Curiosity caught the cat!

[Easylover]

For everyone out there taking T3, would you please describe the experience and what it feels like. What you're dosing is your timing all of it just like spill it out so I get an idea of what T3 is supposed to feel like or do for me! Thank you so much and God bless everyone Merry Christmas and all that!

[Easylover]

Just for good measure, I plan on taking my temperature and my blood pressure within a half hour to 2 hours after each dose to see how the T3 is affecting my physiology. If anyone has any suggestions at all I would love to hear it because I've never taken T3 before. I am on NDT only and I'm very curious because I believe that there's too much of the T4 in my system. I don't get labs done until next year.

[Easylover]

And heart rate.

[Sparklingsunshine]

I've recently started on adding T3 to my Levo. I've tried NDT as well but in the UK we cant really get it prescribed and its very expensive to get it privately, and self sourcing from abroad has its own pitfalls.

Following advice here I got hold of some Tiromel 25mcgs, quartered the tablets so I get 6.25mcg. I then started just adding one quarter to my Levo. I've dropped my Levo by 25mcgs a day to allow for the T3. T3 being 3 times more potent allegedly.

If all is well after a week or two then add another quarter of a tablet. That's where I'm at. I take my half of T3 and Levo in the night when I get up for the toilet and then the other dose early afternoon. I'm due to test my bloods in mid January.

Some members take T3 all at once, others prefer to dose 3 times a day, spacing it out by several hours. Its very individual and relies on trial and error 😁. Are you adding T3 to NDT or are you intending to just take T3?

I havent noticed a huge difference yet but my FT4 and FT3 were both well below range when I had my recent NHS bloods taken so I've got some making up to do. I'm hoping that combination therapy works for me as even on high doses of Levo my FT3 levels aren't great.

Merry Xmas to you on your side of the pond 🇺🇸. Hope its a joyous and healthy one.

[Easylover in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Thank you for your well thought out reply. I will read it again. Yes, I am planning on adding to NDT. Glad you're getting treated n feeling better. Bless you!

[Easylover]

Dear Sparklingsunshine, it seems that adding T3 to T4 synthetic would make it easier to get the blood levels right since NDT has too much T3 in relation to T4 supposedly ((in comparisonto what the human body would produce? I realize there's38mg T3 and 9 mg T3). However, I did hear from a woman on a different forum that she tried the synthetic and actually liked NDT better.(? go figure). I still haven't got it right. I just want to feel better...all that youthful energy. My T3 will not arrive for some time. Peace be with you. Easy

[Jazzw in reply to Easylover]

It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of overthinking the T4 / T3 ratio thing. Some people just do better on synthetic T3 / T4 compared to NDT (and vice versa of course).

My FT4 levels on Nature Throid (back when you could get it, which you now can’t) stayed resolutely towards the bottom of the range on 3 grains. On Armour, they’re nearer mid-range. It shouldn’t have been any different—the T4 to T3 content of both brands is identical. For me, there’s clearly a difference in the way my body makes use of Armour compared to Nature Throid (alas, I felt better on Nature Throid if I’m honest).

So I don’t know if anyone can tell you what to expect because it’s very likely your experience will be uniquely yours.

How many grains of NDT do you currently take? (Or how many mg if that’s the way you count it?). Asking only to get an idea of where you are right now. 🙂

[Easylover in reply to Jazzw]

4 grains. 60x4= 240mgs right? ☺ I agree w you on brands being completely different though the same.

[Jazzw in reply to Easylover]

Ah, decent amount then. Will be interesting to see how you get on.

[Easylover in reply to Jazzw]

Thank you. I plan on reducing the amount as I add T3. Totally looking forward to getting my motivation back. I've found that Armour Thyroid is not what it used to be. I know in 08 I felt lovely on it. I read somewhere that the manufacturer changed its compound by adding cellulose?

[Jazzw in reply to Easylover]

Over the years lots of people have speculated about excipient (the “fillers”) changes in just about every brand of NDT.

I think it’s probably that it’s getting more and more difficult to source raw product (as in porcine dessicated thyroid). The quality has to be so high, I daresay it’s not financially viable for most farmers. Throw in a generation (if not more than one generation now ) of doctors who’ve been taught that NDT is dangerous… well, if you were a pig farmer would you risk it?

And I’m never too sure about whether the product changes or whether it’s us who change. There are so many variables to feeling healthy even without having a thyroid condition. With hypothyroidism, it’s so easy to become deficient in Vit D, folate, Vit B12, ferritin etc. Getting the dosage right is like trying to hit a moving target. With a knackered thyroid, I have a feeling the best any of us can hope for is feeling ok-ish most of the time. Try as we might, taking a pill to replace the minute by minute changes a healthy thyroid / pituitary axis can achieve is never going to be quite as good, is it?

[Easylover in reply to Jazzw]

Wisely said!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Easylover]

I realize there's38mg T3 and 9 mg T3

Wrong!

38 micrograms T4 and 9 micrograms T3

Further, even that varies slightly by product.

And the too much T3 issue is wrongly stated and discussed almost everywhere. The ratio of around 4.2:1 is the actual ratio of the T4 to T3 hormones, by weight, in the desiccated thyroid. But the 10:1 (or 15:1) claimed for humans is not based on that - the precise details vary somewhat.

[thyr01d]

Hi Easylover, it's hard to describe what it's like, but here goes. I take 20 mcg early am (between 4 and 6 usually) then 10 mcg around 11 am and 10 mcg around 5 pm. In the mornings I can function, I can do mental work and go for a long walk but by 7 - 8 pm I don't want to even get up off the sofa. On T3 I feel like a human being who has been working very hard for a long period of time and is tired and lacking enthusiasm but that's far better than before. Before starting T3 I fell into a kind of black sleep, like being unconscious, at various times through the day, that's completely relieved. Stomach ache was relieved with my very first dose. Coldness relieved, depression reduced. I hope that's of some help.

[Easylover in reply to thyr01d]

Thyr01d. Are you adding T3 to T4 or NDT? Or are you on mono T3 only?

[thyr01d in reply to Easylover]

T3 only

[Easylover in reply to thyr01d]

Dear thyr01d, I suffer from fatique as well and it is the reason I have been studying books, forums n FB on thyroid disease. . Anything that I know about it besides my experience with NDT is from reading. I was wondering have you considered adding a small amount of T3 to your middle dose, say 2.5 then waiting several weeks to feel it's affects. From what u understand, the T3 cascades during the day.

[thyr01d in reply to Easylover]

Thank you Easylover, so kind of you to share your knowledge. That's very interesting about the timing, can you point me to any peer reviewed research or similar to read up on this? Since I am prescribed by an endo I would not add extra without his agreement and don't have an appointment until March. There are always so many other factors it's very difficult to work out what's needed. For instance I have a very active young dog, built to run between 100 and 120 Km every day! I use up a lot of energy out with her. I'm living with my two daughters in their home so days are shaped by their routine, which because of the nature of their work is very irregular and we have soya milk which I normally keep to a minimum. Do you manage to keep to a very consistent routine and diet so that you can be certain any change is the result of your meds?

Again thank you for your advice, it's all helpful and once I have my own home I will try the regular dosing.

[Easylover in reply to thyr01d]

Also, they say to not waver even 5 mins on taking you T3 dose because of the physical effects; that it is best to set an alarm so as to take it at the exact same time every day.

[Easylover]

It is of help! Thank you.