Can T3 (tiromel) cancel the effect of ADHD meds?

[gavan104]

Good afternoon, everyone,

Please share your experience with concomitant use of T3/T4 medication and ADHD medication. I started Concerta in September last year, and a small dose worked beautifully. I started tiromel/euthyrox in November. The effect Concerta has on me has changed - instead of being calm and collected, I become almost drunk and unable to think straight. I am worried if I tell the truth to the neurologist, she will stop the prescription.

Tiromel is 2.5mg taken before bed. Concerta is 18mg, taken in the morning. Euthyrox alone does nothing to me, I am a poor converter.

I just wasted yet another day sitting around like a dummy, cannot nap and cannot do anything meaningful. It seems I cannot take Concerta anymore. Out of the two meds, I need tiromel more. Any info will be greatly appreciated, thank you very much for your inputs.

[Tina_Maria]

Just a thought: Are you taking the extended release formulation of concerta? This has a half life of 12h - so you would have half of that dose left after 12h (and half of that after another 12h, etc.). And in the morning you would dose again, so you top up and keep your medication at a certain level.

You take the T3 in the evening, however by that time you would still have some of the concerta left in your circulation. When you add T3, this would act as an energy provider, e.g., speeding up heart rate, metabolism etc., which is the opposite effect of the concerta, which is more sedative. So it is quite possible that some of the effects of the concerta would have been blunted (hence the unusual sensation).

Do you know a knowledgeable pharmacist? They are sometimes a bit more clued up about drug-drug interactions / pharmacology and could perhaps advise you. It could be that you need to increase your dose of concerta, but you obviously would need to discuss this with your prescriber.

[gavan104 in reply to Tina_Maria]

Thank you for your kind reply Tina_Maria! I decided to quit Concerta, TBH. The feeling of losing control over my head was very unpleasant. I feel T3 meds are more important than Concerta. It is a pity I could not have the benefits of both. I gave it three attempts, no improvement. The good news is that I now do not need to spend all that money on Dr visits.

[Tina_Maria in reply to gavan104]

Hi there, yes I can certainly understand that you would not like the sensation of losing control over your head. Sadly, that is often the problem with these medications, as they will dampen down responses (same happens also with anti-depressants), which can make you feel that you are not yourself 😢.

I think that you are right that having good levels of T3 are more important - since T3 is involved in so many of our processes!

There have been some studies suggesting that omega-3 supplements and Vitamins B6 and B12 can support people suffering from ADHD, as can magnesium, zinc and adequate levels of iron. Stressful events can trigger anxiety for me (adrenaline and noradrenaline response), but I found that keeping up with magnesium and B-complex does help, as does yoga, T'ai Chi and outdoor exercises. Simple walking can also help to relief the feeling of restlessness (green therapy). Since I have increased my walking and yoga, I feel much less anxious, even when I have a stressful situation. I hope you find something that will help you.

[gavan104 in reply to Tina_Maria]

Thank you for good wishes! I so want to function and feel better. I feel the benefits of T3, even though I am on a very small dose currently. I am hopeful that over time the damage done to my body and brain by long term lack of hormones is compensated somewhat eventually. It is sad, though, to think that the cognitive and memory deficits may be irreversable after such a long time. I always wonder what my life would be like if I knew earlier what I know now about myself. My health has impact on health reserves my kids were born with, I feel very responsible for some of their difficulties. Thank you for your support.

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to gavan104]

hi,

Has your doctor suggested that you try the other ADHD meds out there? I have a friend who has had an ADHD diagnosis for 15 years and she has tweaked her meds - dose and type - a lot over the years, before she arrived at her personal equilibrium. There are a lot of potential drugs for it.

The interaction with thyroid meds is a really interesting question. I would love to know more about the research if anyone has a handle on it, here.