Thyroid advice/help

[bigzzz]

I've got a few questions regarding t3/t4 since I have ordered blood testing for TSH/FT3/FT4. I have got a lot of symptoms of a hypo thyroid(depression, tiredness, dry skin, fluid retention etc etc.). I'm assuming something is off but we will find out by bloodtesting(will post results later when I get them).

- I see a lot of different opinions about running t3 alone or combining t3/t4. When do you guys combine and when do you guys choose to run on of the two?

- How long do you guys run meds before retesting(are you guys even retesting)?

- Currently I am running +/- 4 IU's of GH. I am not sure yet if I will continu this(or completely drop or lower the dose to 2-3iu). But when I will drop or lower this, will this change my dosing for t3/t4 in case my thyroid is not working properly? If that is the case, I will probably just drop GH for now and wait a bit and then do the bloodtest.

@luki7788 @nothuman @Black Beard I saw you guys have a lot of knowledge and experience with t3/t4. Any other opinions are welcome as well of course.

Thanks a lot.

 

[blackjack]

You are depressed/tired/bloated because you have a lazy diet and lazy training regimen. I would bet my life your thyroid is fine. Lazy is your game - why would you not read the hundreds of threads for the last 10 years on T3/T4 from every angle possible on here?

 

[bigzzz]

You are depressed/tired/bloated because you have a lazy diet and lazy training regimen. I would bet my life your thyroid is fine. Lazy is your game - why would you not read the hundreds of threads for the last 10 years on T3/T4 from every angle possible on here?

Dude you are one of the biggest tards here on the forum. If you don't got an answer GTFO this thread lol.

 

[qbkilla]

If your hypo, your planning to self medicate or see a doc? I'm getting more testing on mine but using a doc. Seems like from what I've read ug t3 isn't as accurately dosed as I'd want for a med measured in mcg

 

[Mufasa123]

If your hypo, your planning to self medicate or see a doc? I'm getting more testing on mine but using a doc. Seems like from what I've read ug t3 isn't as accurately dosed as I'd want for a med measured in mcg

Agree with this. Gets bloods done or whatever but doctor should really be involved if you get a tail or issue in the reading - or in problem-solving if it turns out not to be your thyroid. Lots of people using T3/T4 here for PED use but a true clinical thyroid issue is something else and I'd recommend having it done right and legit known pharma product.

 

[PhillD]

if you really want to get a complete overview of your thyroid you need a lot more than these 3 TSH/FT3/FT4

but also totals and all thyroid antibodies (TPOAb, Tg Ab,...)

 

[Reno911]

How many more new threads this week can we expect? What will the topics be? I want to get ahead and use the search function so I can research all of the answers for you!

 

[cage99]

You’re using GH currently, this alone can cause water retention and lethargy in people.

You’ll also have inaccurate thyroid levels if you continue taking GH while getting bloodwork. Your T3 uptake will be increased, and your T4 will be lowered.

If your concerned about your thyroid then drop the GH, wait a week or so and get your blood work done.

Cage

 

[bigzzz]

If your hypo, your planning to self medicate or see a doc? I'm getting more testing on mine but using a doc. Seems like from what I've read ug t3 isn't as accurately dosed as I'd want for a med measured in mcg

I'm not sure yet. My doc is pretty shitty since she only wanted to fest my TSH and if that was bad my FT4. So I figured I could better test FT3/FT4 and TSH myself. I will probably go to them with the results.

Agree with this. Gets bloods done or whatever but doctor should really be involved if you get a tail or issue in the reading - or in problem-solving if it turns out not to be your thyroid. Lots of people using T3/T4 here for PED use but a true clinical thyroid issue is something else and I'd recommend having it done right and legit known pharma product.

Yea I agree. I can get Pharm myself tho.

I'm coming off GH now for a week or so before I will do the bloodtest.

 

[bigzzz]

You’re using GH currently, this alone can cause water retention and lethargy in people.

You’ll also have inaccurate thyroid levels if you continue taking GH while getting bloodwork. Your T3 uptake will be increased, and your T4 will be lowered.

If your concerned about your thyroid then drop the GH, wait a week or so and get your blood work done.

Cage

We replied at the same time, that is exactly what I am going to do. Thanks!

 

[trackstar19]

Do it thru your doctor IMO. So if you are hypothyroid it’s done on the books and you have a legit prescription and doctor monitoring your #’s. I was extreme hypo and am prescribed t4 thru my doctor. Better as I trust the pharmacy t4 more than the ‘pharma’ stuff from turkey/etc. When dealing with mcg no margin for error

 

[nothuman]

I've got a few questions regarding t3/t4 since I have ordered blood testing for TSH/FT3/FT4. I have got a lot of symptoms of a hypo thyroid(depression, tiredness, dry skin, fluid retention etc etc.). I'm assuming something is off but we will find out by bloodtesting(will post results later when I get them).

- I see a lot of different opinions about running t3 alone or combining t3/t4. When do you guys combine and when do you guys choose to run on of the two?

- How long do you guys run meds before retesting(are you guys even retesting)?

- Currently I am running +/- 4 IU's of GH. I am not sure yet if I will continu this(or completely drop or lower the dose to 2-3iu). But when I will drop or lower this, will this change my dosing for t3/t4 in case my thyroid is not working properly? If that is the case, I will probably just drop GH for now and wait a bit and then do the bloodtest.

@luki7788 @nothuman @Black Beard I saw you guys have a lot of knowledge and experience with t3/t4. Any other opinions are welcome as well of course.

Thanks a lot.

I disagree with most replies.

First line of defense should be T4/T3 combo therapy. I’d get labs 3-4 weeks into this.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of competence in the vast majority of endocrinologists, I suggest self medication once you’ve had a full thyroid panel pulled before starting to take anything. An endo will probably prescribe T4 only, which may or may not help, and you’ll risk wasting a lot of time and effort. This is the mistake so many thyroid patients make and it’s an underreported epidemic.

I don’t think that dose of GH should impact your thyroid much.

 

[cage99]

I was on 6iu of GH and my thyroid numbers came back with…

T3 Uptake - 40%; range 22-35%
T4 Total - 3.9; range 4.9-10.5 mcg/dl
FT4 - 1.6; range 1.4-3.8
TSH - 1.41; range .4-4.5 mIU/L

Cage

 

[nothuman]

I was on 6iu of GH and my thyroid numbers came back with…

T3 Uptake - 40%; range 22-35%
T4 Total - 3.9; range 4.9-10.5 mcg/dl
FT4 - 1.6; range 1.4-3.8
TSH - 1.41; range .4-4.5 mIU/L

Cage

Classic example of why endocrinologists are incompetent and put our health at risk. They didn’t bother to check Free T3

 

[trackstar19]

I disagree with most replies.

First line of defense should be T4/T3 combo therapy. I’d get labs 3-4 weeks into this.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of competence in the vast majority of endocrinologists, I suggest self medication once you’ve had a full thyroid panel pulled before starting to take anything. An endo will probably prescribe T4 only, which may or may not help, and you’ll risk wasting a lot of time and effort. This is the mistake so many thyroid patients make and it’s an underreported epidemic.

I don’t think that dose of GH should impact your thyroid much.

I disagree on the self medicating as a first resort. Could become an issue down the line if you lose a source for it/etc. and then have to convince your doctor to prescribe a drug you were acquiring illegally. Or if they ever need to do blood work and it becomes obvious or if you are in the hospital for days and can’t just tell nurse “umm I take thyroid meds illegally and need them” … etc. etc.

You have to push for consistent blood work and not stop until your #’s are optimal with whatever dose that entails. It might take a few extra months of annoyance with doctors but small pittance to have it on the books and on the up and up. Just gotta advocate for yourself and know wtf you’re talking about.

My doctor wanted to start me on 50mcg t4 (reasoning was due to my prior severe heart failure in fear of going hyper and agitating my heart). My thyroid was fucked. 28.8 TSH before starting t4. I knew between that and my kidneys spilling meds thru albumin leaking in urine due to my kidney disease I’d need a higher dose … so I took 150mcg instead of 50mcg and didn’t tell my doctor at first. (I filled the scripts early as needed) We retested in 6 weeks. TSH was 7. T4 was still low. I advised I was taking 150mcg. From the get go I told him I suspected I’d need 250-300mcg to be optimal/normal. Doctor grumbled a little but I said I simply want to be normal/in-range so he agreed to up it to 200mcg (and told me not to adjust my own dose again, lol). Eight weeks later and my TSH was like 2.8. My goal was 1.5. I brought ample literature to support 0.5 - 1.5 being optimal. So we went to 300mcg t4 and now I’m at 1.5 TSH and feel awesome. *AND* it’s on my charts and on the up and up. No worries of having to be shady or losing access to it. Much less stressful.

 

[cage99]

Classic example of why endocrinologists are incompetent and put our health at risk. They didn’t bother to check Free T3

Yep,, I didn’t catch it till after the fact…

Cage

 

[bigzzz]

I disagree with most replies.

First line of defense should be T4/T3 combo therapy. I’d get labs 3-4 weeks into this.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of competence in the vast majority of endocrinologists, I suggest self medication once you’ve had a full thyroid panel pulled before starting to take anything. An endo will probably prescribe T4 only, which may or may not help, and you’ll risk wasting a lot of time and effort. This is the mistake so many thyroid patients make and it’s an underreported epidemic.

I don’t think that dose of GH should impact your thyroid much.

Exactly my thoughts, that is why I opted to bloodtest myself for FT3 as well. But why do you think everyone needs t3+t3 instead of t4 only? Not an attack just wanting to learn.

I disagree on the self medicating as a first resort. Could become an issue down the line if you lose a source for it/etc. and then have to convince your doctor to prescribe a drug you were acquiring illegally. Or if they ever need to do blood work and it becomes obvious or if you are in the hospital for days and can’t just tell nurse “umm I take thyroid meds illegally and need them” … etc. etc.

You have to push for consistent blood work and not stop until your #’s are optimal with whatever dose that entails. It might take a few extra months of annoyance with doctors but small pittance to have it on the books and on the up and up. Just gotta advocate for yourself and know wtf you’re talking about.

My doctor wanted to start me on 50mcg t4 (reasoning was due to my prior severe heart failure in fear of going hyper and agitating my heart). My thyroid was fucked. 28.8 TSH before starting t4. I knew between that and my kidneys spilling meds thru albumin leaking in urine due to my kidney disease I’d need a higher dose … so I took 150mcg instead of 50mcg and didn’t tell my doctor at first. (I filled the scripts early as needed) We retested in 6 weeks. TSH was 7. T4 was still low. I advised I was taking 150mcg. From the get go I told him I suspected I’d need 250-300mcg to be optimal/normal. Doctor grumbled a little but I said I simply want to be normal/in-range so he agreed to up it to 200mcg (and told me not to adjust my own dose again, lol). Eight weeks later and my TSH was like 2.8. My goal was 1.5. I brought ample literature to support 0.5 - 1.5 being optimal. So we went to 300mcg t4 and now I’m at 1.5 TSH and feel awesome. *AND* it’s on my charts and on the up and up. No worries of having to be shady or losing access to it. Much less stressful.

I can see where you are coming from. The only thing is that I don't want to waste a shitload of time when I find out my thyroid levels aren't optimal. My doc only wanted to test TSH and then 'maybe' FT4 is TSH wasn't good. Best thing I probably can do is contact them with the results of my own bloodtest.

 

[bigzzz]

@nothuman I mean t3+t4

 

[trackstar19]

Exactly my thoughts, that is why I opted to bloodtest myself for FT3 as well. But why do you think everyone needs t3+t3 instead of t4 only? Not an attack just wanting to learn.



I can see where you are coming from. The only thing is that I don't want to waste a shitload of time when I find out my thyroid levels aren't optimal. My doc only wanted to test TSH and then 'maybe' FT4 is TSH wasn't good. Best thing I probably can do is contact them with the results of my own bloodtest.

100% on that aspect. I often do my own blood work and then bring it to their attention when they are lacking or unwilling to test for shit I know we should test for. My doctors are only good for prescribing what I want after I have to lead them to realizing I need it lol unfortunately if I didn’t know what to look for or how to figure this all out I’d be fucked. Most doctors are really horrid with this shit. Be smart and informed and your own biggest advocate and force them to do what you need (either via your own blood work confirming you need it, etc.) force it where if they ignore it it’ll be medical malpractice should something happen to you. Sad it’s come to this and still some decent doctors out there but most are idiots and have zero concept of how shit works

 

[qbkilla]

Saw this today. Crazy that doctors don't bother to test t3. How has thyroid been used to treat obese people? I'm sure it's been trialed for people who won't stop eating to speed up metabolism a bit