Taureau
Administrator
Female Hormones
Thyroid Medication: T3 and T4
The thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), are tyrosine-based hormones produced by the thyroid gland primarily responsible for regulation of metabolism. T4 converts to T3, with T3 being 3-4 times stronger than T4. Synthetic T4 (Synthroid) is often prescribed for people diagnosed with hypothyroidism ("sluggish thyroid").
T3 Profile: http://forums.rxmuscle.com/showthread.php?t=27090
On a side note, thyroid disease is not uncommon in women. I would hesitate to blame "can't lose weight" on the thyroid, as people often look for pills-based solutions or some excuse before they'll spend the time revisiting their diet & training programs. But that said, if you feel there is an issue, by all means, talk to your doctor about it and get a thyroid panel done. Here is some starting information about this subject: Metabolic Mysteries: Undiagnosed Thyroid Disease and Women (http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/mystery.htm).
An overview of these thyroid hormones may be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid_hormone
T3 is frequently suggested as part of a fat-loss protocol. It is important to be conservative with use of T3 if you choose to go that route. You are manipulating your thyroid via self-medication. Too much and you will immediately feel lethargic. General guidance also suggests to be slow in your dosing - taper off when you are coming off instead of just dropping it cold. The body generally can adapt to small changes but tends to rebound with large, sudden changes.
Another very important consideration with T3 is that bumps up metabolism... but that means metabolism of everything - both lean muscle mass and bodyfat. Women tend to be so focused on "fat loss" that they forget about the importance of muscle mass. Building and preserving muscle mass has nothing to do with "looking like a man" or "getting huge", but rather about the keeping the body component that helps you burn bodyfat more efficiently, and it also goes into what makes up a bodyfat percentage. "What's your bodyfat?" means what is the ratio of lean muscle mass to bodyfat in your body? It is great to drop bodyfat, but if you are sacrificing muscle mass, your overall bodyfat percentage will not drop the way you want it to. The lack of muscle mass can contribute to a higher bodyfat percentage (what we often call "skinny-fat"0 just as higher bodyfat percentage.
To this end it is not generally recommended to cycle T3 without an anabolic support. Either an AAS or, a very common stack is with clenbuterol, which has been shown to be anabolic, or at least anti-catabolic.
Typical Cycle:
It is not recommended to run T3 by itself. Combine either of the following with an AAS or a clen cycle.
The thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), are tyrosine-based hormones produced by the thyroid gland primarily responsible for regulation of metabolism. T4 converts to T3, with T3 being 3-4 times stronger than T4. Synthetic T4 (Synthroid) is often prescribed for people diagnosed with hypothyroidism ("sluggish thyroid").
T3 Profile: http://forums.rxmuscle.com/showthread.php?t=27090
On a side note, thyroid disease is not uncommon in women. I would hesitate to blame "can't lose weight" on the thyroid, as people often look for pills-based solutions or some excuse before they'll spend the time revisiting their diet & training programs. But that said, if you feel there is an issue, by all means, talk to your doctor about it and get a thyroid panel done. Here is some starting information about this subject: Metabolic Mysteries: Undiagnosed Thyroid Disease and Women (http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/mystery.htm).
An overview of these thyroid hormones may be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid_hormone
T3 is frequently suggested as part of a fat-loss protocol. It is important to be conservative with use of T3 if you choose to go that route. You are manipulating your thyroid via self-medication. Too much and you will immediately feel lethargic. General guidance also suggests to be slow in your dosing - taper off when you are coming off instead of just dropping it cold. The body generally can adapt to small changes but tends to rebound with large, sudden changes.
Another very important consideration with T3 is that bumps up metabolism... but that means metabolism of everything - both lean muscle mass and bodyfat. Women tend to be so focused on "fat loss" that they forget about the importance of muscle mass. Building and preserving muscle mass has nothing to do with "looking like a man" or "getting huge", but rather about the keeping the body component that helps you burn bodyfat more efficiently, and it also goes into what makes up a bodyfat percentage. "What's your bodyfat?" means what is the ratio of lean muscle mass to bodyfat in your body? It is great to drop bodyfat, but if you are sacrificing muscle mass, your overall bodyfat percentage will not drop the way you want it to. The lack of muscle mass can contribute to a higher bodyfat percentage (what we often call "skinny-fat"0 just as higher bodyfat percentage.
To this end it is not generally recommended to cycle T3 without an anabolic support. Either an AAS or, a very common stack is with clenbuterol, which has been shown to be anabolic, or at least anti-catabolic.
Typical Cycle:
It is not recommended to run T3 by itself. Combine either of the following with an AAS or a clen cycle.
- 25-50 mcg per day, for the duration of your cycle - this keeps it very simple and is not aggressive.
- Start at 12.5 mcg for a week, increase by 12.5 mcg per week until a maximum of 75 mcg. Then taper back down by 12.5 mcg every 3 days.