Beating Hypothyroidism by Using Symptoms and Signs to Manage T3 Dosing Combined with the Circadian T3 Method (CT3M) to Raise Cortisol

Having been prescribed 60mcgs T3 by my consultant endocrinologist in October – dropping T4, I have been using T3 alone, as well as T4 low dose. My T3 has been as high as 80mcgs daily. I’ve felt crappy in the gym and when I exercise – and I exercise hard pretty much every day – cardio stuff mostly, as well as running and cycling. When on T4 alone, my heart rate when exercising was easy to balance and monitor, but since on T3 – particularly since Christmas, it has been going through the roof when exercising, cutting back my exercise time because it has actually been a little uncomfortable, and for my age, heading over 180 beats per minute, instead of the usual 150/170 when say doing a spin class or something.

I want point out that I’m 48 years old, pretty fit, and eat very healthily. I’ve had palpitations during the day, and really annoyingly through the night, and frankly on the verge of dumping T3, after not much of a go with it, let’s face it.

Recently, I started the Circadian T3 Method with an early morning dose at 20mcgs – 5.30am at first, now 4am, going back to sleep, until 7am ish. Based on Paul Robinson’s Recovering with T3 book, I have dosed when I feel I need a dose, NOT when my dose was due, and I have found that if I’m honest, I only need a top up of 10mcgs at midday and 10mcgs more at around 6pm. That’s 30mcgs or 40mcgs – only HALF my normal dose.

This week, my blood pressure has been prefect for me and I mean perfect – 119/66, 126.72 etc etc, with heart rate about 50 to 60 beats per minute – up from my lifetime rate of circa 40-45bpm, a bpm increase which I guess is bound to happen on T3.

Even more brilliant, is that in the gym, there has been an immediate positive reaction, superb heart rate, feeling excellent, and again, easy to balance and monitor (I wear a Polar heart rate monitor when exercising).

Palpitations all but gone. It’s early days, but my goodness, what good results so far. Why the heck would I be taking 60/80mcgs T3, just because it’s prescribed, or because ‘that’s my structured dose’, if I can be happier on 30/40mcgs – maybe even less?

The early dose is a right pain, but I’m cracking on with it. Last week and this, I’ve had bottles of supplements hit my desk – D3, B12, B50 complex, Vit C, chelated magnesium and chelated multi minerals. As I said, early days, but there’s no way I want to take loads of T3 if I don’t have to.

Observation by Paul Robinson

Matt’s experience is a PERFECT example of using symptoms and signs to determine WHEN a T3 dose should be taken and not taking the T3 dose until the body makes it clear that it is required.

If done properly, as Matt as described, the benefits are enormous. In the Recovering with T3 book I make it very clear that if the times of T3 doses are not adjusted then problems can result because when a T3 divided dose gets big enough to work well, it also LASTS LONGER and may begin to OVERLAP with the next divided dose of T3, potentially causing cardiovascular issues as well as other symptoms/signs of tissue over-stimulation (due to excess T3).

This is why the protocol described in Recovering with T3 focuses as much on the time each dose of T3 is taken as well as T3 dose size. This is a case that demonstrates how T3 can be used safely and effectively by this focus on both T3 dose size and timing.

Clearly in Matt’s case, the Circadian T3 Method to raise cortisol also has helped a great deal.