I've taken low dose naltrexone daily for over 6 weeks. My doc prescribed LDN to improve my immunity and hopefully raise my white blood cell level. So this week I will get a blood test to check my CBCs (esp. WBC), thyroid hormones, and vitamin D. I really don't know whether my immunity improved, because I still catch colds very easily. I seem to develop new cold symptoms everytime I am with large crowds of strangers. Last week I went to my local HMO pharmacy to pick up my liothyronine (T3 hormone supplement). After 2 days I had obvious cold symptoms (sore throat, sinus pain, runny nose), despite taking arabinogalactin to fight viral infections.
Taking T3 permanently resolved my chronic irregularity. This is the first time I've had consistently normal regularity for over a month since I had daily diarrhea while taking vancomycin to fight C-diff. I suspect my daily probiotics (100 billion of live good bacteria cells) also improved my overall gut health. However, despite everything I previously did (probiotics, fiber, fluids, magnesium, etc.), I was constipated before taking enough T3.
However I'm still not as warm as I'd like to be or as energetic as I used to be. So I plan to increase my afternoon T3 dose from 2.5 mcg to 5 mcg (as my doc originally prescribed). I decreased my T3 from the orginal dose, because LDN enhanced my thyroid supplements to cause hyperthyroid symptoms and sleep problems. Now that I've taken LDN for over 6 weeks, I'll try increasing my T3 and see how I do. I'm still taking a little over half my originally prescribed LDN dose (1.5-1.75mg daily). That amount does not interfere with sleep. Nevertheless, I'm uncertain whether that amount increased my WBC count. Only blood tests will tell.
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Have u thought about taking al your T3 in the AM? My pharmacy said that a lot of people take their (non-slow reacting) T3 in the AM and not in divided doses and that it seems to work better. Have u tried that? Just a suggestion..
Or, have u thought about getting a slow-release formulation? My compounding Rx uses Avacil (sp?) which is cellulose to help slow down the absorption.
I don't want the added expense of a compounded slow-release T3. I can get 60 T3 tablets for $15 at my local HMO pharmacy, which is within walking distance. I'd need to drive 30 minutes to a compounding pharmacy and probably pay much more.
I'm really doing okay taking a morning and afternoon T3 dose, because I need to take my arabinogalactin 2x daily as well. So I just take the arabino dissolved in water with my T3.
My only change will be to increase the amount of T3 I take in the afternoon, which could give me the extra energy boost I need to get through the rest of the day. (I'm currently only taking 1/2 the prescribed afternoon dose, because of possible LDN interaction.) However, if I notice sleep difficulty from T3/LDN interaction, I'll return to the lower afternoon dose. As long as I take that LDN I may need a lower afternoon T3 dose. Nevetheless, I wouldn't want to take 2x as much T3in the morning and none in the afternoon, because I don't want to crash before dinnertime.
Shelby:
I have a question for you: I wonder ... Do those people, whom your pharmacist says take all their T3 in the morning, ALSO take a T4 supplement. If so, the T4 would give them longterm (all day) hormone supplement. However, I'm just on T3 right now, because I don't easily convert T4 to T3.
Also I need to easily control the amount of hormone in my body when/if LDN/hormone interaction causes hyperthyroid symptoms. With a quick reaction T3, I can easily decrease or omit a dose when/if I get hyper reactions. If I get a hyper reaction from T4 (as was my experience), I STAY hyper for several days, because T4 has a much longer half-life than T3.
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