Totally Exhausted lately due to ...

[jeanie245]

Hello

I am in US and used to take 88 mcg Unithroid, and 30 MCG of Cytomel. Then the doctor discontinued my Cytomel. So I got some Grossman Cynomel from Mexico which works great. I have been on Cynomel for 3 months. I tested a month ago and had my Unithroid go down to 1.02 (range is .82 to 1.77) ) and Cynomel was way up at 5.5 (range is 2.0 to 4.4)

I tested for myself only and testing 12 hours after taking the meds.

So I thought the cynomel was too high and reduced my dosage and upped my Unithroid to ONE 88 pill and 1/2 88mcg pill totalling 132 mcg. Now The last 2 weeks I am getting so tired I can hardly do anything.

I get up and work but have to rest alot at work from home. I rest all the time after work and never exercise anymore. Im too tired -- I think it is hyperthyroid -- (not hypothyroid) as it can cause fatigue also. I am so tired I can hardly do anything.

I thought I should lowever Unithroid to 110 mcg and leave Cynomel at 25 mcg plus 1/4 pill. I take my meds at 2 -3 am.

My other blood work is fine and no issues. I dont have the stats for then yet.

Would that be a good idea to just skip a Unithroid and then go on 110 mcg reducing it from 132 mcg?

I did really well on 88 mcg and 30 mcg of Cytomel. But cant get cytomel anymore. Have Grossman Cynomel. Thanks for your advice.

[greygoose]

I tested a month ago and had my Unithroid go down to 1.02 (range is .82 to 1.77) ) and Cynomel was way up at 5.5 (range is 2.0 to 4.4)

Bit of nit-picking here, I'm afraid. But, your blood test results were for FT4 and FT3, not Unithroid and Cynomel. Those are the brand names of the pills you're taking: Cynomel T3 and Unithroid T4. If you explained it to your doctor that way, he would be most confused! Best to stick to a language he understands.

So, you were taking 30 mcg Cytomel, and you changed to 30 mcg Cynomel, is that correct? (Or rather 32.25 mcg Cynomel, but the difference is negligeable.) What was your FT3 on 30 mcg Cytomel?

The difference in the result is enormous considering the tiny difference in the dose. Do you have Hashi's? I think I would be very suspicious of that result and want to retest before changing anything - especially if I didn't feel over-medicated.

I tested for myself only and testing 12 hours after taking the meds.

If you only left 12 hours between your last dose of T4 and the blood draw, you have a false 'high' FT4 because it's usually recommended to leave 24 hours. Is that how you usually do your tests?

So I thought the cynomel was too high and reduced my dosage and upped my Unithroid to ONE 88 pill and 1/2 88mcg pill totalling 132 mcg.

Did you change both at the same time? If so, that's not a good idea because now you have no idea what is causing the tiredness: the increase in unithroid or the reduction in T3?

I imagine it would be the reduction in T3. I know you increased the T4 to try and cover it, but I would imagine you are a poor converter to have needed 30 mcg T3 in the first place. So, you are now probably suffering from low FT3.

I think it is hyperthyroid

Well, you can't be hyperthyroid because you are hypo. The thyroid cannot suddenly regenerate and start making too much hormone. You could be over-medicated by it's not yet proven that you are. As I said, I would have retested pretty quickly before changing anything. It could be laboratory error - it happens. Or, do you take any supplements containing biotin?

Would that be a good idea to just skip a Unithroid and then go on 110 mcg reducing it from 132 mcg?

Personally, I don't think it would be a good idea to make any more changes without testing first. Too many changes in a short time are counter-productive. But, if you're going to make a change, I don't think there's much point in keep changing the T4 dose because it's probably not doing much for you, anyway. If you felt well on 31.25 mcg Cynomel, then I would go back to that for six weeks, and test again.

[jeanie245 in reply to greygoose]

Bit of nit-picking here, I'm afraid. But, your blood test results were for FT4 and FT3, not Unithroid and Cynomel. Thanks for that!

Greygoose, Thanks for your detailed response!!

What was your T3 on 30 mcg Cytomel? (SignaPharma)

In 1/2023 --- TSH 0.005 (considered very low) But my TSH over the last 2 years is always 0.005 -- T4 was 1.25 (range up to 1.77) --- T3 was 4.2 (range up to 4.4)

I felt great on 88 mcg Unithroid and 30 mcg of Cytomel. Lots of energy.

I tested for myself only and testing 12 hours after taking the meds. That is when tested last time. I didnt take any biotin last 7 days or vit B

So I thought the cynomel was too high and reduced my dosage and upped my Unithroid to ONE 88 pill and 1/2 88mcg pill totalling 132 mcg. I thought that increasing my Unithroid would raise my T4 level as it was going down.

I dont have Hashi. My TSH is always 0.005

I will test again soon. and stay on Cynomel 31.25 mcg. But should I reduce the Unithroid to 88 mcg plus 1/4 pill making it 110 mcg? and then later after 6 weeks reduce it back to 88 mcg?

Thank you so much !

jeanie

[greygoose in reply to jeanie245]

If I were you, I wouldn't change anything else at this point. Wait until you've retested.

[jeanie245 in reply to greygoose]

greygoose

When I retest should I also do reverse t3? Thanks

[greygoose in reply to jeanie245]

No point. It's long and expensive and doesn't tell you anything you can't see from the other results.

[jeanie245]

thank you !!

[Elizajoe102]

Hi there, in the past I have been fatigued from slight overmedication, sometimes it's hard to tell if it's from hypo or hyper. I just got some grossman cynomel, It expires October 2024, the pills look slightly different than the bevelled edge ones from the past. Hope they're as good.

I've tried many brands of liothyronine and I end up trying my best to titrate my doses as each brand is always slightly different in strength so it seems.

Good luck