Anyone had heart palpitations after over medicating? Did they last long after reducing your medication?

[Alternatively]

Hello again, I’d be really grateful if you could let me know of your experiences with heart palpitations or pounding.

I’ve been titrating my dose of T3 and T4 to try and find my sweet spot, but in December I stupidly raised both at the same time. From 87.5 T4 to 100 mcg every day and from 7.5 T3 to 10mcg. I know I shouldn’t have, but I was desperate to make my symptoms away. Which they did after 3 weeks, like magic! But at week 6 which was halfway through January, I began to have palpitations, and I’d never had them ever before. Scarey!!! So I reduced my doses back to as were pre December. But now two months later, my heart pounds with any slight exertion although the palpitations have mostly stopped.

Because my symptoms started coming back, I’ve now started back on 100mcg levo 5 days a week and 87.5mcg for 2 days, but just 7.5mcg of T3 every day (not 10).

I haven’t gone to my gp about this because he is against me taking T3 at all and is very unhappy that my TSH is suppressed.

I was away in the canaries for two months when the palpitations started so I didn’t have a blood test until I got back to the uk, by which time I had reduced my dose, and this test showed my T4 to be 86% through the range and T3 was 73%. So my levels would have been higher when the palpitations started.

My vitamin and mineral levels are good, I take supplements and I weigh 9st 6lbs and stable, and apart from the hypothyroidism I’m otherwise healthy. My blood pressure is well within range.

So I feel the palpitations are most likely to be caused by too much thyroid medication, I’m just surprised that the effects are lasting so long? Your thoughts would be much appreciated …… before I spend £300 on an Echocardiogram!

[Buddy195 Administrator]

I’ve experienced palpitations, tremor, rapid pulse etc when both over and under medicated thyroid wise and even ended up in A and E with these symptoms. What I’ve found helps is adjusting super slowly, either by 12.5mcg Levo (alternative days at first) or 2.5mcg Liothyronine daily (never at the same time). I’ve also found that whilst my body is ok with FT3 higher in the range, I experience ‘hyper like’ symptoms if FT4 is high in the range. However, we all have our different’sweet spots’ where we feel most well.. adjusting slowly helps you work out where yours lies.

I recommend you stay on a consistent dose and recheck levels after 6-8 weeks, sharing results with us.

[Alternatively in reply to Buddy195]

Thankyou so much for your reply. I will definitely adjust my dose more slowly and never together in the future.

Did your heart issues last for months once you were not either over or under medicated? Or did they resolve quite quickly?

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to Alternatively]

My adverse symptoms resolved after a few weeks but reappear if I adjust medication too quickly (either upwards or downwards)

[Alternatively]

I see, thankyou for letting me know. It helps so much to hear the experiences of others in the same boat.

I am ever grateful for the existence of this forum and for all the wonderful people that run it and to those that share their knowledge on it. A Big Thankyou to each and every one!

[Timmersby]

I have been taking both thyroxine and liothyronine since 2013 and had never experienced palpitations. My most recent blood tests last month showed my FT4 was only midway through the reference range (58%) and my T3 was slightly higher (67.65%), but certainly not indicating that I was over or under medicated. My TSH was suppressed, but again, due to taking T3, it has been continually suppressed since 2013. All my other bloods were well in range as well, including vitamin D, ferratin and iron.

So, it was inexplicable to me that I started getting quite severe palpitations last week, seemingly without any reasonable cause. I went to the Dr and had an ECG which was unremarkable, but of course, they insisted that it was due to my suppressed TSH. I declined to change my dose given where I was in T3 range last month, so was prescribed beta blockers to use when I experienced palpitations. Since using them, on occurrence, the past few days, my palpitations have been well managed.

I will see how the next few weeks go, as I am reluctant to be on more medication than necessary, and have another thyroid blood panel booked for next month so it will be interesting to see if things have changed.

In the absence of any other medical reason, I have to assume they have something to do with my thyroid, but who knows. I am just relieved to find a way to manage them, albeit with beta blockers !

I hope your palpitations have since resolved too.

[Alternatively in reply to Timmersby]

Thankyou so much for sharing your experience with me.

That’s very strange isn’t it why you would suddenly get palpitations with your thyroid blood test showing those levels. It’s horrible isn’t it to feel that your heart is “malfunctioning”. I’m like you in that I don’t like to be on medication unless it is absolutely necessary, so wouldn’t like taking beta blockers but on the other hand I’d like my heart to return to normal 🤷‍♀️

Maybe I should go to my gp like you did to get a ECG, just to be sure, but I hate the disagreement they show towards me because I source my own T3 and have a suppressed TSH. He or she will probably say something like “we’ve been telling you it’s bad for your heart to have a TSH as low as yours, we’ll have to reduce your Levothyroxine”. I had been looking into getting a heart test done privately for that reason, but I dread to add up how much having hypothyroidism has cost me in private fees over the last 2 years!

Wondered, when your T3 andT4 levels are at 67% and 58%through the range, do you feel symptom free?

[Timmersby in reply to Alternatively]

It is super strange; and when my levels are only partway through the range like that, I do still have some symptoms, most notably dry skin and fatigue.

I do completely sympathise with you regarding GPs (and even Endocrinologists) and their "the sky is falling" approach to suppressed TSH - I have been dealing with that since 2013. My standard response, "but TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone" does not always go down well with medicos who think they know more than me about thryoid conditions (which they don't !)

Though one excellent GP I discovered while living overseas admitted that without any hyper symptoms, she would be happy to continue to prescribe liothyronine and continue to treat my clinical presentation - which invariably was undetectable TSH with mid-range FT3/4. That is also frustrating - if I bump up my thyroxine and liothyronine, I get up towards the top of the range, and symptoms largely resolve, but getting these Australian medicos to prescribe higher doses is nigh on impossible

I also get frustrated with the costs - I continue to pay privately for all of these medical tests, GPs and Endo visits, just so I don't have to wait 8-12 months for an appointment.

Happy to say that the palpitations are well controlled on the beta blockers, which I only take on occurrence - so only a couple each time I have these palps. I am hopeful that they will resolve completely - cos after 12 years of suppressed TSH, and taking liothyronine, without any side effects, it makes no sense that it is the cause now.

None of that is very helpful I know, but sometimes just knowing that someone else is experiencing what you are, is comforting. Let me know how you get on - I will be very interested in what happens going forward x

[Alternatively in reply to Timmersby]

I really appreciate your message Timmersby, it is absolutely comforting to hear about other hypo sufferers’ experiences, that’s the great thing about this forum isn’t it!

Since the palpitations began, have your blood pressure and pulse rate been at normal levels? Mine have been and I don’t get breathless , but my heart feels like it’s sometimes beating more strongly than it did before.

So it doesn’t sound as though you have very understanding thyroid doctors currently? It seems that most people on here need to have their T3 and T4 around 70% through the range to be symptom free. I’m still trying to find my sweet spot.

[Timmersby in reply to Alternatively]

Hi, very interesting that my blood pressure and pulse rate have also been at normal levels and nor do I get breathless, but my heart feels like it is beating out of my chest sometimes - it is an awful feeling.

I agree that upwards of 70% - 90% through range feels the most comfortable for me and where I am asymptomatic - but to get medicos to prescribe to the level necessary to get to that range, is problematic ....as you have experienced, they see the suppressed TSH and immediately want to reduce the dose, certainly not increase it !

Super frustrating ! I hope things resolve for you soon,

Tracey

[Alternatively in reply to Timmersby]

And I hope the same for you Tracey! Nice chatting to you! Sending you lots of good wishes.

[Ellie-Louise]

Last year taking to a doctor about palpitations that I was having, and still do occasionally, she told me that a hiatus hernia (I have one) can press up against the heart and cause them.

[Alternatively in reply to Ellie-Louise]

Oh that’s something that wouldn’t cross your mind as being a cause of palpitations isn’t it! Thanks for sharing that information. I had an endoscopy in December which showed all was ok in my upper stomach area, but it’s something that can occur at any time, so I’ll keep that in mind.

[Overeighty]

I had my 6 monthly blood test in December .At the time I was feeling generally unwell and had constant palpitations. My gp reduced my levothyroxine from 100 to 50 but put me on Eutirox .My palpitations went away within a few days.

[Alternatively in reply to Overeighty]

Oh that’s really interesting! I had never heard of Eutirox before and so I did a google search. Do you live in the UK? Is it stronger than Levothyroxine then? It sounds like you have a very enlightened doctor?

[Tina_Maria in reply to Alternatively]

Just to clarify, euthyrox is simply levothyroxine, it is just another brand name for levothyroxine. I am not sure where overeighty lives or what the diagnosis was (no info or bio), but in any case a reduction of 50 mcg levothyroxine from 100mcg seems quite a lot, and basically cutting her dose in half. And 50mcg is only a starter dose, and I would be very surprised if this would really improve the palpitations in the long term. We should remember that over- as well as under-replacement can cause palpitations, so cutting your dose might not always be the only viable solution!

[Alternatively]

Many thanks for explaining that Tina-Marie! I’ll continue with the brands I’ve always been on, Accord 50mcg and mercury pharma 25mcg. The latter I use to titrate my dose between 75 and 100mcg, mainly at 87.5mcg daily.

Last June I was doing well on 75mcg then in October it wasn’t enough (had symptoms and blood test), increased to 87.5, still not enough so in December increased to 100, felt great on this but palpitations began after 6 weeks so had to decrease to 87.5.

GP Blood test a couple of days ago showed FT4 to be 21 (top of the range being 22), and I’m still having palpitations. My last Levothyroxine tablet having been 27 hours previous).

Gp doesn’t test T3 but assume that would also be at the higher end. Last private blood test in February showed T3 to be 73% through the range.

I just can’t get my dose right, my body seems to need different amounts of medication throughout the year for no apparent reason that I can think of 🤷‍♀️

Have others experienced this?