Cytomel vs. Synthroid

[GaryO1991]

  Hoping someone can help.  Was diagnosed with Hypo. back in 2006.  Was placed on Thyroxine/Cytomel combo. since.  Seemed to have worked well til about a year ago.   Heard several Endo's "complain" about the use of Cytomel.  Have had others say some people won't convert without it!  In 2006, in order to maintain proper T3 levels...I was placed on 5mcg per day.  Over time my conversion from T4 to T3 has required my Dr., based on blood number ranged alone, to increase my Cytomel intake to 10 mcg per day.  However, the past 12 months I started with increased BM's,  severe intolerance to heat,  anxiousness, sluggish, etc.  All the symptoms one would read when looking up "Cytomel side effects."  But, my TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 numbers have never looked better.  And, I've never felt worse!!  Thoughts about trying Armour, Levo alone, another type of treatment, etc?  Getting conflicting "what-to-do's" from different Endo's.  One says, "You don't need Cytomel."  The other states, "Your body won't convert  on T4 alone."  My issue:  Good looking blood numbers vs. feeling terrible.  Appreciate any feedback, suggestions, common issues, and  help.  Thanks.

[RadRevD]

Thanks for your concern Barb.  

I walked away from high cholesterol, Insulin Resistance and elevated glucose that remained above 220 beginning in August 2002.  I got no traction from my Blue Cross physician.  He was later convicted of being a voyeur...he liked little girls.  I bought a cholesterol meter and my sister helped me with the Glucose Tolerance Tests.  

I have not been pain free since a workplace accident in 1998.  they pumped me full of pain pills and hoped I would resolve or disappear.  I remain adverse to pain medication.

Diagnosed Hashi Dec. 2010 and still no USA Rx'd meds.  What's a guy to do.  Is our pill supply all that safe?  I'll avoid ranting.  

My health issues have been attributed to the alcohol I drink.  Very recently I was Dx with Hema.  Guess it wasn't the alcohol.

My point is simple:  Trust no one and do your own research.  find a physician who will treat you or treat yourself.  The most that can happen is that i die, and I'm okay with that.  To be pain free with the One who loved me the most would be overwhelmingly joyful.

[Barb135]

I've read your previous posts about hemochromatosis, because of high ferritin levels.  Elevated ferritin is associated insulin resistance/type II diabetes; have you been tested for these conditions?

Very few people need the high dose of cytomel/T3 med that you're taking and I'd never recommend that they get med from another country without a script.

[RadRevD]

I am taking 75 to 100 mcg of cytomel daily and achieving a free T3 level of 3.6, well within normal limits.  That number will spike within an hour of taking 25 mcg, so it's recommended that you have the test done before taking medicine in the morning.

In April 2012, I was Dx with elevated reverse T3., mine was 863, almost triple the normal upper limit.  Many Endos resist considering the impact.  I ceased supplementation and still had an elevated rT3/T3 ratio.  

I shut my thyroid down using cytomel from Mexico.  May 22 I was Dx with Hematomocrosis, elevated ferritin with a level of 1100, again three times the upper normal limit.

You physician needs to do a complete thyroid panel and explore other issues like ferritin that impact the thyroid and other organs adversely.

Consider your thyroid your black box and your doctor a mechanic that has no clue what is going on in those circuits.

[Barb135]

Please post your actual thyroid test results, with reference ranges, so we can see what they look like.  Just because they are "perfect" on paper, doesn't mean they are perfect for you.

You can talk to 10 different people and you'll get 10 different ideas on the need for T3 medication.  If your FT3 is high enough without additional T3, then you don't need it, but if you're not converting adequately, you will. Some people insist that T4 only meds never work; others say that some people do very well on them; we have some members on T4 med. It's all very individual, so there's no set protocol.

What's your T4 med/dose? How long have you been on this dose? Do you have labs from before you were started on the cytomel?  Comparing your FT3 to FT4, would tell us whether you were converting adequately or not.