Need advice please. Struggling with T3 raising blood pressure

[naturegirl3434]

I have been on 5mcg of T3 for 5 weeks now. My blood pressure seems to spike around 5pm, 7:30pm, and on up to bedtime. It is usually (120/80) to (130/40's) throughout the day but at bedtime it's usually high 151/110 with heart palps, butterfly feeling, and breathlessness. It hasn't started spiking really bad until I started the T3. Yesterday I had an episode during the day at around 3pm and it spiked 165/114 and I couldn't get it down. I was also dizzy, drunk feeling, and having numbness and tingling in face and legs. I've had this episode before, went to ER, and they said it was a panic attack and had normal EKG. All ER did was send me home with valium. This is scaring me and I don't know what to do.

Almost called emergency but took clonidine 0.1mg blood pressure pill and it came down. Was so scared I didn't take afternoon dose of T3. Any advice or suggestions or experiences to share would be greatly appreciated. I am scared to take my morning dose as well. Is it safe to just stop taking T3 or do you taper? What would you do in my situation? My doctor never returns my calls and won't help me so I am on my own. Looking into paying private to see an endo soon. Please help if you can. Thanks

[fibrolinda]

I had to stop t3 as it skyrockets my blood pressure. Didn't matter how low a dose it just got higher daily. Even tried increasing dose but of course made it worse. It seems it is rare but some people do react this way. T4 has the same effect so I'm on NDT. Stopped t3 one day and started equivalent dose of NDT the next day and blood pressure dropped to 130/80 straight away the back to 120/70 a couple of days later.

[naturegirl3434 in reply to fibrolinda]

Yes, I think I completely agree with you. I skipped my evening dose yesterday and still haven't taken t4 or t3 yet this morning and my b/p is 120/75 and no symptoms yet. I don't know whether to try taking a small amount of one or the other to see, or if I should just stay off of it. Any ideas?

[fibrolinda in reply to naturegirl3434]

Tricky call... I managed 11 scary weeks but bp just kept climbing. Hit over 200/101 and that was it for me.. Had started on equiv to my ndt dose, lowered because of bp got to 25 and blood t3 was 6 top range 6.8. Blood pressure up fast was from first dose as was Levo. Did you have problems from the first dose? At one point I took an antihistamine one hour before dose for a few days but made zero difference.

[naturegirl3434 in reply to fibrolinda]

First dose of t3 was a hyper rush and the first week I felt great, a bit hyper with the symptoms, but great. Then the second week I felt awful with both hyper and hypo and symptoms and blood pressure just got worse each week. It feels like my body is fighting it all the way and is getting really exhausted doing it. It's like something is keeping it from working right in my body. Tried to raise a quarter pill a few times and thought I was going to drop dead of a heart attack after a few days, so dropped the dose again. The levo gives me heart palps but nothing like the t3.

[shaws in reply to naturegirl3434]

Are you only taking 5mcg of T3? Are you taking it alone or adding to T4?

[Judithdalston]

On adding T3 to long-established levo. a year ago I got palpititations, high bp, raised pulse but infact it stopped after a month having got up to the full 25 mcg pill of T3 with 75 mcg of levo., and went on to 50t3 :100 T4 combo. I think it was a shock to my system that I had T3 after at least 13 years at low range, plus I was still hypothyroid. So perhaps after 5 weeks your body is saying ‘I need some more T3 now’. Try taking it with your levo. in middle of the night when sleepy to minimise the anxiety.

[naturegirl3434 in reply to Judithdalston]

I have tried raising it and it makes me way worse.

[McPammy]

Hi.

I had spikes in my blood pressure I thought it was due to over medication, which it can be, mine was due to being under medicated. As soon as my levels were back in line with ranges, my blood pressure normalised.

Also if you have your evening meal and it’s high in pastas etc this can raise your blood pressure too.

I wouldn’t stop taking your T3 or T4 medication. You need to continue as your TSH, T4 and T3 is way out.

Get your bloods done next week then decide if you need to increase medication.

Pam