Hope you're all well. I have started getting palpitations, quite bad where it continues for over 5 minutes multiple times a day.
I am on 100/125mcg Levo and 17.5mcg of compounded slow release T3. I have been on this dose for a few weeks and the past two days I'm experiencing the palpatations and wondered if anyone had anything similar that could shed some light?
My latest results from 9th of March - the T3 hasn't moved even though I increased from 15mcg to 17.5mcg and instead of 24 hours before testing, I took my T3 at 13h00 the day before, so 18 hours.
My folate has increased 👍
Many thanks
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Thyroid_mum
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I've had heart palpitations for decades, with and without thyroid hormone replacement. I discovered that if I apply thumb pressure on my inside left wrist 3 or 4 inches below my palm crease, this stops them immediately. I don't know why this works, how I discovered it, or if it would work for anyone else.
It has never failed me and I used to be terrified of the runaway palpations that would last over two minutes.
Edit: My dear wifey (and family archivist) informs me "my discovery" was actually gleaned from class on Shiatsu we attended back in the olden days, 1983 in Manhattan, NYC.
Should add that I'm on T3 only, 40 mcg and sometimes still get heart palpitations even though my heart checks out "fine". Last blood test showed T3 at the top of the range.
Its difficult to tell whats happening with your FT3 as the 18 hour gap between last T3 and lood test means it is now showing a false low FT3. See graph below for the peak of when T3 is taken. Guidance suggests a gap fromn last dose of 8-12hours to get stable blood levels.
Also it is usual to allow 6-8 weeks on a stable dose to get accurate blood levels. The increase you made was very small.
I can only guess that your T3 dose isnt high enough but that really is a guess as to why you are getting palpitations.
I don't think there are studies on testing for slow release T3. Sorry, the graph I posted was for immediate release. Perhaps you're just not taking enough T3 but testing only a few weeks after a dose increase is pointless. A 5 mcg increase might have been an improvement. Palps are a hypo symptom.
Wow, that's the way I was when put on NDT. However, upon reading this forum, I found out I was left on a ridiculously small amount for way far too long time. Thyroid care in the US is in as dire shape as it is in the UK.
Thanks SlowDragon, my endo has suggested we try compounded desiccated as I did well on thyroid granular (forefront health) but had issues getting it into the uk - hence hence changing to T3 and then compounded Slow Release T3.
What are your thoughts on compounded desiccated thyroid (pig)
SlowDragon , that's a worry. As I hear several 'top' endos saying that slow release is what they're focussing on now. They think it'll be more readily accepted by drs as there won't be the 'dangerous highs' from the T3 most of us take.
no it doesn't .. (well not directly anyway , but it's a bit complicated ~ there are good explanations on here by Radd~ i'll try to find them for you later/ tomorrow)
Reverse T3 simply cannot 'fit' on to the T3 receptors inside the cells (it's the wrong shape ) the only thing that fits onto T3 receptors is T3.. so reverse T3 does not 'block' the receptors .
That idea was an oversimplification that used to be thought to be true several yrs ago ,, unfortunately some thyroid sites on the internet have not updated their thinking in line with what is now known .
These two post have links to articles from ThyroidPatientsCananda which explain why reverse T3 doesn't 'block' the T3 receptors (or cause T3 'pooling' )
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