Raised heart rate and palpitations - and absolutely nothing else

[JonnyA]

As I’ve posted before, I’m taking 120mcg T3 only having struggled with T4 and had a very high rT3 result.

I’ve been in that dose for about 3 weeks now, and I’m noticing that my heart rate is much higher than normal (although how high varies) and I have occasional palpitations. Palpitations aren’t an entirely new thing for me, but the change on heart rate is.

That would suggest that I’m over medicated, however this is the only thing I’m experiencing. I’m still cold, still tired, still constipated and still gaining weight.

I’m confused about what to do next. I don’t want to let this heart rate persist, but I still feel generally ill.

Thoughts?

(Thanks)

[jimh111]

120 mcg is a very large dose, equivalent to 360 mcg levothyroxine or more. I'm not surprised your heart rate is increasing. I would expect you to get atrial fibrillation in time as the hormone affects the electrical process in the heart.

Some people do need doses this high but you seem to have jumped on it in a very short timescale. Also, it doesn't seem to be resolving your symptoms? This might suggest they are not thyroid releated. I needed similar doses of T3 at one stage but noticed a difference on just 50 mcg levothyroxine.

[Lalatoot]

Jonny Symptoms just don't resolve quickly. I am nearly 3 years down the line from starting combo and 1 year down the line from finding a good dose.I still have symptoms though lots of symptoms have gone.

Its like a diesel car if you have put petrol in it - you can keep filling it full of diesel thereafter but the damage that has been done will take lots of fixing and changes will need to be made throughout the whole system if it is to run smoothly again.

It doesn't happen all at once or quickly - it can take years.

[tattybogle]

Getting to such a high dose in such a short time suggests you are very likely to have overmedicated yourself .

Expecting longstanding metabolic symptoms to resolve within weeks rather than months of a dose increase weeks suggests you are very likely to have overmedicated yourself.

You hear rate increasing enough to cause you concern suggests you are very likely to have overmedicated yourself .

I think you should listen to your heart now , while it's still asking 'nicely' for you to go a bit steadier with the fuel you're giving it .....if you accidentally give yourself AF , i gather it doesn't always agree to go away quite so nicely.

If you're baking a cake and you decide to turn the oven up higher to hurry things up .... you just get burnt cake .

[shaws Administrator]

Are you aware that 120mcg of T3 is not equivalent to 120mcg of T4.

25mcg of T3 is equal - approx - to 100 mcg of levo so you are taking thyroid hormone replacement of approx 400mcg of T4,.

I am not medically qualified but would suggest you reduce your T3 and keep on that dose for several weeks.

I take one daily dose of 25mcg T3 and feel well and have no clinical symptoms at all. I do realise, too, that what improves one's health may need an adjustment for another,

[DippyDame]

You've been on T3-only for almost 10 weeks and already have reached 120mcg...little wonder your body is objecting!

Can I suggest you read again the responses to your previous posts and the advice you have already been offered about increasing low and slow

T3 must be taken with understanding and with care and using it as you are doing suggests neither I'm afraid.

I'm sorry to be blunt but if you ask for advice then I suggest that you consider it carefully.

If you chose to do this your own way then so be it, but first be aware of any potential problems.

Rushing into T3 dosing will do you no good...and has the potential to do you harm

One of the red flags for overmedication is high resting heart rate

Have you also tested for hand tremors...arms straight out in front, palms down and note any tremor/ shake.

If you lay a sheet of paper over the backs of your hands any tremor is more apparent.

Your symptoms may be the result of the converse effect of T3....too much can cause symptoms of undermedication!

Do you feel jittery...

or anxious?

You may have missed the "sweet spot"

I suggest you take a long hard look at your protocol with a view to reducing that far too rapidly increased dose.

My experience...

After a few weeks on 212mcg T3 symptoms appeared which indicated that I was overdosed, I stopped T3 for 3 days then started again on 50mcg and very slowly increased over many months and I now manage on 100mcg.

It took me well over 2 years from introducing T3 ( T4/T3 initially) to get close to my therapeutic dose....though I grant you my case has been a challenge after decades with first no diagnosis then 20 years of wrong medication!

I fully understand your impatience to gain a resolution!

You can sort this out...but slowly!

Members are here to support you.

Take care!

[Lalatoot in reply to DippyDame]

Sound advice from DippyDame . JonnyA Dippy is speaking from experience as she has had to resolve a difficult condition too.

[JonnyA]

I hear you. Am I rushing things? Quite possibly. That’s not out of child-like impatience, I’m trying to save my life and my career.

I have a well paid but demanding and high pressure job and I’m struggling to keep up the pace. Next month I have a 5-day conference in the States sandwiched in between two 12 hour flights with an 8 hour time difference swing. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, I really don’t.

I both feel and look awful, which isn’t ideal in my position and line or work. I just want to feel better, and from my point of view there is a real urgency to do so. Whether or not that’s possible is another thing, but I have a family to provide for and I am worried about losing everything I have ever worked for. My career feels on a knife edge.

I’ve had four years of feeling profoundly ill, and I’m losing the will to plough on.

[jimh111 in reply to JonnyA]

I understand and must admit I was a bit blunt. You will not get well within a few months. If the problem is hypothyroidism the effects on your body vtake quite some time to resolve even if you hit the perfect treatment on day one. You may have to get support from your doctor and arrange for time off work. This formal approach would be better than struggling on and giving the impression of being useless. I'm speaking from experience here!

[DippyDame in reply to JonnyA]

Nobody is suggesting this is " child like impatience".... impatience fuelled by pressure anxiety perhaps.

We are trying to stop you making a problem even worse.

tattybogle 's cake making analogy is an excellent one.

You have three things to deal with...

Your career and your family...

and your health.

The order of importance is yours to decide!

At age 29 ill health cost me an important promotion and ultimately my career.

I was lucky I had/ have a supportive husband and two ( now adult) supportive sons but my health has impacted on our lives. My career, thankfully, could be abandoned without a crisis...and it was.

Medics had no idea what was wrong with me so I slowly became worse...

I'm saying this because you do have some sense of what your problem is.

This is obviously none of my business but having two sons, with families, in high level academic positions I understand what you are saying... and feel your pain.

My sons occasionally still need their old mother's ear!

You need to speak to someone about this situation because you should not be coping with this pressure on your own.

You need time to recover your health because the pressure you are under is making things worse and swallowing excessive doses of T3 is adding to that.

Talk to somebody....at work, a doctor, your wife, your family.

Take your foot of the throttle and avoid a crash.

As I've said before, you can't put rocket fuel in a family car!!

I wish we could offer more help...

and I'm truly sorry if I've stuck my nose in where it should not be.

But I recognise a cry for help when I hear one.

You don't need to do this alone...

[tattybogle]

Sorry , i was a bit blunt too JonnyA

I really do understand that your desperation is not just impatience , and it comes from real pressures and real fear of loosing everything if you can't keep up performance levels.

But you can only control what you can control.... You can't control how fast you get better.

To be honest , i used to lie rather than let my client's know how much was struggling .. i thought they'd all go somewhere else if they knew the truth ....

So i started saying "i'm booked up for the next 3 weeks ,but i can book your job in straight after that" ... when the truth was i only had 1/2 weeks work, but knew damn well i would need a proper rest before i started another one , and if i didn't get it i'd probably cock the second job up.

But in fact .. even when i did (eventually) come clean about how much rest time i really needed between jobs or between travelling to Scotland / starting the job... none of my clients disappeared ( apart form one who i was glad to see the back of ) ... they liked what i did , and how i did it , i was still the best person for the job as far as they were concerned , my work proved it ... and the reasons i was considered ' good ' in the first place , still held true even when i needed to take three times as long to do it ..... if you're good at your job and your clients /boss value your work .. then perhaps that may still hold true even of you are honest about dealing with a health condition that means you have to make some time /pressure allowances. ?

I suppose it depends on the job..i was lucky in that i just took bespoke commissions .

Sorry if i sounded unsympathetic to your work situation. We do all 'Get it ' ..... Honest.