Scratching my head about my T3 experience

[Guest guest]

Hello, everyone, I just joined a couple days ago and spent a bit of

time searching old messages for clues to my questions. I've just had a

strange experience with a T3 protocol (triiodo-L-thyronine) prescribed

by my ND. Here was the protocol: *One* dose per day starting with 7.5

mcg, ramp up by 7.5 mcg every 2 days, max out for 2 days at 37.5 mcg,

then ramp down every 3 days. I was told to go off WesThroid (1 grain)

for 10 days first, but bottomed out after 8 days, and started T3

because I felt wretched.

Here's what happened:

Day 2, my temp went up (98.4 average) and I felt great (for the first

time in months) other than irritation of the urethra, so I thought I

had a UTI and a fever.

Day 3 (15mcg) my temp fell (97.8 ave.) and my average stayed in the

range between 97.2 and 98.1 for the duration (20 days), with one

particularly awful day averaging 96.8.

Energy levels, myofascial pain, hypoglycemia, exercise hangovers, neck

spasms, digestive distress, and cognitive function all worsened the

lower my temp. In the middle of the protocol, I decided to try adding

my WesThroid back in, and some symptoms improved, but with no

noticeable rise in temp except the first day back on it.

The day I ramped down to the minimum dose again, I felt better and my

temp went from 96.8 to 97.8 (ave.), and the day after that I felt much

better (along with the same irritation of the urethra), and the third

day my temp went up again (98.6 ave.)! I stayed on 7.5 mcg for 5 days,

but got the best temp and improvement on day 3. The other days were

all above 98. (I normally average below 98.)

Can you make any sense of this? I've since discovered Dr. 's

e-manual for his protocol, and this protocol is not his. Is it worth

trying 's protocol by the book?

Here are some of my labs:

TSH 7.65 four years ago before starting WesThroid, down to 3.43 two

months later

Subsequent TSH readings since then: 1.77 2.17 2.40

Most recent thyroid panel, still taking WesThroid (October):

TSH 2.40

T4 6.0 [range 4.5 - 12.1] ug/dL

T3 uptake .89 [range 0.69 - 1.41] %

And in December:

Reverse T3 207 pg/mL

Free T3 3.1 pg/mL

(I'm not sure how to calculate the ratio.)

I don't have any recent adrenal function labs, but I've had signs of

improvement over the last couple of years: less craving for salt, less

frequent " pee sprees " (polyuria), gained back 15 lbs. I had lost,

including my subcutaneous fat (I bottomed out at 108 while doing

mercury/lead chelation). My moods are good, despite being fatigued a

lot. My ND is trying to decide whether to order the salivary cortisol

or the ACTH response test.

I appreciate any educated guesses about my results with T3, and

there's no need for lots of explanation. I've read Dr. 's manual

now and understand it. I've also read some of Dr. Lowe's materials,

and I even have his big medical book now for reference (The Metabolic

Treatment of Fibromyalgia). I've never tried Cytomel.

And one last bit: my diagnosis is mercury toxicity, but it could just

as easily be hypometabolism (or FM or myofascial pain syndrome) due to

mercury exposure and Epstein-Barr virus. (My metabolism dropped like a

rock after I had mono 15 years ago.)

Thank you kindly, Val and anyone else who takes the trouble to read

all this! I'm hoping that I've given enough info so I won't cause a

lot of back-and-forth. Bless you all,

[Guest guest]

This sounds to me like an adrenal reaction. Your body simply sis not

have enough cortisol to handle the T3. Your doctor is making thae same

mistake I ahve seen Wiolson's doctor do.. NO adrenal support before

doing this ramping up and down. ly I do nto see the ram0ing doing

much anyway.I take regualr T3 but I take it in 4-5 doses through the day

so it is less of a hit on my adrneals an I take HC for adrenal support.

I ahve clkeared ou tmy RT3 and will probably be switching back to Armour

soon. Your ratio was 14.9 so you really need the T3 but you most lielly

will need mroe than 35mcg. You need to slwoly go up to full thyroid

replacemen doses which lowers TSH to as close ot 0 as you can get so

your own body stops making T4 as that is what feeds the RT3. You were

never unhypo before but it loks to me like the reason for your RT3 was a

cortisol problem which m you must correct first or the whole thing is

worthless. BTW I am on 150mcg T3 daily. Though I see doses of 75 to 200

dauly I would think 100-125mcg is abotu the average.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

[Guest guest]

> Your ratio was 14.9 so you really need the T3 but you most lielly

> will need mroe than 35mcg. You need to slwoly go up to full thyroid

> replacemen doses which lowers TSH to as close ot 0 as you can get so

> your own body stops making T4 as that is what feeds the RT3.

Thank you, Val! Do you mean using T3 to go up to " full thyroid

replacement doses " ? Would WesThroid feed the RT3 because of the T4 it

contains?

Now that I am off the T3, what is the most useful cortisol test, in

your opinion? Is it the ACTH response? (I'm thinking my salivary

cortisol may be fairly normal until I start T3 again.) With my

occasional sodium wasting, do I need to test aldosterone too? Do I

need to know where the adrenal problem originates (e.g., the pituitary

or hypothalamus)?

Thank you so much for letting me pick your brain. All my best,

[Guest guest]

The adrenal aliva test is the best for adenal fatigue. But if you have

low sodium aldosterone shoudl also be run.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/