Worried about alternate doses.

[tinalouise]

Hi everyone I'm new to this community. Have been hypo for 16yrs approx. Recently my meds have not been doing the job. When I take 100mcg levo, I end up very constipated & have a pin prick sensation all over my skin. When I take 125mcg levo, I end up with palpitations, irregular heartbeat, sweating & itching. My dilemma is this. Is it OK to take alternate daily doses of 100 & 125?? GP is useless so no point asking him. Thanks everyone.

[Hidden]

Hello tinalouise,

Welcome to our forum and sorry to hear that you are not feeling well.

In answer to your question, yes you can alternate doses on different days and I do so myself. However, it is not a good idea to raise your dose without a blood test, and palpitations, irregular heartbeat, sweating & itching could all be symptoms of over medication.

If I were you I would be looking at why my meds weren't working as opposed to just trying to unsuccessfully raise them.

Thyroid meds work better without nutrient deficiencies and people with thyroid issues are more prone to deficiencies due to gut issues...IBS, candida, acid problems, etc, etc.

Below is a link explaining the important of supplementing. I supplement selenium which is known to help with thyroid hormone synthesis.

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

If you have any recent thyroid hormone blood tests or Vit//iron tests, post results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets) for members to comment.

Hope this helps.

Flower

This forum is supported by the charity ThyroidUK. You do not have to join the charity to benefit from this forum but by doing so you will be supporting the charity and also entitled to various discounts when buying supplements, as detailed in the link.

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

[Hidden]

Yes it is ok to alternate dose like that.perhaps try that for a while and see if it works better for you? I am doing that with GP approval,so don't think there is medically any reason not to.

[shaws Administrator]

Hi tinalouise

I think that after 16 years you should ask the doctor for some T3 (liothyronine) to be added to your T4. Many have found that the addition of T3 to be very helpful.

The BTA's guidelines state T4 only but those of us on this site are obviously not well due to those guidelines.

The fact is that very few doctors know anything other than levothyroxine. Are unaware of clinical symptoms of hypo (which you state above) and no idea other than to adjust doses of levo or give you medication for the symptoms rather than a decent hormone.

Tell your doctor that new research has shown that the addition of T3 to T4 has proven very helpful for the patients, can you please have a trial for 3 months. I shall give you the link and highlight the appropriate section (the first para) in Page 6.

Ask him to prescribe 30mcg of T3 with 100mcg of T4. When you first add it (in the uk it comes in 20mcg tablets so you'd have to split one) begin by 10mcg added to levo for about 1 week, then another 10 in the second etc. Before you begin though, take your Basal temp (which means taking it before you get out of bed in the morning plus your pulse) so that you have a starting point. When you begin take your pulse/temp several times during the day. Sometimes we can get palps but I found mine settled when I began T4. I am not medically qualified but use T3 only now and I am in good health.

Get your GP to check your Vitamin B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate as we are usually deficient.

Make the appointment as early as possible when you go for your next blood test, leave 24 hours between your dose of levo and the blood test. Take it afterwards. You should also fast but can drink water but not too much but sufficient. Doctors go by the TSH only and eating or taking hormones before it can lower it.

hormonerestoration.com/

Always get a print-out of your blood test results with the ranges and post if you have a query. Also get your most recent ones (we are entitled) and post them on a new question.

Go to page 80 and highlight the first para where it says: Subsequent research by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) found the therapeutic equivalence was

3:1.

Thus, most of the subjects were under

treated with the T3/T4 combination. In light

of the NIH finding, the conclusion that T3

therapy is never needed is invalid.

tpauk.com/images/docs/reduc...