The Latest In My Heavy Headed Saga

[thyroidrose]

All,

I wrote just a few weeks ago about the heavy headedness leaving me, and I think within the next day or two I came down with a cold (of course!). During the cold I had some issues with the heavy head again but as soon as the cold lifted the heavy head went away with it. Unfortunately I only got about a three day reprieve, then came down with yet ANOTHER cold (what can I say, I have a four year old in the house). During this cold I had the heavy headed feeling and even now that the cold has been gone for two days I am still feeling the wooziness.

Just received my latest labs after being on Tirosint 88 mcgs for 2 months plus an addition of 5 mcg T3 twice a day which I had been taking for a month:

FT3: 4.1 (range 2.0 - 4.4)

FT4: 1.66 (range 0.82 - 1.77)

TSH: 0.045 (range 0.450 - 4.50)

My endocrinologist stated the TSH was way too low. He said to reduce the Tirosint to 50 mcgs and to keep the 5 mcgs of T3 twice a day. I am thinking of keeping the 88 mcgs Tirosint and dropping only 1 of the T3 doses.

I am of course going to ask my holistic MD what she thinks when I see her on Tuesday. In fact I'm kind of sick of this roller coaster ride and am going to inquire about NatureThroid.

My question is - does anyone think that I had maybe hit a sweet spot with the T3 and T4 during my three week reprieve from the wooziness, but that after the T3 built up in my system I started having bad thyroid-y feelings again? It is worth mentioning that I do not have many feelings of hyperthyroidism that I can tell - no heart palpitations, shortness of breath, diarrhea, etc. but I do feel heinous.

THOUGHTS?!

[Clutter]

Thyroidrose,

Can you post your results with the lab ref ranges (the figures in brackets after the results). It makes it a lot easier for members to comment. Generally, low TSH does not mean overmedication as long as FT3 is within range.

[thyroidrose in reply to Clutter]

Clutter I have updated my results, thank you for listening as usual!

[Clutter]

Thyroidrose,

TSH 0.045 is suppressed but you are not overmedicated because FT4 and FT3 are both within range. If your endo reduces dose to raise TSH both FT4 and FT3 will drop.

[thyroidrose in reply to Clutter]

Thanks Clutter. I wonder then what explains my symptoms returning. Hmmmm

[Clutter in reply to thyroidrose]

Thyroidrose,

Your FT4 and FT3 are good so I doubt it is to do with thyroid. Have ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate been tested?

[thyroidrose]

Hi there, yes all have been tested and are optimal. I am seeing my holistic doc today, will see what her opinion is.

[thyroidrose]

Replying to my own comment in case it helps anyone reading this in the future. My holistic doc agreed (amazingly) with the endocrinologist and said to reduce my Tirosint from 88 mcgs to 50 mcgs a day, and to keep the 5 mcgs of T3 twice a day.

The holistic doctor said that with a TSH of 0.045, if I had been feeling amazing, she would not have suggested I change anything in my routine. But since I do not feel well and have developed extreme fatigue, lightheadedness, weakness, and now facial flushing, feeling hot, etc., I should reduce the medication. She said that generally when people's TSH falls under 0.1 we can see hyperthyroidism symptoms develop.

I hope this helps and will update again.

[thyroidrose]

Me again, updating my own thread. I gave the lowered treatment some time but had to bail on it as the awful symptoms continued. Oddly for me hyper and hypo have similar symptoms (head wooziness being the worst) although I did have the hot flashes and was wearing shorts in 60 degree weather and my hands had started trembling recently.

I have been advised by my endo to take three days off from all thyroid meds and drop the T3 from the regimen entirely. I may revisit the T3 later and have stashed it in the medicine cabinet but for the moment I am going back to Tirosint only, 88 mcgs. I will see where that leads me in 5 weeks and do labs.

For the scientific ones out there: My doctor explained that at my current weight, the full replacement dose I should need, however I get there (via T3 and/or T4), is 100 mcgs. This of course is IF I convert which from the trend of my labs I seem to do. So 88 mcgs of T4 + 10 micrograms of T3 (which is equal to 40 mcgs of T4) daily was the equivalent of 128 mcgs total hormones, which was too much for me.

Granted 88 mcgs of T4 only may not be high enough but I am hoping that the T4 only will suit me. Needless to say I am kicking myself for rushing to try the T3 in the first place as I had just upped to 88 mcgs of T4! "PATIENCE IS KEY" is my new mantra.

I'll update again with new labs in 5 weeks.

[thyroidrose]

I'm back to update my thread, thankfully I AM FEELING BETTER. The wooziness is almost gone and I only get a pang or two of it a day.

The moral of my story is that 88 mcgs of Tirosint seems to be working just fine for me right now. I know all of that could change in an instant, so I am thankful for these days of being able to feel like a human again.

My advice would be to follow your labs and if you are converting (meaning, your free T3 and free T4 should be going up while your TSH goes down), you may not need T3 and to try to give T4 only an honest try.