Aa
I'm hyper from meds i think
Hi, I need some help! Can I come off cytomel cold turnkey without side effects? My primary doctor put me on cytomel for chronic fatique/depression. He started me on 25mcg. I felt better so he increased to 50mcg. I said to him at my last appt that it didn't seem to be working and he said we'd go to 75mcg. He said "we can go to 100mcg and then we'll check your thyroid sometime". Well, I went to the gyn for having no cycle in 2 years (unrelated I thought) and they did some blood work and my TSH is 0.007! I'm very concerned with this. I only took 25mcg today b/c I think I need off of it but I'm worried of side effects from withdrawing. How quickly can my level come back to normal after I stop taking cytomel. I feel very worried and am so anxious, along with the other symptoms of hyper. I have an appt with an endocrine dr in two weeks.
thanks so much
thanks so much
Old thread but I just want to add here - if I took 75mcg of cytomel they'd have to peel me from the ceiling. I am extremely sensitive to t3 supplements - presumably because of some underlying adrenal issue that I"m still in the process of figuring out (no insurance). But the doc had me originally on five mcg twice a day and it was absolutely intolerable. Hyperactive, profuse sweating, intense and miserable anxiety and panic, anger, hyperactivity. Horrible. Going off on people, sweating all the time, severe looping panic attacks. Cytomel hell. I have over the last five years, reduced it down to 1/4 pill a day - up until a week ago it was a half a pill a day - but today and yesterday the fatigue has really caught up with me. It's 8 am and I want to go back to bed. But I'll take that over the anxiety. I'm not sure what the next step is. The symptoms decreased incrementally with each reduction in T3. Yesterday I was able to meditate a little bit which was a relief, and no anxiety.
If you can take 25mcg with no symptoms you have a very different system. Some people can tolerate it. But a warning to people for what I experienced - be careful because if you have the wrong constitution or it is prescribed by someone who doesn't really understand what they are doing, it can really mess you up.
If you can take 25mcg with no symptoms you have a very different system. Some people can tolerate it. But a warning to people for what I experienced - be careful because if you have the wrong constitution or it is prescribed by someone who doesn't really understand what they are doing, it can really mess you up.
I just wan to thank each one of you for taking the time and having enough concern to answer my questions. I truly appreciate it all and got so much good info. I got about 3 emails still urging me to choose a best answer to recognize someone for their thoughtful work. I did make a decision on someone who gave me alot of info and acknowedged cytomel being used for depression. I appreciate that. But, I want you ALL to know I appreiate each and every response....everyone gave me good advice...so thank you.
Since you mentioned weaning very slowly...I am taking 2 1/2 pills (25mcg each)...I had started taking just 25mcg, but I got nervous about jerking myself right off...and my pharmacist also said to go slower. So, I go to the endocrin. this Friday and hopefully he will give me guidance as how to wean. I guess I will stay on 2 1/2 pills untill then or come down to 2 pills by then. I was just so worried with the TSH being 0.007 that I needed to slam off of it, but I see there can be some serious side effects coming off quickly. I think if I'm at least coming down, my TSH shouldn't be as hyper? I know I need the free levels of T3 and T4 and I assume the endo will do it, I'll be making sure. My prolactin is also high at 114...but the doctor answered and said that usually has to do with HYPOthyroid, not hyper. So, they must not correlate together and be separate issues. Ugh, I hate hormones! Anything I could be missing? Any more advice? Anything else I should ask my doctor about? Is 0.007 a dangerous level?
Since you mentioned weaning very slowly...I am taking 2 1/2 pills (25mcg each)...I had started taking just 25mcg, but I got nervous about jerking myself right off...and my pharmacist also said to go slower. So, I go to the endocrin. this Friday and hopefully he will give me guidance as how to wean. I guess I will stay on 2 1/2 pills untill then or come down to 2 pills by then. I was just so worried with the TSH being 0.007 that I needed to slam off of it, but I see there can be some serious side effects coming off quickly. I think if I'm at least coming down, my TSH shouldn't be as hyper? I know I need the free levels of T3 and T4 and I assume the endo will do it, I'll be making sure. My prolactin is also high at 114...but the doctor answered and said that usually has to do with HYPOthyroid, not hyper. So, they must not correlate together and be separate issues. Ugh, I hate hormones! Anything I could be missing? Any more advice? Anything else I should ask my doctor about? Is 0.007 a dangerous level?
what a great idea...I guess I will call my doctor's office tomorrow and ask to be tested for free T3 and T4 so I can have in hand for my endo appt. It shocks me that he said we could go to 100mcg before testing...I hate myself for not doublechecking behind him...but I was just trusting him...thought he knew what he was talking about. After seeing many with hypothyroid are on only 5mcg, I can't believe I'm on 75mcg and very hyper! I didn't have any symptoms until I went to 75mcg...no symptoms on 25mcg or 50mcg. The anxiety...whew, that's been tough!
Thanks for telling me that T3 gets out of your system in a few days. Is there a possibility this could have caused damage to my thyroid and it will not function properly on its own now? In other words, did we rock the boat? Or stimulate something that didn't need to be "fixed"?
thanks for all the replys!
Thanks for telling me that T3 gets out of your system in a few days. Is there a possibility this could have caused damage to my thyroid and it will not function properly on its own now? In other words, did we rock the boat? Or stimulate something that didn't need to be "fixed"?
thanks for all the replys!
I'd be fairly annoyed with my doctor if I were you as well. He obviously has no clue as to how to dose Cytomel and should never have been increasing your dose without testing FT3 (especially), FT4 and TSH before every increase.
Cytomel (T3) is very fast-acting, and it's out of your system in just a few days. T4 meds, on the other hand, take 4-6 weeks to build in your system and 4-6 weeks for the effects to completely disappear after you discontinue.
Would your current doctor order free T3, free T4 and TSH for you so that you'd have those results in hand when you see the endo? That would save you some time getting this straightened out. Be sure to request FREE T3 and FREE T4, otherwise, they'll test total T3 and total T4, which are not nearly as useful.
What schedule did the pharmacist give you?
Cytomel (T3) is very fast-acting, and it's out of your system in just a few days. T4 meds, on the other hand, take 4-6 weeks to build in your system and 4-6 weeks for the effects to completely disappear after you discontinue.
Would your current doctor order free T3, free T4 and TSH for you so that you'd have those results in hand when you see the endo? That would save you some time getting this straightened out. Be sure to request FREE T3 and FREE T4, otherwise, they'll test total T3 and total T4, which are not nearly as useful.
What schedule did the pharmacist give you?
yes. My TSH was4.7 last time getting it checked a year ago. Due to fatigue and depression, he started me on cytomel...saying it is a new thing to do to treat CFS and depression. And like I said, I told him I felt better on his initial dosing of 25mcg than any antidepresent med I've ever taken and refuse to take them now due to all the side effects. He then pushed the dose to 50mcg...don't know why. Then he went to 75mcg last month when I said it didn't seem to be working and said "we can go to 100mcg and then we can test your thyroid function". I shouldn't have been so trusting,..so I blame myself for not questioning...he's been a great doctor to me for 3 years. I just so happened to get my TSH done at the gyn and found it to be 0.007. I don't know my T3 or T4...I suppose they will do that at the endocrine office. I called my pharmacist yesterday and asked how to wean and he gave me a wean schedule. I didn't call my doctor b/c I'm very irritated at this situation! As I've done a little research since getting this TSH result, I see many start on only 5 mcg!! It's scary to me!
Thanks for your responses, if you have anything else to say, please go ahead.
Thanks for your responses, if you have anything else to say, please go ahead.
I presume your doctor gave you medication for hypothyroidism without checking your thyroid. Is this correct? And did he continue to up the medication without testing you? If this is the case then your doctor should not be practicing medicine. Call the endocrinologist and tell him you cannot wait two weeks, but must see him immediately because of a serious problem that needs prompt attention.
hello..first and formost only go off your meds with the advice of your dr...it takes around 6 weeks to feel the differance but tapering your dose down is the proper way of going off a med ..BUT follow your drs orders!!...your tsh being suppressed and feeling anxious sounds hyper ..but only blood work with the freet3 and freet4s will show where your thyroid is at...good luck..keep us informed...b
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It IS true that Cytomel is used clinically for depression. T3 is the hormone that carries seratonin across the synapses in the brain. Without the transport of seratonin, it is impossible to feel happy. It has been used for many years in concert with anti-depressants, by psychiatrists whose patients have poor response to antidepressants alone. But the latest research links some depression to hypothyroidism with no other symptoms for the reason I mentioned above, and small doses of Cytomel are started on a prophylactic basis and titrated up with marked success. I too suffered depression for at least 10 years while I tried to get treatment for my hypo symptoms with a TSH in the low-normal range. When my doctor added T3 to Synthroid, my depression lifted in 3 days. It was astonishing. My other symptoms, including fatigue took longer to subside and required slowly adjusting the Free levels. My period is disturbed every time they change the Cytomel dose.
If I were you, I would change doctors as soon as possible, and titrate your Cytomel down VERY slowly to avoid possible side effects like hair loss and menstrual problems, as well as the return of depression. When a doctor irresponsibly reduced my Cytomel by half because of my low TSH, I experienced a swift return of symptoms and gained 15 lbs. in 3 weeks, as well as experiencing the swift return of "brain fog" and severe depression. I'm sorry this happened to you. It's this type of doctor who makes it difficult for the rest of us to get proper treatment with T3 and gives it an undeserved reputation with the major thyroid associations.
Good luck.