Still tired and frustrated

[gizmoesgirl]

So I have been seeing my endo since May 2012. I have Hashimoto. my endo had me on levothyroxine .025 5 days a week and .050 2 days a week. Everything had been going well. Almost all symptoms were relieved until December. I thought that maybe I was feeling exhausted again because of being busy with the holidays but it was actually because the meds had stopped working. My TSH just about tripled in 6 weeks. He switched me to Synthroid and increased my dose to .025 3 days a week and .050 4 days a week. I have been on this dose for 6 weeks now.  While I don't have my most recent labs back I can tell you that my symptoms have not approved. I will see my endo next Thursday and get my labs then. I will post them once I have them. My question is...is it normal for meds to just stop working and TSH to triple is 6 weeks? Does anyone have suggestions for combatting the exhaustion?mi am so tired that sometimes I can't even concentrate! It's so frustrating.

[gizmoesgirl]

My vitamin D was low last time so he had me increase my dose from 2,000 to 4,000 daily.  I am sure he will be testing it again in June.

[goolarra]

As long as you're at it, ask for vitamin D as well.  I always ask the phlebotomist what they're testing when I go to have my blood drawn just in case they "forgot" to order something.  

[gizmoesgirl]

No I had asked for those to be tested last time but they "forgot" to order them. They will be tested next time he says.

[goolarra]

Don't hesitate to try to see him earlier.  If he can't do that, perhaps he'd call in a new script for you in the meantime.

Forgive me if I repeat myself, but have you had vitamin B-12 tested?  How about iron/ferritin?

[gizmoesgirl]

I have not added any new meds nor have I changed how I take my Levo.  I am at a complete loss. I really am fed up with the complete and utter exhaustion. Today it felt as though my arms where 100 pounds each every time I moved them. So frustrating! I don't see my endo again until June 18. I'm not sure I'm going to last that long with the symptoms.

[flyingfool]

The labs seem totally out of whack/balance.  Just about the opposite ratio is what is generally needed to feel well.

This is only my opinion. But you are on a roller coaster of hell.  Mostly medicine induced.

In my opinion, you are on far too little T4 and on far too much T3.  Your body is generally Hypo but you force yourself into short bursts of hyper by the larger doses of short lived T3.  You ramp up with the T3 and come crashing down after it is used up.

Your body may be sensing the T3 available and that is what is keeping your T4 levels down as your pituitary is sensing plenty of T3 available.

But since the T3 is so short lived your pituitary can't react that quickly.

In the end I would recommend significantly reducing the T3 dosage and increase the T4 dosage.  The actual dosage amounts should be worked out with your Dr.

The general or more common approach to medicating low thyroid is to start with only a T4 medication. And increase dosage slowly.  When the FT4 gets to about 50% of the range and your FT3 are still below about 66%, THEN the addition of T3 is added. Again in low dosages and slow increments.

This common process is about exactly the opposite of your history as best I can determine by quickly scanning the long thread history.  And the result is a balance of T4 to T3 that is about exactly opposite of what most people seem to feel well at.