Help! On holiday and feeling bad

[Murphysmum]

Anyone who has been on the T3 journey please read! paula SlowDragon greygoose shaws and others...

So I’ve been steadily increasing T3 with my levo for about 6 months. Feel great for 3/4 weeks before needing another increase, then repeats.

I’m on holiday in Taiwan and I’m really struggling. My latest bloods showed T3 top of range and T4 near the bottom. At the time on here comments were if I felt I needed it, to increase T3 again.

I have done (so now 35mcg T3 and 125mcg levo per day) but I’m dizzy, vertigo is bad, limbs crazy heavy and yesterday I had bad cramps in my legs on climbing not many stairs. I feel like my body is being pulled down into the bed I’m sitting on, it’s really horrible and scary, I’ve never felt like this. Could it be too much, too little or too low T4?

I’m drinking lots of water and a couple of sports drinks to replace lost ions etc every day but I don’t know what to do to help.

Obvs I can’t check bloods while I’m here but as we’re here for another 10 days I’d like to feel better!

Any suggestions? I have supplements with me and I’m taking those as normal (even though clearly my levels wouldn’t drop in two weeks).

Anyone else felt like this?

[Jasp6]

I cannot help too much on the T3 side as I have only ever taken T4 monotherapy. However, I also sometimes experience dizziness/vertigo, heavy limbs and almost a tingling sensation in arms and legs. This was fairly continuous through last winter-spring, eased for a bit over the summer and is back with a vengeance this week. I am still trying to understand what triggers it. Back last winter I was definitely under-treated for thyroid, I had a levo increase, but this hasn't had much impact on my FT3 which is still below mid-range. I have noticed the dizziness tends to be worse when I am fighting off a virus. I have half-wondered whether this is cortisol related as thyroid hormones can impact HPA axis function. Then again it could be something else related to the 101 things that thyroid hormones impact. The only other point worth noting is that my Ferritin was quite low at 29 at the end of last year. I supplemented for a bit, but it might be that my iron levels have dropped again and that this is having some effect. I'll leave those with more experience to comment on T3 dosing, but it might be worth considering that T3 can be tricky if you have low cortisol. I hope you feel better soon and are able to enjoy the rest of your holiday.

[shaws Administrator]

I'm sorry you're struggling but hopefully the following link will help. It is upsetting when we have a few good days when increasing, then when the symptoms return with a vengeance sometimes we don't know what to do next.

On my own journey, the more I reduced levo the better I became but that doesn't work for everyone.

Scientists have found that a 3:1 or 4:1 - levo/liothryonine worked best.

naturalthyroidsolutions.com...