Does anyone take T3?

[thereinmadnesslies]

Just that really ... I have hashimotos /under active thyroid, diagnosed last Sept. I'm still not on the right dosage of thyroxine, I'm currently on 150mcgs/day.

Last time I saw the consultant he said that if I'd not responded to 150mcgs he would put me on T3 replacement. Does anyone else take this and his it made a difference?

There is a poster on here who is on T3 - I think it's RockinD. I am sure she will be along soon.

It's good to hear that your consultant is going to offer this treatment to you. Many people report doing well on T3.

Good luck with it!!!

Thanks Scott, I think I've seen another poster write about T3 so I'm hoping they'll see this thread x

Was it me? I take T3.the equivalent dose to 150mcg's of levothyroxine is 60mcg's of T3,split into 3 doses a day. This is what I take but i had to beg the endocrinologist for it.
My hair,constipation and periods improved straight away and I was finally able to lose weight(but had to try hard still)
I won't go back.HTH.

Indeed, twas I!

I had a trial of T4 originally, but it was very badly handled by my GP and the endo and I stopped taking it. The result was that my TSH rose and FT4 fell and at my next appointment I was offered T3. I cannot however say whether T4 would have worked for me if I had been offered a proper dose and been monitored appropriately.

I was on T3 alone from Dec 2012 to March 2012. I managed over that period to get up from a starting dose of 5mcg to 40mcg where I felt great, but I lost a lot of hair, so dropped back to 30mcg. Even at that level the endos were convinced I was over-medicated, although my test results suggested otherwise. I was feeling about 80% better, I would say, but I was gaining weight steadily throughout despite plenty of exercise and a low carb, gluten free diet, and by February was officially overweight by BMI for the first time in my life. I put on two stone in less than a year and I could not, and cannot, get it off.

I have had an appalling experience as a service user at my local hospital and have now removed myself from their care and made a formal complaint. I am now taking natural dessicated thyroid, which I buy myself and just topping up with 10mcg T3 before bed, pending an increase in the NDT. I?ve been on the NDT for about seven weeks now and my weight is stable. I?m hopeful the next increase will kickstart some loss.

D

Hi l4k, thanks for replying.
Really good to hear that T3 works for you. Why you have to take in three doses throughout the day? I'm worried I will forget.
Do you have any idea how much it costs? I'm seeing the endocrinologist privately (work medical scheme) so I've been paying for drugs on a private prtescription.

RockinD I thought T3 and NDT were the same thing , from a quick google I've just realised that they are not.
I don't like the sound of weight gain on T3, I've gained about 1.5st since my thyroid went dodgy.
Did your Endo encourage the use of NDT? My Endo seems pretty open to discussing options so the more I know the better.

I feel like I'll never get to the right level of meds - I guess thats the problem with Hashimotos as there isn't a fixed target.

I had such a bad experience with the endos at my local hospital that I have told my GP that I am not at present prepared to go back there, and I have complained. I will not be inclined to go back until they can offer me continuity of care and a doctor who actually knows something about thyroid and allied conditions. I was under-medicated (hence the weight gain) but they couldn?t understand why I wasn?t hyper and they were trying to reduce my meds!

I have to believe that one day I will be on the right level of meds. I have been so nearly there?

D

interesting to see this thread. I am going back to GP this afternoon as not happy with outcome of previous appts. Basically had tsh, t3,t4 tested couple of times and one GP said some results suggest hypothyroidism but not definite diagnosis. Told to retest in a while - I was going to wait but feel rotten so am going this afternoon to see if I can get somwhere. GP was keen on exploring whether I was depressed and kept mentioning this " how is your mood" was asked a few times in the last consult. My mood would be better if I got this stuff sorted. Not depressed - just tired and fat.

Really interested in Hashimotos - Is the test for Hashimotos a different test? Nobody has felt my neck but I think one side is swollen. I came away from appointment last time and it was only when i got in car that i realised GP hadnt looked at or examined my neck - even though I had mentioned it.

I have weight gain/tiredness/occasional constipation - even though have healthy diet (lots of fibre and water)/dry skin/heavy periods/facial hair/eyebrows shrinking/wake up tired/arms aching.

All other bloods came back ok - diabetes,renal,liver,cholesterol. I have thought about PCOS as well but my periods are very regular but heavy. When I looked at PCOS on NHS it seems to suggest irregular periods.

I am trying to stick to just looking at NHS and Thyroid UK for info rather than googling lots of information but I am going at 330 for consultation and really wanted to check out the Hashimoto test from those who have been diagnosed so I can be informed when see doc. Cheers. Kate.

should have said - my sister recently diagnosed with hypothroidism - but not sure if hashimotos. She is in US on hols for a month travelling round so can't ring and ask her. K

Hi Katie,

I am very much learning all this, but my Hashimotos was diagnosed via a blood test for thyroid antibodies. It is not part of the standard blood test, your GP has to specifically request it.

In my area, the normal range of antibodies is between 1-100, mine were 800+ so pretty obvious that there was a problem. This is what got me the referral to an Endocrinologist as my GP didn't understand what the results meant .

I sometimes feel like there is pressure at the front of my neck, but the Endo has prodded it and says it is fine. It would definitely be worth mentioning it.

I now make lists of symptoms before seeing the GP - my foggy brain freezes otherwise!

Hope your GP is helpful x

thanks for that quick responese. I definitely have not had a test for antibodies so will go in and ask about that this afternoon. I am not 100% sure my neck is swollen but I think it does feel bigger on one side right at the bottom - above the collarbone - if I had a visible collarbone .

Problem is when I did google images of thyroid swelling the pictures are all very extreme - I am just talking about a small different on one side - I might even be feeling the wrong part of the neck - some diagrams seem to show thyroid higher up. Hopefully will get somewhere today. will update. thanks again. Kate

Katie - Thyroid UK article on Hashimotos

Sometimes my neck feels a bit like I have a scarf tied a little too tight if that makes sense? My Endo said that I had a little bit of swelling linked to the Hashimotos. You should definitely ask the GP to check it, or refer you to an Endo. Good luck!

T3 has a short acting life span in the body so to keep stable you take it morning ,lunchtime and early evening.
Mine is from nhs but they tried to stop me having it at one point because it was too expensive,I think about £30 a month which I don't think is too bad.
Btw,I eat low carb and gluten free too otherwise I'd put weight on.

Interesting about the gluten free diet - do you find this makes a substantial difference? I'm trying to cut soya from my diet at the moment but not finding it so easy because I'm veggie.

You can buy t3 without prescription either on europe (greece? Spain?) Or mexico. It's a couple of quid for a month's supply
I have heard of a t3 circadian rhythm method but still giving the t4 a go - seems to work for me
Did you get t3 levels tested?

RESULT - went to GP tuesday and initially she said wouldnt test for hashimotos as my other tests didnt inidicate that. Then she seemed to study computer for a while and said she wanted to check levels again. T3,T4,TSH. Told me to go in 1st thing Wed-so got them done and Friday afternoon got a phone call in which she said levels definitely hypothyroid.

I didnt write them down as I was on my mobile in Sainsburys but
she said she would leave a prescription for thyroxine for me and I was to start immediately. She advised me any issues with heart racing to get in touch. I have started on 25 and and I need to go back to see her in 6 weeks. I feel better already and I have only taken for a day - I suppose that is relief rather than the meds. Will update as I go along. Thanks for all help - so relieved that I wasnt imagining symptoms. Kate.

That's fabulous news! (Well I'm sorry you've got hypo but glad you're being treated iyswim)

I felt the effects straight away too. After a few weeks tho I started to feel worse again - a sign you need to increase meds. Keep increasing (with regular blood tests) til symptoms gone and tsh is probably below 1

You need to get some other tests done now as well - vit d, ferritin (to be above 60ish I think), folates, b12 (to be above 500 ish). You may need some supplements

That's fabulous news! (Well I'm sorry you've got hypo but glad you're being treated iyswim)

I felt the effects straight away too. After a few weeks tho I started to feel worse again - a sign you need to increase meds. Keep increasing (with regular blood tests) til symptoms gone and tsh is probably below 1

You need to get some other tests done now as well - vit d, ferritin (to be above 60ish I think), folates, b12 (to be above 500 ish). You may need some supplements

Someone posted about a private appointment at sawbridgeworth could you let me know who you saw I’m getting nowhere with mine x and did the private one consider T3 x

Private appointment endocrinologist Essex/herts/London - has anyone found a good endocrinologist that is happy to discuss T3 etc rather than just say your ok your levels are fine ??