Synthroid and Cytomel Combo Question

[sweetpoison]

I had 7/8 of my thyroid removed approx. 20 years ago due to graves.  I have been on synthroid (all different strengths) since.  Finally found an endo I like,( I have just been seeing reg. MD.) and she has decided to add Cytomel to my meds.  My TSH is 1.110  Free T3 - 2.7   T4 - 6.8  T4 uptake-1.11   She is adding 5mcg of Cytomel (1/2 twice a day) to my daily dose of sythroid which is .075 mcg   I have been having hair loss issues and no energy issues (also my legs hurt like heck/may not be connected :)  Is this a good thing???  This is the first time a doctor has been willing to give me anything other than Synthroid and I have always felt something is missing.  I have been to endos before and always went back to my reg. doc because they never seemed to show much REAL INTEREST.....  This lady spent over an hour with me on first visit and I really like her but would like other opinions as to this treatment.  What to expect....  I also have trouble sleeping through the night and was wondering what effect this might have.  I am also... as so many of us are.... OVER WEIGHT...at least 60 lb.  Feedback is appreciated.

Vicki

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

The weight and sleep issue brings up the possibility of sleep apnea where the airway narrows during sleep and oxygen levels dip then you briefly awaken and start the process over -- ask your primary about this.

The cytomel/synthroid combo is not unusualy.  It is worth a try to see if you feel better.  Most common cytomel dose is 5mcg 2x/day in addition to the synthroid -- keeping the TSH around 0.5-1.5.

[Chocobabe]

I thought you might find it interesting that I belong to a large group of thyroid patients, and those that were once on Synthroid and Cytomel, and then switched to Armour, which is natural dessicated thyroid, said they noticed MUCH better results.  I personally never had Cytomel added to my T4 meds, but when I switched to Armour, which gives you exactly what your own thyroid gives you, the difference was stunning. Also, those of us who are having such great success have docs that does us by symptom-elimination first and foremost, not the TSH. We also get our free T3 towards the top of the range, and there is where our hypo symptoms stop, such as weight gain, achiness, hair loss, etc. Also by the way, a LOT of folks seem to have sluggish adrenals, which means not enough cortisol is being made to distribute the thyroid hormones from the blood to the cells. So these folks are getting their adrenals checked with a 24 hour saliva adrenal test. They say a one-time blood test doesn't do the job.

[glofielg]

A related discussion, Value of switching from cytomel to armour was started.