Dosage of thyroxine

Have felt terrible all day.Heart rate up And down ,was 122 at one time.I am on CSIRO monitor so can do ECG anytime.Blood pressure has been up and down all day.I wonder if I am upping my dose too quickly?

[greygoose]

Well, how quickly are you upping it? With thyroxine it should be 25 mcg every 6 weeks.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

The specialst knocked it down to 75 once a week and 50 every other day.That was about 2 weeks ,previous to that he had me on 75 mon,wed,fri,for a month previous to that I was on 50 for 2 days and 75 third day.that was for a long time.Just woke up.dont feel well although my BP is perfect.132/71/68 Been up 3 times in the night for a wee.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Doesn't sound like you're upping it at all, you're decreasing it - well, he has - and that could be why you're feeling bad - your dose is too low! You're only on a starter dose. Do you have any labs to share with us?

I Don't think this 'specialis' has any idea what he's doing. It's dangerous to mess around with a dose like that - presumably because of your TSH - it's going to have a bad effect on your metabolism.

The idea of thyroid hormone replacement is that you start on a low dose - 50 mcg usually - then get tested after SIX weeks, get an increase and then wait another SIX weeks, and so on and so forth until all your symptoms have gone. Obviously your 'specialist' doesn't know that. But why are you going to see him so frequently? Two weeks after a dose change is too soon.

It's not just a case of your blood pressure, there are all sorts of things going on there. Do you have to get up in the night every night? Or was last night an exception. A one-off could be down to anything, but if it's every night, then it could be your adrenals are feeling the strain.

Do you have the possibility of increasing your dose yourself? Could you go back to a dose you felt well on? Or have you felt bad on all of them? I Don't think you should see that 'specialist' again, he's not going to get you well. Can you find a more clued-up doctor who won't mess you around like that?

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Had a test on 24th March.free T4 16.5. TSH 2.90. No free T3 done that month.Previous,12th Aug.14. Free T3 3.7 Since then,my new doc got test done,they only did TSH on the 5th May.5.3.

Had got a form from Endo which had all 3 tests on .Had that done on Friday.Will get results 25th when I go to see endo.I usually have to get up once in the night.I have increased dose to 75 a day,which I was on for years and always felt well on. The new doc said to go bad to my old regime but has I am getting Afib and high blood pressure was getting a bit worried thinking perhaps I wasn't doing the right thing.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

My iron is 9. Ferritin 30. Chorlestrol 9.2

Rand glucose 5.5. eGFR is between 60 and 90.Says consider testing for Albuminuria first thing in the morning.I did have that one time when I was pregnant,that would have been over 50 years ago as my youngest will be 50 tomorrow.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

I Don't understand why your 'specialist' keeps lowering your dose when your levels are so low. You are very hypo, and it's probably that that is causing the Afib and high BP - it's definately not due to over-dosing!!!

Honestly, mjean, he knows nothing about thyroid, you should run from this man as fast as you can, he's not going to do you any good and is probably going to do you harm.

Your iron is much too low, as far as I can tell without ranges. It needs to be mid-range. That will be adding to your symptoms and meaning that you cannot convert the T4 you're taking into T3. That is keeping you hypo. The high cholesterol only means that you are hypo, it is not a problem in itself, just an indication of the state of your health.

Are you on any other médications apart from the Levo?

You should also get your vit D, vit B12 and folate tested. They are also important for conversion. Vit D and folate should be at least mid-range, and vit B12 should be over 500, but preferably higher.

You are probably also deficient in magnesium. It would be a good idea to start taking a little. Doubt if your doctor will test for that. AFib can be caused by low magnesium.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Just woke up,taken 75 levo. Am on spiriva and albuterol. I know my iron is low,am taking Spatone for that.Was on B12 injections every 3 months,now well up and new doc said to leave for a while then test again. Just bought some magnesium with Vit d and calcium,was taking magnesium on its own.Taking Atenolol for HBP.fish oil as well. Hope I start feeling better soon.Was given Ezetimibe for chorlestrol,don't want to take them though?I do have yogurt every day and try to eat healthy.New Doc said to go back to old dose you felt fit on.75.Cant take ace inhibitors,upset my stomach too much.Atenonol makes me tired but the best of a bad lot.Also heart specialist prescribed nitrate patches for Afib.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Never feel hungry really and force myself to eat,once I start I enjoy my food.Eat better at night.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I also take Valium only one or two mcg.at a time.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

Gosh, Mjean, I Don't know what to say. Such a cocktail!

Are you taking the spiriva because you have asthma? And albuterol? Also for asthma? But did you or your doctor know that albuterol and Levo Don't mix?

peoplespharmacy.com/2006/09...

It could also be having an adverse effect on your heart.

And Atenolol is a beta-blocker which isn't recommended for hypos or those on albuterol. I think you need to see your doctor for a serious revision of all your medication. I do Wonder if he knows what he's doing!

Glad to hear you didn't take the cholesterol medication! That's is not recommended for hypos, anyway. And when you get on a decent dose of thyroid hormone replacement, your cholesterol will go down - probably all your other problems will go, as well.

But none of it has anything to do with what you eat. Cholesterol is made in the liver. Nutritional cholesterol is irrelevant.

Does your heart specialist know that you have an Under-active thyroid?

patient.co.uk/medicine/glyc...

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

I thought I had just replied to this,probably didn't hold submit long enough.Going to heart specialist on Thursday,he will know,I asked for copy of results to be sent to him as well.

I take Spiriva because I have emphasema, bottom half of my right lung doesn't work,gave up smoking 50 years ago.Was reading about albuterol yesterday and thinking I wasn't going to take it as much.I do wait a couple of hours after thyroxine before I take Beta blocker.

I sometimes think the breathlessness is stress.If I get my thyroid well I know I will feel better.

So glad I found this site.Am feeling quite good this morning.Had to get up a couple of times in the night.Will start having more fruit with potassium in.Not been eating well for a long time.

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

It's normal not to have much appetite when you're hypo. And cooking is such an effort, too. I do hope your heart specialist will be able to come up with some answers. Let us know how you get on.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

Will do.