Is t3 any good for Hashimoto's?

[starbuck10]

Hi i am 50 year old guy diagnosed with hashimoto's for two years i started on 50 mcg levo am now on 100 i feel a bit better but still cannot function properly brain fog , slow heart beat , mood swings just to name a few of the symptoms . Some days i feel defeated however my consultant is going to give me t3 as well my question is what should i expect side effects etc . He said if this does not work for me ndt or he mentioned a drug for auto immune begins with n i think . I suffer terribly with my bowels also even though i have been gluten free for over a year and hardly eat dairy seemed worse when i increased levo is there a connection ? My recent blood test last month show serum tsh 0.2below ref range serum t4 14 pmol/L serum t3 5.6pmol/L

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Welcome to forum

Where do you receive treatment? US ? UK?

Can you obtain the lab reference range for your results.  Ranges vary between labs.

 Your symptoms suggest under medication.  The TSH is unreliable this makes you appear over replaced but your levels - depending on range could be low. 

By most ranges your FT4 is low & FT3 is in upper half of range, but I’d like to see exact range to interpret accurately.

Higher FT3 is unusual when taking levo only.  Although the body can prioritise FT3 but a higher TSH is usually present.

T3 is the more powerful active hormone. Some manage with low FT4 is FT3 is adequate, others need both at a good level.

100mcg levo isn’t a high dose.  A rough approximate guide is said to be 1.6 mcg per 1kg of body weight.  

Often increasing the levo will balance out the FT4 : FT3 ratio.  I’d be concerned that additional FT3 would push FT3 above range & leave FT4 low in range.  

Have you had nutrients tested, folate, ferritin, B12 & vitamin D?  Often low with thyroid issues & can mimic symptoms. 

Gluten very common with hashis,  were you tested for gluten allergy? Are you strictly gluten free? Any trace can cause an issue.  

[starbuck10 in reply to PurpleNails]

Thank you for your'e reply i am receiving treatment in the UK i gather he didn't suggest upping my levo due to the TSH being suppressed not sure also wondering if it is common to have higher T3 levels than T4 he didn't explain that all i know is that so far the levo although improving my situation has not eradicated some of the more concerning symptoms .

[PurpleNails Administrator in reply to starbuck10]

Have you sought a private endocrinologist?

It’s not usually for specialist to manage treatment for under active thyroid in the UK.  GPs manage under active thyroid & although T3 (Liothyronine) & NDT can be prescribed if clinically needed in many areas the restrictions are such T3 & NDT are virtually impossible to obtain via NHS. I never heard of it being suggested unless FT3 below range or extremely low.

 Introducing T3 even low doses is known to lower TSH as would increasing T4, but your TSH is already suppressed and FT4 / FT3 levels are not over range.  Once we see exact range we can advise more.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Welcome to the forum starbuck 10.

As purplenails has advised, do ask for a full copy of all thyroid blood tests and share these with us. We need to see ranges (in brackets after results)as these can vary between laboratories. Have you had any antibody tests &/or tests for key vitamins supporting thyroid health (ferritin, folate, B12, Vitamin D)?

We will be able to better advise you when you are able to share more information with us. You can put this in your bio on your profile page so you don’t need to repeat it in posts.

Keep posting if you need further advice or support; we are here to help! 🦋

[cazlooks]

hi, you may have a dairy intolerance, effects last for up to 2 weeks, so 'rarely' isn't an option if you have it, try a full block for a couple of months (and that means no cheese). Plus, if you have an autoimmune you may well have problems with other things, it's difficult to get checked for food sensitivities, but if you eat a lot of something then you may have a problem with that (you get a kind of high off of things you are sensitive to so your body asks for more) Do you get headaches?

[caledoniancat]

Are you always on the same brand of levothyroxine? The different brands have different fillers and some people can only tolerate certain brands. Hopefully, someone else will post to give you more information on these. Also, has your consultant tested cortisol? If you have a concurrent autoimmune adrenal issue and are started on levothyroxine that can make you feel worse with the symptoms you have highlighted, but also including exhaustion, dizziness, aches and pains, hyperpigmentation etc. I suspect that as you have been on levo for 2yrs it may not be adrenal related but always worth a check.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

How much do you weigh in kilo

Guidelines on dose Levothyroxine is approx 1.6mcg per kilo of your weight per day

ESSENTIAL to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year

What vitamin supplements are you taking

[Mothebear]

Changed my life completely!

Won’t ever miss a dose, fiercely manage my vitamins, diet (absolutely no GF, dairy or egg as I have very high antibodies to them) so as to keep my immune system as ‘quiet’ as I can as I have the antibodies from Hashimoto’s.

[butterflynett]

While taking T3 (Cytomel), the only side effect I experienced was that I developed Rosacea on my face. My body temp increased also. Otherwise, I felt like it was a miracle in making me feel pretty normal again.

[serenfach]

It can be a game changer - it was for me. It gave me my brain back. It is temporarily missing as I am in the middle of lambing, not a lot of sleep, ramming bikkies and cold coffee down the hatch...

It is always worth getting your results, and keeping them to see how you respond, The brilliant people on here can give you very detailed advice if they have the results, and you can see what works for you.

Give your Endo a big kiss, it is rare they prescribe T3, and to actually mention NDT means he is a very rare beast indeed.

Now, where did I put those matchsticks to keep my eyes open?

[starbuck10 in reply to serenfach]

Many thanks for the reply yes brain fog is always a prob for me so hoping T3 will help .