Hi everyone
My GP referred me to endocrinology.
They called me a few weeks ago & suggested I lower my dose of T3
, I take 75mcg of cytomel. I was advised to take 50mcg.
I asked the reason why. He said it was because t3 has long term effects of osteoporosis.
I feel like 75mcg is the perfect dose for me.
What shall I do ?
Do you or he have any recent blood results to see what your levels are? If not I would ask for a test first before lowering it because you say you feel well on that dose and maybe optimal in the range for you and lowering it could make you feel unwell. Just had a read and it does say that HIGH levels long term can cause that but I don't think 75mcg can be considered high levels but don't take my word for it. Am sure others who are on higher doses will respond
As someone who needs high dose T3-only (112.5mcg and once 212.5mcg) my advice would be stay with what makes you feel well.
I self medicate and take my full dose at bedtime...others differ
I mainly followed the work of the late Dr John Lowe a T3 expert, he took 150mcg T3 for about 30 years, and was in good health, until an untimely accident.
I assume you also have been self medicating
Take the lowest effective dose, not the highest amount you can tolerate.....there is a difference!
Once on higher doses of T3, tests are no longer a guide....we have to rely on good old fashioned clinical evaluation....signs and symptoms.
I'm afraid this endo is not clued up on matters T3.....osteoporosis/ fractures is not a greater risk...see links below
researchgate.net/publicatio...
paulrobinsonthyroid.com/dr-...
thyroidpatients.ca/2019/08/...
T3 is not a dangerous treatment if used correctly,,....avoiding overmedication. It is a natural hormone.
Hope this helps.
Ask for DEXA scan - this will show that your bone density is OK or in any way compromised. Don’t agree to change medication you feel well on.
Good luck
Having a DEXA to prove them wrong could back fire. If you have any bone loss at all they will blame T3.There are many non thyroid related causes for bone loss, but you won't be allowed to have any of them.
i second this
If the original poster, Hippyhappy234 , can afford it, a private DEXA scan could avoid that issue. I believe they are available in the UK for £125 (availability and prices will vary, of course). If the T3 prescriber insists, then there is a high confidence of what will be found.
Personally, I’d say stay with your perfect dose! Only you know how you feel on it, they’re just basically trying to play it safe (for them!) and making their judgments on hearsay and numbers on a test. Ask for their proof of T3 causing osteoporosis and they won’t be able to give you any - ask for a DEXA scan and when that comes back clear you can go na-na-nana-na and carry on as you are! In the meantime don’t reduce your dose for anyone.
I agree with everything that has been said but I recently reduced my dose on doctors' orders after a blood test and feel OK. I am monitoring myself just in case I think I should increase it again, but just thought I'd mention it. I was on 75 mcg and reduced it to 60 mcg about six months ago.
Key issues here are that you feel ok and that, presumably, your blood levels supported your doctors advice.
When I started reading, I assumed that it had been suggested you drop to 70, maybe 65.
But a 33% reduction is quite simply ludicrous except where there is an immediate danger in continuing.
Even if you were eventually to end up on 50 and doing fine, there is no reason to be so heavy-handed in getting there. Except the simplicity of going from three to two tablets.
And worse. Let us assume you do this and find it intolerable. It is actually even heavier-handed to increase your 50 dose by 50% back to 75. I think persuading a doctor you need that could be difficult.
Fear of osteoporosis - whether the person's or the doctor's - is surely properly addressed by actually checking? Not waving a piece of paper which says Graves' Disease patients have been seen to suffer osteoporosis.
Whether that is DXA/DEXA or some other assessment.
I have severe osteoporosis evidenced by a DEXA scan before I began any T3 meds.
To the best of my knowledge there is no evidence based research comparing T scores of people before and after treatment with T3. Perhaps if I’m wrong someone could provide a link.
This tedious argument falls into the same category as assertions that eating butter and cream ‘causes’ high cholesterol and therefore heart disease. Piffle.
I’m so tired of medics using ill informed and generalised arguments to support their own agenda.
75 mcg T3 may or may not be right for you but only you can make that decision based on how you feel and regular testing.
I agree with the suggestion to get a private DEXA scan. This is what I did at the start of my journey to ensure I had some evidence should the osteoporosis argument be used. I think the cost that has been mentioned is around what I paid. My intention is to repeat the scan every 2/3 years. An NHS one might well be counterproductive as has already been mentioned. Good luck!
Do have a bone density (BD) test first to establish a base line. Then (if osteopenia is established) eat as much calcium rich foods that you can combine with vitamins D and K (the latter can be bought combined).
I would love to say that this is a perfect (and delicious) solution but it was only partial for me, I did have osteopenia 2 years after starting off on LEVO. I am not sure if LEVO was the cause because I was 2 years in before my first bone density test. I then switched to Armour Thyroid (has T3 in it) My latest BD test (~10 years later) showed one area (my lumber spine) had improved about 1.6% while my Hip area had decreased by 11%. My Femoral Neck area had no change. So, some good news and some bad, you could say that I am lucky it is not a lot worse after 10 years on medication containing T3, you could say that I just have natural ageing phenomena - people (esp. women) get osteopenia on no meds at all. I think that the slight improvement and the no change suggests that T3 doesn't have much to do with it, give it a go, there's lots of calcium in real cream and coco made with milk! Yummy! You must take the D vitamins though for Ca absorption and the K to send it to the bones (and not the lining of your arteries).
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