Alternating synthroid dose?

[ando35]

I want to ask my doc to alternate 88 mcg one day and 100 mcg the next because I feel too agitated on the 100 and tired on the 88.

Are there any downsides to alternating dose?

Have any of you alternated and if so was it ok?

[Barb135]

1.3 for FT4 is 52% of range vs 78% of range at 1.6, so I can see where you might have been a little high.  

Dropping to 94 mcg/day might be just the tweak you need.

As I recall, you don't get Free T3 tested, is that right?

The only thing with alternating dosages, that I found was that it was best to write down which dose I took every day because it was easy to get mixed up. I just kept a notebook and each day when I took my med, I wrote the date and which dosage I took.  It only took a few seconds and eliminated the possibility of spacing off and not remembering... But then I have a list of my meds and the supplements I take and check them off as I take them every day anyway, so I don't end up second guessing myself "Did I take that or didn't I?"...  

[ando35]

Yes. I was at 1.3 ft4 and 5.5 tsh.

They raised from 88 to 100 and 4 weeks later I was at:

TSH
1.85 uIU/mL (0.45-4.70) F


FREE T4 1.6 ng/mL (0.71-1.85) F

I felt low energy before and too much energy after.

[Barb135]

Hi Ando...

There really aren't any downsides to alternating dosages.  I've done it quite a few times over the years and it's worked well.  

Alternating 88 mcg and100 mcg will give you an average of 94 mcg/day - a difference of 6 mcg/day.  Sometimes all we need is a small tweak to get our perfect dose.

Do you know what your current levels are right now?  It would be helpful if you could post them, with reference ranges.  

Does the 100 mcg alleviate your tiredness?  Have you had vitamin B-12 tested?  B-12 deficiency causes fatigue, as does folate deficiency. If you haven't been tested for those, this might be a good time to ask for the tests.