Small victory - I'm being prescribed T3

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,Well following my battle with the GP last week when he refused to prescribe the T3 that the Endo said I could try (although he strongly advises against me trying it, conversely?) and the GP saying he was going to write to the Endo for clarification. Another GP at the surgery called me last night to say they had received a reply from the Endo and I am now being prescribed 25 mcg (unsure if I have the measurement correct, is it mcg or mg for T3? As I am in doubt I will stick to mcg for the rest of this post.) to replace 25 mcg of Thyroxine.Questions I asked:Me: I am aware that unlike T4, which is long-acting, T3 is short-acting so should I split the doses?GP: Well it would be pretty difficult to split the doses as it is a 25 mcg tablet.Me: Can you not give me tablets in smaller doses?GP: No it only comes in doses of 25 mcg.Me: Are you sure, I have heard of people who take it in smaller doses and split them up through the day?GP: Well they must be splitting the tablets in some way. Me: When should I take them?GP: Oh that doesn't matter, just take them whenever. Now remember you will have to come in and get your TSH tested in 2 weeks.I just agreed to this although I am well aware that when taking any form of T3 the tests they carry out are pretty much useless.I realised there was no point in asking any more questions as this is the first time my surgery has ever prescribed anything other than Thyroxine for hypothyroidism and that they have never prescribed T3 for anyone ever. I know this as I asked that question several months ago and received that response while the GP was examining the horns that had just sprouted from my head! At this point I realised that to get my answers there was only one place to go and that was here.Then later on that night I realised I should have asked what brand they were prescribing, then I could check on the dosages they come in. I did try calling the surgery this morning but they were shut so I will have to wait until Monday to find out. I'm actually going to ask the pharmacist when I pick them up.So now I have loads of questions for those much more knowledgeable than myself in regards to T3. I am hoping to be able to split the tablets so I can manage 2 doses, although as I haven't seen them I am unsure how successful I shall be in this task.When should I take it?I set my alarm for 5 a.m. in order for me to take my Ferrous Sulphate, Vitamin C and Vitamin B12 (Just so I can have a coffee when I get up at 6 a.m.). I take my Thyroxine at night, before I go to bed and at least 4 hours after my last dose of Ferrous Sulphate. I have tried taking this in the morning in the past but find this works better for me. I limit myself to 3 cups of coffee a day now, I know I should be stopping it altogether but I have made so many other changes to my diet and lifestyle since May that I feel entitled to this amount of coffee. Is this the best way to go about it, straight in to 25 mcg or should I start on a smaller dose and build up?Is replacing 25 mcg of Thyroxine with 25 mcg of T3 the best way to go about this?I have an appointment with Dr Skinner for 2 weeks today, should I wait until after I see him to start taking it or should I start as soon as I receive it which will be Monday?When should I take it in relation to food?When should I take it in relation to the above supplements?When should I take it in relation to Thyroxine?Although I had a short synacthen test 4 years ago, where the results were normal, I suspect I may have adrenal issues. I have started to attempt to research this, although I must admit all the info does confuse me. I believe that if there are issues with adrenals then no amount of thyroid replacement hormone of any kind will make a difference? Have I picked this up correctly or mashed too much information up in my brain? How accurate and relevant is the short synacthen test? I'm off to research adrenal issues now as I know there is files I can look at on the forum.I'm sure I had more questions but can't remember them at the moment.....they all came to me as I was drifting off to sleep last night so are floating about somewhere. If anybody has any more information or advice at all which would help I would be very grateful to hear it, as this is a very grey area for me I really need guidance.Thank you for listening,Lynn