I’m currently on Liothyronine only 40mcg daily. My endocrinologist sent me for a blood test 3 weeks ago and I got a letter from her today saying that my T3 is high indicating I am overactive. She never supplied me with any figures on this letter so I have no idea what my levels are now. She has suggested that I take 20mcg of Liothyronine 4 times a week and 30mcg the other 3 days. I feel mostly ok, I am able to exercise every day with no pain but I have constant pins and needles in both feet since January. I also still haven’t lost the extra weight I put on when I got diagnosed.
For the last 3 weeks I have constantly been itching. I have tried 5 different antihistamines and none of them have made any difference. Would this itching be a symptom of overactive thyroid?
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ScriptMaz
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How long before the blood test did you take your T3 and what dose was it?
Recommended timing for T3 pre test is 8-12 hours. Too soon will result in a false high and too longer time space will result in a false low.
Suggest you get hold of these results as 40mcg T3 is a failry lowish dose for T3 monotherapy. Either that or do your own test. Stop any biotin containing supplement for 4-7 days maximum before the testand split your dose the day before so that you take 1/4 to 1/3 8-12hrs before the test.
T3 is an immediately acting hormone so its not advisable to alternate the dose. Its better to take the same dose each day.
Have you tested key vitamins and now supplementing them to optimal?
What supplements are you taking?
Low B12 often causes pins and needles.
Until you see your results its hard to know if you are under or over replaced.
I took my T3 at 7.30 and the test was 15.30 so 8 hours. I mentioned to the endocrinologist in May about my feet and she increased my dosage from 30 to 40 mcg a day. I take NAC, which I read on Dr Isabella Wentz Facebook page was good for Hashimoto’s. I also take a vitamin B complex. I am also on Hydrocortisone 10mg and 5mg as I have low cortisol levels. My main worry just now is this constant itching which I read now could be connected to having an overactive thyroid
I’m a creature of habit so haven’t changed anything recently. I got the vitamins from Hey Nutrients so it’s Ashwagandha and vitamins B1,B2,B3,B6 and B12. When I got the test I was taking VitD but I’ve ran out now.
The Hey Nutrients supplement is a pretty low dose at only 100% RDA of B12, it doesnt contain folate either. The supplements we recommend here contain over 16,000% RDA which is the kind of dose you probably need. Ive attached a label from something we often suggest - Thorne Basic B so that you can see the quantities of vitamin that you would benefit from. Compare other supplements to this and dont buy anything thats lower in dose.
Ideally you really need to test your levels now to see if B12 really is the issue causing pins & needles, also to test other levels.
As soon as you stop taking a supplement then your levels will begin to drop. Most people need a minimum of 3,000iu of vit D.
B complex suggestions: Slightly cheaper options with inactive B6:
In my view, the word "overactive" in relation to thyroid means one thing: When your thyroid is producing too much thyroid hormone.
It does not EVER mean over-medicated.
There are words, like "thyrotoxic", to refer to the state of having too much thyroid hormone and suffering the effects of that.
I often use the word/phrase "heavy-handed" regarding dose changes - often made by doctors.
A 50% reduction four days a week - and a mere 25% reduction the other three!!!
I'd call dropping to 30 every day pretty heavy-handed. No, I'd call it beyond heavy-handed. But I'd liken this double-step reduction to dropping a fully-loaded weight-lifting bar onto your big toe.
And the near-universal advice here is never to alternate dose with liothyronine. With its short half-life, doing that ensures you will be heading straight for a roller-coaster.
Even more ridiculous, with four of one dose and three of another, you are going head-on to having two successive days of 20 - which will make it even more pronounced.
You must, really and truly this is essential, get your blood test results. Including the lab's reference intervals (ranges).
Thanks. I’m going to phone the endocrinologist next week and get an explanation as to why I need to lower the dosage. I don’t like doing things just because the doctor says. I need to know why and how it will improve my symptoms
It's only likely to make your symptoms a lot worse. That doctor has not advised you from a basis of actual experience or knowledge. That's a very strange thing to tell someone on Tt3 only to do. The maximum reduction should be 5mcg a day, better just to reduce by 2.5mcg a day and see that how feels.
The only symptom I had before I was diagnosed was unexplained weight gain. Since I started on medication I’ve felt far worse and put more weight on. Levothyroxine was the worst and caused me so many issues. At least with Liothyronine the only issue was the pins and needles in my feet. And now the constant itching which I’ve read could be Hives and thyroid related
I have itching sometimes. My forearms especially and especially at night. But I think it might be either low T3 or HRT for me. Not sure which. It comes and goes a bit. My skin is very dry thanks to both hypothyroidism and menopause. I find I can ease it by washing in cool water and then slathering the worst parts in moisuriser.
For someone on T3 only, you are likely suffering from too little T3 per day. Reducing it further is crazy. I'd be asking why she wants to do this, which blood test result made her want to try it? If she says low TSH then "remind" her that patients on T3 only will have drastic reductions in TSH and that it is not considered a reliable measure for assessing treatment. Rather you need to have Free T3 tested and work from that.
I did a quick search for "T3 only" on the ThyroidpatientsCanada blog (which has a wealth of accurate thyroid information on it) and it threw up a list of articles you might find helpful. But certainly trawl through that site. The author is T3 only herself and she understands the process better than any doctor I've heard about here in the UK.
The letter from the endocrinologist said that my T3 is too high but didn’t say what the number is and I’m pretty sure that it’s never been checked before as they only ever test TSH and T4. I feel like the doctors only ever look at numbers and not on how the patient is feeling
Also, by changing my search on the ThyroidPatientsCanada web site to "T3 Monotherapy" I got another set of useful articles for you. I was particularly looking for the "wheelchair" article.
I’m scheduled for a blood test on Tuesday because of the itching I’ve had constantly for over 3 weeks now. I don’t know what exactly they’re testing but I will ask the phlebotomist when she’s doing it. I will also ask the gp for printouts of my last few blood tests to see what the endocrinologist has seen to make her decide to reduce my dose. Sometimes I think they’re making it up as they go along. I’ve seen 4 doctors in the past few weeks and none of them can explain what this rash is or why the 5 different antihistamines have not worked
Does anyone else find it scary that these Endos are prescribing T3 and dont seem to have the first idea how it works and patients are having to turn to forums like this to get put right?
The 2 symptoms I have are hives and pins and needles in feet. So by that logic then I should be getting an increase in my meds, not a decrease. I feel like the doctors are making it up as they go along. If the endocrinologist thinks I’m now overactive then maybe I should stop taking meds completely. I’m not going to do that but I may use that as an argument when I speak to her
First of all, please don't reduce your dose by that much! 2.5 mcg t3 is the max you can start with a d see. But first, ask for your blood results.Itching can be a sign of overmedication, but equally can be a sign of undermedication. Better check results and if you decide to move dose upwards or downwards, move only by 2.5 mcg max.
Christ, what is wrong with these doctors, chopping changing doses like it is sweets.
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