Help With Something Other Than Levothyroxine/t4

[Skylark]

I don't feel like I'm really coming back from my thyroid flare-up. I'm dragging, depressed, cold (my teeth were chattering in 67 degree weather last night!!!), skin is still dry, and I am losing more hair than usual. I'm on a higher dose of synthroid right now and my TSH has dropped from 5.0 to 1.07. I feel better, but not well. I have an appointment with a different Dr. in my group and I want to ask for something with T3.

I've read that Cytomel is safer for hashis because you can have immune reactions to natural thyroid so I'm thinking I want to ask for cytomel or compounded T3. How would I go about getting the compounded stuff? If my Dr. wants to try Nature-throid where would I get that? I'm so used to just getting my bottle of levothyroxine I don't know where to start and I doubt my Dr. will know much outside of Cytomel. Should I just ask for that?

Any help would be appreciated.

[georgie]

T3 made all the difference to me ( and thousamds of others). No one takes it away from me....They would have to wrench it from my dead hands..

I prefer the tablets of T3 to the compounded. Just my experience is that I absorb the tablets better than capsules.

Take your Dr facts and insist on a trial. Don't ask but demand. The Dr is there to work FOR you It may also be a good idea to get a Reverse T3 test done.

This is one of the latest studies for T4/T3 treatment.

in the new research, Danish researchers conducted a double-blind, randomized cross-over study -- which is considered the gold standard format for research -- of 59 patients. In the patient group, 50 micrograms of the usual T4 dose was replaced with either 20 mcg of T3 or 50 mcg of T4 for 12 weeks. The patients then did the "cross-over," doing the opposite for another 12 weeks. The T4 dose was regulated if needed to keep the TSH levels stable.

Tests for quality of life (QOL) and depression were performed at the start, and after both of the 12-week treatment periods. The quality of life and psychological factors evaluated included, among other factors: general health, social functioning, mental health, vitality, sensitivity, depression, and anxiety.

What the researchers found was that among the patients -- 55 of whom were women -- there were significant differences in 7 out of 11 of the QOL and depression scores, showing a positive effect related to combination T4/T3 therapy.

A total of 49% of the patients preferred the combination treatment, and only 15% preferred levothyroxine-only treatment.

The researchers concluded that, in a study where TSH levels were kept consistent, the T4/T3 combination therapy that included 20 mcg of T3 daily was superior to levothyroxine-only treatment, when evaluating for a number of quality of life measurements, depression and anxiety scales, and patient preference.

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I don't feel like I'm really coming back from my thyroid flare-up. I'm dragging, depressed, cold (my teeth were chattering in 67 degree weather last night!!!), skin is still dry, and I am losing more hair than usual. I'm on a higher dose of synthroid right now and my TSH has dropped from 5.0 to 1.07. I feel better, but not well. I have an appointment with a different Dr. in my group and I want to ask for something with T3.

I've read that Cytomel is safer for hashis because you can have immune reactions to natural thyroid so I'm thinking I want to ask for cytomel or compounded T3. How would I go about getting the compounded stuff? If my Dr. wants to try Nature-throid where would I get that? I'm so used to just getting my bottle of levothyroxine I don't know where to start and I doubt my Dr. will know much outside of Cytomel. Should I just ask for that?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Roda]

I didn't even know about cytomel. I started with an encrinologist in 2007 (had not seen one since 2003 regular dr. took care of my thyroid, albeit not well) and she immediatly lowered my levothyroxine and added in cytomel. What a difference! I wish I had known about it years before. I don't ever want to go back to T4 alone. The T4/T3 combination works great for me. My endo said even though my TSH was good my free T3 was low and required the additional supplementation.

[Skylark]

I don't know whether my free T3 is low now. Damn doctor didn't test.

[georgie]

Just keep fighting for what you believe...

OK, why doesn

[Skylark]

Woooohooooo!!!! This doctor is really, really good. (Not that the other is bad, just young.) He says in most of his patients T3 doesn't make a difference. Actually a bunch of his patients did not notice a difference switching to levoxyl during the Armour shortage. BUT... I'm to go to the lab for T4 and free T3 baselines and then start on cytomel. I have the scrip in my purse!!! He understands my feeling of not wanting to leave the cytomel stone unturned. He's also running some vitamin panels to make sure I'm absorbing my supplements and not deficient.

I'm so excited that this might work I hardly slept last night.