Liothyronine-start dosage 20mcg capsules

[Pink-Flamingo1]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can help me please. I need some advice about which medication to take. It is a long story but I was taking Thyrex Levothyroxine tablets 160mcg for 6 days and then on the 7th day 80mcg. I was doing very well on them with a low tsh level registered in February but I have since run out of these tablets and as they are not available in the UK . I was given an alternative called Zentiva oral solution. Unfortunately I then started to develop an allergic reaction to the solution, so yesterday I was told to stop taking it. I asked if they have any other oral solutions available but the ingredients seem to be the same for every brand so I think it is better to not risk trying another brand, as it felt as if my throat was burning. I did however notice some other benefits of the oral solution minus the allergy and think it might be more effective than the tablets and capsules in the long run.

My doctor wasn't really sure what to prescribe me as they only have certain brands on their system so then decided to call the hospital and spoke to the endocrinology consultant. He suggested that I take Liothyronine, but I am not completely sure why, as I don't really have a problem with T4 it is only the ingredients in the tablets. He has referred me to the Endocrinologist so I can talk about my medication options but in the meantime he has given me a prescription for T3 only and has told me to take 20mcg a day and to start from tomorrow.

I now have no choice but to start the Liothyronine as I don't have any T4 tablets left and have given the oral solution back to the pharmacy, but what concerned me is that I was reading that some patients should start on low doses or break up the tablets throughout the day. I have been given capsules so this isn't an option for me unfortunately. I have recently been taking 150mcg T4 oral solution a day, so now have been given 20mcg of Liothyronine which I think is equivalent to 100mcg. In desperation and as a back up, I also decided to buy some T4 150mcg Levothyroxine compound capsules on a private prescription but I think they won't get here until Monday.

Would it be harmful to take the Liothyronine capsules for a few days and then go back to the T4 only capsules once they arrive. Is 20mcg too much to take all at once. I don't really know what to do. Thank you!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you asked Roseway Labs re compound Levo

Suggest you try to get some Vencamil Levo tablets tomorrow

Vencamil is lactose free and mannitol free. originally only available as 100mcg only, but 25mcg, 50mcg and 75mcg tablets became available Sept 2024

Prior to March 2023 Vencamil was called Aristo

Vencamil often very well tolerated/best option for many people

How to get prescription written for Vencamil

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

How to get Vencamil stocked at your local pharmacy

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Posts discussing Vencamil

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

If you have to try the T3

Suggest you open the capsule and initially only take 1/4 of the powder

If that’s ok……add 2nd 1/4 approx 6 hours later

Etc etc

[Pink-Flamingo1 in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi Slow Dragon, thanks for your reply. Yes luckily I read about Roseways on this group and I ordered some compounded capsules yesterday, but I think they might take up to 5 days to arrive. I asked about Vencamil but the pharmacy didn't have it in unfortunately. I also had a look at the ingredients and I think Vencamil has maize starch in and the other ones I didn't feel great on also have maize starch in, but it is always hard to pinpoint the exact ingredient as I also suspect Acacia and other ingredients. The problem is when I got the T3 I read that they also have maize starch in anyway and was surprised as I told the doctor about the brands that I couldn't tolerate very well. I think the best thing is for me to call around to see if anywhere has Vencamil and try and give it a go, espcecially if many other patients feel well on it and also sometimes the ingredients work differently together. If that fails I might have to just take the T3 for a few days until my tablets arrive. Thank you also for your suggestion about opening the capsule and taking gradual doses. I didn't think of that. Thanks very much for your help, it is much appreciated.

[Pink-Flamingo1 in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi Slow Dragon, so I just wanted to give you an update. After your message about the difficulty of dosing with T3 I decided to drive to the hospital and get adivce from the endocrinologist department and in the end they advised against taking the T3 altogether. The nurse then said she couldn't give me another prescription for T4 as she said it seems I am allergic to many brands. She then advised that I stop taking my medication completely for 1 month so I can have a an allergy test to see which ingredients I can't tolerate, however I am not sure about this advice and the safety aspect. I feel I would rather research this a bit more before deciding to stop my medication suddenly. I don't know if you would know anything about it? I then decided to call my local GP and they have prescribed me a small box of Vencamil to cover my medication for next week so hopefully the pharmacy can get that in by tomorrow. I can then try it out and see how I get on with that one and can use it as a back up if need be and then I will also have the Roseway labs ones which they will dispatch next week. Thank you for your help.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Pink-Flamingo1]

Well done on persisting

I definitely would NOT stop Levo

Some people might just feel slower and more lethargic after a month without Levo

But some people can become extremely unwell

(I got that T shirt about 25 years ago……took me almost a year to be well enough to walk 500 meters)

[tattybogle in reply to SlowDragon]

expensive T shirt ....

[Pink-Flamingo1 in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi, thanks! Thanks for your advice. This is what I thought. It sounds very risky and sorry to hear about your experience. That sounds terrible. I hope you are better now. I really think I would become very ill if I stopped taking it as there have been times in the past when I couldn't quite remember if I had taken my medication and then realised later on that I hadn't from how I was feeling. I have bought a tablet box now though so it is better to manage. OK I definitely won't do that then. I am really looking to trying out my new medication now. Thank you for all of your advice and help today.