canefan17
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 22149
posted
(Found this blurb) Low T3 Syndrome
In some cases a disease process in the body, a medication being taken or chronic stress, can cause excessive conversion of T4 into RT3 and this will cause T3 levels to drop too low, causing hypothyroidism.
While this cause of low T3 is rare, it does occur and is referred to by several names, including ``Low T3 Syndrome'', ``Euthyroid Sick Syndrome'', ``Reverse T3 Syndrome'' and ``Wilson's Temperature Syndrome''. In most cases of excessive RT3 conversion, the hypothyroidism is temporary and can be corrected by supplementing short-term with T3 hormone and correcting the problem in the body causing the condition.
^^^ says it can be corrected with short-term T3 hormone.
Anybody here go on T3 just during treatment and then later stop?
This is exactly what I have. Low T3 and high rT3.
They make it sound like you treat it short-term and treat the underlying cause(lyme) in the meantime.
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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ping
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Member # 6974
posted
Hi canefan - The discussion continues.....
My doc rx'd T3 for me, but when I received the hard copy of my labs, found the ditz who called me with my results last week misread them! In fact, my "thyroid" is low, specifically, my TSH is virtually non-existent! It's 0.021. The low end of normal is 0.450. All other readings are normal range. I've been taking 1.5 gr. of Armour per day and am running low. I'm sure not going to take the synthetic T3!
Will post my own thread about this, so your's will stay straight forward. Just wanted you to know that "I share your thyroid pain"; even if it isn't exactly the same thyroid problem.
Best to you, cane -
-------------------- ping "We are more than containers for Lyme" Posts: 1302 | From Back in TX again | Registered: Mar 2005
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cantgiveupyet
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Member # 8165
posted
I couldnt tolerate the T3(cytomel), but my RT3 is high. I am working on getting new tests to try and figure out if anything is going on with my thyroid. It is frustrating.
there is a great yahoo group for high RT3..
most have used T3 until it corrected itself..all I have read says that it will, but it takes time.
Also, T3 is tough on the adrenals, so you want to make sure they can handle it before you start it.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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canefan17
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
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posted
cant,
I've been told if rT3 is high then address adrenal fatigue and iodine deficiency.
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massman
Unregistered
posted
"says it can be corrected with short-term T3 hormone."
ALSO SAYS "and correcting the CAUSE
Why does everybody want to dance in circles with numbers instead of finding the true cause + correcting THAT ?
Want RESULTS or just a really LONG dance ?
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
massman- I agree ....I learned the hard way and tried treating it based on labs and had horrific side affects while on Cytomel.
the problem is most Dr dont try to find the cause they just go by labs.
Dr says my adrenals are fine- slightly lower in AM...results were from a diagnostechs saliva test.
I do have low ferritin- which can also affect how one tolerates T3.
thanks canefan
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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Lymeorsomething
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 16359
posted
ping, you may be misinterpreting your results. low for thyroid function would actually be indicated by a high TSH (above 4.0ish)... So it seems the Armour has corrected you to an optimal range...though perhaps slightly too much. TSH is not always the best indicator to go by.
You could still try T3 only if you are not feeling well though. It may improve your temps if they are low.
T3 therapy does result in longterm resolution of thyroid issues in some cases...
Everyone is different. Some do well on dessicated meds and others do better on the synthetics. Some may also do better on T3 only.
Some can even change their diet and correct problems but this does not always work.
-------------------- "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong." Posts: 2062 | From CT | Registered: Jul 2008
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canefan17
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posted
mass,
Well the idea is I'm currently treating THE CAUSE (aka Lyme).
But wouldn't my treatment be stronger if a particular gland was functioning properly?
By the way... my ultimate CAUSE for thyroid issues was low iodine.
Let the supplementation begin : )
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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posted
My experience: for at least a year before I was diagnosed with Lyme my thyroid tests kept coming back with normal TSH, normal T4 and very low T3. My docs (endo, integrative MD) at the time labeled it 'euthyroid sick syndrome' but were wary of giving me any meds and incapable of determining a cause.
After my Lyme diagnosis my LLMD let me try sustained release T3 from a compounding pharmacy (in lieu of cytomel). It stopped my hair loss and I feel much better on it. But, my TSH is nearly nonexistent while I'm on it.
I went off it for 4 months last summer to see what would happen, and my hair started falling out again, my TSH went above 4 (high for the first time in my life!), and my T4 and T3 were low. Ughh. So now I'm back on it, and I feel better. Maybe I'll always need to be on it now??
Good luck!
-------------------- Increasingly ill over past 10 yrs; treating since October '08. Posts: 180 | From Philadelphia, PA | Registered: Oct 2008
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massman
Unregistered
posted
How about ? Healing the organs ?
I know, my record is broken and keeps playing the same song. Over + over + over. Again...
WHY is healing the organ such a tough idea to get ?
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canefan17
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posted
landerss,
Your TSH should be almost non-existent.
That means you're produced sufficient T4 - T3
If you weren't... the TSH would be high (as you stated) because the pituitary glands are screaming "make some damn hormones thyroid!"
don't go off of your TSH.
Most here report feeling better when their TSH is under 1.0
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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massman
Unregistered
posted
WHY is / was the iodine low ?
Yup, it's that cranky old massman, wanting just not the what, but also the why.
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Lymeorsomething
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posted
Landers, if you feel good with the T3 only that is the main thing. The TSH signal will be weak because you're essentially suppressing any natural production.
A similar thing happens when one supplements with testosterone. The LH signal completely shuts down unless you use an aromatase inhibitor to lower the E2 level.
The key is finding the optimal dose of T3 which may be tricky and may take some experimentation.
-------------------- "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong." Posts: 2062 | From CT | Registered: Jul 2008
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canefan17
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posted
Iodine can be low for many reasons.
If someone has high levels of Bromine or Flouride in the body you can be damn sure the iodine levels will be low.
Smoker for instance will have high levels of Bromine in their body. Someone who eats a lot of flour/fast food will have a lot of bromine in the body.
Flouride is found in water and in toothpaste, etc
Very hard to avoid.
But these halogens fight iodine for receptor cell power. And they are mush stronger than iodine which leads to iodine being pushed aside. Which leads to iodine deficiency.
Most people in America are iodine deficient.
Most people in Japan are not. Bet you can guess why.
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cantgiveupyet
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posted
Massman- why do you feel Iodine is low? I have never had mine tested and wonder now why the many Doctors I have seen havent ran the test for this.
I think my thyroid is functioning better than before as my temps are always normal now even 99 some of the time... they are actually better off thyroid meds.
However my RT3 is high... so something is causing this...what I have no clue... and the Dr are puzzled as well. My clinical presentation does not fit the lab results. I have cold hands...yet temps are normal... Last Dr I saw had to leave the room he was so puzzled.
quote:Originally posted by massman: WHY is / was the iodine low ?
Yup, it's that cranky old massman, wanting just not the what, but also the why.
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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canefan17
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posted
can'tgiveupyet,
No question check your adrenals.
Adrenal exhaustion can cause rT3 to be high.
Fatigued adrenal glands hinder the thyroids ability to convert to T3. So you'll have a high rT3 (like me) and low-end normal Free T3.
It took me a lot of searching... but the obvious reasons are...
Iodine Deficiency Adrenal Fatigue
Usually it's both
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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posted
take the high of the range and add to the low of the range of TSH as stated on you lab slip and divide by 2 and that will get you very close to the mean of the population being tested by your lab. This is a target or starting point. But TSH is misleading in the euthyroid sic syndrome another name for the thyroid/pituitary misbehaving when we are sick. In this syndrome the TSH may be normal but the T3 may be low. I think traditionally most MD's would not treat that thinking that treating the underlying condition, say Lyme disease would be all that was necessary. I would think though it does make sense to treat in a chronic infectious disease where it takes so doggone long to get better.
Wishing you well,
Beachinit.
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canefan17
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Member # 22149
posted
beachinit,
That was the case for me. Normal TSH but low T3, high rT3.
I'm hoping my iodine protocol (which I start soon) will solve this problem.
I'd like to avoid synthetics if possible : ) (Everyone on this board knows that by now lol)
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
canefane I had them checked via saliva...dr said they were fine...a tad suppressed in the AM. but didnt feel they needed to be treated. He also said it wasnt my thyroid because my temps are fine. (they actually are the best they have ever been) I used to have temps range from 94-96
I have another Dr I am going to see once I get my 30 day hormone saliva panel done.
thanks for the info.
quote:Originally posted by canefan17: can'tgiveupyet,
No question check your adrenals.
Adrenal exhaustion can cause rT3 to be high.
Fatigued adrenal glands hinder the thyroids ability to convert to T3. So you'll have a high rT3 (like me) and low-end normal Free T3.
It took me a lot of searching... but the obvious reasons are...
Iodine Deficiency Adrenal Fatigue
Usually it's both
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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canefan17
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 22149
posted
What about poor circulation?
Metabolism function? Malabsorption?
Sorry- just throwin things out there
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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ping
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6974
posted
quote:Originally posted by Lymeorsomething: ping, you may be misinterpreting your results. low for thyroid function would actually be indicated by a high TSH (above 4.0ish)... So it seems the Armour has corrected you to an optimal range...though perhaps slightly too much. TSH is not always the best indicator to go by.
You could still try T3 only if you are not feeling well though. It may improve your temps if they are low.
T3 therapy does result in longterm resolution of thyroid issues in some cases...
Everyone is different. Some do well on dessicated meds and others do better on the synthetics. Some may also do better on T3 only.
Some can even change their diet and correct problems but this does not always work.
Thanks Lymeorsomething, cane, etc.
My misinterpretation of the labs is entirely possible! Have no choice but to go on T3, since no Armour available and T3 is what doc rx'd. I would truly love to have this remedied.
-------------------- ping "We are more than containers for Lyme" Posts: 1302 | From Back in TX again | Registered: Mar 2005
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cantgiveupyet
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8165
posted
canefane- can malabsorption cause high RT3? Im not sure if you were posting to me or not.
thanks
quote:Originally posted by canefan17: What about poor circulation?
Metabolism function? Malabsorption?
Sorry- just throwin things out there
-------------------- "Say it straight simple and with a smile."
"Thus the task is, not so much to see what no one has seen yet, But to think what nobody has thought yet, About what everybody sees."
-Schopenhauer
pos babs, bart, igenex WB igm/igg Posts: 3156 | From Lyme limbo | Registered: Oct 2005
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canefan17
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 22149
posted
No but adrenal fatigue can. And adrenal exhaustion causes malabsorption.
But you said your cortisol checked out ok.
Posts: 5394 | From Houston, Tx | Registered: Aug 2009
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