Hi everyone, The attached bloodwork was the result of 137mcg. After this, my dosage was increased to 137/150 every other day for 2 weeks, then to 150mcg full-time.
I've been on the 150 for 3 weeks. I had started to feel better but now I feel anxious, fatigue and have had diarrhea for 3 days. My heart rate may be a tad elevated from usual but not overly so.
Is this something I should ride out to at least the 4-week mark? Maybe my body is still trying to get used to the dosage?
Thank you!
With a TSH of 3.71, you were still hypo, so it's very unlikely that such a small dose could take you over the top.
Unfortunately, out of all those tests, TSH is the only useful one. The others are all out-dated and/or give no useful information. What you need tested is FT4 and FT3. You're only over-medicated if your FT3 is over-range, but I very much doubt yours is - unless you have Hashi's, that is, and have just had a Hashi's 'hyper' swing.
The symptoms you describe could easily be some sort of bug. Or, just an indication that you're ready for a further increase. But, if you're really worried about being over-medicated, try going back to the old dose and see if it helps. But, just four weeks is not really long enough to test a dose. You should wait six to eight weeks, and then get retested. 
They call it low/normal, we would call it low period. Both FT3 and FT4 are not in the upper part of the range and your TSH is high. It's hard to know what is interfering since 150 is usually adequate. Are you insulin resistant? I found when I tried to raise my dose I became hyper. It may be that you can't use the energy because you are not processing glucose.
Have you tried a low carb diet? OR you could slow down the increase as your doctor recommended for another week or so.
A Hashi's swing is one possibility with high antibodies; I am inclined to think that your conversion to T3 is extremely poor though if you are not tolerating T4 (even though your T4 levels are low). When someone is a poor converter, they continue to have unresolved hypo symptoms, while, at the same time, display some hyper symptoms and may have an underlying problem with the pituitary or adrenals or a genetic issue with thyroid hormone conversion. Regular adrenal fatigue issues* are very common... but can be helped a lot if you address some common mineral and vitamin deficiencies.
You need an up-to-date panel with antibodies, vitamins and the free t4 and t3 levels. The symptoms of tachycardia / chest pain, fatigue and anxiety is often due to low Magnesium and other electrolytes, so try to get hold of some topical Magnesium gel or lotion (Better You are good) and rub it on your chest (near your heart). Don't use plain oral Magnesium tablets if you have gut issues - they won't work and could exacerbate your diarrhoea. Also, if you have dehydrated yourself then take some rehydration mix such as Zero, or sea salt and lemon juice is good.
*As an afterthought, it's worth bearing in mind that there is one adrenal issue (Addisons) that can coexist with Hashi's, if your symptoms persist, seek help.
This happened to me. I cut down on my dosage and then felt much better. That was over a year ago surely. When this happened to me, my doctor wanted to up my 100mcg levothyroxine to 125mcg, but I had to tell her that increasing it would make me feel like jumping out the window or very nervous etc. I added that I'd already cut back and I now felt better. My doctor had a hard time understanding this but then, she remembered that a few years prior, I had experienced an episode of thyrothydis and that back then she'd advised the same that is, that I cut down on my thyroid med and add a bit of salt... worked then and now. I'm still taking from .25 to .50 mcg. and I feel fine. So if I were you, I'd absolutely cut down on that dosage.
Hi, What does the addition of the salt do? Thank you
As a guess, it'll help create more stomach acid, so the Levo is better absorbed...?? Salt is very important for adrenal issues (so is Vitamin C and a handful of other nutrients). Low salt diets are not helpful if you are suffering from adrenal exhaustion.
Personally, I take celtic salt with lemon juice or plain ascorbic acid every morning before breakfast. Not so sure about, 'A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,' as, 'Something that'll help me absorb meds and also improve my appetite.'
As a guess, it'll help create more stomach acid, so the Levo is better absorbed...??
Most oral levothyroxine is absorbed in the jejunum and ileum - not the stomach. And levothyroxine is poorly soluble in neutral or acidic solutions.
I don't know why salt would affect absorption. But I have my doubts it is due to stomach acidity - at least, not directly.
Ok, that's definitely worth knowing about the intestines. It is interesting that I feel kind of 'cleansed' when drinking slightly salty mineral water though.... like an old fashioned spa water. Not sure why it may possibly enhance Levo absorption though.
Helvella I found that in my personal thyroid journey having all my nutrients and adding some digestive enzymes HCl and for a sluggish gallbladder adding some Bile Salts . I don't know if this is helpful for everyone that is thyroid meds dependent . But being a TT patient and my thyroids now come from a bottle I feel that my digestion and absorptions are somewhat sluggish regardless of my thyroid meds being up to par. In addition I found very helpful for me personally Sea Salt/vitamin "C" being very helpful for my electrolytes/adrenals. I will add that it's not one size fits all.
I am very willing to believe that all sorts of things help.
My problem is very often the assumption as to why. One simple example, pepto bismol was used for many years by people with stomach ulcers. Medicine had no valid explanation but it was often dismissed.
When the Helicobacter pylori discovery came out, there was, suddenly, a possible good reason to take it (or something similar). It acted against H. pylori.
In that case, the fact that it helped is fine. The "why" was assumed to be it acting as an ant-acid.
(In the fullness of time, maybe it has multiple actions.)
The bad assumption might well have meant people who could have benefited, didn't.
I totally agree with you . That's why I like to say what works for one is not necessarily for all . One must weigh all the options that are out there and make intelligent choices for themselves.
It's wonderful communities as ours that are so valuable/ helpful .Leaders/ Members exchange and share their experiences . We can not unfortunately depend on getting our information's/help from Dr's . Their knowledge/time is very limited as to the needs of thyroid patients. There are far and few Dr's that are out of the box thinkers . And who care to listen to patients to make them feel *Optimal*.
I for one am very Grateful to our wonderful community and to many of the great leaders/members who care to share their valuable experiences and their time for our embitterment's.
I added salt during the Thyroiditis episode that I experienced in a prior year. Reading back my reply to you, I can see why I did not need to add ‘salt’ in the message itself. Sorry. But to explain, I do add a bit of salt to my water but especially when I’m feeling a bit dizzy. I have always been one with or always had low blood pressure and the salt raises blood pressure. I use Himalayan fine salt.
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