FREE Thyroid Report & Newsletter

When weaning a cycle of T3 therapy, does one wean partway down, down to the starting dose, or all the way off?

When weaning a cycle of T3 therapy, does one wean partway down, down to the starting dose, or all the way off?

If it is decided that it is time for a patient to wean the T3 therapy, then it is usually best for the patient to wean all the way off. Imagine having a pile of dirt in your front yard that you want to move with a wheelbarrow to the back yard. Yes, you could wheel a full load to the back yard, dump it only halfway, and then return to the pile in the front yard for another load. But when you wheel a full load to the back yard and you dump it completely before returning for another load, you could accomplish twice as much work with much less effort. By weaning off the T3 therapy completely, the patient does not waive her chance at being able to get her temperature up on the smallest dose she can. This is no small opportunity. Generally, the lower the dose of T3 therapy, the easier it is to keep it steady, the better the patient feels, the less the chance of side effects, the less the expense incurred, and the closer the patient is to being finished with the treatment.