Thyroid hormons T4/T3, someone else taking it for CFS/ME?

[Gondwanaland]

T4 half life is so long I can't imagine... At the 18 hour mark what happens?

I get hypo symptoms: depression, agitation, tinnitus, feeling very cold with cold hands and feet, poor digestion, kind of cramping in calves

My latest labs showed FT4 below range, FT3 almost at mid-range, and cortisol very high above range

 

[BadBadBear]

T3 is mainly bound to albumine in blood, so I may be lacking albumine which would increase my sensitivity to T3 (as only unbound T3 is active)... This thing will be easy to check!

Interesting! I had never made the albumin connection. I recently had to decrease my T3 dose (hyper symptoms), and labs show my albumin has rebounded for the first time in years. Could this be the reason my T3 need has decreased?

 

[Gondwanaland]

Interesting! I had never made the albumin connection. I recently had to decrease my T3 dose (hyper symptoms), and labs show my albumin has rebounded for the first time in years. Could this be the reason my T3 need has decreased?

I read that before about albumin but had forgotten about it. I will ask for this test to my dr tomorrow.

 

[pattismith]

I get hypo symptoms: depression, agitation, feeling very cold with cold hands and feet, poor digestion

My latest labs showed FT4 below range, FT3 almost at mid-range, and cortisol very high above range

this was before you supplement with TH? How was your TSH?

Interesting! I had never made the albumin connection. I recently had to decrease my T3 dose (hyper symptoms), and labs show my albumin has rebounded for the first time in years. Could this be the reason my T3 need has decreased?

I don't know, but it is a parameter that needs to be looked for. Was your albumin very low?

 

[Gondwanaland]

this was before you supplement with TH? How was your TSH?

I take thyroid replacement since 2014.

All was well until early December 2017 when I started taking Flaxseed oil and Borage oil.

Flaxseed oil completely suppressed my estrogen production and my cortisol spiked (from symptoms: I started waking up at around 1 - 3 AM and could never fall back asleep again).

Then I took Molybdenum 2x and it seemed to make me intolerant to high copper foods and to both Estradiol and thyroid replacement.

Slowly I have been recovering, lots of salt is really helping, but I can't seem to tolerate my extra T3 again, so I have to take T4+T3 every 18 hours or so. I would rather take it at the end of the day because it makes me fatigued.

My TSH has been higher since I started taking T3 (between 4 and 6), latest result early this month was 6.93.

Back in 2016 when I tried Norwegian Kelp, I had the lowest anti-TG reading, but the highest TSH (15.02). I think the iodine impacted my estrogen production very badly.

ETA - I must add that I have been underweight since 2013 when I had to go gluten free.

 

[MAF14]

I get hypo symptoms: depression, agitation, tinnitus, feeling very cold with cold hands and feet, poor digestion, kind of cramping in calves

My latest labs showed FT4 below range, FT3 almost at mid-range, and cortisol very high above range

Have you tired splitting your doses?

 

[Gondwanaland]

Have you tired splitting your doses?

I can't open my capsules because the hormones are quickly oxidized.

 

[MAF14]

I can't open my capsules because the hormones are quickly oxidized.

Maybe quickly dump them into oil? I've never heard that before (the oxidation).

I mean at compounding pharmacies aren't these powders exposed to oxygen while they're being put into caps?

 

[Gondwanaland]

I mean at compounding pharmacies aren't these powders exposed to oxygen while they're being put into caps?

I have tried them from 3 different pharmacies and only tolerate it from this one where the pharmacist assured me that she compounds the hormones in special environment (whatever that means). They have 2 facilities in my town and only one of them is equipped to compound thyroid hormones, so I always order from this specific store.

I will try and order capsules with 3 mcg of T3 rather than 5 and see what happens.

 

[MAF14]

I have tried them from 3 different pharmacies and only tolerate it from this one where the pharmacist assured me that she compounds the hormones in special environment (whatever that means). They have 2 facilities in my town and only one of them is equipped to compound thyroid hormones, so I always order from this specific store.

I will try and order capsules with 3 mcg of T3 rather than 5 and see what happens.

Hmm, I'm a little skeptical but what do I know lol

 

[MAF14]

I started a new brand of T3 yesterday so we'll see how this goes...

 

[pattismith]

I started a new brand of T3 yesterday so we'll see how this goes...

are you doing well?

I'm still struggling with my T3 trial.

It is a very strange trial. Working the first days for 9 hours if I was taking only a small amount in the morning, then stopping working when trying to increase the dose or the intakes...

So I decided to take three doses per day (every 8 hours) and to increase progressively the dose.

Currently I take 12 + 6 + 12 mg a day (30 in toto).

I still struggle with legs pain, stiffness, headaches, but I don't notice any problem with my heart rate and blood pressure, which I should if I was overtaking T3....

The headache I get is different than the one I had hypothyr intracranial hypertension, so it may be a very different cause. Maybe too much T2 or T3 in some parts of my brain...

I noticed that taking some prednisolone is helping a lot with PEM, and with muscle problems.

I overdid last week end, as I had to keep my promise to my husband to participate with him to an old car rally.

It was my first one, and I had to drive the car, because I am too sick reading a roadmap in a car...and driving an old car is really demanding in mountains small roads!

Well if I had really known what I was engaged to do, I wouldn't have gone!

7 hours driving with cramps in my legs, 3 hours in the rain, 4 hours in the night, and only one stop after 4 hours driving....

I had to use all my pharmacy to manage it (electrolytes, calcium, magnesium, tramadol, cofee), but I finally did it!

I was so happy to do such a hard thing, it was a kind of achievement.

I stay in bed most of the day after, but my muscles weren't too bad, thanks to cortisone.

On this occasion, I took some cofee with a good positive effect, which didn't happened for many years (before starting T3, I progressively lost the tolerance to any boosting drugs), so it was really a positive experience. I know now that I can take some when I need an extra boost.

 

[frozenborderline]

are you doing well?


The headache I get is different than the one I had hypothyr intracranial hypertension, so it may be a very different cause. Maybe too much T2 or T3 in some parts of my brain...

.

Can you tell me more about the intracranial hypertension? I am starting to think i have that. Have a feeling of pressure in my head and mild headache a lot of the time.

 

[frozenborderline]

Can you tell me more about the intracranial hypertension? I am starting to think i have that. Have a feeling of pressure in my head and mild headache a lot of the time.

do you think it is safe to try acetazolamide at small doses or best to wait for some type of test? Do you think thyroid could help with the pressure?

 

[tumbleweed]

fT3 = 1.9 pg/ml (1.88 - 3.18) = 2.92 pmol/l (2.88 - 4.88)
fT4 = 1.01 ng/dl (0.7 - 1.48 ) = 13 pmol/l (9.01 - 19.05)
TSH = 0.97 µUI/ml (0.4 - 4)

Your Free T3 is approx 1.5% of the way through the reference range.

Your Free T4 is approx 40% of the way through the reference range.

Your TSH is approx 16% of the way through the reference range.

The ratio of Free T4 to Free T3 is (using pmol/L because the units are the same for both) = 13 to 2.92 = 4.45 to 1.

On thyroid forums I've read that ratio is recommended to be no greater than 4 to 1. You aren't converting well from Free T4 to Free T3.

In my (completely untrained) opinion :

Your Free T3 is derisory, and it isn't surprising that you feel awful. Free T3 is the active thyroid hormone and is a better indicator of the severity of a thyroid problem than TSH or Free T4. Your Free T4 is not even mid-range. Your TSH should be substantially higher than it is to bring up your levels of Free T4 and Free T3 to a healthier level.

@drob31 wrote a post ages ago in which he gave reasons for TSH to be too low, and other thyroid problems :

forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/22-patterns-of-low-thyroid-function-most-because-of-hpa-axis-pvn-issues.38922/

There is a possibility that your TSH is too low because of damage or disease to your pituitary or (less common I think) your hypothalamus, and as a result you might have central hypothyroidism, rather than primary hypothyroidism.

 

[pattismith]

@tumbleweed , yes thank you, I agree with you, I have written a post on central hypothyroidism:

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...linical-hypo-with-normal-thyroid-panel.58768/

do you think it is safe to try acetazolamide at small doses or best to wait for some type of test? Do you think thyroid could help with the pressure?

This is the first symptom the easiest and the quickest relieved by my T3 trial.

Diamox gave me some limited relief but I couldn't tolerate it on the long run. It just helped me to identify the headache type.

 

[drob31]

@drob31 wrote a post ages ago in which he gave reasons for TSH to be too low, and other thyroid problems :
.

Cortisol decreases TSH, lowering thyroid hormone production. ... High or low cortisol can cause hypoglycemica, hyperglycemia or both. Blood sugar imbalances cause hypothyroid symptoms in a variety of ways. Always remember adrenal stress also has a more direct impact on thyroid function

 

[frozenborderline]

anyone have a tip for cutting the tiny cynomel pills into 8 pieces? I am trying to take a "physiological dose" of T3, e.g. around 3 mcg, and the pills are 25 mcg.

 

[pamojja]

anyone have a tip for cutting the tiny cynomel pills into 8 pieces?

I simply did it by dividing the pill with a sharp knife into quarters. Than halving the quarters again. Not very accurate, but didn't had any negative effects this way.

Also do the same with 50mg tablets of Naldrexone. Divide in quarters, but then chip of a tiny grain each time. Get this way about 1.5-2 mg with each grain.

Professionally one would desolve a tabled in a given amount of distilled water in a dropper bottle. Then take as much drops needed for the desired amount.

 

[frozenborderline]

I simply did it by dividing the pill with a sharp knife into quarters. Than halving the quarters again. Not very accurate, but didn't had any negative effects this way.

Also do the same with 50mg tablets of Naldrexone. Divide in quarters, but then chip of a tiny grain each time. Get this way about 1.5-2 mg with each grain.

Professionally one would desolve a tabled in a given amount of distilled water in a dropper bottle. Then take as much drops needed for the desired amount.

yeah I got a pill cutter but it's nowhere near sharp enough so I'm gonna try and find one of my mom's exacto knives...

I guess at these small doses it's not too ultra-important