could you share you experiences please? I am wondering whether to try it and take a tiny bit tonight before bed to keep me going over night as I have under active symptoms and then take the usually dose in the morning.
i have high t4 so when I increase it in the morning altogether I get awful anxiety and heart issues in the afternoon I guess when the medication is fully in my system.
I wonder if I split it and take the tiny bit extra before bed maybe I would get such drastic symptoms tomorrow but taking it all at once?
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Goinginsane1
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Hi there, you can try it, but remember levo is in your body long term so will gradually build up to perhaps more than you can tolerate. Why not simply split your normal dose, taking some in the morning and a little at night?
this is what I’m thinking of doing tonight. Thinking of taking the tiny but more before bed and then take the 75 at the usual time of 8am.
I am really struggling with low stomach acid and I know my tsh is going/gone over. I need to eat and try and find a balance of increasing the tsh slightly but not getting the t4 so high that it causes diarrhea and heart issues like it has down this week. I have no idea what dr to speak to in relation to t3 or how to get it but that’s not going to happen any time soon is it and I am so poorly with under and over active symptoms 😞 over being worse but equally the low stomach acid is a big problem as I need to eat and I am struggling and food isn’t digesting 😞
I responded to your previous post, and I really feel for you. First and foremost, keep your levo steady. Stick with a dose that doesn't make you over medicated. Split it if you want. Give it a few days, see if you feel better splitting it. I undetstand your digestive issues. But remember, a lot of it is due to your thyroid issues. So, cut out the foods which you know cause you immediate problems.... reflux, diarrhoea... cut out overly processed foods, but, keep eating everything else. Eat a good varied diet. This is vital to your overall health and your levo conversion. This will not solve all your problems, but will give you a good base to build on. Next, get private bloods done. Improve your nutrition as necessary. All the time, keep your levo steady, no changes. Then, make an appointment with a private endo to get t3 added to your levo. Then you should start to see progress.
I live in wales. And can only see one endocrinologist in Cardiff on the list. I spoke with him 18 months ago. And messaged him for another appointment a while back but he didn’t respond. He told me to address my anxiety. I’ve tried but anti depressants affect my heart and not an option. I wonder if he will still speak to me and review everything now even though my anxiety is awful?
Some endocrinologists offer appointments on line via zoom. This may be an option worth considering. It’s very remiss of your previous endo to dismiss your anxiety; as there are established links with thyroid conditions. Some endos are diabetes specialists and are lacking in knowledge regarding thyroid/ combination treatment. If you are considering combination treatment (ie adding Liothyronine to a reduced Levo dosage), it is important to see a specialist open to prescribing a trial.
As stated in your previous post, adverse health symptoms can result from over range FT4/ increasing Levo further.
I get terrible anxiety when overmedicated. Splitting your dose, whether morning and bedtime, morning and lunchtime or morning and evening, could make all the difference by softening the effects. It really is worth trying over a fair period, not just once or twice. A nuisance though it is, some even split their dose three ways
I’ve had consistently high or borderline high t4 ever since my child was born 2.5 years ago which I’ve been telling drs it’s my thyroid causing the anxiety but they don’t listen. They just see the anxiety causing all the issues.
I took a tiny bit extra last night before bed and then my normal 75 this morning. I couldn’t sleep at all last night. Not sure if it’s thyroid meds related or just my anxiety and probably both.
Well I think several people have mentioned overmedication as a possible cause of your anxiety and from my own experience, this is most definitely the case for me. I’m really not sure why you’d take extra
Adding more T4 if you’re actually overmedicated will exacerbate the problem and will take several days to subside once you’ve reduce the dose. Think about reducing the dose and allowing things to settle. Your body is probably confused
Since giving birth your requirements for T4 may have changed particularly if you’ve lost weigh and have Hashimoto’s. After both my children and 25 years before my Hashi diagnosis I returned very quickly to my pre-pregnancy weight plus the loss of about 5lbs. In other words, pre-pregnancy I was 8st 7lbs post-pregnancy, 8st 2lbs
The reason why I am trialling a slight increase is coz my TSH went over and was causing me problems suggesting I need to increase it. I have increased it slightly which seems to have helped my stomach acid problem somewhat today until now but I have been having other issues probably due to high t4. I am so underweight and need to eat more and when I do my TSH goes over and the only way I feel that I can carry on eating is to increase dose so that I don’t have stomach acid and I pray that my t4 doesnt go too high and will eventually settle down and by eating more which my body needs and that will help the conversion and the t4 will start to come down 💁🤞🏻 my body needs food. I look and feel anorexic 😞
I know everyone is saying I should increase my dose as my t4 is high but my TSH is going over range when i eat more (which I desperately need to do) and the only way to stop the low staunch acid and awful, awful fatigue and muscles aches and tightness is to increase the dose I reduce what I’m eating and I really need to get food in me and digesting properly. I feel trapped between awful under active symptoms and awful over active symptoms and at the moment both. But I’m thinking if I can get the stomach acid to go and I can eat properly that will help me in the long run and my t4 will start coming down as my body readjusts to being properly fueled and pray that it start's to convert a bit better. I just know that I am poorly either way. I will lose weight and be so unwell if I don’t increase it due to the fatigue and low stomach acid and being unable to eat and now that I’ve increased it I am poorly with in creased anxiety, generally not feeling well and not sleeping and probably an increased metabolism which may not help me putting weight on either even if I dam managing to eat a bit more 💁
also, this week I increased it from just under 75 (which I’ve been taking for a year or more) to 75, then a bit more as I still had stomach acid issues and fatigue, then 100 for 2 days. the days I took 100 I had diarrhoea so I reduced it back down as clearly my t4 was too high! 😞
I am currently taking 75 in the morning which is a tiny bit more than my normal dose and then about 8/9mg roughly (a quarter of a quarter of a 50mg) before bed at night. I know that the increase is definitely causing me issues with the t4 going up but it is helping the stomach acid and bringing TSH levels down and I am able to eat properly today without pain under my ribs and burning. Although I can feel it a little tonight.
I know that everyone is saying that high t4 is worse than high tsh but I can’t eat with the low stomach acid and I need to eat 💁
I suspect that the route cause to all of my issues and potentially the conversion issue is from not eating enough for 2/3 years which has maybe caused the thyroid dysfunction, hormone reduction, severe anxiety 💁
As I said I am hoping that it will all settle down even with the slight increase in order to eat properly and the high t4 and symptoms will go 🤞🏻
I’ve responded to your private message and on on previous post.
Low stomach acid can be caused by many things, digestive problems, hypothyroidism, B12, medications (metformin ) acid reflux medication and these can lower stomach acid and your B12 if on long them enough.
I wouldn’t cut out a food group what ever you do without testing if absorption is a problem tell your GP and ask for coeliac test and lactose test, for these you’ll likely be referred to gastroenterology department if you’re already seeing endocrinologist he also can refer you.
Do you know if the brand of Levothyroxine your on is causing and side effects it did my mum she’s on liquid version but when on increased dose it still upsets her … her condition is due to amiodarone and she cannot take anything else… it’s very well known to cause thyroid problems.
No I haven’t seen waveylines post …my mum has tried numerous meds - all under supervision in cardiology ward as in patient - pharmacist couldn’t find any other, nothing suits her and this is now a last resort for her she been told… she’s in her early 80s and thyroid problems now (expected) and Levothyroxine giving her digestive issues so refuses to take, liquid has been ok but she can’t tolerate higher dose that she needs.
Just to put that into perspective… sorry to have jumped in on Goinginsane1 post it wasn’t meant to be a question in previous post, but if anyone wants to inbox information on it, I’ll be interested to read… just not take up this thread. 😊
Sorry I haven’t got round to replying to your message yet.
I’ve been to drs today. My blood was taken on Friday and TSH come back 2.3 and t4 1 point over range. Not as bad as I thought it was going to say based on symptoms and medicheck results a few days before.
I told them about what I think is low stomach acid and they have asked me to do a stool sample. My b12 is okay. I’ve only had the stomach acid 3 times in the last year and all 3 times have been when my TSH has gone over range.
The brand I take is accord everytime. I can’t have TEVA as that gave me so many problems.
I guess if I’m going to increase it ever so slightly by like 8/9mg (literally a quarter of a quarter of a 50) as a full quarter extra have me some over active symptoms and I tried 100 for 2 days and that was even worse.
75 isn’t enough to control the stomach acid and I am so sensitive to everything I’m thinking of trying that tiny bit extra and hope that it will help the acid and TSH slightly so that I can eat properly whilst the not having too bad high t4 symptoms
But I can’t survive with the low stomach acid and food not digesting 😞 my only options are to slightly increase the Levo to solve that or I eat less but I’m not eating enough as it is really and I look anorexic. I feel like my body is giving up on me 😞
No, its not your only option. You need to keep your levo within range and steady. Take betaine hydrochloride with your main meal when you feel you need it.
Counter-intuitive as it sounds, about a tablespoon of a good quality apple cider vinegar diluted in a large glass of water and used throughout the day with meals was the answer for my husband. Just the one glass is enough for him
Your anxiety is highly likely directly linked to being overmedicated with levo. I've been there. At one point my ft4 was nearly 90! If my ft4 reaches over 20, I feel the anxiety build. I need it lower. I expect your mind is racing a mile a minute, flipping from one thing to another, without pause. This is because your levo is too high. Bring it down, within range
I honestly feel trapped. I start eating more and start to feel better and then my TSH goes over and I get the low stomach acid and then struggle to eat. I might try betaine maybe and see if that helps? Can I get that in boots?
Someone suggested trying apple cider vinegar too before meals. I have a bowel issue (diverticular disease) so need to be careful as I know just lemon causes me issues and vinegar is probably stronger than lemon and may cause me problems there. I guess I just have to try.
For most people it’s a simple case of increasing the thyroxine when the tsh goes over but not for me. I really think I might try increasing it ever so slightly but not as much as I did earlier this week and hope the t4 doesn’t go as high as it did and doesn’t cause me so many problems. The only other way is to reduce what I’m eating again but I need to eat more. And now I have been eating more (the amount I should be eating) the TSH has gone over like last time and then my food doesn’t digest and causes me grief and prevents me from eating again 😞
I know that when I increased it this week to 85ish and 100 (especially 100 I had awful anxiety heart problems, felt really weak and unwell and diarrhea one day). Maybe taking around 80 a day won’t cause as high t4 and I can manage those symptoms.
For a year or 2 I have been prescribed 75mg but I have had to shave off a tiny bit of half a 50 tablet so that it’s been slightly less than 75 to manage keeping the t4 just about in range. I knew that when I eat more I would need to increase the levo in order to keep the TSH under 4 as it goes over but I know that my t4 asp goes up and over at the same time. I was just praying that this time now that I’m eating more again and enjoying food a slight increase would help keep the TSH down a tad and the t4 wouldn’t go up too much either and I’d find a way to manage it but I am struggling to find that balance again.
I am debating taking 8/9mg (a quarter of a quarter of a 50 tablet) tonight before bed to see if it ties me over until the morning so that I don’t wake up with stomach acid and pain in my chest/under my ribs. I am waiting for the horrendous fatigue and every muscle in my body to start aching like it did last November and it was awful. I have gradually increased my food intake slowly and tried to increase the dose as slowly as possible at the same time thinking I may find a way to control it but I don’t seem to be able to.
I know it’s not recommended to increase it as my t4 will undoubtedly increase too, but I need to eat and for it to digest properly and ultimately eating more is going to help the rest of my body function better.
However, I am stuck between trying to eat more and the high t4. I suspect that if I can eat more and start to put some weight on my thyroid and whole body will function better but I can’t seem to get passed the increased t4 issue initially before my body readjusts as that increases my metabolism in itself and causes diarrhea 😞
I guess I just have to try that tiny bit more maybe tonight before bed and then take the 75 as I normally do in the morning and hope that I don’t get the extreme over active symptoms like when I took 100/85ish even though it is all ever so slight changes.
I’m going to have to take a movicol tomorrow too to try and stop the constipation too I think as food not digesting properly 😞 I feel sick with the acid feeling and then I feel sick when the food is just sitting there and I feel sick when I don’t eat enough as my body needs fuel. It’s one big nightmare.
I managed to restore my health by following advice from SlowDragon & other members of this forum. When you are able, I would reread links that she has recommended in your previous posts.
Will do. My vitamin levels are all okay although vitamins d could be better. I struggle to take vitamin d tablets as they make me feel sick for some reason.
I’ve tried magnesium but that caused me severe anxiety and made me feel even worse.
I think everything comes down to low estrogen and potentially progesterone levels which is having. Knock on effect for everything else, causing anxiety, affecting thryoid conversion and massively increased stress hormones.
Are you of an age to be perimenopausal at all I’m not being rude or condescending , you can get Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) under 40 yrs old… you mentioned couple of times about these low hormones but not if anything has been addressed…apologies if I’ve missed that at all.
Have you looked into this with GP?
Anxiety is very much a problem in perimenopause… and anxiety drive’s stomach upsets, think back to being nervous when young and you’d get nervous tummy and it might not be the thyroid unless you’re on higher dose than you need as too much Levothyroxine can give same outcome in some.
I asked gp to test hormones today but she said they don’t do it.
I think my upset tummy was due to too high t4 earlier in the week. Since reduced dose and only done a slight increase and splitting dose yesterday too so will see how that goes for a few days I think
GPs don’t test sex hormones if over 45 if they think it’s perimenopausal… they do test hormones if under. They also can retest once in established menopause to see levels are ok on HRT.
FSH is a standard test- I think I mentioned in my message another (and one the holistic practitioners do) but I haven’t had them done to share any experience.
If you still get problems, turn the tables around on your GP or endocrinologist and go with the anxiety theme one of them mentioned for now, and explain ok if this isn’t thyroid related if they’re discounting this that or the other … ask for trial of HRT before accepting other options (unless you want to) as it’s one most common symptoms of perimenopause and acid reflux is, you mentioned low stomach acid too… there are new NICE guidelines regulations which are being looked at again re HRT so not sure if this has been implemented yet, where many new to HRT need to have CBT therapy first, it won’t hurt to have that either way, but you shouldn’t be refused the chance to try HRT unless you’ve other reasons for not doing so which obviously is your choice and maybe if other medical conditions contraindicate … so always best to work with your GP but if they discount what you think is the problem, then you rule out their suggestion, is best way forward otherwise just lock horns on things. I think you’ll get most out of the NHS this way.
Too many get fobbed off and anxiety or depression, and medication is given, when many women have hormone issues not all of course, some still require meds but for many HRT can sort this area out with right dose and type… without need of strong medication. (benzodiazepines)
To be honest with you I don’t know what I’m doing. I just know that right now the only way to stop the TSH from going over and the stomach acid being a problem and awful muscle aches a fatigue is to increase the dose slightly which today seems to have helped those issues.
However I am having other issues due to the high t4. I feel trapped. Drs have no idea how to treat/help and I know I need to eat without any stomach acid otherwise I will lose more worth but I may lose weight with high t4 too which I can’t afford either. But at least with the stomach acid issue going which it seems to be I can eat properly today and hope for the best and review it in a week or so and see how I’m feeling then 💁
I asked about hrt today but she said no and prescribed a lower dose combined pill. Which I’m not sure I am going to take yet as I took a different one a few weeks ago and had awful migraines 😞 and had to stop after 3 weeks.
They have prescribed diazepam to help my anxiety and calm me down which I took one a day for 3 days last week but I haven’t taken that for a number of days now as I don’t want to take it and I’m on a waiting list for more CBT but it’s going to be a year! Anti depressants affect my heart and make me more ill too.
Trying to get an appointment with a private endocrinologist who may consider t3 if I need it 💁
I split my daily dose and it works better for me. I'm on 100mcg thyroxine and 10 t3. Si split the levo into two doses and take them about 12 hours apart.
I split my levo dose. I take half in the morning and half in the afternoon. I couldn’t tolerate a full dose as my heart rate use to surge and I’d feel over anxious and dizzy. In work it’d be a nightmare. I found splitting half then a second half really worked for me.
The other thing I’d say is if you know your T4 is going over range can you not reduce your dose also ? But also split it. I’m prescribed liquid levothyroxine which is so much better than tablets you can draw up your perfect dose and it’s absorbed so much better too Ask your gp for a liquid trial as you’re having these problems
I also split my levo dose; I take 75mcg daily (though still titrating up slowly)
During the night I take 25mcg then early afternoon I take the 50mcg
As I struggled to tolerate the hormones when I was first prescribed them I had to start very slowly with tiny fragments of a levo tablet broken up into pieces.
I am so sensitive to the tiniest/slightest changes. I have been shaving a tiny bit off 75 for a year or 2 to try and keep tsh and t4 in range. I have increased it slightly this week and been having all sorts of issues. Most people can increase by 25 as a dr would suggest and be fine but I have issues with tiny changes as little as 8/9mg. I took 75 yesterday and this morning and took literally a quarter or a quarter of 50 last night before bed (approx 8/9mg). Which helped my stomach acid this morning but I struggled to sleep and haven’t felt well in other ways most of the day 😞
I always split when I get an increase until I get used to it then take it just in a morning . Horrible feeling when you first increase dose or first start on levothyroxine.
I’ve never even thought about split dosing until I read it on here. I tried increasing my dose in the morning and in mid afternoon my symptoms hit and are worse before they start to ease as the medication starts to leave my system again I guess. I tried taking my usual 75 yesterday morning and then a tiny bit more before bed last night. It did seem to help my stomach acid issue when I woke up this morning although I can feel it again now. However, I have high t4 so I’m having increased anxiety and generally not feeling well and I am struggling to sleep especially last night and since increasing dose. My TSH was going over since I started eating more which need to do as I am severely underweight and I am praying that everything will settle down eventually and increasing the dose is the right thing to do in the long run so I can continue to eat without a stomach acid issue and then my body will start to function better including my conversion to t3 and hopefully the t4 will will start to come down 🤞🏻
I struggled the most when I went up to 75mcg for some reason. When I went up to 100mcg I didn't feel anything yet my latest felt a little jittery on 125mcg. It wears off eventually but is very uncomfortable until it does. Hope the anxiety wears off soon. It took me about 4 weeks hope you aren't as long
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