As both a registered nurse and someone with hypothyroidism, do not take any synthetic forms of T3 without first consulting your physician.
While most actions of thyroid hormone are most likely due to T3, most T3 in the body comes from the conversion of T4. The conversion of T4 to T3 is normal in hypothyroid patients. T3 has a very short life span in the bodywhile the life span of T4 is much longer, ensuring a steady supply of T3.
A preparation of synthetic T3 (Cytomel) is available. After taking a tabletof Cytomel there are very high levels of T3 for a short time, and then the levels fall off very rapidly. This means that T3 has to be taken several times each day, and even doing this does not smooth out the T3 levels properly.
In addition, it is impossible to avoid having too much thyroid hormone in the system soon after each dose of T3 is taken. High T3 levels can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as rapid heart beat, insomnia and anxiety. HighT3 levels also can harm the heart and the bones.
Another concern with using T3 treatment is that the body is deprived of the ability to adjust theconversion of T4 to T3 to regulate the supply of T3 according to the body’s own needs.
Maryann
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Hi KrisP612,
As both a registered nurse and someone with hypothyroidism, do not take any synthetic forms of T3 without first consulting your physician.
While most actions of thyroid hormone are most likely due to T3, most T3 in the body comes from the conversion of T4. The conversion of T4 to T3 is normal in hypothyroid patients. T3 has a very short life span in the bodywhile the life span of T4 is much longer, ensuring a steady supply of T3.
A preparation of synthetic T3 (Cytomel) is available. After taking a tabletof Cytomel there are very high levels of T3 for a short time, and then the levels fall off very rapidly. This means that T3 has to be taken several times each day, and even doing this does not smooth out the T3 levels properly.
In addition, it is impossible to avoid having too much thyroid hormone in the system soon after each dose of T3 is taken. High T3 levels can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as rapid heart beat, insomnia and anxiety. HighT3 levels also can harm the heart and the bones.
Another concern with using T3 treatment is that the body is deprived of the ability to adjust theconversion of T4 to T3 to regulate the supply of T3 according to the body’s own needs.
October 31, 2011 - 6:14amMaryann
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