairy free diet

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSlowDragon

I’ve been gluten free for 3 months. My celiac test was negative but did it as know it can help get antibodies down. When I was diagnosed in July my antibodies were 125 and they’ve gone down to 80. I have eliminated most dairy but do have to odd bit of cheese if I’m honest!

humanbean profile image
humanbean

Ferritin 50 but saturation and serum top of range so taking iron supplement daily 30 mg.

With saturation and serum iron being top of range there is a strong possibility that your iron supplement will just raise them further. Your ferritin may stay where it is.

Read this thread for more info :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Folate is 10

I would suggest that is too low and you should try and double it. For info on folate / folic acid supplementation please read these links :

takecareof.com/articles/ben...

chriskresser.com/folate-vs-...

It may sound odd to say this, but if you improve your folate with a methylfolate supplement it might (there are no guarantees) actually change the balance of your iron and ferritin, by reducing your top of range iron and saturation and increasing your ferritin.

Having high serum iron and saturation is not desirable. Pathogens can access "free" iron in the blood stream but they can't access iron stored in ferritin. Pathogens need iron to reproduce so keeping serum iron well within range is desirable.

You might find this of use for reference :

irondisorders.org/wp-conten...

And this :

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply tohumanbean

thanks for this information- the iron has really confused me! My haemoglobin and RBC was low in December but on latest blood test RBC has gone from 113 to 118 so back to normal levels (just). My endocrinologist said May be due to my heavy periods as I have endometriosis (last year had two operations to remove fallopian tubes and scar tissue that fused all my organs together. I know 50 isn’t great for ferritin so was unsure what to do. My GP said to supplement. My iron saturation is 49% (29-50 normal range) and serum iron is 29 (14-30 normal range). I have folate tablets 5mg so should I just take that and leave the iron alone?

Thanks for your help

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Racheeeel78

Can I take levo and t3 together in morning?

Yes, many of us do.

How do people add t3 in day if can’t eat 3 hours before or two hours afterwards?

Timing we suggest is to take one hour before or two hours after, not three hours before.

my b12 is 644 and he’s recommended I have injection once a month from my Gp.

Who has suggested B12 injections? That's a decent Total B12 level and one couldn't expect B12 injections unless it was at the bottom or below range and tested for B12 deficiency.

My vitamin D is top of the range at 170

Are you supplementing? The Vit D Council, Vit D Society and Grassroots Health all recommend a level between 100-150nmol/L with Grassroots Health blog recently recommending at least 125nmol/L. If you are supplementing you could drop your dose a bit.

Folate is 10

What's the range? We suggest that folate should be at least half way through range, if no range and it just says >3.9 then we suggest double figures (at least in the teens).

Ferritin 50 but saturation and serum top of range so taking iron supplement daily 30 mg.

You should not take iron supplements when serum iron and saturation are already high, it will only make them higher and likely to lead to toxicity. Please re-read this reply from your previous post:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

where it stated:

I wouldn't suggest that you take any iron supplements at the moment.

Your serum iron and saturation are both top of the range. Your ferritin (iron stores) is low. If you take iron supplements there is a strong possibility that your ferritin will stay low and your serum iron and saturation will get even higher. This is not a good idea because it could end up feeding any undesirable bacteria, viruses, moulds, fungi in your bloodstream i.e. pathogens that you don't want. They need iron to reproduce.and by taking iron supplements with your results it is possible that you might just be feeding them. (Pathogens can't get iron out of ferritin.)

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSeasideSusie

hi SeasideSusie,

Thanks for info- so I’d take 5mg at 7am with levo, then 5mg at around 5pm (no food from 4-7pm) would that work?

My last blood test was for vitamin B, not vitamin b12. I had b12 tested at GP and it was 644. Maybe just take a multi B vitamin instead?

The folate range says 3> and it was 9.5. Shall I take 5mg a day?

I’ll not take any iron until my saturation and serum lowers. I was just concerned I wasn’t storing it, could this be because I had two operations last summer for endometriosis and have heavy periods?

Thanks for your advice :)

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply toRacheeeel78

Racheeeel78

Thanks for info- so I’d take 5mg at 7am with levo, then 5mg at around 5pm (no food from 4-7pm) would that work?

Yes, you can take 5mcg T3 with your Levo then another 5mcg about 5pm, evening meal from 7pm onwards although some people do say that T3 isn't quite so fussy as Levo. They are mcg tablets, not mg :)

My last blood test was for vitamin B, not vitamin b12. I had b12 tested at GP and it was 644. Maybe just take a multi B vitamin instead?

There isn't just a "Vitamin B" test. There are about 7 or 8 B vitamins and the most common ones tested are B12 and Folate which is B9.

The folate range says 3> and it was 9.5. Shall I take 5mg a day?

No, you are not folate deficient so no need to take a separate folate supplement. A good quality B Complex will be fine for both folate and B12 levels.

I have used Thorne Basic B for a long time and always been happy but it can sometimes be out of stock and can be expensive.

If you look at different brands then look for the words "bioavailable" or "bioactive" and ensure they contain methylcobalamin (not cyanocobalamin) and methylfolate (not folic acid). Avoid any that contain Vit C as this stops the body from using the B12. Vit C and B12 need to be taken 2 hours apart.

I have recently bought some of this one to try, some other members have found it to be very good. The amounts of the vitamins are very similar to Thorne Basic B, it's liposomal which is said to absorb better, there are no unnecessary added ingredients and better priced:

hempoutlet.co.uk/vitablosso...

Also available to Amazon branded as Yipmai but is the same supplement:

amazon.co.uk/Yipmai-Liposom...?

When taking a B Complex we should leave this off for 3-7 days before any blood test because it contains biotin and this gives false results when biotin is used in the testing procedure (which most labs do).

I’ll not take any iron until my saturation and serum lowers. I was just concerned I wasn’t storing it, could this be because I had two operations last summer for endometriosis and have heavy periods?

Optimal levels according to rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_... are:

Serum iron: 55 to 70% of the range, higher end for men

Saturation: optimal is 35 to 45%, higher end for men

So you wouldn't consider taking iron supplements unless they were considerably lower than those levels and then iron should be prescribed, not self supplemented, and regular monitoring done by your GP.

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSeasideSusie

Thanks so much for response!

If last bloods was b12 then it was 177 so that’ll be why he’s suggested injections. I’ll get re-tested as going from 644 to 177 in 6 weeks doesn’t seem right!

I didn’t realise b12 and vit C shouldn’t be taken together and I’ll get the b vit you’ve suggested :)

Will speak to doctor about iron - I think she looked at red blood count and haemoglobin being low and went straight to iron deficiency looking at ferritin being bottom range without looking at saturation and serum being top end- so thank you explaining :)

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply toRacheeeel78

Of course, I am not medically trained so don't take my word over your doctors where iron is concerned. Iron is complicated and I was only looking at your serum iron and saturation in relation to you Ferritin.

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSeasideSusie

will make sure to discuss with dr next appointment- thanks so much for your help and advice :)

Racheeeel78 profile image
Racheeeel78 in reply toSeasideSusie

my vit D so good as took really good liquid one with k2 everyday during the pandemic - pre hashimotos/UAT diagnosis. I only take twice a week now. Probably topped up as I had two week holiday in October and escaped the English weather :)

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