Switched to Tirosint (the good and bad)

[Shaun_m]

A few days ago I switched from Levothyroxine 112mcg to Tirosint 112mcg. The good news is my energy came back, I felt better mentally, brain fog was gone, and was happier and was able to perform better at work. The bad news is it made me feel a little disoriented, and gave me a warm feeling sensation in my chest down through my arms. I had a tightness in my chest and it felt so uncomfortable. It got worse every day and stopped it after 3 days. Yesterday was the 3rd day on it and it felt like I was going to have a heart attack.

Anyone else have experience with Tirosint? I loved that I started to feel like me again but the side effects were rough.

[Nanaedake]

If you're absorbing the tirosint better you might have to adjust your dose at the next blood test.

[Shaun_m in reply to Nanaedake]

Thank you for the reply. Definitely have felt better.

[Clarrisa]

I felt more awareness of my chest when I was lying down & still, I'd say for less than a week after starting this medication. My sense was that my heart was making a adjustment to it, but this change was not enough to make me feel alarmed chest wise.

[Shaun_m in reply to Clarrisa]

Did that awareness eventually go away?

[Shaun_m in reply to Clarrisa]

Hi Clarissa. So my endo dropped me down to 88mcg. Symptoms are better but I still feel awful. When do you take yours?

[Clarrisa in reply to Shaun_m]

Yes (chest) awareness went away within a week. I take Tirosint first thing in the morning after waking up. Good to hear your symptoms have improved. These thyroid medications definitely need tweaking. Everything is said to come out in the wash. Let's hope so!

[Shaun_m in reply to Clarrisa]

Ok. I’ve been taking it at night. I’ll give it a go tomorrow morning to see if I notice a difference. I appreciate the input.

[Clarrisa]

Yes it went away, lasted a week or less as I recall.

[milkwoman]

For me, the levo in Tirosint is absorbed more so I found I needed to be on a lower dose than the Unithroid brand I was previously on.

[Shaun_m in reply to milkwoman]

That’s what I was thinking as well. I’ve contacted my endo about it. I appreciate the response.

[jenniferarchiba]

From what I've read, you should always start Tirosint at half your regular dose because it is pure and contains no fillers or binders, so therefore, it is going to be stronger at smaller doses.

[Shaun_m in reply to jenniferarchiba]

Oh wow. Thank you for that. I really felt amazing on it (besides the side affects). I believe I’m reacting to fillers in my current Levothyroxine pill.

[danym in reply to Shaun_m]

How are u doung on Tirosint? Do u still have those side effects?

[Shaun_m in reply to danym]

I have since stopped it due to the side affects unfortunately. I am currently on 125mcg Levothyroxine. That’s working although my anxiety levels are up with it.

[danym in reply to Shaun_m]

Thank u, i might have to switch too, i can not take the side effects 😞

[Shaun_m in reply to danym]

That’s what I’m finding with a lot of thyroid meds. I’ve tried about 6 so far.

[danym in reply to Shaun_m]

Shaun, how do u handle the anxiety? I swith from 88mcg Tirosint to 100mcg Synthroid and got very bad anxiety today 😞

[Shaun_m in reply to danym]

I use deep breathing as well as an herbal supplement called ltheanine. I have started working out again which is helpful. Yoga helps too. Spending time with family and friends helps me a lot. In regards to the Synthroid, I have tried that one which didn’t work unfortunately. I’m not a doctor, but you may want try it another day or so, or switch the time of day you take it to see if symptoms start to improve. I have found that taking my meds at night is best for myself.

[Hidden in reply to Shaun_m]

I know this is a very old post but just wondering where you got your tirosint from? Thank you

[Shaun_m in reply to Hidden]

Hi. I am in the US and was able to get it through my doctor. I’m sorry I wish I could be more help. 😐

[Hidden in reply to Shaun_m]

thank you anyway! 😊

[Shaun_m in reply to Hidden]

Yep!

[groovylady2017]

I just found this post. Me too, super sensitive to the fillers and dyes in the other meds. Tirosint is amazing so far!

[Hamster18 in reply to groovylady2017]

Does Tirosint make you heat sensitive? Does it make you sweat?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Hamster18]

If you were not absorbing your previous levothyroxine product well, switching to Tirosint could result in a significant does increase.

Imagine you were on 100 micrograms of levothyroxine and absorbing 75% - that would be an effective dose of 75 micrograms. Switch to the same dose of Tirosint and you might absorb 90% - or 90 micrograms. That would be about a 20 percent increase!

Possibly half that increase would be helping you to feel better. But the other half might be too much for you.

(Obviously, if your absorption had been better, the difference would be less. And if it had been worse, it would be greater.)

This is just meant to illustrate what could happen. It isn't meant to be a complete description of what you are experiencing.

[Hamster18 in reply to helvella]

Well I started taking Tirosint in 2018 and it did make me sweat. The endocronologist didn't really say much .. she said it could be my hormones.

So if I am taking 50 micrograms in liquid form of tirosint that would be equivalent of ?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Hamster18]

Without knowing how much you are absorbing, it is impossible to say.

Could be from 50 to around 100 micrograms of standard levothyroxine in tablet form.

But once you have switched, any comparison is irrelevant. Just adjust dosing according to how well your are and blood test results.