Heart palpitations and weight gain.

[Sofie007]

I am hypo with hashimotos and currently on 50mcg levothyroxine. I gained weight and feel tired in the afternoon. My endo upped the dose to 75mcg but it gave me heart palpitations. He thinks adding T3 will make me anxious. Any advice ?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Hi Sofie007, welcome to the forum.

Whose suggestion is it to add T3?

What are your current test results, if you post your TSH, FT4 and FT3 results, along with their reference ranges (very important as ranges vary from lab to lab), then we can see if you need T3.

Are your key nutrients all optimal, they need to be before considering T3, so that is

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

If not already tested then you should test these now and post those results/ranges as well.

[Sofie007 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you Susie, i will get my levels checked and will reply afterwards.

[Sofie007 in reply to SeasideSusie]

While i wait for my next appointment, these were my results last month. TSH 3,7 (0,27 - 4,20)

FT4 19,7 (12 - 22)

FT3 4,95 (3,10 - 6,80)

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Sofie007]

Sofie007

TSH 3,7 (0,27 - 4,20)

FT4 19,7 (12 - 22)

FT3 4,95 (3,10 - 6,80)

As I said, whose suggestion is it to take T3? I'm thinking not the endo's.

The aim of a treated Hypo patient on Levo only is for TSH to be 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their reference ranges.

I'm wondering if you took your test as we advise:

* No later than 9am

* Water only before the test

* Last dose of Levo 24 hours before the test

* No biotin/B Complex or any supplement containing biotin for 3-7 days before the test.

Your results are unusual in that your TSH is too high for your level of FT4 so maybe you took your Levo before the test or something interfered with the results in some way?

We can't really say how well you convert unless we know the test has been done the way we advise, and your TSH is down to 1 or below. Also, nutrient levels need to be optimal for good conversion so again we need those results/ranges too.

[Sofie007 in reply to SeasideSusie]

You’re right, this was a test i did in the evening. I will follow the directions you mentioned for my next test. Thank you for the reply.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

I also reacted badly when I initially upped my Levothyroxine (ending up in A and E with palpitations/ fast heart rate etc). What worked for me was increasing super slowly. I bought a pill cutter (very cheap on Amazon) and added 12.5mcg over time to reach 75mcg. Whenever I need to adjust my thyroid medication (increase or decrease) I continue to do so very slowly…. more of a tortoise than a hare!

As SeasideSusie says, you may not need T3 if you can achieve optimal results with improved vitamin levels and a higher dose of Levothyroxine

[Sofie007 in reply to Buddy195]

Thank you Buddy, i will do some bloodwork first and will reply after.

[ICE187 in reply to Sofie007]

Same thing happened to me. My dr put me on Levothyroxine 75mcg at first. I had bad palpitations. I cut my pills in half for 37.5mcg. My palpitations stopped. In 6 weeks, I had a blood test. My TSH jumped higher. I then took the full 75mcg dose. No palpitations this time. My TSH began dropping.

[Sofie007 in reply to ICE187]

So if TSH elevates when we start taking levo, it’s because our own body stops working to make our own thyroid hormone. Is that why we feel more tired than before we start taking the meds?

[ICE187 in reply to Sofie007]

I'm not sure if our own body stops making it or if the Levo dose is just too weak. Conversion issues from T4 to T3 can play a part in this as well. You may feel worse once starting Levo, but you should feel better soon after starting. I felt better once starting 37.5mcg, then felt bad just before my 6 week blood test. I started taking 75mcg and felt good. 6 weeks on 75mcg, I am feeling some symptoms again. Mainly knee pains, but that's all. It seems like my knee pains start around week 5-6 of my levo needing to be increased. From 2015 to 2022, my TSH went from 8 something to 13 something without treatment. 5 points in 7 years. Once starting levo, it jumped from 13 to 17 in 6 weeks. 4 points. Since taking 75mcg, it dropped to 10 something. I'm about to increase my levo to 100mcg. I'm also now taking supplements that help. Vitamin K2 Mk7, Vitamin D3 and a few others. My Vitamin D was very low.