Hello : I am new I don't think my brain is... - Thyroid UK

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Bexx2 profile image
33 Replies

I am new I don't think my brain is working too well. right now I take 25mcg thyroxine i am worried I will overdose pls advise

TSH 4.9 (0.2 - 4.2)

FT4 14.8 (12 - 22)

FT3 3.2 (3.1 - 6.8)

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Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2
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33 Replies
Trina64 profile image
Trina64

Do you have test results with ranges? I highly doubt you will overdose on 25 mcg.

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2 in reply to Trina64

TSH 4.9 (0.2 - 4.2)

FT4 14.8 (12 - 22)

FT3 3.2 (3.1 - 6.8)

Trina64 profile image
Trina64 in reply to Bexx2

You are definitely not going to overdose on 25 mcg. You will probably need a lot more before all is said and done. I understand that fear though! I am not optimal yet, but working hard to get there.

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2

Why am I sweating with these results pls

Trina64 profile image
Trina64 in reply to Bexx2

You body is just messed up...I don't have any other explanation.

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2

Was on 200mcg thyroxine and 20mcg T3 and felt great

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Bexx2

Who took your T3 away and why

This keeps happening. Your are sadly not the first

Sweating and tremors are likely due to now being extremely under medicated and very likely terrible vitamin levels

How long since dose reduction. You need an urgent appointment with GP to get vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 tested. Also need immediate 25mcg dose increase in Levo and retesting after 6 weeks

You will need slow steady increase in 25mcgs steps until TSH is around one and FT4 towards top of range and FT3 at least half way in range

Retesting 6 weeks after each dose increase

Vitamins will need serious support too

Presumably you have Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease, diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Typical posts after T3 stopped

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Sweating and tremor due to under medication

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

You need a new endo.

Email Thyroid UK for list of recommended thyroid specialists

please email Dionne:
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org

Thyroid UK are collecting evidence of malpractice due to removing clinically needed T3

Please consider sending a brief outline of this. How T3 improved you and the subsequent disaster since it was stopped. I would include the dire vitamin levels

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/get_in...

Recent debate in Scottish parliament about T3

scottishparliament.tv/meeti...

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.

Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor

please email Dionne:
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org

Prof Toft - article just published now saying T3 is likely essential for many

rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/fi...

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2 in reply to SlowDragon

dose reduction done back in November and antibodies are over range no idea why but family history of autoimmune for diabetes and cushings and multiple sclerosis

TPO antibodies 556 (<34)

TG antibodies 4000 (<115)

endo told me to start again

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Bexx2

Ditch that endo they obviously have no idea (probably yet another Diabetes specialist pretending they have some idea about Hashimoto's, they obviously don't have a clue)

Make an urgent appointment to see any GP

You need immediate 25mcg dose increase and retesting after 6 weeks.

Likely several more increases

Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Extremely likely to be dire as direct result of T3 being stopped and Levo dose reduced.

This endo is a sadist

You have Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease confirmed by high thyroid antibodies

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

Ask GP for coeliac blood test first and insist on testing of vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

Tinnitus, dizziness are likely low B12

Bone pain low vitamin D.

Bloating is low stomach acid and probably gluten intolerant

Tremor is because you are so under medicated you are living on adrenaline

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2

My work is now so badly affected :(

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2

Clumsiness

Dizziness

Headaches

Weight gain

Bloating

Tremor

Arm weakness

Bone pain

Tinnitus

Feeling cold

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2

Feel so slow as well it's getting me down

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2

I'm sorry I am trying to work out what to do about my care and was hoping to get some support sorry for being a pest

BadHare profile image
BadHare

No pest, we're all here to help each other! :)

I believe 50mcg of levothyroxine is a starting dose, so you're bound to feel poorly & symptomatic on half of this?

Is there a reason you dropped your dose by the equivalent of 235mcg of levothyroxine, when you say you felt great on 200mcg thyroxine and 20mcg T3?

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2 in reply to BadHare

endo asked me to start again

BadHare profile image
BadHare in reply to Bexx2

I'm sighing & shaking me head! :(

tallulah100 profile image
tallulah100 in reply to Bexx2

I am so mad, what kind of idiot does something like that. If you felt well on that dose you should go straight back on it. Of course you feel awful you have basically stopped all thyroid meds. Change your endo. If you were well why do you need to start again, I never heard anything so ludicrous. I don't know, but surely we can complain to some medical board about this appalling behaviour by so called health professionals. Sorry for the rant. But this keeps happening and there seem to be no comeback on them.

spongecat profile image
spongecat

Aww Bexx2 you are NOT being a pest. This is a support forum for those of us who are in the same boat or have been through it, going through it etc.. etc.. You have come to the right place :)

You are having all these symptoms again and probably feeling down and anxious too because your medication has been cruelly snatched away. I expect your T3 was stopped because of "cost" and because these doctors look at your blood results and see that your TSH is low or suppressed and (wrongly) think you are overmedicated. Of course TSH would be low because your body is being supplied T3 and T4 by tablet!

Maybe if you have some historic blood results we can see what has happened? Don't worry if you haven't got them, the main thing is to get you back to feeling better again.

You are certainly not the first or last that this has happened to. Personally I think it's absolutely disgraceful what is happening. Stick around and we will try to help you. The advice and links that SlowDragon has given are all good to help understand.

I'm afraid that our condition is one of those ones where knowledge is power, so drink in as much information about hypothyroidism as you can and it will make you feel better and more in control too. :)

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2 in reply to spongecat

how far do you want my results to go back from pls i have results going back from 2013?

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2 in reply to spongecat

Diagnosis in May 2013

TSH 55 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 10.2 (12 – 22)

November 2013 (100mcg thyroxine)

TSH 4.3 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 15.3 (12 – 22)

January 2014 (125mcg thyroxine)

TSH 2.9 (0.2 – 4.2)

March 2014 (125mcg thyroxine)

TSH 1.87 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 13.3 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.1 (3.1 – 6.8)

May 2014 (125mcg thyroxine, GP removed it)

TSH 6.01 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 18.3 (12 – 22)

August 2014 (no thyroxine)

TSH 0.02 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 23.6 (12 – 22)

FT3 6.4 (3.1 – 6.8)

October 2014 (50mcg thyroxine, new GP reinstated it)

TSH 2.56 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 15.7 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.0 (3.1 – 6.8)

December 2014 (100mcg thyroxine)

TSH 6.8 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 14.2 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.1 (3.1 – 6.8)

February 2015 (125mcg thyroxine)

TSH 3.80 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 13.3 (12 -22)

FT3 4.2 (3.1 – 6.8)

May 2015 (150mcg thyroxine)

TSH 5.6 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 25.3 (12 – 22)

FT3 5.2 (3.1 – 6.8)

August 2015 (175mcg thyroxine)

TSH 1.23 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 19.3 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.1 (3.1 – 6.8)

October 2015 (75mcg thyroxine and 10mcg T3)

TSH <0.02 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 20.6 (12 – 22)

FT3 5.5 (3.1 – 6.8)

December 2015 (75mcg thyroxine and 10mcg T3)

TSH <0.02 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 20.4 (12 – 22)

FT3 5.3 (3.1 – 6.8)

February 2016 (100mcg thyroxine and 10mcg T3)

TSH 0.08 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 22.7 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.6 (3.1 – 6.8)

April 2016 (25mcg thyroxine, endo told me to start again after February results)

TSH 6.8 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 12.9 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.2 (3.1 – 6.8)

June 2016 (75mcg thyroxine)

TSH 7.1 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 13.1 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.0 (3.1 – 6.8)

August 2016 (75mcg thyroxine and 10mcg T3)

TSH 3.87 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 17.2 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.5 (3.1 – 6.8)

November 2016 (100mcg thyroxine and 10mcg T3)

TSH 1.66 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 16.1 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.0 (3.1 – 6.8)

June 2017 (200mcg thyroxine and 20mcg T3)

TSH <0.02 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 23.6 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.8 (3.1 – 6.8)

September 2017 (175mcg thyroxine)

TSH 0.03 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 21.3 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.0 (3.1 – 6.8)

November 2017 (150mcg thyroxine)

TSH 0.02 (0.2 – 4.2)

FT4 25.6 (12 – 22)

FT3 4.2 (3.1 – 6.8)

AnnieGamm profile image
AnnieGamm in reply to Bexx2

At least you get to see results....I've never seen mine in 20 odd years. Going to get them from now on thanks to this site!!

mistydog profile image
mistydog in reply to Bexx2

You really need to find a competent doctor. With hashimoto's you cannot dose by TSH as it will fluctuate.

You felt good on 200 and T3, so insist you are titrated back to a level at which you feel well.

I'm furious on your behalf.

Report the GP and the endo, they are dangerous.

Treepie profile image
Treepie in reply to Bexx2

The endo is working on low TSH and high FT4 ignoring the one that really matter : FT3 that is in range . It was probably Hashimotos causing the FT4 fluctuations and your numpty endo has not a clue.Or is there a conspiracy as there have been many similar recent posts.

hellybaybee profile image
hellybaybee in reply to Treepie

Yeah, endo seems clueless - completely going off tsh which is ridiculous. I notice at points your T4 is over range but T3 never reaches the top so either you have hashimotos or an issue with T4 absorption (or at least, absorption of synthetic T4). At first I thought ur endo, was taking your T3 because drs are incentivised to remove it (don’t get me started on that!) but I genuinely don’t think that they know what they’re doing, suppressed tsh is ok if T3 is in range and ideally at top of range. There’s an article you can get by dr toft (I think) explaining this - can anyone help with that? I don’t have it. Scrapping your treatment to “start again” is really unhelpful - you must feel awful with all those severe changes!!!

diogenes profile image
diogenesRemembering

If you have been with the levels of T4 and T3 in the past that you report here and felt well and have been switched to just 25 uscg T4 only, this is a criminal thing to do. I'll quote my conclusion from a paper we just published on switching from combined therapy to mono therapy:

"However, changing the treatment then is dangerous, because your body won't respond quickly if at all. This is called allostatic epigenetic transformation, where your gene readouts have been permanently altered from normal health and can't easily be restored back again exactly to what they were. This often happens if you become critically ill close to death and partially recover. If your doctor simply thinks that you can change things early and quickly respond, then this is a dangerous, wrongheaded thing to suggest and has been scientifically condemned and could cause you permanent harm."

Bexx2 profile image
Bexx2 in reply to diogenes

yes i felt well on thyroxine and T3 before

mistydog profile image
mistydog in reply to Bexx2

For God's sake, show them this paper that diogenes has posted. It's criminal.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Bexx2

Because, like many/most with Hashimoto's you need T3

But FIRST you must get vitamins optimal and very likely necessary to be strictly gluten free as well

Read as much as possible about Hashimoto's

There are thousands of posts on here about strictly gluten free diet helping significantly

Post your vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 results on new post when you get them

Your blood test results look good Oct / Nov 2015 on 75mcg Levo/10 mcg T3. How did you feel then?

Why did you let your Endo reduce your medication?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Your endo hadn't a clue. You very likely need T3 to keep stable

BUT you must get vitamins optimal FIRST and extremely likely that gluten free diet is essential to help heal gut and reduce antibodies and Hashimoto's swings

Slowly increase Levo back up in 25mcg steps until TSH is around one and FT4 towards top of range

Email Thyroid UK for list of recommended thyroid specialists. Some are T3 friendly.

Your dose of Levo has jumped around all over the place. Your endo has absolutely no idea about fine tuning and just how sensitive and very small dose changes needed.

Most of them have absolutely no idea about how important vitamins or the gluten link

Greenarrow profile image
Greenarrow

Don't worry about the risk of overdosing - my Wife is presently taking 125mcg thyroxine, so your 25mcg is a very low level... well under the maximum!

linda96 profile image
linda96

I can’t add anything more to the wonderful advice that’s been given above but have a query. The nhs is trying desperately to get patients to go back to t4 monotherapy to save money. Does the clinical paper conclusion that Diogenes mentioned mean that a lot of Endos and GP’s who are colluding in making patients go back to t4 monotherapy will be causing more harm than good and should be sued?

I do so hope Bexx2 that you manage to get sorted, And soon.

I have recently been asked to drop my self sourced t3, so glad I haven’t.

klr31 profile image
klr31

You need more thyroxine. 25mcg is a tiny starting dose.

Karen

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