T3 only treatment

[Beegood123]

Hi, I just find this group and am new here, so many good information, am very happy.

I want to share my concern.

I am currently taking 115 mcg of T3 only from a compound pharmacy for 6 months.

Before that I was on 4 grains of armour thyroid + 25mcg tiromel daily.

My t3 is in towards the bottom of the range and was in the bottom before changing also.

this is my last test:

ANALISIS

T3 Libre (§)

2.63 pg/mL (1.70 - 4.45)

I had many symptoms gone from the switch but my t3 still low and I still have a few symptoms.

I was thinking maybe the compound T3 is not accurate on the dosing per capsule so I was thinking to switch to tiromel only.

can someone help me to figure this out please?

[greygoose]

Hi Beegood123, welcome to the forum.

Two questions:

1. How do you take your T3?

Do you split the dose and take it two or three times a day? Or all at once?

Do you take it well away from other medications/supplements and an hour or so away from food and coffee/tea?

2. How do you do your testing?

Do you do it early morning, leaving 8 to 12 hours between your last dose of T3 and the blood draw?

Small details are very important so we tend to ask a lot of questions.

[Beegood123 in reply to greygoose]

Hi greygoose!

Thank you!

1. How do you take your T3?

Do you split the dose and take it two or three times a day? Or all at once?

I take 33 mcg at 7:30 am, 11:30 am and 3:30 pm and 16.5 at 7:30 pm

Do you take it well away from other medications/supplements and an hour or so away from food and coffee/tea?

I do take away from supplements but in the morning I actually drink coffee ad take the first dose with it or right after coffee.

2. How do you do your testing?

Do you do it early morning, leaving 8 to 12 hours between your last dose of T3 and the blood draw?

My last test I sent was taken at 1:00 pm

My last dose was at 7:30 pm the night before.

[greygoose in reply to Beegood123]

I do take away from supplements but in the morning I actually drink coffee ad take the first dose with it or right after coffee.

OK, so that's 33 mcg you probaby won't be absorbing very well. Caffeine blocks the absorption of thyroid hormones in the gut.

My last test I sent was taken at 1:00 pm

My last dose was at 7:30 pm the night before.

Ok, so the gap between the last dose and the blood draw was too wide - 17.5 hours instead of a maximum of 12 hours. So, your FT3 result is a false low. It's actually higher than that. So, your absorption isn't too bad despite the coffee. Even so, best to leave an hour between your dose of T3 and the coffee.

[Beegood123 in reply to greygoose]

Uuu thank you so much! I will do the necessary adjustments.

I also decided to switch to tiromel, they seem to have less fillers and the dose might be more accurate.

[greygoose in reply to Beegood123]

I've taken Tiromel for years, I do very well on it.

[Beegood123 in reply to greygoose]

Can you please share the link were you order your tiromel?

I will like to make sure am getting from the right place 😉

[greygoose in reply to Beegood123]

We're not allowed to share sources on the open forum, I'm afraid.

[Beegood123 in reply to greygoose]

Is there private messages that you can send? Or a chat? Am new so I don’t know.

[greygoose in reply to Beegood123]

There is a chat, yes. I'll see if I can dig out a link for you.

[Heiseygirl in reply to greygoose]

could I possibly get that link. Thank you

[helvella in reply to Heiseygirl]

Please, if you want links to sources, write a new post and ask.

By all means, call out/mention members.

We ask this so that we can close that to replies and ensure that links do not get posted openly on the forum.

greygoose is fully aware which is why she has responded as she has.

Otherwise I'd have to decide whether top delete your request or close this thread to replies.

[Heiseygirl in reply to helvella]

Thank you

[sparkly in reply to greygoose]

Has things changed now? I thought t3 could be taken with food or drink with no issues?

[greygoose in reply to sparkly]

I don't think anything has changed. People still say that. But I don't think there's ever been any scientific proof, and their blood test results don't always bear that out. Seems some people can get away with taking it will food, and others not. Personally, I wouldn't take the risk and always take mine well away from everything.

[Lily905 in reply to sparkly]

I'm on T3 only & I've always taken my full T3 dose first thing in the morning with two mugs of coffee & it works really well for me. I've seen a lot of posts over the years saying people think caffeine stops the absorption of T3. I've never eaten & taken T3 at the same time because I think it must mess up the T3 absorption. Everyone's body absorbs medication differently & through trial & error we work out what's best for us.

[helvella in reply to Lily905]

One of the many problems with the coffee issue is that people rarely clarify if that is with milk, with sugar or other sweeteners, or neither. And that includes formal papers which should know far better than to fail to state how it is drunk. And also, the difference between people like me who like extremely strong coffee and those who prefer flavoured water!

You have at least said two mugs.

[Lily905 in reply to helvella]

it makes perfect sense what you are saying about formal papers failing to state how coffee is drunk. I'm the same as you, I like extremely strong coffee with a drop of milk. Also, it makes sense to advise people new to T3 to avoid coffee & food when they first start taking it.

[Schilddruse in reply to greygoose]

Is there any published scientific evidence that caffeine blocks the absorption of thyroid hormones or is that your personal experience in practice?

[greygoose in reply to Schilddruse]

Not my personal experience, no, because I'm not a coffee drinker. But pretty sure there is scientific evidence. It's always said on here that that's what it does. But I don't have any links.

[Schilddruse in reply to greygoose]

OK,thanks.

[jimh111]

Your blood levels are inconsistent with your intake. It could be the compounded T3 is not up to standard, if so I'd be very concerned about taking it, it could end up over potent as well. However, you say you had similar results with tiromel. This suggests you are not absorbing it or eliminating it quickly.

I would look into why your blood levels are so low on very high doses. Have you had surgery on your gut or do you have kidney disease or anything that might affect thyroid hormone absorption or elimination? I think you should try to persuade your doctor to investigate why your blood levels are so low when you are taking very high doses.

What were your levels when you were first diagnosed? Were you started on levothyroxine and what sort of blood results did you get on it? Do you have lactose intolerance or diarrhoea?

[Beegood123 in reply to jimh111]

Hi jimh111

It was so many years ago I can’t remember my levels when I first got diagnosed. I have always been on a high dose.

I don’t have lactose intolerance, nor diarrhea.

I was put on armour thyroid from day one, I had to increase my dose rapidly when I started taking it 10 years ago.

I might have some type of absorption issues I guess.

I have many of my vitamins low, no matter how much I supplement.

I think my issue could comes from my mother taking high doses of antibiotics for many months due to surgery at 5 months pregnant with me, because the incision wound would not heal due to me growing.

I have tiromel and I was wondering if I should switch from the compounded T3.

[DippyDame]

I need 100mcg Tiromel/T3 only taken at bedtime!

My thoughts on your problem...

I'd be inclined to switch to Tiromel.....you know exactly what you are taking then but maybe not so with the compounded T3

On T3 only symptoms are the important guide to dosing rather than numbers

You may have a form of Thyroid Hormone Resistance which means you need a large dose to overcome that resistance. The greater the resistance the more T3 we need.

But, I would be inclined to try taking your T3/Tiromel in a single dose....gradually combining the doses. It can be easier to get the hormone into the nuclei of the cells that way, as the bigger dose provides a greater push against the cell walls....not all will enter the cells but more of it will

From 33 mcg at 7:30 am, 11:30 am and 3:30 pm and 16.5 at 7:30 pm I would try combining the 7:30 and 11:30 doses in the morning and taking the other 2 doses in the evening. You can settle on times that suit you

Give that a try for about a month and if all ok you could try combining the morning and evening doses

You may even find you need less than your current dose of 115.5mcg

Your symptoms reduced on compounded T3 only which suggests the T3 is working on some level

To a certain extent it's trial and error and you must pay close attention to any changing symptoms.....racing hear rate, tremors anxiety are indicators of too high a dose

It's what reaches the nuclei of the cells that counts and symptoms are the only guide. T3 does not become active until it enters the cells and attaches to the various T3 receptors.

You might find this well referenced e book helpful it is available on Amazon for £3.56 or free if you have Amazon Prime. It is called "Impaired Sensitivity to Thyroid Hormone (Thyroid Hormone Resistance)" by Hugh A Hamilton

Hope this makes sense!!

[Beegood123 in reply to DippyDame]

Hi dippyDame,

Thank you for your response .

Can you please message me the place where you buy tiromel?

[Sulia25]

Is your compounded T3 slow release? If so, that would be my first guess as to why your levels are lower than you'd expect. I used to take compounded slow release T3 and when I talked with my compounding pharmacist about how much gets absorbed, he said only about half.

As far as coffee and T3, I've never noticed it making any difference. It's true that calcium can interfere, but unless you're drinking a big glass of milk with your coffee, I doubt that the little bit of milk or cream in it is the issue here.

[Beegood123 in reply to Sulia25]

Is not slow release I was told.

[Sulia25 in reply to Beegood123]

Ok, that's good to know. What about when you take the meds? Are you eating high calcium or high iron foods shortly before or right after taking the T3? Those are the two things that are most likely to interfere with absorption.

Another issue could be taking supplements near the same time that have calcium, iron, or magnesium in them.

[Beegood123 in reply to Sulia25]

I a not, I personally think it’s not an accurate dosage from the pharmacy. I just started Tiromel back today.

[greygoose in reply to Sulia25]

The main issue is the caffeine in the coffee, not the milk. Same goes for tea.

[Beegood123]

good thing I don’t drink milk!

Cafe negro amargo solamente!