Girls :) Need some info on T3 -

[Karmic Pendulum]

Okay, so, now I'd gone through a 24 hr urine and 2hr blood glucose tolerance test. So, I'd binged on 4 candy bars or so right before 12am (maybe like 11 40 or something) and then I went straight to bed. So, yeah, it helped me sleep through the night. Then I woke up and by 9am (literally RIGHT then) they took my blood the first time. After a while they gave me glucose to drink which tasted just like Sunkist orange soda. After two hours they took my blood. Now, the first hour went by okay. I wasn't too tired, but I started conversing with everyone so it'd keep me awake. The second hour I got really sleepy, about 40 mins before I had to go get the blood taken everyone had left and I was alone. 15 mins left and I'd been sliding off my chair, dazed. 5 mins prior I was on the edge of my seat, breathing extremely heavily and feeling antsy and reading to sprint into the room so they'd take my blood. I felt my face blush extremely bad.

Anyhow, they said the whole 9 hour thing was okay (in terms of the candy bars and taking my blood at 9am). I asked them about 3 times whether it was alright, and they said enough time had passed. I don't know.

Well, they tested me for my glucose panel, T3, and TSH. The doc observed my neck with his fingers and said I wasn't hyperthyroid, regardless of my TSH having been so low (indicating hyperthyroidism).

You see, I experience extreme hyperthyroid symptons such as hyperhydrosis, insomnia, anxiety, I speak quickly, thoughts run through my head, etc. But the weight gain and fatigue and adrenal problems, lots of other things all indicate hypothyroidism. So, there. I have to wait a month for the results!!

They said they'd put me on metformin for my PCOS and I am already on 25mg Spiralactone and low estrogen birth control - Ortho Tri-cyclen.

What are some symptoms of T3 deficiency (or malfunction), and what name does it usually go under? How do you get it, is it always perscribed? I am just curious. I can't wait for these results to come in, but since I see you all talking about T3 all the time, I wanted to ask and find out as much as I can. What results have you noticed taking T3? How about the dosage? I know this much: the human body should have a 95% T4 rating to a 5% T3 ratio. Anyhow, responses? I'm sososo sorry for the long post

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Um, 99.9% of the women on here do NOT take T3. There are probably 2-3 women on here that HAVE taken it. MAYBE 2-3.

T3 is a BAD idea to supplement without a doctor's okay. Especially given all your medical issues, self-medicating is a BAD idea.

I took it for a very short period - and will never ever ever ever do so again. It was awful. Not to mention, absolutely useless.

 

[Sassy69]

Real important to understand about t3 - it is a thyroid medication, that along w/ clenbuterol, is not a steroid, but tends to be one of the first control substances especially women will hear about on a board like EF or from their boyfriend or anyone who cycles when they are talking about losign weight. They think because it isn't a steroid that it isn't "bad". However, if there's anythign I've learned during my involvement in the online fitness communities & in competitive bodybuilding - the messiest thing to do is to self medicate to manipulate your hormones. Hormones include thyroid. The body has an "optimal" level of hormones that work for that body, i.e. your own personal body chemistry, and further, they are optimal at a particular age, usually contributing to what we call "youth" -- i.e. around 18-21 yrs old when you are your most energetic, healthiest, easy to eat a lousy diet & not gain weight. And it just goes downhill from there.

So then people start hearing about things like t3, human growth hormone, male testosterone, etc. And any other time in your life other than when the natural production of your own hormones is optimal, the idea is to try to "relive" that time via hormone supplementation. The problem is that to "optimize", ideally you would work w/ /a doctor & first identify your current natural levels of hormone production and then, if the doc determines that your levels are other than "normal", he/she will recommend some prescription to supplement your natural production. The problem though is that a doctor generally won't prescribe somethign if you are "normal" for your age. Equivalently, it is very hard to self-medicate to "supplement' yourself to get these 21 yr old "optimal" levels.

If you are an experienced fitness competitor, I might say rely on your own knowledge & determination if you chose to cycle t3 for the purposes of competition - the idea being that you have a very specific goal & time frame to achieve a particular look and don't expect to maintain that look, e.g. a very lean bodyfat level for more than a few days. Often non-competitors expect to maintain a very lean look for long periods of time and that is not what you will achieve with an aggressive schedule of various controlled substances.

For those 2 reasons - 1) there isn't a lot known about managing optimal hormone levels (e.g. anti-aging therapy) and a doctor is really an important part of monitoring & receiving those optimal levels (andn also requires a lot of money & isn't covered by insurance) and 2) if you aren't coming from the standpoint of using these things w/ the understandign that they only supplement an already extremely rigorous diet & training program for the purpose of being very low bodyfat for a few days (photo shoot or competition) and then rebounding back to a more normal, healthier level of bodyfat immediately after, dont' expect these things to help you get & stay very lean. Straight up diet & training are the tools you should rely on. Anythign else is a supplement ONLY.