Aa
Does this dosage change make sense?
So I was having a lot of issues with Cytomel and called a different doc I was seeing to get her opinion on what I should take (she's the one who is prescribing me Cortef and I'm currently taking 10mg in the morning). I was taking 100mg Tirosint and 20mg Cytomel and had asked this doc to switch me to NP thyroid. I asked her if she thought I needed to be on a lower dose because of the Cortef and she ended up prescribing 60mg NP Thyroid (30mg in am and 30mg in pm). All this conversation was thru voice mails and the nurse. I never actually talked to the doc, so I'm wondering why she lowered my thyroid dose so much. I know you can't equally match synthetic doses to natural, but that's a big drop. Do you think she's lowering it because I'm taking Cortef and don't need a higher dose until my cortisol is back up? I may call and ask what her reasoning was.
What would make a person feel worse after starting thyroid hormones? I've been hypo my whole life, but never felt as bad as I have the past 5 years when I started on thyroid hormones. I've had brain fog and a band of pressure across my forehead for 5 years now and no one seems to know why. I've never felt better on any dose of thyroid hormones and I've been on them since 2008.
COMMUNITY LEADER
No, if your thyroid is damaged by Hashimoto's, medication will not heal the thyroid; however, lack of thyroid hormones affects every cell in your body and once you begin providing adequate hormones, it still takes time for your body to adjust and get well.
Hypopituitarism affects all of your endocrine glands, all of which affect your entire body. You have to find the right dosages of all the different hormones, in order to balance everything out. I'm sure it can't be easy, but giving the replacement hormones enough time to do their work, is essential.
Hypopituitarism affects all of your endocrine glands, all of which affect your entire body. You have to find the right dosages of all the different hormones, in order to balance everything out. I'm sure it can't be easy, but giving the replacement hormones enough time to do their work, is essential.
What if your thyroid has been damaged by Hashimoto's? Can it ever heal without enough thyroid hormones? I also have hypopituitarism.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Actually, I explained that wrong. 60 mg NP should be equivalent to 100 mcg T4 OR 25 mcg cytomel, because T3 is 4 times stronger than T4.
Quite often, 3 months is not long enough to give a medication. I was on synthroid for over a year, before more than a couple of my symptoms went away. Then once I got sent to the endo, and he gave me the T3 med, it was nearly another year before my levels budged, even though symptoms did start going away, sooner.
When a person has been hypo for a long time, they have to give the body time to adjust and actually, heal from the illness. Compare it to a broken leg - you might only have to wear a cast for a couple of months, but it actually takes up to a year, before that bone is completely healed and strong again.
Quite often, 3 months is not long enough to give a medication. I was on synthroid for over a year, before more than a couple of my symptoms went away. Then once I got sent to the endo, and he gave me the T3 med, it was nearly another year before my levels budged, even though symptoms did start going away, sooner.
When a person has been hypo for a long time, they have to give the body time to adjust and actually, heal from the illness. Compare it to a broken leg - you might only have to wear a cast for a couple of months, but it actually takes up to a year, before that bone is completely healed and strong again.
That's good to know. I thought 90mg was equal to 100mg T4. I know it seems like I change meds a lot, but I really do give them all a fair chance. Only reason I will change a med before 3 months is if I have a bad reaction, like I did with Cytomel, or if I'm allergic to a filler. Finding out what I'm allergic to has been a trial and error task.
I've only seen this doc once and I'm a little skeptical since she claims to be holistic but acts very conservative, so I'll see.
I've only seen this doc once and I'm a little skeptical since she claims to be holistic but acts very conservative, so I'll see.
COMMUNITY LEADER
According to conversion tables 60 mg of NP should be equal to 100 mcg T4 and 25 mcg T3......... that's one way to calculate it.
Another way is to figure that one grain is 60 mg; 60 mg has 38 mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3.......
Going by the conversion chart, the dose she put you on, should be pretty close to your previous dose.
Because you've had so much trouble in the past, with thyroid med(s), maybe it would be a good idea to try this dose for a while and see how you tolerate it. Remember, it's always best to start out at a lower dose until you know how you react to the medication.
Typically, whenever an adrenal issue is present, it should be dealt with before thyroid issues; therefore, your doctor is following that rule of thumb.
Seems like you're changing medications quite regularly, and maybe not giving each of them a chance to do their job. Even though it only takes 6 weeks for a T4 med to reach full potential in your blood, it often takes much longer than that for it to actually make you well, because once the medication reaches potential, your body still has to have time to heal.
Another way is to figure that one grain is 60 mg; 60 mg has 38 mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3.......
Going by the conversion chart, the dose she put you on, should be pretty close to your previous dose.
Because you've had so much trouble in the past, with thyroid med(s), maybe it would be a good idea to try this dose for a while and see how you tolerate it. Remember, it's always best to start out at a lower dose until you know how you react to the medication.
Typically, whenever an adrenal issue is present, it should be dealt with before thyroid issues; therefore, your doctor is following that rule of thumb.
Seems like you're changing medications quite regularly, and maybe not giving each of them a chance to do their job. Even though it only takes 6 weeks for a T4 med to reach full potential in your blood, it often takes much longer than that for it to actually make you well, because once the medication reaches potential, your body still has to have time to heal.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
