Over-medicated or Having Low Cortisol on Thyroid-S?

[purpanda]

I just started taking Thyroid-S after being hypothyroid for two months from a bad batch of NDT. Maybe I need to give Thyroid-S more time, or maybe I need to treat the adrenals first, but I thought I'd share my experience on it so far when I take 2.5 Grains. I used to take 2.5 Grains of WP, Nature-Throid and NP Thyroid and haven't had any of the symptoms I have now.

Overall, I feel spaced out, a bit unfocused, clumsy, and uncoordinated. When I'm at the grocery store, I have trouble with the produce bag dispenser and can't seem to competently tear off or open the plastic bags. I also keep dropping things.

While I'm driving, I feel as though I'm on auto-pilot and driving in slow motion. This is different from the sluggish feeling I get from being under-medicated or hypo.

At times I also feel an uncomfortable tightness on my chest that lasts for a few seconds. Anyone else feel this way while taking Thyroid-S initially? Is it quite potent?

I've tried taking a split dose and notice I get the spacey feeling after I take my second dose. I can't tell if I need to take more because I still feel hypo, or if I ought to raise slowly. I'm waiting for the results of my cortisol test.

Here are my lab results prior to taking Thyroid-S. I don't have a complete panel because I'm self-paying.

I was supplementing with iron 3 months ago but I stopped, and I have yet to test myself for the MTHFR variation, which I may have because my B12 is high despite not supplementing with B vitamins, I can't raise ferritin despite having iron overload from taking Ferrous Sulfate.

Sorry for the wonky formatting.

Free T3 (pg/ml): 3.6 (2.3-4.2)

Free T4 (ng/dl): 1.1 (0.8-1.8)

Vit D, 25OH TOTAL (ng/dl): 31.6 (>30)

Ferritin (ng/ml): 37 (10-154)

Iron Binding (mcg/dl): 250 (250-450)

% Saturation (% (calc)): 55 (11-50)

Iron Total (mcg/dl): 138 (40-190)

B12 (pg/ml): >1600 (243-894)

[silverfox7]

I was told that the S in Thyroid S stands for slow release and it certainly feels to me that it works like that as to start off with I kept forgetting the second dose so I tried taking it all at once a good hour before breakfast and it works well for me. To start off with though I ended up being overmedicated. I’d used the STTM protocol for changing over but missed my sweet spot! The protocol took you up in halves to2 grains but Endo, when I was tested, then took be down to 1.75 grains. As I improved my vitamins I realised I was going slightly over medicated so worked out a three day rota, 1.75, 1.75, 1.50. Again I've recently thought that’s too much and as it was about 6 weeks to my next bloods I’ve cut back to 1.5 daily. Seemed a lot at first but after a few days I feel good on it so be interesting to see what my next bloods will show. My first thought was to just drop to 1.5 on two days but then thought if I do that across the board and it is low again that leaves me the option of going to 1.5,1.5 and 1.75 as between the two levels I will have been tested at.

I started my thyroid journey via the NDT many years ago now and was very good on it but had to stop due to a prolong strike by the manufacturer and to be honest I was very good on that as well so I also feel having a really good doctor is the overall key which sadly I haven’t got at the moment so now back on NDT and feeling good. So that’s my experience with NDT.

Your NDT journey though doesn’t tell me a great deal so if you have any bloods to share the please do so as I and others will have more info to comment on. You may be taking too much. When I started my present regime after bloods I had to drop back to 1.75 from 3 grains which although I didn’t feel bad on I realised I was over medicated as later rises didn’t make me feel any different and if I had needed those rises then I would have felt the difference.

What dose of Levo were you taking before you changed over? I wouldn’t say they were at the best level for you as a bit on the low side but that will also give us more info to comment on. Are you also aware, or more importantly is your doctor aware that when taking any form of T3 results are read differently so not knowing that could also be clouding the issue.

[purpanda in reply to silverfox7]

Hi silverfox7, thank you for your input.

When you say bloods, are you referring to my thyroid panel results? My FT4 and FT3 levels are in my post, but I'm not sure if that is what you were asking for.

I was not taking Levo before I switched. I was taking 2.5 Grains of NP Thyroid before I started Thyroid-S, but there was almost a two month gap in between taking the two because NP Thyroid had started giving me problems. Prior to NP Thyroid, I was on Nature-Throid for 2 years, at the same dose.

Yes I am aware that doctors would be alarmed if they saw my results because my TSH is suppressed from the T3 in NDT. Hence, I've been self-medicating.

Were you taking 125/100 of Levo after the manufacturing strike?

If these symptoms are of over-medication, although it may be too soon to tell, that means Thyroid-S is stronger than any other NDT I've taken. I'll try different dosages and give an update in a few weeks.

[Hidden]

Could you be reacting to one of the fillers in Thyroid-S...? There certainly are a lot of them and maybe one of them doesn't agree with you.

It could be that your body has to get used to it if you just started it.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

PS. I think that, if low cortisol was your problem, you would have reacted to the brand of NDT you were previously taking since it's T3 we have difficulty handling when cortisol levels are low.

[purpanda in reply to Hidden]

I think low cortisol could be a potential problem caused by either NP Thyroid or from 2 months of being hypothyroid when I stopped taking it. Although I'm not sure if 2 months can cause that level of regression in my health, so I'll see what the results say. I will keep you posted.

[Hidden in reply to purpanda]

Yes, please do!

[purpanda in reply to Hidden]

That could be it too. I'm not sure if those are typical reaction symptoms. I've had face swelling from an allergic reaction to mushroom, and I turn bright red when I drink, but I've never reacted to drugs before. I'll give it more time.

[Hidden in reply to purpanda]

Yes, I think it's a good idea to give your body some to adjust to the new drug!

[Kiwidel]

Hi Purpanda, I take Thyroid-S and have had that spaced out feeling when I first started taking it. Based on my experience it’s potentially your body settling into the new medication or you're over medicated.

Some of the overmedicated symptoms feel the same as under medication but being short tempered (well for me more than usual 😬) is an indicator I need to reduce the dose slightly.

I’ve found 21/2 grains every day is too much for me, and 2 1/4 too little so I now alternate each day. I know some people don’t think you should alter the daily dose but I feel better doing it. I also take my medication in one dose daily either in the middle of the night or as soon as I wake up... I seem to have trained myself to do this half asleep😄 (using a pill box to reduce risk of overdose /make sure I know I’ve taken them).

If you know what you feel like when over medicated then perhaps give the thyroid-s a few more weeks to see if things settle down.

Good luck!

[purpanda in reply to Kiwidel]

Thanks, Kiwidel! There's reassurance in knowing what I am going through is not an isolated occurrence.

I've never experienced anything like this, so I don't know if I am overmedicated. For me, symptoms of taking too much medication include shakiness, over-excitement, and the inability to hand write - I can't hold the pen steady and my words come out squiggly.

I will try reducing my dose and see if that makes a difference.

[Kiwidel in reply to purpanda]

You might also top up your iron/ferritin as that being low also made me feel spaced out.

[purpanda in reply to Kiwidel]

Thanks, Kiwidel. I do have anemia and I'm trying to supplement with iron again.

[silverfox7]

Think I was asking if you have any readings when taking Thyroid S and yes when I was on Levo was alternating 125/100 after I couldn’t get anymore NDT because of the strike.

[purpanda in reply to silverfox7]

Oh, that makes sense. Not yet, I've been taking it for about a week. I will test again in 6 weeks.