Testing when on single dose T3, anyone tested to see peak?

[TiggerMe]

My recent blood tests I decided it would be interesting to see what my level of fT3 would be on a normal day, so I took my usual early am dose of 15mcg and tested 5 hours later (9am)

So 8.23 (3.1 - 6.8)

[J972]

That’s interesting. Have you ever been over range before?

I literally tested this morning - as my holey fingers can testify - and decided to take T3 this morning, at around 4am, to also check absorption/peak.

Do you experience any hyper-esque symptoms after taking it?

[TiggerMe in reply to J972]

Ah, it'll be interesting to see what yours are... enquiring minded like me 🙃

I've found if I split my dose it never really hits the spot and I quickly droop between doses, even if I increase to 25mcg

Taking 15mcg hits the spot and lasts all day without droops, I don't get a reaction to single dose T3 my resting heart rate stays around 60-70bpm

When testing for medics I split my dose and follow the protocol and I'm around 5.5-6

Next test I shall do just before morning dose to see how much it drops

[buggles84 in reply to TiggerMe]

So 25 isn't enough, but 15 is?I'm confused.....are you on T3 only?

[TiggerMe in reply to buggles84]

No, I'm on a combination T3 & 4, if I take split doses of T3 2-3 times a day I'd get a small uplift then I can literally feel myself slowing down after 4-5 hours so I tried just increasing the amount but still had the same issue.... but if I take a single dose it works so much better and I don't need as much

[BiscuitBaby in reply to TiggerMe]

That's interesting!! I do the same as you and I have been wondering the same thing about how much over range i would be taking it in one shot! . I was wondering whether I should be testing at 12 hours after full dose? I also follow the protocol here and split my dose and test roughly 8 hours after dose. My results usually sit roughly the same as yours as well! Thank you. My resting heart rate stays around 58-61 and I don't feel any kind of over medicated feelings either. I am wondering though if it's bad for me to do that? I don't feel any adverse feelings. In fact now I started hrt I think I'm needing a wee increase! Thank you for donating yourself for medical research!

[TiggerMe in reply to BiscuitBaby]

It's intriguing how it works isn't it... I assume I get more bang for my buck first thing when it corresponds with my better cortisol levels which means more of it gets to the cells where it does the business, knowing what is swimming around in the our blood is only part of the story... I'm on a constant dose these days so I think each time I do a blood test for me I shall alter the time delay to build up a personal graph...

I assume T3 only folk don't bother with blood tests and go purely on symptoms?

DippyDame greygoose ?

[BiscuitBaby in reply to TiggerMe]

It is intriguing as you say. I honestly have no idea why medics think it's so simple! I will watch your posts with interest! My dose has been constant and I definitely think you continue to see improvement when things are stable! As for t3 only and testing, I don't see how you can realistically rely on bloods. If yours is a typical response then for those on t3 only, their results would be much higher. If there wasn't these tests available then we'd all just go on how we felt! None of us would go over because not one of us wants to feel worse! Not sure why the medical profession doesn't get that either! But I am just a silly, probably hysterical woman. What do I know??

[TiggerMe in reply to BiscuitBaby]

Yep, I've reached the point where I know how to time things to jump through the NHS hoops (especially now they seem to accept that my TSH isn't coming back up) and the rest of the time I can concentrate on optimising my system... Like you say, I think most people would be better treated if we took a step back to treating the symptoms and given enough autonomy to find their own happy place, see how much better we all get on with this self help forum (seems to be the case in other countries where they buy OTC for a couple of £'s and get on with it) and the NHS could save a fortune on pointless blood tests and the treatment for all the other conditions that come with under replace hypos

All us silly, hysterical woman are hardly the sort to overdo things 😏

[BiscuitBaby in reply to TiggerMe]

You're absolutely right. I've had every blood test going more than once. Including an MRI because the gp didn't understand the t3 test she requested and said I had functional neurological disorder! They maybe were checking for the presence of my menopause addled brain which admittedly is not as sharp as it once was! But there it was, in all its glory and it was normal! Shocker! 😱

[TiggerMe in reply to BiscuitBaby]

So in answer to... What do I know??

A whole lot more than they do!! Yet they get to call the shots 😕

💡 Perhaps there should be a Thyroid competence test that both patient and GP should complete and the one with the most correct answers gets to make the decisions? 😀

[BiscuitBaby in reply to TiggerMe]

That sounds like a good idea! 😄

[DippyDame in reply to TiggerMe]

I haven't had blood tests done for several years. When it comes to my annual review the nurses and GPs in the practice now understand lab results are not reliable markers because of my supraphysiological dose (125mcg).

They leave me in control of my thyroid treatment.

The tests were not devised for T3-only.

An old medic friend used to say, " Listen to your body"....experience teaches what to look for.

I self medicate and take my T3 in a single dose at bedtime.....that doesn't work for everyone! Sleep is fine.

The single dose floods the cells which then release the T3 in waves throughout the day. That is according to the late Dr John Lowe, a T3 expert. However, again, that may not work for everyone.

However, T3 must be treated with respect and understanding and the aim is to find the lowest effective dose not the maximum dose one can tolerate. To be effective the dose must be adequate and constant.

When taking (low doses of) T3 the blood draw should be 12 hours after the last dose.

T3 levels are said to peak around 3 to 4 hours after ingesting the replacement hormone so it's possible your peak reading was higher before you tested (above labs). The T3 level gradually falls until levelling out about 12 hrs after dose.....hence the 12 hour gap between dose and test.

I'm on a constant dose these days so I think each time I do a blood test for me I shall alter the time delay to build up a personal graph...

Sorry, I don't think that is a great idea....to get the best impression of what is going on we need to test at the same time of day when hormone levels are constant and regular( readings can be fairly compared.

You are on a combo dose so testing is still worth doing....how much levo are you taking?

The caveat as always, is, be aware that we are all different with different needs.

Rant over!!

[TiggerMe in reply to DippyDame]

Thanks Dippy, yes floods and waves seems to be the case with me, a smaller dose than if splitting but in one hit does the trick, I'm taking 800mcg T4 per week which holds steady at 60%

This was my annual big check on all the other things, I generally do the splitting of T3 and 12hour testing which sits at 75% but thought I'd like to see a truer picture of my day, had intended it to be 3-4 hours but 5 is an interesting starting point for my collection

[BiscuitBaby in reply to DippyDame]

TiggerMe Sorry, I don't want to hi-jack tigger's post Dippy, but you have inadvertently answered a question I had the other day. My endo wanted me to test 2-4 hours after dose but I went for 8 hours as a compromise but since I started taking it all at once it didn't seem right to test as if I was on 3 x daily! Obviously not told docs taking it once! I think I now have a plan going forward. I have bloods in 2 weeks but might do my own practice run first. Don't want to jeopardise my dose by not knowing how my bloods are affected by alternative testing!! Your statement about t3 flooding the cells makes sense. Thank you! 😊

[DippyDame in reply to BiscuitBaby]

Sorry from me too TiggerMe .....if I may quickly reply to BB then I'll clear off your post!!

We know our body better than any GP does after a 10 min appointment!

I'm a rebel and I self medicate because the medics I saw were clueless and left me barely able to function. So I had to read and learn in order to improve....with the help of a few knowledgeable members who had experienced the same problems and also required high dose T3-only

It's the cellular level of T3 that is important but we cannot test that and the serum level is the closest guide we can use.

Testing 2 -4 hours after dosing (and depending on how your are body responds) will give a higher reading, before the dose has time to settle. This is likely to result in the endo claiming you are overdosed ....and don't need T3!

You may find this of interest

paulrobinsonthyroid.com/dr-...

Glad you have a plan going forward... we are advised to test FT3 at 12 hours after dosing to achieve the most reliable marker

Good luck!

[TiggerMe in reply to DippyDame]

No apologies necessary, I like a good debate... I'd did request your input as you have free reign over your treatment 🤗

[BiscuitBaby in reply to DippyDame]

TiggerMe Thanks to both of you! I think my test results may have been falsely low which might explain the wee few issues that are still around.