Heart racing/skipping beats

[Soloslim]

Hello,

Recently my heart has been playing up, usually starting around 7 PM. My BP gets higher than usual (14/9 where normally I'm around 11 or 12). Heart racing and also skipping beats and shortness of breath. BP normalizes towards 9 PM though.

I have adrenal insufficiency (untreated - please no comments on this - see my bio for explanation) and cannot handle stress at all. Lately there's been a LOT of stress in my life and although I'm trying to do breathing exercises, I seem to have little control over my body.

Generally I'm feeling rather weak: wobbly legs and faint-like. 2 days ago I didn't hear my partner approach me and I really had a major fright - took me the rest of the day to recover from it.

Now I'm sure my adrenals are in the game here, but I wonder if my 5.30 PM Tiromel dose should be lowered? I've tried it in the past but got hypo so I upped to my usual dose again.

I know people here said I should go for mono dosing instead of split dosing but there has been going a lot on in my life recently and I really don't have the occasion to experiment with this. Also very scared about the effects on my adrenals.

Reminder: I'm on 62.5 mcg of Tiromel, 3/4 tablet at 7.30 AM, 3/4 at 12.30 PM, 3/4 at 5.30 PM, 1/4 at bedtime.

Thanks in advance.

[arTistapple]

Ah a fellow sufferers of ‘slimming’ pills. My Mother sent me to a doctor for ‘unexplained’ weight gain when I was about 16. I had no awareness of being overweight. I was very sporty and felt ok at that point.

However it’s left a number of lasting ‘memories’, one of which I am working on yet again! I am 72. Symptoms similar to your description above.

I read somewhere (one reads so much trying to get to the bottom of all this suffering) that those ‘drugs’ can disclose an underlying tendency to hypothyroidism. So could it be the drugs themselves cause hypothyroidism or does the attention to unexplained weight gain disclose early this predisposition? Well I don’t think any normal medic would see a connection. Your average doctor doesn’t seem to see much at all.

Anyway Tiromel is T3 only medication or combination? I am sure it’s not a simple T4.

I have had quite a bit of trouble introducing T3. It brought back all those old symptoms. Amphetamines in my case.

I think perhaps that those of us with this pre-treatment experience (slimming pills) need to be especially aware around T3 of its ‘stimulating’ capability. I definitely don’t think we can’t take it but we do have to listen and acknowledge our body’s reaction very very carefully. Maybe the old drug preset a level of more extreme sensitivity?

Mostly it sounds like your body works well with your Tyromel and it’s likely you just need more tweaking. If it’s a combination medication, I think in your circumstances, this will be extra tricky, because effectively you are changing both T4 and T3 intake at the same time. You will see elsewhere on the Forum that this action (changing both T4 and T3) at the same time is not recommended.

So your ‘tweaking’ may be more difficult than you would like!

If it’s a combo medication, I would seriously consider separating the two prescriptions so you have individual pills. This will allow you to change one hormone at a time.

When/if you get this sorted - in any shape or form, I would be obliged to hear from you how you do it!!

[Soloslim in reply to arTistapple]

Hi, Tiromel is T3 only. Whenever I start on levo, no matter how tiny a dose, I start crashing and I'm suicidal & apathetic within 3 weeks.

Way back I was hypo and was prescribed levo. However some years the levo wasn't doing what it was supposed to anymore so I then switched to T3 and never was able to go back.

I don't feel hyper though, so it is not like amfetamines at all for me. I'm exhausted, very weak on the legs, always on the verge of tears, etc. I'm not gaining/losing weight.

Maybe it's "just" my adrenals shutting down? I knew it would happen eventually but I don't know that symptoms to look for. Hopefully somebody here knows.

Thanks for your reaction.

[arTistapple in reply to Soloslim]

PaulRobinson does not really think the adrenals shut down, except in rare circumstances. Your doctor, should be aware of those circumstances. Right, I certainly don’t know enough about T3 to advise. However I certainly have those symptoms when I overdo just Levo.

I hope someone comes along shortly to advise you. I know some people who just take T3 are on quite high doses. Yours is not modest but neither is it very high either.

Anyway another reply should help highlight your post and it be seen by hopefully someone much more helpful!

[Soloslim in reply to arTistapple]

I don't have a dr anymore who follows me up. Just my GP and he doesn't have a clue. i've seen my fair amount of endos and they don't want to see me because I cannot tolerate levo. And because I'm doing absolutely horribly on steroids (standard treatment for AI). So it's just me.

I just wish i'm overdosed with T3 like you say!

Thanks!

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Do you have blood results to share and if so, when did you take your last dose of T3 before the test?

Have you ever considered dysautonomia or POTS as a cause of your symptoms? It can happen with being hypo.

potsuk.org/about-pots/sympt...

[Soloslim in reply to Jaydee1507]

No, no recent blood results.

I don't know if I have POTS. Anyway the symptoms don"t only manifest themselves when standing up, it is more of an ongoing condition, even when simply sitting down.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Soloslim]

POTS can do that too. Might be worth looking into.