Reverse T3 was 18 LS/MS/MS early June in a range of 8-25 ng/dL.
Hi, my TSH has steadily been going up and my T3 and T4 are going down. I've been feeling awful, which isn't that unusual thanks to perimenopause, but been feeling really extra fatigued, depressed-ish, tingly, digestive issues, etc.
Current thyroid meds are 88 mcg Synthroid (name brand) and 1/2 grain Armour.
I have some 1/4 grain Armour tabs and started taking an extra one the last two days. Is this a terrible plan?
I am between doctors and just felt I needed something quick. My current doctor is not doing a good job monitoring my levels (I ordered and paid for these tests) and I'm looking for a better one. T3/cytomel has been suggested to me and I just haven't had good experiences with it the two times I tried. I'd rather swap in some Armour and lower my Synthroid dose to get the T3 but I'm willing to give T3 one more shot if that is what is highly recommended.
Thanks in advance.
Written by
deniseross
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
With the 88mcg Levo and 1/3 grain you are getting 107mcg T4 and 4.5mcg T3 from the Armour. Your FT4 is very low and I doubt the 4.5mcg T3 in the Armour is going to compensate for that. Your FT3 is super low in combination with really low FT4 so it's no wonder you feel awful. Last time my FT3 was 2.5 I was barely functional. I see an RN for my hypo and she says she has patients who take natural desiccated and Levo together. You're going to have to either raise the Levo or the Armour. I don't think it's a bad thing to increase by 1/4 grain daily. You never know until you try.
Technically you can swop straight across ( 1 1/2 grains) though many prefer to start at a lower dose and work up to the equivakent. If it was me I'd go in at one grain for a couple of weeks and then add a 1/4 grain in in.... Test in 6 weeks. You may need a further increase. It's difficult to judge because how we react to NDT can be very different to the synthetics. I'm not a medic but have been on NDT for years.
Yes, for a long time I was on all Nature-throid, I think I was doing 1.25 or 1.5 grains and then, I can’t remember exactly when or why but my T3 spiked and T4 dropped and I was having hyper symptoms. It may have been around the time when Nature-throid became unavailable and I was forced to switch. I also started taking less and less SSRIs and Wellbutrin over the years and more bioidentical Estradiol and Progesterone, more supplements recently for low nutrients, etc.
I’m tired of it being a moving target but that’s what it is.
I may even have some 1 grain around somewhere still, probably expired.
I know Helvella & I totally agree with you... It's all debatable and frankly they are different products really... with different responses. I'm not a medic so didn't like to go against the standard line. 😊
Wow - your reverse T3 is high. I would strongly avoid adding in any more T4 containing meds- whether that is T4 or armour- as you will just be creating more RT3 from the added T4 and feel worse. I would only add in pure T3.
You stated that you've had problems in the past with T3. Rarely is T3 itself the problem- but more likely abnormal cortisol or very low iron.
Have you done a salivary cortisol test and are you treating with adrenal cortex or HC?
I have done several cortisol tests of all kinds. They all were showing elevated cortisol for 2021 & 2022 and then this year the salivary test dropped towards a pattern of low cortisol. I react poorly to adrenal supplements lately, did them for years. I’ve been struggling to get my ferritin and zinc up from clinically low to subclinically low. Upper endoscopy shows I have some sort of abnormalities consistent wit celiac but every celiac test (even the out of pocket, expensive gold standard ones) came out negative for celiac.
The coliace test misses a lot of coeliac. When it's positive that's correct. When it negative it doesn't necessarily mean you are not Coeliacs. I tested several time negative for Coeliac but recently been told I carry the gene and I definately cannot tolerate any gluten. Consultant think I'm highly likely Coeliac but the only way to test that now would be to resume eating gluten for several weeks! No way!!
Hopefully getting the iron up will help with ability to tolerate t3 and you could always ie the CT3M method advocated by Paul Robinson for improving adrenal function without actually having to supplement with ACE.
oh my, I’m going to have to read up on all of that…I’ve been so focused on trying to balance sex hormones with HRT but feel woefully ignorant about so much else. It’s overwhelming.
Or as @waveylines suggests- do a swap to just armour if you can't get hold of T3 yet. You may still need to add in extra T3 though as it is suggested that the risk of RT3 only happens when you raise above 1.5 grains- the higher level of T4 in the body in NDT over 1.5 is what is problematic for some
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Told to lower armour dose
Overmedicated with armour thyroid
switching to armour thyroid
Foods that affect thyroid function or medication absorption?
