T3 in addition to t4??

[lem31]

Hi all

I've been hypothyroid for over 10 years, since my early 20s. I've been on levothyroxine and tsh is pretty stable. Over the years though I've had many hormonal problems and still exhibit symptoms of underactive thyroid despite my tsh levels being below 1.5 (0.3-0.5 at last few tests). I have been reading up and want to see about going onto t3 but I know it can be a hard sell to gps!
Has anyone successfully gone onto t3? If so, did they test (and how accurate was the test as I've heard t3 changes throughout the day so isn't necessarily accurate). anyone got any advice?
Thanks in advance. Xx

Hi lem31
I agree, I've heard it can be difficult but you should push for it. I suspect I'm hypo but TSH bloods normal and I've only just found out about these T3 T4 tests.
What are your symptoms?

OP, have you had your FT4 and FT3 tested? TSH alone is not enough.

You are more likely to need T3 if you have problems converting T4 to T3. This may be because you lack a specific gene or it may be that you are still showing symptoms, even with a nice low TSH, because some or all of the vitamins and minerals you need to support conversion are at less than optimal levels. These are ferritin (should be mid-range), folate (should be towards the top of the range), vitamin B12 (should be over 500) and vitamin D (should be replete).

If you post on the ThyroidUK forum on www.healthunlocked.com, you will get lots of advice about this.