is thyroid meds similar to TRT ?

[TescoValueJam]

hello,
with TRT, you take a smidge of testosterone, your own production goes awol completely, it's like an all or nothing effect.
is taking thyroid meds like this? thinking of starting it up and making my life even more complicated since the shitshow that trt produces clearly isnt enough for me.
From what I can see from posts, it's not quite like trt, but at the other end its not like a 'supplement' either, so would be interesting to see how TSH/T4/T3 responds to microdoses

 

[FunkOdyssey]

In my experience, it was similar to TRT, in that adding small amounts of thyroid hormone caused a proportionate suppression of endogenous production, so that the resulting levels of free T4 and free T3 were not higher than my baseline values. In fact, adding small amounts of T4 only resulted in lower free T3 values than baseline and adding small amounts of T3 only resulted in lower free T4 values than baseline.

Consequently, the only way to reliably increase the levels of either free T4 or free T3 compared to your baseline is to take full replacement doses of thyroid hormone, whether that be T4 only, a mixed product like dessicated thyroid extract (armour thyroid etc), or if you really like to live dangerously, T3 only. The effects of successfully elevating my thyroid hormones relative to baseline were mostly negative but that is another story.

Others may have different experiences but for these reasons I found "microdoses" of thyroid hormone to be a complete waste of time.

 

[Systemlord]

with TRT, you take a smidge of testosterone, your own production goes awol completely, it's like an all or nothing effect.
is taking thyroid meds like this?

If TSH is almost completely suppressed, it bounces back very fast. I tried T3/T4 combo and didn’t notice any difference once stopping.

My baseline TSH was 0.49.

 

[Vtail]

, or if you really like to live dangerously, T3 only.

Just curious - what is dangerous about taking T3 only?

 

[Systemlord]

Just curious - what is dangerous about taking T3 only?

If you take T4/T3 combo and you decide to stop therapy, T4 has a longer half-life and will remain in your system long enough for your body to start making it’s own again.

T3 has a shorter half-life.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Just curious - what is dangerous about taking T3 only?

As Systemlord said, if you take T3 only, you are always, at best, a day or two away from a complete metabolic crash if your intake of T3 is interrupted. It is a fragile state in an uncertain world where any number of surprises could interfere with your regular dosage of medication.

 

[TLR]

In my experience, it was similar to TRT, in that adding small amounts of thyroid hormone caused a proportionate suppression of endogenous production, so that the resulting levels of free T4 and free T3 were not higher than my baseline values. In fact, adding small amounts of T4 only resulted in lower free T3 values than baseline and adding small amounts of T3 only resulted in lower free T4 values than baseline.

Consequently, the only way to reliably increase the levels of either free T4 or free T3 compared to your baseline is to take full replacement doses of thyroid hormone, whether that be T4 only, a mixed product like dessicated thyroid extract (armour thyroid etc), or if you really like to live dangerously, T3 only. The effects of successfully elevating my thyroid hormones relative to baseline were mostly negative but that is another story.

Others may have different experiences but for these reasons I found "microdoses" of thyroid hormone to be a complete waste of time.

Sounds like you and I had a similar experience….I had a doc diagnose me with “subclinical hypothyroidism” and put me on Naturethoid…I quit taking it and didn’t notice any real difference.

 

[BadassBlues]

Just curious - what is dangerous about taking T3 only?

You can do cycles of T3, most do it for shredding and weight loss. It definitely works for that purpose. If you take T3 alone for an extended period (longer than 8 weeks) your natural production will be compromised and when you stop you will go through hypothyroid symptoms Until you re balance. Not a pleasant thing to say the least.

Increasing T3 above 25mcg daily takes you to supra-physiological levels. A normal healthy person can tolerate that, but anyone with BP or cardiovascular problems could run into some serious side effects.

I will also tell you first hand, it causes your temper to be volatile and lightning fast.

I don’t know what your personal interest is in taking it, but your question asks what The downsides are. They are significant if not done with extreme care.

 

[Vtail]

I don’t know what your personal interest is in taking it, but your question asks what The downsides are. They are significant if not done with extreme care.

I've been taking T3 for years. The reason I asked the question was because my TRT doc initially put me on T3 only at ~35mcg/day (split dose) and as high as 50 mcg. 50 mcg put me slightly over the lab reference range, but 35 mcg keeps me mid-range. A few years later my primary care doc insisted that I begin to add T4 so that my lab results were more 'balanced', but I felt no difference. I also get my doc to prescribe more than what I actually take, so I always have a comfortable surplus in case I am unable to get a timely refill. I try to do this with all my prescription meds.

 

[BadassBlues]

I've been taking T3 for years. The reason I asked the question was because my TRT doc initially put me on T3 only at ~35mcg/day (split dose) and as high as 50 mcg. 50 mcg put me slightly over the lab reference range, but 35 mcg keeps me mid-range. A few years later my primary care doc insisted that I begin to add T4 so that my lab results were more 'balanced', but I felt no difference. I also get my doc to prescribe more than what I actually take, so I always have a comfortable surplus in case I am unable to get a timely refill. I try to do this with all my prescription meds.

Smart move in stockpiling your meds, I do the same and it has paid off more than once.

T3 as a medication exists for a reason. If it was prescribed and you are doing well on it, it must be what you needed. I assumed your question was related to using it "off label", which a lot of people do, including myself. Some people ramp up to over 80 mcg a day during a cutting cycle. I have never attempted that and do not recommend anyone doing so.

 

[t_spacemonkey]

even 80mcg of t3 is insane. my natural TSH/t3/t4 levels are mid-range. tried pure T3 at 20mcg. linorma t3. felt revved up like shit. thyroid is much more tricky then TRT. unless you have clear signs+low levels, i dont play with it anymore

 

[FunkOdyssey]

even 80mcg of t3 is insane. my natural TSH/t3/t4 levels are mid-range. tried pure T3 at 20mcg. linorma t3. felt revved up like shit. thyroid is much more tricky then TRT. unless you have clear signs+low levels, i dont play with it anymore

I agree wholeheartedly. It is both much trickier than TRT and it is not worth messing with unless you have full blown, real deal hypothyroidism (not that subclinical nonsense).

 

[BadassBlues]

mcg = micrograms

Do not take 80 mg of T3

My bad, I edited the reply.

 

[BadassBlues]

even 80mcg of t3 is insane. my natural TSH/t3/t4 levels are mid-range. tried pure T3 at 20mcg. linorma t3. felt revved up like shit. thyroid is much more tricky then TRT. unless you have clear signs+low levels, i dont play with it anymore

I have used the same, Linorma. It definitely sends you into overdrive. I have read about some people doing 80-100 and adding Clen… Now that is truly insane.