Palpitations help really worried now

[Nellups]

Help please, sorry this is a long one but need to explain.

I was put on combination therapy nearly 2 years ago, by my Endio due to low conversion.

I take 125 Levo once morning and 20 lio (split over 3 during the day, morning, 5.30 and before bed).

I also have high cholesterol at 7.4, has gone down from 8.9, not on statins, I refused. Maybe I should try them? I am 67 kgs slightly over weight, height 5 ft 4

This has all been working fine felt so much better, hair stopped falling out, sleeping between 7 and 8 hours a night, before maximum of 5 if lucky. Plus for me the biggest benefit was the bad anxiety lifted, I could now drive anywhere without having a panic about it and trying to get out of going anywhere.

This all changed in when I saw a different endio to my normal one.

He changed my dosage of Levo saying I was over medicated, down to 125 one day and 100 the next. My results were:-

T4 24.5 range 12 - 22

T3 6.4 range 3.1 - 6.8

TSH 0.02 range 0.27 - 4. 20

he also put that I had normal blood pressure, he never even touched me !

Ok so tried his suggestion, benefit of the doubt and all that! after the first 2 weeks, the anxiety came back, and palpitations every day /night waking me up, as though someone had injected adrenaline into me, I could hear my heart beating loudly. Then to top it all I caught Covid, terrible cough that was on my chest, headaches , tiredness and breathless including no smell or taste.

A couple of weeks after started feeling better but anxiety was through the roof with sweats and palpitations, hair coming out felt awful. I then received an appointment for the endio, for which I phoned and asked only to see my original one. After talking to me and seeing puffy eyes anxiety, sweating and hair thinning, he put me back up to my original dose, and told me to let him know if the palpitations still carried on. ( did tell him about Covid he said it could be connected)

The week after that appointment, went to my doctor as still not feeling great only to find out I had pneumonia and ear infection from the Covid, so given a course of antibiotics and to have an X-ray after to check if it was cleared. This is now all over month ago, sweating was a fever, which has gone, anxiety better still not 100%. But palpitations are terrible, wake up still at night with like an adrenaline boost with loud heart beat. Due to see endo again November 12 th haven’t informed him frightened to in case I loose the T3, but I am struggling with the palpitations and very worried now as nothing seems to be working.

I am now wondering if this is all due to having Covid and pneumonia or am I actually after all over medicated?

[meme]

it could very well be to do with Covid. We know people who have odd symptoms months or years after Covid.

I have palpitations, have for years. I have been seen by a cardio and have had lots of tests. I am told they are not dangerous, just bothersome, an understatement !!!

It’s worth asking to see a cardiologist even if it’s just to put your mind at rest.

[shaws Administrator]

Re your severe palpitations request a prescription for 'bisoprolol' on a trial.

This helped to resolved my severe palpitations and I still take this at bedtime as the palpitations were at their peak during the night when I was on levothyroxine. Sometimes palps were over 150 b.p.m.

I now take T3 once daily when I awake and bisoprolol on going to bed. I feel well and am symptom-free. My body is calm.

The palpitations first occurred with levothyroxine and cardiologist was contemplating putting an implant in heart 'to see what was going on'. Just then T3 was prescribed and I immediately felt well and I didn't need an implant but I still take bisoprolol at bedtime.

p.s. when first having palpitations in the middle of the night I had to wrap around my neck an ice-cold towel that I kept in freezer whilst sipping ice-cold water - don't need to do this anymore.

[humanbean]

Just something else to think about...

Palpitations can be caused by low iron and/or ferritin (iron stores).

It is absolutely typical of doctors to decide that someone who feels well on their dose of thyroid hormones must be made unwell to fit with their thyroid ideology.

[samaja]

Covid can mess up your cortisol, iron and B12 as well as thyroid meds. Palpitations might be a sign you don't actually have enough T3 as much as too much of it and if they started after the drop in levo it might have been a reaction to not having enough with less T4 to convert to T3.

Covid, however, might have changed it because if your cortisol dropped then it may no longer support the demand created by T3 as would the drop in these other cofactors.

As other said,for sure dont's let doctors mess up with your thyroid medications in the future if you are feeling well on them!.

[arTistapple]

Nellups you are dealing with some heavy duty stuff at the moment. My heart goes out to you. It’s a pity that endo mucked about with your meds in the first place and then the follow up of COVID. No wonder your poor body has been acting up terribly. A 25 mcg decrease in a oner would floor many of us, I am certain! Just realised this is an old post. I wonder where that came from? Well I hope to heck you are doing much better now!

[arTistapple]

Hope you are doing much better now!