"Natural" Thyroid Medications Containing T3 Can Be More Harmful Than Good for Patients with Heart Problems

Thyroid medications come in two main forms, synthetic pills that contain only T4 thyroid hormone replacement and "natural" pills that have both T4 and T3 thyroid hormone replacements. I am a thyroid patient and have done a lot of research over the last several years about synthetic T4 and "natural" T4/T3 thyroid medications. During my research, I came across many thyroid patients, doctors, thyroid advocates, etc. who say that the "natural" T4/T3 thyroid medications are superior to the synthetic T4 only medications. After reading how so many people seemed to feel better on "natural" T4/T3 thyroid medication, I decided to try it myself after having a total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine treatment for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

T3, Tachycardia, and Chest Pain. Along with my autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto's, I had developed tachycardia (a faster than normal heart rate) and high blood pressure and have been taking beta blockers to control both. Despite the fact that I was still taking the beta blockers when I started the "natural" T4/T3 thyroid medication, I started having problems with my heart rate and blood pressure on the second day of taking my thyroid medication. By the next night, my heart was racing and pounding and I was having chest pain. I tried lowering my dose twice to see if it would help, but I continued to have problems with tachycardia and chest pain and feeling horrible even on the lowest dose of the "natural" T4/T3 thyroid medication. After only one week, I had to completely stop taking it. I was then switched to a synthetic T4 only thyroid medication and since then, my tachycardia is much more under control, I stopped having chest pain, and I've started feeling much better. It has become obvious that my heart could not handle the T3 in the "natural" thyroid medication.

How Does T3 Cause Heart Problems? T4 has a very long half life and our bodies usually convert T4 to T3 as we need it. T3 has a very short half life and is very stimulating. When you take "natural" thyroid medication that has T4 and T3 in it, it's like "dumping" a bunch of T3 in your body all at once instead of your body converting T4 into T3 as needed. This "dump" of T3 can affect the body within minutes of taking a thyroid medication containing T3 and can last for several hours. Since T3 is so stimulating to our bodies, it seems to make many thyroid patients feel better, but for patients that also have heart problems, T3 can be too stimulating and cause the problems that I had with my blood pressure, tachycardia, and chest pain, making you feel horrible instead of better.

Disclaimer. Though I would not recommend a thyroid medication that contains T3 to someone with heart problems, I am not a doctor and this article is based on my own personal experience on "natural" T4/T3 thyroid medication. In some cases, people have problems with their bodies converting T4 to T3 and would therefore need a thyroid medication that contains both. This is something that only a doctor performing the correct tests could tell you and the information in this article is not meant to replace your doctor's care or advice.

Related Content:

Thyroid Disease Information - Hashimoto's, Graves, Signs, Symptoms, Tests, Treatments, and More

Total and Subtotal Thyroidectomy Information

Sources:

American Thyroid Association

About.Com Thyroid