T3 during Eating Disorder recovery

[J675]

I'm hoping that some of you lovely lot may be able to help and advise with my current situation.

For the past couple of years I have been struggling with extreme (clinical definition) bulimia. I've gone cold turkey and haven't binged or vommed for just over two weeks now, and I'm so chuffed with how well I'm doing in that respect. I was expecting to feel terrible, which I do, as my electrolytes and hormones readjust and I'm fully aware that full recovery will take months, if not years.

What I wasn't expecting is how I'm reacting to my t3 now. Or what I think may be my t3. I've been experimenting with NHS t4 and self sourced t3 since spring and have been doing OK on 100/12.5 (split into three doses). However, this week I've been incredibly anxious and had a full blown panic attack on Tuesday. Yesterday I had a migraine in the morning which cleared until I had my late afternoon t3 when my migraine returned with a vengeance. I have never been in so much pain with one before and I haven't risked taking any t3 today.

I know that my aldosterone and cortisol levels are going to be all over the place due to the ED refeeding (and that the bulimia wreaked havoc with them previously), so I'm assuming that's going to be having a massive effect on how I'm reacting to my thyroid hormones. Could this be the cause of the anxiety and migraines? Would it be sensible to stay off the t3 and slightly increase the t4 until my body has had a chance to recover more?

I don't have any recent blood test results and I don't think testing now will be particularly useful as there are so many changes going on all at once. My results earlier in the year on the same dose were both c.60% through range. Every time I tried raising either t3 or t4, I couldn't tolerate the change and had to drop back to 100/12.5.

[Josephineinamachine]

Hi J675 I just want to say well done!!! I was severely bulimic from age 13 to 40. I somehow managed my life but it was a huge part of me that I kept a hidden battle. So, I understand how your body is likely to be feeling now 😳 and how much you will be dealing with. Im not sure about thyroid meds… I wonder if purging eliminated some? You’re right that your body will take time to heal and adjust, but I think I would still test in about 6 weeks just to check you’re not now on too high a dose? Headaches/migraines can be caused by all sorts of imbalances as your body goes through changes now. Keep at it though. It absolutely liberated me looking back and I’m never ever tempted to purge now. Hugs to you xx

[J675 in reply to Josephineinamachine]

You have done so amazingly well to get past something that was such a huge part of your life. I'm so pleased that you have managed to stay away from the b&v cycle as I know how hard it must've been at times. I've only managed about a year and a half without my 'coping mechanism' in the past 20+ years and felt shit every single day. Which having now gained access to my medical records, I now realise that was in large part to being very under treated, although my tsh was "fine"!!! Thank you so much for sharing your own experience with me.

I'm going to stay off the t3 and just stick with the t4 (bleurgh), I think, until my body has had a time to settle and only then retest and if necessary, reintroduce some t3.

[Josephineinamachine in reply to J675]

good luck with it 😊🙏 x

[Josephineinamachine in reply to J675]

also wanted to say that my GP helped - once I finally fessed up! - and he put me on high dose fluoxetine (Prozac). It was only for a while but it completely shut down the part of me that was bulimic and even after stopping that part of me didn’t wake up again. I was a bit of a zombie on it to be honest but it really seems it was the magic cure (for me). So if you find yourself slipping or struggling it may be something to explore. 😊 xx