Terrifying palpating and a whoosh noise in my head finally got t3 meds 1week now,has anyone any ideas please.

[Denne]

75mg thyroxine. TSH 4.6-0.4-4. T4 13-12-22. T3 3.9-3.95-6.8 on this I feel ill. Have pleaded ,argued and begged with doc to no avail ,tried another few docs then bingo this doc gave me the benefit of the dought and. After an hour of grilling he decided to let me see a endo. Just my luck not a helpful endo, he wanted to discharge me after a few tests saying all my levels were fine. I had a melt down in front of his very eyes,I lost the will to exist, he would not entertain dessicated armour saying it was not legal in this country but he would let me have a try of t3. In two weeks my levels on. 75mg thyroxine once a day and 5mg liothyronine twice a day are. TSH 0.24 t4 16. t3. 5.4 no one at docs wants to help apart from stop the t3 or I have to decide myself doc says and let hin know in two days my decision on what med I reduce or stop and my appointment with endo is not for another 4 weeks. There are lots of benifits with t3 just these terrifying palpating and whooshing noises in head what do I do I'm so scared.

[Hennerton]

Do you mean palpitations in your heart? This often happens at the beginning of taking T3 and may be helped by reducing it for a week or so to once a day and then try again later with the second dose. Another consideration is your ferritin level and serum iron. T3 uses iron rapidly and if you are low in range, this can cause the palps. As for whooshing in the head, sorry I am not familiar with that but someone will come along who is, I am sure.

It may help to ask your GP to test serum iron,ferritin, Vit D, B12 and folate as these are often low in hypo people and are necessary to process the medication. Finally you are so lucky to be prescribed T3 that it would be good to try hard to make it work. You may regret it later if you stop now.

[shaws Administrator]

I wonder why they didn't reduce your T4 of 75mcg when they added T3. The usual way is to reduce 50mcg of T4 for 10mcg of T3.

I was on the same dose as you 75mcg, dropped 50mcg and took 25mcg plus 10mcg of T3. After a couple of months I dropped the T4 and increased T3 by 5mcg and then another 5mcg. I am now on 30mcg.

T3 is not dangerous and I take mine all in one go first thing and am fine. Whatever Dr Lowe prescribed he advised taking it in one dose so that the cells are saturated and it is absorbed into the bloodstream quickly but the effect lasts between 1 to 3 days.

[Parbrook]

For me, it was around 2 weeks before the palpitations went away. The initial feeling was like being over-medicated.

This was probably due to the introduction of Liothyronine and the fact that it takes a while for a reduction in Levothyroxine to work its way through to a reduction in FT4.

I would have expected your Levothyroxine to be reduced when introducing Liothyronine, so you could be over-medicated (which can cause palpitations). on the other hand, 5mcg Liothyronine is considered to be a low dose.

The equivalence ratio between T4 to T3 is either 5:1 (if you are a GP), 4:1 or 3:1, depending on which book/article/study/report you read.

[Moggie]

Can I ask if you have had all your vitamins tested - B12, vitd, iron, ferritin and folates - I ask because I also got T3 from my doctor and ended up in a very similar situation to you. It turned out that all my remaining "thyroid" symptoms were not thyroid symptoms as all but were down to low vitamins. My doctor had refused repeatedly to test my vitamins and so I took the T3 route after reading on here how good it was, and yes it did raise my energy levels but the effects on my heart were scary. It got so bad that an operation I needed was cancelled, I was taken off of T3 and sent to an endo.

The endo then did a really good set of bloods - he literally tested everything - and it turned out my main problem was iron, ferritin and vitd (my folates are also low). My adrenal function was also low but further investigation proved fruitless. Once my endo had corrected all these levels my heart palps decreased, my op went ahead and I now feel like a different person.

The main culprit, I feel, was iron as T4 does not work very well if you have low iron/ferritin levels. I now supplement vitd and iron, on my endo's instructions, and have had investigations for gut issues which had lead me down the gluten free road. If the gut goes wrong then it cannot absorb the vitamins and can cause the antibodies that are responsible for thyroid issues.

Moggie x

[Aurealis]

I've had the whooshing in the head feeling and I think it was when levels were too high. It feels scary doesn't it. The 10mcg T3 you've added is equivalent to 50mcg of T4 so you're on a thyroxine equivalent now of 125mcg. If you reduce T3 you will get immediate relief, this could give you chance to reduce T4 if you want to, but if you do this you may need to later increase T3 again. It's difficult to get T3/T4 combo on an even keel at first. It is worth it. Good luck.

[Hidden]

Hi Denne

• Armour is perfectly legal but unpopular with docs as'unlicensed' but readily available.(e.g.costs NHS £95 per month)

• Extract of pig thyroid is seen to be 'old fashioned' (it can be prescribed, some on a "named patient" basis)

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

• Levo is a synthetic 'mirror' product prescribed since the 1970s. 75% are 'fine' with it & probably not on this forum.

• "Natural dessicated thyroid" (NDT) or equivalent has been used since 1890 (aka 'Armour', 'NatureThroid' etc.)

• You can get that horrid 'whoosh' sound, palpitations & 'anxiety' symptoms without medication if your'e hyperthyroid

• Often folk get palpitations & hyper symptoms when increasing medication ('anxiety symptoms')

• The late Dr Lowe explains that sometimes scary symptoms are due the heart responding to the increase.

• Please consider & correct underlying deficiencies/low levels of nutrients e.g. irons, ferritin, folate & B12, VitD & calcium etc.

Well done for being prescribed T3! I'm sure you will benefit from it, but as others - with experience - have said best increase in increments whilst slightly lowering Levo. J

[Jackie]

Hi The whoosh noise is the palpitations/heart.

If thyroid is out in either directions this can cause the palps.

However, it is also associated with Atrial fibrillation, AF,. Early onset can be from thyroid disease,. You need treatment from an arrhythmia expert cardio if it is.The medical test to start with is always taking your pulse/heart rate ( H R ) 3 times a day for 2 weeks, manually and each time after resting at least 10mins.Chart, you are looking for an uneveness, swinging at the time of taking. It is intermittent for many years so hard to diagnose.

If this applies, next step ask GP for a 24 hour or better 7 day home monitor. if shows, then a referral.

Regarding the Endo, still not too late, research one at other hospitals, then phone their secs and ask about prescribing, NHS unlikely to give you armour etc but important to find if they give T3. Also if prescribe JUST on bloods.Then ask for a new referral.having had one ,it should be easier.

If you do have A.F it is always considered vital to be under an Endo

Your results, at the end , T4 looks slightly low. You should have had the other important tests from the Endo, especially the autoimmune hormonal ones, they can make all the difference. If a thyroid drug is effecting the heart, it is often the t3 not A.F in that case..You should not have the FT3 any higher and infact at that, it is important to watch it does not go over.

I hope that helps.

Jackie

[Denne]

Many thanks you guys for your help,have dropped my thyroxine to 25mcg taken first thing then one 5mcg t3 then about 4 pm I start to flag and my eyes feel like I've not slept for days so I take another t3 then about 10pm I flag again should I be taking more ? The palpitations have eased but when I am tiered the whooshing is still there slightly in my head .

[Denne]

Thank you guys for your help much appreciated,

[Kitten-whiskers]

Hello Denne,

I can't really offer much advice as I am in the same boat myself, take T3 has lots of benefits but comes at a price - nasty symptoms. Have you had an ASI test for your Adrenals, If they are low you could try the CT3 method, I thing I am going to try that next. I really feel for you and I can completely relate to what your going through. I wish you the best of luck and hope things improve x

[Denne in reply to Kitten-whiskers]

What is Asi and ct3 method,all my levels are o.k. According to endo,what is autoimmune coz I've seen it in my file,still trying with t3 on 50mg thyroxine and one t3 5 mg a day,palps are going but whooshing in head still there when going to sleep,it's horrible,can't see endo till nxt month my appointment n doc won't help so I have to mix meds the best I can it's really scary .

[Kitten-whiskers in reply to Denne]

Hello Denne,

I completely agree, it is really scary and without this site I would feel very alone with this awful condition, The ASI test (Adrenal Stress Index) is a test (done privately by Genova Logistics) where they test your Adrenal levels & DHEA , they send you out a kit and you put your Saliva in these test tubes - at different times throughout the day. Doctors & Endros do not seem to realise that Adrenal Fatique really exists. The GP or Endro would offer the sanchran test (spelling is wrong, sorry) this will only show up Addisons Diease or Cushings Diease. Adrenal Fatique can cause terrible symptoms and in many cases over lap with Thyroid Symptoms with the exception of not being able to sweat and constant hungar.

The CT3 method is the Circadian T3 Method - this is only to be used if you have adrenal fatique.

Have you read recovering with T3 by Paul Robinson - Jam packed with information it maybe helpful, he was the one who wrote the CT3 Method.

I hope you get some help from your Endro

Best wishes

[luvlee]

All I can say is I had those horrible whooshing sounds in my head, which were terrifying, and heart palps with rapid heart beat. My doc did blood test. Dangeroysly low red blood. Put me on 325mg iron 2xaday with 1000 b12 1xa day and 50,000iu vitamin d once a week, and it cured me. It was the low blood.