The supplement industry is an unregulated space. We know that the Internet is ripe with tales of people’s use of and the wonders of “natural thyroid products.” Many tout the importance of using T3 products rather than T4. They theorize that some people cannot convert T4 to T3. Medical research tells us differently. Most people do in fact convert T4 to T3 when the T4 is replaced. It may take time to see this effect, months in fact. T3 replacement is all the rage, but not with those who actually know the research and the science concerning the thyroid. People who are truly knowledgeable of thyroid replacement, such as the American Thyroid Association, do not condone its widespread use—and for good reason. Sometimes something that sounds too good to be true is in fact too good to be true. Replacing T3 is often done with various glandular products.
These are preparations touted as a more “natural” way to replace thyroid hormones. Let us be clear here: They are not. They are in no way more physiological or natural. They are made from ground-up pig or sheep thyroid. If this itself is not unappealing enough for you, recognize that their concentration varies greatly from batch to batch because of the way glandular products are manufactured. Therefore, using these products leads to erratic regulation of the thyroid from batch to batch—i.e., one month you are taking too much, the next month not enough. Because of the lag in TSH to assess dosing success, you are constantly chasing your tail trying to find the correct dose. In addition, T3 (unlike synthetic T4) is very short acting. This means you take the pill and actually feel the effects within hours—typically a rush of energy and sometimes palpitations. However, this passes quickly and you then experience a big crash in energy. It is a roller coasterride of sorts, with big highs and lows.
There is in fact nothing natural about it, and all the perils of being both hyper- and hypothyroid can be experienced in the same day: fatigue, palpitations, tremors, and more. Synthetic T4 taken properly and monitored so that TSH is kept at a normal level is completely natural and physiologically sound, because it is exactly how your body would do it if it could. The vast majority of our patients are successfully treated with T4 replacement if properly dosed and monitored. (On rare occasions, a combination of prescription T4 and very small amounts of prescription T3 can be used.) The American Thyroid Association and Endocrine Society do not endorse the use of “glandular” products, and we decidedly agree. In our practices, we have seen numerous people over the years who have been given these products by other doctors with hopes of weight loss, energy, and other false promises. They take their T3 and get a brief rush of energy followed by a crash. Ultimately, we end up seeing them when they are exhausted and depressed. We have also seen people with serious heart complications related to the use of T3.
The dangerous mass market products were a key impetus to start Vous Vitamin®, a personalized vitamin company that specializes in safe and targeted formulas. We would rather see a consumer go through our assessment process and get a trustworthy product rather than sort through the vast array of unregulated products on the marketplace. Vitamins can assist with areas like fatigue, but getting the right mix for your body is critical.
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