Adding T4 lowered my levels

[jand123]

Hi there,

Does anyone have an answer for this!

My doctor asked me to add T4 to my T3 medication as he felt I needed to increase my T4 levels, as they were low. I have been taking T4 as well for the last 5 months and feeling very tired. So, I got blood tests done. My T4 levels have gone from 6.7 to 3 and my T3 levels have gone from 5.9 to 3.8. TSH is up from 0.01 to 0.02. It hasn't helped my T4 at all!

Any suggestions? I am taking 60mcg of T3 and 25mcg of T4 now

Thanks

[GlowCoach Administrator]

Can you tell us how you took the blood test?

What time of day?

When was last dose of T3 & Levo prior to the test - how many hours.

Recommended timing is 24hrs for Levo & 8-12 hrs for a portion of T3.

Was each test taken under the same conditions?

[jand123 in reply to GlowCoach]

Hi, i stopped both just over 24 hrs before the bloods. So the last dose the morning before. I had the bloods taken by a nurse at doctors rooms

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to jand123]

Was each test taken under the same conditions?

T3 only has a short half life, so leaving 24hrs from last dose gives a false low. See the chart I attached and the levels of T3 dropping off over time.

Recommended timing is 24hrs for Levo & 8-12 hrs for a portion of T3.

Suggest you restest with those dose timings.

How are vitamin results looking and what are you supplementing with?

We need GOOD vitamin levels for our thyroid hormone to work well.

[jand123 in reply to GlowCoach]

Hi, I have always stopped both at the same time. I would usually split the T3 and have 20 at 10 at night. I do take the recommended vitamins daily. I was more focused on the added T4 being lower while taking it, when it is higher when I don’t ! I left the 24 hours for the test . Yes I understand re the T3 level now.

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to jand123]

Forgot to attach the graph, so here it is. You can see if you're testing after 24hrs then really its finished working by then and has left your system. Theres really very little point in testing like that.

Levo works in a different way which is why 24hrs is the correct timing for Levo.

FT3 after dose

[jand123 in reply to GlowCoach]

Thank you, trouble is I can’t get an appointment at 7am, so guess I need a private home test. Thanks for the explanation.

[jand123 in reply to GlowCoach]

just thought when I was only taking T3 , there was no hourly issue with T4 because I wasn’t taking any! It was still higher when tested. I currently have all the old hypo systems while taking it

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to jand123]

So get the private test and do the timing so you can see the stable blood level - take last portion of T3 8-12hrs before you test, then we can judge from that.

Might also be worth getting all vitamins run to be sure they are OK.

[jand123 in reply to GlowCoach]

oh yes all done by nurse