hypothyroid and heart palpitations

[jeandeck]

I have been on synthroid for about 5 month, 100 mcg is my doseage.  I have underactive thyroid. i was wondering if anyone with underactive thyroid was experiencing heart palpitation due to slow heart rate? i have fluttering in my chest and it feels like my heart stops for a beat and then continues. do you know if maybe my meds are too strong or weak?

[goolarra]

Please post your FT3 and FT4 (and their reference ranges) and TSH. How long have you been on 100 mcg?  If your heart rate is slow, it would indicate hypo, However, we are only guessing without seeing your labs.  Do you have any other symptoms?

[jeandeck]

i started taking synthroid in jan. 100 mcg is the only dose i have been on. my last labs were in april and they were normal ft4 was 1.51 and my tsh were 2.62 they didn't do ft3. although my hair started falling out again about a week ago. and the last month i have been felling more and more exahausted.

[jeandeck]

ft4 range (0.75-1.54)

tsh range (.05-6.00)

[goolarra]

I think you should have labs run again since it's been close to four months.  That's too long to go until you are on a stable dose.  Your FT4 was very high in the range in April (this indicates hyper or overmediaction). It should be checked again to make sure it hasn't gone over the top.  We use the most current TSH range of 0.3-3.0 no matter what individual labs use.  So, by that, your TSH is also high in the range, indicating hypo  Your FT4 and TSH are contradicting each other a bit, but FT4 is much more important than TSH.

I would also insist on FT3 testing when you next have your blood drawn.  I'm guessing, but if your HR is low, it may be a sign that your FT3 is low also.  You may have a problem converting T4 to T3.  If that's the case, a little T3 med, like Cytomel, while decreasing your Synthroid a bit, might make you feel a lot better.  But, that's all guesswork until you get some current labs.

[jeandeck]

im getting them done on the 20th of aug. what the difference between ft3 and ft4?  do you know if hypothyroid causes low milk production because i have been nursing for 10 months now and my milk production is very low.

[goolarra]

T3 and T4 are the two principal hormones that your thyroid produces.  T4 is the "storage" form of the hormone.  It basically circulates in your bloodstream until it's needed by your cells.  T3 is the "active" form of the hormone.  Your body must convert T4 to T3 before it can be used by your cells.  T3 is very fast-acting.  If not used by your body promptly, it is neutralized.  

When you are hypothyroid, your entire metabolism slows down.  I've never heard anyone talk about low milk production, but it would be logical to think that it might be caused by hypo.

I'm glad to hear you'll be getting your labs done soon.  Good luck.