So Iāve been trying CT3M for the last month or so - canāt say Iāve noticed any particular difference but...
The last few days Iāve felt crazy over medicated in the late afternoon. Tight chest, jittery - you know the way. My resting hr is bobbing up and down from around 65bpm to anywhere in the 80s. My resting hr is normally somewhere in the 50s - I know this is quite low but itās comfortable for me.
This has been for the last few days mid to late afternoon but today itās really uncomfortable. By chance this morning, having feeling somethings been āoffā for a few days, decided not to take an early morning dose but to revert back to my old regime of waking, lunchtime and tea time to see if how I was feeling would settle down.
I can only assume the method has been working and so today, by taking a higher dose, Iāve inadvertently taken too much, even though I havenāt taken my last dose yet. To be clear, Iāve been taking 15mcg as an early morning dose but today I took 20 about 3 hours later instead.
To add to to the mix, Iāve been taking my T4 (a teeny amount) regularly recently as it had dropped a bit too low. I am always suspicious that it blocks my T3 from working if itās too much and when I felt off a few days ago I suspected this was the reason and have stopped taking it again. But I feel over not under medicated.
Is it possible that the method has been working and therefore I now need to reduce my dose overall?
I really donāt know whether to take my evening dose or not. If I donāt I will only have taken 40mcg today when Iāve been on 60 for the last month/6 weeks.
I really donāt know what to do now! Anyone? Sorry if this is a bit clear as mud!
Ps bloods taken about a month ago showed T3 at about 6.4 and FT4 off the lower end of the scale. Iāve had T3 higher with no issues.
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Murphysmum
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Two things that Paul Robinson says about CT3M that might help. The full article is linked below.
'Thyroid patients should not attempt to use the CT3M unless they know with confidence that they have low cortisol. '
'Time and time again we have seen symptoms and signs that suggest hypothyroidism that have been caused by excessive use of T3. The problems get worse when someone like this begins to use the CT3M as all this excess thyroid hormone may begin to be effective. We often see body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate all shoot up dramatically and sometimes dangerously as well as other symptoms that suggest hyperthyroidism. It can be quite scary.'
Well Iām in the group on Facebook but honestly, Iāve never met a group of more unfriendly, bureaucratic people in my life!
Too many daft rules, not enough answers!
I can only get an answer tonight (which would be helpful given I donāt Know whether to take another dose or not) if I provide a full resume of todayās vitals... which I donāt have. Iāve got three or four readings over the day but thatās not enough.
yes i found the group rather awkward. personally i found experimenting myself was only way to get results. I ended up on 75-100mcg at bedtime works best for me. My cortisol was really low so CT3M didnt work for me plus to much faffing 1/4 of this 6 mins before that, too much for me. I already knew splitting doses didnt work for me, taking it in morning meant i was tired all day, so i ended up taking 9-10pm i sleep through the night since and i wake up less exhausted.
We are all so different, i kept a really detailed journal for years. When i start to feel under par i can usually look back and see iv been over doing it, slipping back into eating bread, or forgetting vitamins.
The whole thing has got on my nerves for years, i was constantly chasing getting back to who i was before thyroid removed, it took years of hideous health, slow progress to realise my life is slower, quieter, less energy and although a million times better (i was nearly in a coma, in chronic pain and could stay awake more than an hour, i had almost every symptom), i am still a million miles from the fit, strong, super dynamic person i was for me this is as good as it gets, so iv had to accept that at 59 maybe it was time i slowed down and not running 8 miles a day, out every night with a stressful career, who knows.
Try experimenting, if you feel hyper take less for a week, then creep up again, find some balance. On busy days i take 25mcg more and up energy foods, i plan for busy days by resting few days before and after. Tbh i dont know anyone who has got back to full strength or improved after thyroid problems just have to do best we can xx
Iām not gluten free no. Weāve had this chat before but I did try it, and whilst it helped my gut a bit, it didnāt make any odds on my thyroid!
Iām beginning to wonder if Iām not āhealedā from my stress days and now my issues are possibly with other hormones - female obvs!
I think @lalatoot may be right and I have stirred up a whole load of cortisol I didnāt need. I just donāt know what to do for the best now until it levels out again.
Yes I went through that stage, jittery, anxious, panic, few years back now. Remember under and over medicated has same symptoms. You need to calm your body, long gentle walk or gardening to wear off the adrenaline which is prob what's making you jittery. You can't guess at cortisol so you need to do test, doing the wrong thing could make it worse. Cut out all trigger foods gluten, grains, starchy carbs, sugar, sleep even if during the day, read to stop anxious thoughts.
Low cortisol usually feels like an internal humming, tunning fork but you need to test to be sure. Never had high cortisol so no idea. Hard not to focus on it but it will just feed the anxiety.
I still crash few times a year, if you find a dose you feel great on and it never changes you are lucky. This is not an exact science, it's all guess work and trial an error.
Paul responds to questions personally in his Thyroid Patient Manual Facebook group. He doesnāt do specific dosing (as he would need to have a 121 appointment with you. But he definitely points you in the right direction. I suggest you join his group and ask him. I think, though, he would ask you to retest your cortisol and see where you are at right now.
Iāve actually just come off the group. I loved Paulās books and found them incredibly accurate and very helpful but Iām afraid I find the group very unhelpful.
People are curt, assume that you know nothing about thyroid matters and even the couple of responses Iāve had to date from Paul havenāt been very helpful.
Iām really disappointed as I was so impressed by the books. I guess I expected it to be like this group where everyone is very helpful and friendly and you never feel patronised or talked down to. I appreciate itās a busy group and there have to be rules but itās not at all user friendly. Nevermind.
And besides, the group isnāt active on a Sunday!
Hi Murphysmum. Right now your obviously a little concerned about how your feeling & what meds you should take, but obviously although understandable that doesnāt help the way your feeling. You say your HR is 65 - 80s which isnāt bad is it. You havenāt said what your temperature is though. Do you keep a daily average temperature check as a guide while your trying CT3M? It can be a really useful guide to how adrenals are responding & thyroid meds. (Temp 3 hours after waking, again after 3 hours & a further after 3 hours. Add those results, divide by 3 for average. Keep chart of daily averages). Changes to dose timing or amount of dose, can take days to feel affect. For me, the CTM3 method was effective. Each of us are different though. I donāt know when you last checked your adrenal levels, but itās good idea to keep a check on levels, especially when trying CTM3 method. Saliva Test is a good indicator. It could be you have improved your adrenal levels & that in turn has improved tissue uptake of thyroid meds. Or your adrenal levels might be a bit elevated making you feel hyped. Iām not a doctor, but if I were in your situation, Iād keep record of my temperature & HR. If a bit high, then Iād miss a dose or two of meds until it lowered to normal levels. Put your daily averages for say 5 days on this forum which might be helpful as a guide to where your at. Ultimately, test results, how your feeling, together with temp & HR detail will guide you & your doctor. š
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personally i found experimenting myself was only way to get results. I ended up on 75-100mcg at bedtime works best for me. My cortisol was really low so CT3M didnt work for me plus to much faffing 1/4 of this 6 mins before that, too much for me. I already knew splitting doses didnt work for me, taking it in morning meant i was tired all day, so i ended up taking 9-10pm i sleep through the night since and i wake up less exhausted. 
for me this is as good as it gets, so iv had to accept that at 59 maybe it was time i slowed down and not running 8 miles a day, out every night with a stressful career, who knows. 
On Levothyroxine feeling ill now gone cold turkey for a week but was it a mistake?
Has my thyroid gone haywire?
A bit of exercise has set off symptoms again!!
Lab results worse and help needed to get off the Seesaw!
