I’m a naughty fiddler 🤨

[Pearlteapot]

I’m on 10mcg t3 and 125 Levo. I’ve found that taking the whole 10mcg in the morning gives me a smoother ride through the day but still dropping at 5pm ish. Yesterday I took an extra 5mcg at 6pm just to see if my evening would improve. How long will it take to drop out my system for blood test purposes? Assuming I leave an 8-12 hour gap as advised etc but I’m wondering how long it will take for the extra little dose to leave my blood so that my test results are not distorted. I think in theory it should be okay in 24 hours but bet it’s more complicated than that. Thanks.

[TiggerMe Ambassador]

Hmmm... I'm thinking 3 days to clear all trace of the 'little extra'?

Thinking I've read somewhere half life 4-12 hours and 3-7 days to fully clear?

[TiggerMe Ambassador]

Did the 'little extra' do the trick?

[Lalatoot]

when I was on too high a dose and reduced it took 4 days till I felt that it had left the system.

However, it may take longer for its effects on your ft4 and tsh to undo.

[tattybogle]

if you mean "if i did it ONCE, how long for TSH / fT3 to read as for usual dose ? " ...then ~ not long at all, one day of extra "shouldn't " affect TSH much, if at all. And to correct the fT3 level , either leave enough time for the extra T3 level to go down to the usual dose level eg a day or so.... or simply reduce last dose before test to compensate .

However ... if you mean "if i do it REGULARLY .. how long for TSH /fT3 to read as for prescribed dose ?

Then in that case you have a problem ... fT3 (and fT4) is easy to manipulate with dose , but TSH can take a long while to respond ... if the regular extra 5mcg T3 dose sent TSH lower, then you may have to take a significantly lower dose than your 'usual' for several weeks in order to get TSH to come back up to where it previously was on your prescribed dose.

TSH is very hard to 'fiddle' without making yourself unwell for weeks , and it shows a lasting record of the 'effect' of the dose you actually took over the previous few weeks , and that is one of the main reasons why they like their beloved TSH test so much.

[Pearlteapot]

 tattybogle I just did it once, yesterday. My test if I don’t change it will be Wednesday. So, 3 clear days between the extra and the test. I could move the test back 6 days.

Reading your post i think I better move the test back 6 days Thanks

 TiggerMe no it didn’t do the trick. I felt overmedicated, slept badly and felt overmedicated all this morning as well. Feel normal now but I’ve just done a hot vinyasa class that no doubt burned something off. My bum hopefully 😉

[BiscuitBaby in reply to Pearlteapot]

Hi PearlteapotI found completely by accident that taking a larger dose at night then a slightly smaller one in the morning has helped me a great deal. My palpitations are more manageable and I feel better and seem to have less of a slump later in the day. I still have some lingering symptoms but I'm thinking I'll stick to current dose for a while to see if things even out.

[Pearlteapot in reply to BiscuitBaby]

I was taking it at 5am and then going into the most wonderful restorative sleep but my endo said that it’s wasted while I’m asleep and I must take it in the daytime and sent me away for a month to try a day time regime before he’ll consider increasing the dose. I do agree with you though! But I must do as he asks and see what happens.

I’m just back from another yoga class and feeling rather fantastic. My theory is that the cortisol from exercise is compensating for low thyroid and that is probably why I was not symptomatic for so long until just 2 weeks before diagnosis when I turned out to have a tsh of 70 and T4 of about 4. I was extremely active and so I guess my body was producing lots of cortisol.

It might be a weak theory as when I finally did a saliva cortisol test my morning level was good but very low during the day On the other hand by that time I was under medicated on Levo and too tired to exercise Oh the mysteries

[BiscuitBaby in reply to Pearlteapot]

I'm inclined to agree with you. I was also very active right up until diagnosis. It was really bad palpitations and a missing period that made me go to the doctor. My t4 was similar to yours but my tsh was about 27. The week before I was diagnosed i set off for a run but had to turn back after a mile or so. Got up the next day and gave myself a talking to and set off again. Had to turn back as I felt like I was dying! Knowing what I know now it's a miracle I didn't have a heart attack. I too was left under medicated but interestingly I have never managed to regain the same level of fitness or activity. My body just objects! I'm going to stick to my current dose for a while. I think my body needs stability. I'm also rapidly coming to the conclusion that you can't live symptom free!!! I can't keep fighting the doctors!!!

[BiscuitBaby in reply to Pearlteapot]

Also, I meant to add that t3 is naturally higher during the night so maybe for me that higher dose is more restorative for during the day. But it's definitely easy to go for more is better when trying out doses but i can see its not the case.

[Pearlteapot in reply to BiscuitBaby]

I think you also tried increasing t3, didn’t like it and dropped back down? I stalk you a bit because I think we’ve had quite similar journeys

[BiscuitBaby in reply to Pearlteapot]

Ha ha ha. Thats funny. No, I've been seesawing between 10 and 15 t3 with varying t4 of 75/125 and 100. Current dose is 100/15. Still symptomatic but not as bad as it was. I was thinking hrt as next option as endo desperate to discharge me. 3 month trial has lasted 9!!!! I'd love to get back to running. I've tried but it just doesn't feel right. My body feels like a lead weight!!! What kind of exercise are you able to do?

[Pearlteapot in reply to BiscuitBaby]

Yes your dose is similar to me 125 + 10 and thinking about 15. I mostly do yoga as that’s been my love for 20 years. I was never a runner but trying rather pathetically now. Tiny distances. Hill walking and Olympic weightlifting were my other things. I’m not going to try weights as so explosive, don’t think my metabolism could cope. Planning to attempt three days walking and wild camping the Cleveland way (north Yorks) at Easter and have booked a train to france in July to finish the Pyrenean long distance route I was doing BT (Before Thyroid). I think low stress endurance is the way to go. Going to build up slowly between now and July and if im not up to it when July comes I’ll do a very poor job of pretending not to be gutted.

All that said, I’ve had a number of false starts when I’ve started regular exercise and then stopped again due to inability to recover It’s so hard to know what is thyroid related and what is simply loss of fitness that could be improved

[BiscuitBaby in reply to Pearlteapot]

I'm impressed! Funnily enough I'm happier to work with weights (not Olympic weights!!!) As I feel I can control it. I used to go hillwalking too but unless it's summer I'm not allowed to go. It's too dark too early and I'm so slow now I'm a danger to myself and whoever I'm with!!! I know what you mean about recovery. If i overdo it it feels like I have a hangover after. Not nice but I love exercise and I know it's good for my mental health so I just can't give it up. I just think I'll never be able to do what I used to. My tsh is suppressed and getting higher dose is nigh on impossible! I'm considering supplementing my nhs dose with some private purchase. I feel nearly there but I wonder if that nearly there feeling is as good as it gets. If I take more will I go over?? That's just as bad!!! I really hope you manage your walk. It'd make me happy if you did. I'd have faith in recovery and thyroid treatment!! Go girl!!!

[Josephineinamachine]

lol - hope you feel back to 'normal' soon!