About a month ago I wrote a post since my doctor had withdrawn Cytomel due to the suppressed TSH, but on February 1 that I had my new appointment I told him that I had felt bad again. When I was on 100mcg Levo and 12.5mcg Lio I was feeling so good, as you can see in the results of my tests on 11/30/2020, but when I took off the Cytomel I started to feel symptoms of hypothyroidism again by the third week, and even my cholesterol went up very much.
I don´t know how to copy a link of my last post here, but my last results as follows:
30/11/2020 (100mcg Levo + 12.5mcg Cytomel)
TSH <0.005 (0.270 - 4.800)
FT3 4.01 (2.60 - 4.40) - 78.33%
FT4 20.88 (12.00 - 22.00) - 88%
Cholesterol 179 (87.0 - 199.0)
20/01/2021 (100mcg Levo only)
TSH <0.005 (0.270 - 4.800)
FT3 3.47 (2.60 - 4.40) - 48.33%
FT4 20.93 (12.00 - 22.00) - 89.30%
Cholesterol 250 (87.0 - 199.0)
Well, my doctor decided that I should go back to Cytomel , which is very good since I did not think he was going to accept that, it really is a big step considering that it is not easy to get a doctor to prescribe it, BUT, he reduced my Levothyroxine to 75mcg! When I asked him why not go back to 100mcg + 12.5mcg dose, he told me that he could not do it because if in the future I suffered from a heart problem he would be responsible. The good thing is that he told me to try for a month and that in a month he would see me again to see how I felt. I think that his intention is only to protect himself and that if in a month I don't feel better then he will prescribe 100mcg Levo again. I am not really sure.
Apologies for this long post. My point is that lately I am suffering from a lot of anxiety, nervousness, I worry about everything, even very small things and sometimes I cannot sleep since my brain is obsessed with thinking about the same concerns all the time. Want to cry about anything, etc.
Is this a symptom of undermedication? Is it the effect of lowering levothyroxine to 75mcg? If I tell my symptoms to the doctor, he will say that it is the effect of the Liothyronine, but I know is not because last year I was 6 months with the same dose and I did not have that problem. My blood pressure is normal and my heart rate has only increased a little, from the 60s to the 70s or 80s but still normal, and I think it is more due to the fact that I am nervous all the time.
I had Vitamin D and B12 deficiency results, so I am taking 5000iu D3 and 5000iu B12 and B Complex.
Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!
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Ranita2020
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Thank you! That is what I thought. I still have to wait a couple more weeks for next appointment, and hope to get my 100mcg Levo prescription again . Plus 12.5 Lio.
Not necessarily. I have Graves but had my thyroid removed. Having increased anxiety, not sleeping etc can also be due to having too elevated T3 for your body. Remember T3 levels changes daily. So one snapshot doesn’t tell the whole story.
Thank you LiliAmsterdam, I will wait until next blood tests. I am almost sure that is due to levo decrease since last year I was on 12.5mcg Lio for about 6 months and never felt this anxiety, etc. Could it be that taking vitamin D and B12 is helping convert T4 to T3 and that is why? It could be right?
I have experienced anxiety problems with the levothyroxine as well. Since there isn’t really an alternate medication, I take vitamin E to help calm the anxiety. It works like a miracle! 180 mcg in the morning and another 180 around noon.
Sorry your experiencing this, the anxiety is a major cross and it doesn’t help that your dosage was just lowered. A lowering of the dosage always sends our horomones all over the place. I’ve had some really rough days when my dosage was lowered. Just try and pamper yourself as much as possible and get through the next few days, it will get better - guaranteed. Your body needs time to adjust to the new dosage, I wish I knew this years ago when suffering through dosage adjustments.
My anxiety is worse if my Levo dosage drops (T4 not high in range) or B vitamins and ferritin are not optimal. I tried to get vitamins optimal by following advice given by SeasideSusie (vitamins) & humanbean (ferritin), which really helped.
I can't comment about the amount of Cytomel as I have never taken it. But I can attest to the fact that when I had my thyroid removed I had terrible anxiety. It takes forever to get the right balance of Thyroid medication to work with you (I've been dealing with it since 1994 when I had my thyroid removed due to cancer (there is still a tiny, tiny bit of thyroid remaining but I can't recall why). Since then I have been on various antidepressants/antianxiety medications (currently Fluoxetine) and a sleep aid.
Some genius once told me if you were going to have cancer, thyroid cancer is the best one to have because all you have to do is take a pill after it is removed. I totally disagree with that because the thyroid controls so much and affects us all very differently.
Other bloggers on here have given me really good information about not taking certain vitamins/minerals close to taking Thyroxine - I take 175mcg 3 days a week and 200mcg 4 days a week of Levothyroxine. This has been increased over a period of years at my nagging my endocrinologist. I now only take my Thyroxine in the morning upon awakening, then wait an hour before I eat anything, and I take my vitamins after lunch along with my Fluoxetine. My GP has recently increased my Fluoxitine to 40mg per day. Can attest that leaving a gap of 4 hours between my vitamins and my thyroxin has seemed to help the uptake of thyroxin and I feel I have more energy. Hopefully, you would be able to see in my blog what others have said. I'll try and go back to see if I can copy and post what they have sent me. I'll be going back to get my blood work in a couple of weeks and will post when I get the results.
Finally, it was recommended that the book, 'Your Thyroid and how to keep it healthy', by Dr. Barry Durrant-Peatfield, would be good to read. I've ordered the book and received it a couple of days ago. It's an easy read for a layperson about the thyroid.
So perhaps you could speak to your doctor about the anxiety and some meds for that. I used to take Citalopram and now on Fluoxetine - I have tried several times to come off of it but it never works. I can either take the anti-depressants or I am a miserable person to be around.
There are so many variables for each one of us dealing with this and equally a host of remedies. I also do meditation and yoga - both are quite helpful and now that I am feeling a bit better I am more positive about doing both of those things.
I hope some of this has been helpful. This is a great forum to hear what other people are doing.
Hi Sluggishandtired, Thank you so much for taking the time to write me and give me so much information.
This is really a wonderful forum, thanks to all the stories I have read here I have been able to feel better and handle this disease as it should be and not believe the doctors what they say, since many of them have no idea.
Hi, I experience anxiety when ever I'm told to lower my dose of levo, I feel that sometimes it's not about the blood test results but how u feel, so I always discuss this with my endo.
I am Sub clinical Hypothyroidism. TSH was above 10 FT4 FT3 were off set by High TSH and only having Half my Thyroid remaining. So not sure that my situation can help. Like you I had same symptoms terrible anxiousness and a feeling of questioning everything I was thinking of!!!!! This is not dissimilar from arriving at this point since discovering I had a Benign Tumour growing on one of my ParaThyroid , then discovering a nodule on same side on the front of my thyroid.Totally affected my Memory, finding correct words to complete sentences , struggling to find the words period!!!!!
I am on a small dosage 25 micro grams. But just takes the edge off the symptoms I was compromised with , having been taking Aromatase Inhibitor for 5 years Breast Cancer!! Both Hormone therapy and having a high TSH made my symptoms even worse.Suffered with Carpal tunnel in both wrists when I had half thyroid removed 16 months later The pins and needles and carpal tunnel was even worse, especially at night time couldn’t feel my hands ,cramps returned terrible sleep think any one with Thyroid/ parathyroid disease have lots of varying degrees of symptoms...... It is very much trail and juggling medication to adjust to each individuals symptoms. I see your Cholesterol is 250 is this why you were taking Cytomel?
I hope you can find an equilibrium with your Levothyroxine trail and error.
Thank your Glencoewalker17!!! yes it's a long journey !!! I think I'm about to arrive. Actually, I was there in November, but the doctor ruined it by withdrawing Cytomel first and then lowering Levo. But I think he will agree to increase my dose to 100 mcg again at our next appointment (March 5), I hope! Then it will take me another 3-4 weeks to feel better again. My cholesterol was under control when I was taking 100mcg of Levo and 12.5 Lio, it went up when I stopped taking Lio. Also, if I stop taking Lio I get constipation and a lot of muscle pain, fatigue, etc. It's Lio that made me feel better, but it has to be with 100mcg of Levo, because apparently not having enough Levo makes me anxious.
Dear Ranita, Thyroxine (T4) takes a long time to adjust in the body systems. I suggest you take vitals resting quietly for at least 15 minutes: body temp with liquid not digital thermometer held under the tongue for 10 minutes, blood pressure & heart rate. If your temp is not above 37.4°, your BP & HR not elevated, you are not thyrotoxic. Take 5 days of these before your doctor's visit to bring along.
On 100ug T4 & 12.5ug T3, your FT3 is great, top of range but not above. The old lab references often went to 6.5 pg/mL. Note that your TSH is an unrelable marker--it didn't change on 75ug or 100ug!
You might try taking your T3 precisely at lights out to see if it improves your symptoms. It helps my sleep, but I'm on T3 monotherapy. Very hard to find a doc who will support that.
INSIST your doc pay attention to how you feel, subjectively not rely just on lab values. If he won't, seek another doc.
If your doc insists on dropping your T4 to 75ug, personally, I'd double up on T3, 2 doses of 12.5ug taken 12 hours apart.
ABOVE ALL, DO NOT allow yourself to go on antidepressants or benzos. Nobody gets off these so better not to start. I suffered that stupidity .
Hi unblocktheplane!! Thank you very much for such helpful information! I will try taking T3 right before bed to see how it goes. Also, I will take my vitals and temp as you are suggesting, just one question: when would it be the best time to do it? maybe a couple of hours after taking my meds? (I take them 7 or 8am, 30 minutes before breakfast), or in the evenings?
Dear Ranita, I'd do a basal metabolic temp the second you open your eyes, before you've moved your big toe. Keep the thermometer next to your bed, shaken down & ready to go.
For daytime temps & vitals, you want these 2 hours after your T3 dose. Timing is not critical for T4. Pick the same time each day, before your T3 dose.
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, which is very good since I did not think he was going to accept that, it really is a big step considering that it is not easy to get a doctor to prescribe it, BUT, he reduced my Levothyroxine to 75mcg! When I asked him why not go back to 100mcg + 12.5mcg dose, he told me that he could not do it because if in the future I suffered from a heart problem he would be responsible. The good thing is that he told me to try for a month and that in a month he would see me again to see how I felt. I think that his intention is only to protect himself and that if in a month I don't feel better then he will prescribe 100mcg Levo again. I am not really sure.
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