Symptoms while raising Cytomel-normal?

[bedheadblonde]

So after finding out my FT3 was in the basement, I've slowly upped my dose of Cytomel, but it seems as if my hypo symptoms are getting worse-when I first started the quarter dose of 5mcg twice a day, I felt a lot of my aches and pains leaving, felt more energy, but it's been a month or so now, and it feels as if my hypo aches and pains and weakness are coming back full force,especially in my hips and legs. Plus major itchy dry skin. (The only thing I've noticed abiding is the hair loss-I've seemed to have slowed down on the shedding I was having!) My T4 med was also reduced at that time, and I'm due for another blood lab in a couple weeks (I also started a birth control med-low dose estrogen, but I know that can throw off people) so I'm not sure if that also needs a bump yet or not. Is this a typical symptom while things even out? To feel hypo while things get balanced? I also noticed when the Cytomel would "peak" (4-6 hours after the dose), my blood pressure tends to go up a bit-I usually run somewhat low (90/60 or so) but it'll suddenly go to 120/80 or so. I know that's not super high to most, but when you're typically on the low end, it sort of concerns me. It usually calms down after I take my second dose of the Cytomel/take my Xanax, and usually my heart rate isn't really affected, just the blood pressure. Cause for concern, or just the higher dose messing with me until my body adjusts?

[Applecore]

I do know what you mean.  I think the doctors don't realize how much we need to understand what is going on with us and take the time to answer our questions or even ask questions themselves of how we are doing.  Are our symptoms gone or what is going on.  It is difficult to live every day with not feeling normal and things going on that we don't even know why or what is causing them.  I agree that the Cytomel give you an energy boost.  I have taken mine as late as 6:00 as I need the energy boost.  I didn't know that you could still have Graves after the RAI is done.  I had hyper until I had the RAI and then I got hypo and hashimoto.  I would keep researching and asking questions, especially to those on this forum and you will get answers and it will help.  It takes years (for me anyway) to get a hang of this multifaceted disease.  

[bedheadblonde]

I ended up not taking the dose just because by the time I realized I had missed it, it was about 6pm and it usually gives me an energy boost, so I didn't want to be up for the night, ha ha. I agree about needing to be up on things-I've actually had my doctors chide me for reading up on Graves' and asking things.. I mean, Graves' is something I have, even though I had RAI done. It's something that I have to live with now. I'm not trying to self-diagnose, I just want to ask questions such as "why aren't we looking more into my T3 levels?" And I get a, "you read to much about stuff. You shouldn't worry about it." I wouldn't worry about it if I felt okay. But I don't, so I kind of want to know what my levels are with my bad symptoms, so I can improve on them, you know?

[Applecore]

I feel like it is helping me with my energy and brain seems to be sharper.  I hope he will increase the dosage to see if it can get better than it is.  He said he may increase my Tirosent also.  It is so tough not to know what is causing what.  I think I am getting to the point of being able to tell a few things after years of walking in confusion and not knowing what was going on.  With the tirosent, gluten free, now the Cytomel, it seems like there might be light at the end of the tunnel.  I guess we have to keep hanging in there and trying stuff including new doctors to get better.  One thing I have learned is we have to research and be up on things as the doctors don't do much.  This forum has helped me when I didn't know what to do.  We help each other.  Thank you Lord for it.  I also googled what I should do if I forget the afternoon Cytomel.  They said to take it as soon as I remember.  I wasn't sure if it was hours after I was supposed to take it or not, like late in the evening.  What do you do?

[bedheadblonde]

I was told to do the 2.5 twice a day, but I told them I'd feel more comfortable starting off on just a quarter twice a day at first, and they were okay with that, and I could go up to 2.5 twice a day when I felt more comfortable doing so. I felt better first starting it, too, but I do feel some things need to be tweaked now. It's helped the brain fog, definitely-I forgot my second dose of it the other day (my own stupid fault) and wow, I felt horrible without it, so even though I'm not yet balanced, I can tell that it is doing something. My concern is my blood pressure-I don't feel ill or anything, but it sees since going up on my Cytomel, my BP has gone up, and I can't tell if it's because of the med increase (because it actually stabilized my BP at first and got it smoother) or because I need more? I get blood work soon and might have to re-tweak my T4 med as well, so it could be just I need some rejumbling around with everything.

[Applecore]

I too just started on Cytomel 5mcg, 1/2 twice a day.  The first 2 weeks it really helped me.  Mine is mental, seems like mind strength.  Hard to explain it.  I did feel stronger mentally.  It seems like the last week that is not still happening.  I am stronger in some ways but it is not the same as the first 2 weeks.  I am hoping that he will increase it when I go back in another month.  He left my tirosent the same 88 mcg.  I definitely am better but want to see more progress than I am.  Are you adjusting you meds by yourself or by doctor's orders.  I am usually very very sensitive to meds so I am grateful that I am tolerating this well.    

[bedheadblonde]

Yeah, I kind of figured. Looking at my FT3 lab and symptom wise, I know upping it is the right thing. I can be kind of sensitive to medications, which is why I wanted to slowly do the increase, but since I dont feel much difference after taking what I am right now, I think you're right, it's probably fine to do just the half a pill twice now and go from there.

[Barb135]

It's customary to decrease T4 dosage when adding in a T3 med.   If you did that a month ago, your FT4 should be considerably lower by now.

I agree that you're being overly cautious with the T3 med.  You could probably have gone for 2.5 mcg T3 right off the bat.  It's too hard cutting pieces off those little pills, so you really don't know exactly what you've been getting.  Plus 2.5 is such a small dosage, you'd probably not feel much from it anyway.

Your symptoms are, most likely, coming back because you aren't taking nearly enough of the T3 med.

[bedheadblonde]

I was taking a quarter of 5mcg twice a day, and though I'm not up to a full 2.5 I've been using my handy dandy pill splitter to make a slightly bigger hunk slowly. I'd figure I'm probably taking roughly 2 mcg twice a day right now? But I just started doing this raise a few days ago. My FT3 was only at a 2.0, and I found that out about a week ago or so. That was the very bottom of the directlabs range I got the test from, and I know through my actual doctor's office, their Ft3 starts a bit higher. When I first started doing the quarter twice a day, I was pushing it on my Ft4 level, and wanted to kind of let that settle with the lowering of my T4 med before upping the cytomel. Now that it's been a month, I figure it would be okay to raise it up to aim for 2.5 twice a day and go from there on how I feel. (I'm probably being way too overly cautious raising it as small as I am, but I just didn't want a huge overload in my system.) It just seems like things were disappearing for about a month, and now they're back, so I figured it was time to finally raise the cytomel. Just kind of wondering if I shouldn't just go for the 2.5 twice a day since that FT3 was so low? I had been on the quarter twice a day before gettng the labs done for about 3 weeks, so I don't even know how much lower my FT3 was before then. I'm just wondering if it's a mix of not getting enough hormone and my body trying to adjust to the increasing dose of T3 meds?

[Barb135]

What's the actual dose of cytomel you're taking? And did you raise it from?