Optimum levels on t4 and t3

[jparsss]

What would people say is optimum levels on t4 and t3

Is tsh always supressed

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

TSH would usually be suppressed or very low on optimal levels of Levo+T3.

Some people manage with a lowish FT4 but many need both FT4 & FT3 to be at around 70%.

[McPammy]

I feel optimal levels can differ person to person. I take my levo T4 and T3 prior to a blood draw as I want to know how high my levels get. I don’t won’t to be over medicated nor have a suppressed TSH. I know then I feel good when my T3 is 80% through its range. My T4 35% through its range and my TSH last time was 1.09 ( 0.35 to 5.50). If I don’t take my meds on the blood draw morning those levels drop and are still in range and TSH remains the same. Having a suppressed TSH makes me feel symptoms. Keeping my TSH within range around 1.00 I feel no symptoms and have bags of energy.

I never alter my t3 med as I know it’s high enough. I may at times slightly alter my levo T4 I’m on liquid so I can alter it very easily by as low as 5mcg to tailor my dose to suit my body requirements.

[Hashiboy]

Not sure if the paper below is any help. It says that in all the trials of combo therapy people who said adding T3 helped generally had T4 in range and T3 at upper end of the range or even slightly above. A bit like McPammy describes.

The paper describes a dosing formula based on how much thyroid tissue is still functioning. Be interested to hear what people think.

researchgate.net/publicatio...

[McPammy in reply to Hashiboy]

I did go over range during my years on mono T4 treatment and that made me feel terrible. As soon as T4 in range I felt better. However, my T3 was very low conversion from T4 at only 8%. When I finally was prescribed the addition of T3 medication I found my optimal feeling of feeling well and happy again. For myself that was down to my private only endocrinologist prescribing the correct doses of levothyroxine and liothyronine. From day one I’ve not changed those doses really 4 years on. I still feel vitally and physically and mentally very well from a previous place where I could barely walk or function. I keep my levels in range now and this is reflected in my TSH too being in range. I like to try and mirror a healthy persons levels. To me that makes sense.

[Hashiboy in reply to McPammy]

Really glad to hear it worked out for you. I’m working with my endo to see what’s the lowest T3 I can take and still feel good. At the moment I’m just reducing to 15mcg T3 and 100T4. Like you I’m aiming to keep T3 at the high end, T4 in range and hopefully TSH just in range (I know that might not be essential) I’ll probably eventually try 112.5 T4 and 10 to 15 T3. Do you mind me asking what you ended up on? And really sorry jparsss if this isn’t 100% relevant to your original question but hope it’s of interest.

[McPammy in reply to Hashiboy]

I ended up on 5mcg T3 twice a day Thybon Henning. I also take 75mcg levothyroxine. I take liquid levo which absorbs much better than tablet form. I did use to take 68mcg of it but my brand changed and not as potent as previous so I upped it slightly. That seems to work out now. My T3 is 5.5 (3.7 to 6.0) it use to be 3.9 before adding T3. So 5mcg increases my level by nearly 2 points. If I don’t take my T3 prior to the blood draw it’s 4.5 that’s the half life then still in there. I think Thybon Henning is pretty potent. My t4 is lowish in the range but that’s where it feels best for me.

[Hashiboy in reply to McPammy]

Thanks for that, it's really interesting to see where you arrived.