Seasonal Dose Change of Thyroid Meds

[FancyPants54]

Hi

If you have to adjust your meds (reduce) when the summer heats up, how do you know you need to do it? How does it make you feel?

I'm struggling to make headway here. Given my last blood results on Armour Thyroid, I needed to increase my dose. So I did. I crept up 1/8th at a time to 2 + 3/8 grains. Then the heatwave hit and I was miserable. It's a bit cooler now, but I'm more fatigued and more physically tired and bloated than I was and wondering if I really need to reduce back down to perhaps 2 & 1/4 grain. But on paper my last results were low (second part of my daily NDT dose taken 12 hours before test.)

June 7th

2 + 1/8 grains of Armour

TSH - 3.55

FT4 - 14.8 (12-22) 28%

FT3 - 4.5 (3.1-6.8) 37.84%

Or is this just the post dose increase malaise and I really need to hold out longer. Lalatoot I know you swept past your optimal and had to adjust back down. Do you recognise yourself in what I said above?

[Lalatoot]

Sorry I don't, Fancy. My main over symptom was a slight tremor.

[posthinking01]

Hi I have to adjust for weather - down in hot weather- back up for cold. But I am on liquid levo - so a lot easier - Armour/Erfa never agreed with me.

[FancyPants54 in reply to posthinking01]

How big an adjustment do you have to make? And how do you know when it's needed? What symptoms indicate the need to change?

[helvella in reply to FancyPants54]

When we have seen mention in the past, it has usually been a small increment/decrement - e.g. 25 micrograms of levothyroxine or thereabouts - or maybe a quarter grain.

[FancyPants54 in reply to helvella]

That's what I suspected. I have struggled so hard with my doses of thyroid meds for so long that my automatic response now is reduction. But I don't want to make a mistake again. Which is why I wondered how people know/what it feels like to them.

I was doing quite well on 2 grains from December having switched from combo. But then in January I caught a nasty cold and it really impacted on me. I think, looking back, I should have increased a bit then to cope with the illness but I panicked and went the other way and then have had a tough time ever since trying to increase. I've still only made it to 2 + 3/8ths grain in all that time! I recently had bloods done that were under 50% of range. I doubt this really can be a need to reduce. I probably just need to be brave and try an increase!

[posthinking01 in reply to FancyPants54]

When hot I have reduced by 10 mcg - profuse sweating so bad dripping face !

[FancyPants54 in reply to posthinking01]

Oh gosh, I have been dealing with sweating like that for years now. Long before I was on thyroid meds. Although I think it was a sign I had issues in that area. Now when I sweat profusely my internal temperature is quite low. Adrenal related probably.

[posthinking01 in reply to FancyPants54]

Hi are you sure you aren’t hyper ?

[FancyPants54 in reply to posthinking01]

I have no other signs or symptoms of hyper. I have always sweated too much. It's just got worse the older I've got and it's even worse this summer. My blood results are below 50% through the ranges.

[Pascha1]

I’m on T3 mono which I reduce by about 6.5mcg of a 25mcg tablet when it warms up a bit then re add when it’s cold again.

A tremor could be a sign of over medicated being hyper also makes you extremely tired

So maybe reduce back to where you was on NDT before you upped, it then wait a while see if you feel less tired,

It maybe when it’s leaving the body you may feel ok for a bit then go under active again as T4 takes a while to leave the body.

So if you then feel under active again then add less than what you added last time maybe half less. And see if you feel better then, problem is it’s a bit of trial and effort to get sweet spot and the changing weather really does not help

Im not sure I explained that very well sorry

[FancyPants54 in reply to Pascha1]

Yes, you explained that very well. Thank you. No sign of a tremor. I'm always tired and fatigued, doesn't seem to matter what I do. Which is unhelpful.

[Pascha1 in reply to FancyPants54]

I didn’t feel good on Erfa after a bit, I started going down hill and getting more and more tired, I felt much better on T 3 mono, but that wasn’t an easy one to get right either.

I always go on a sunbed to see if I am over medicated, If I get antsy and can not stay under it and get too hot I know meds are too high then reduce my meds a bit.

I only know this is a sign as was hyper years ago and couldn’t stand the heat when hyper

If I’m cold then need more meds ,

Taking pulse is also another way to see if under or over, around 80 is a good place to be

My hair goes ultra soft like baby hair when over and dry and course when under

I get very agitated easy when over medicated and jump down everyone’s throats for no reason

Problem with hyper or hypo similar symptoms of extreme tiredness so is hard to tell unless you work out

May not be the same for you, but you may get the same symptoms . So all worth looking out for just incase

That’s about the best I can offer I hope it helps .

But I think sunbed test is about the best way I have discovered what’s going on with me.

Good luck

[Pascha1]

I have very low cortisol which they say not addisons even though below range, I think thats why I didn’t get on with t4 and NDT.

Blue horizon bloods do a thyroid panel where you get cortisol and magnesium free with it it’s a bit more expensive but cortisol test on own is very expensive

Use the code ITT30 to get 30% off and they also give a donation to healthunlocked as well. Or find healthunlocked code to get the 30% off

You get a free GP report with that as well

Or if Drs ok on doing tests get a 9am cortisol test done

What ever cortisol is best done @ 9am or earlier

[FancyPants54 in reply to Pascha1]

I have had the cortisol tests done last year through my endo. No issues showed up. I can't do a 4 point saliva test though because I can't produce enough spit fast enough!

I'm sure my cortisol levels dip during the day though.