t3 questions

[Brucergoldberg]

still debating.  still crashing around 3 every day.  

every time i take t3, its like cryptonite.  headaches, headaches  etc...

Are you able to push through the headaches eventually?  if so, how long?     If a person take t3, does it supress the tsh at all?  what about after the t3 half life is gone?

[Ericamegan]

I had headaches for about a week when I made the switch, but felt so much better once my body had time to adjust. I wonder if your system would handle T3 meds a little better now than it did last time you tried.  If you try it, I would take a tiny dose twice a day.  That way your levels stay more stable.  Also, if you try T3, it will most likely suppress your TSH.  

[Brucergoldberg]

do people that switch from t4 only to t4 + t3 get the headaches?

[Brucergoldberg]

i had a sleep study.  was told i snore.  This isnt just a little tired.  This is like going from normal to sticking your finger into a light socket at 3 pm

[Stufftie]

I couldn't make it through the afternoon without a nap or a bunch of coffee.  (I know coffee and thyroid meds not a good mix)

The doctor sent me home with an over night pulse ox recorder and the numbers shocked me.   Sleep study shows I have obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.  Although it didn't happen a lot in the lab - I was uncomfortable, of course - but it was there.

I am not overweight and have no other reason for the breathing episodes.

If you can't get your doctor to send you home with a pulse ox get one from the store.  Although someone will have to wake up and look at your numbers around a breathing episode time.

BTW I am hypothyroid on 60 mg Armour in the morning and 30 mg early afternoon. Mid high Free T4 and high free T3 is where I am kept.  

I see the sleep study doctor on Wednesday.  

[Brucergoldberg]

Gimel,

Fatigue    yes
    Abdominal pain   no
    Joint pain    no
    Increased blood sugar levels and diabetes    no
    Liver dysfunction and/or abnormal liver blood tests    no
    Decreased sex drive, impotence in men    negative
    Hypothyroidism I think so
    Weakness   no
    Changes in skin color, turning grey or bronze   no

mainly just tired usually around 3 pm.  Its weird, its like i shift from one feeling to another.  Take my meds at night, feel okay when i wake up. Work out, do some work, eat lunch, then about 3 pm start getting cludy thinking, fatigue, ears start buzzing, want to get in bed but i dont.  

maybe i need t3 during the day?  maybe a 11 am dose or something?  IM trying to get my last labs with ranges to post but they didnt come through on quest .

[Red_Star]

From the Iron Disorders Institute...

"Serum ferritin measurements range from about 15–200 ng/ml for women and 20–300 ng/ml for men.  Although laboratory ranges vary, most are close to these values.  Approximately 95% of the population will fall within “normal” population range simply because ranges are calculated using standard statistical methodology.  

Except for the lower ends of these ranges, which can predict anemia or iron deficiency anemia, the ranges per se do not define optimal or even healthy iron levels.  Optimal SF ranges for men and women are 25 – 75 ng/ml.  Individuals with risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stoke, liver diseases and cancer face amplified risks proportional to the amount of stored body iron over and above the optimal range.

Numerous medical research studies have demonstrated that serum ferritin above 100 ng/ml has been associated with decreased cardio vascular fitness and increased incidences of: atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, cancer gout and accelerated aging including osteoporosis and sarcopenia (muscle wasting) due to oxidative stress."

Who doesn't have oxidative stress? Step outside and suck in the exhaust fumes. :)

[gimel]

From a layman's point of view, nothing stands out as a problem there.  Continuing with my straw grasping, would you say you have any of these symptoms?

    Fatigue
    Abdominal pain
    Joint pain
    Increased blood sugar levels and diabetes
    Liver dysfunction and/or abnormal liver blood tests
    Decreased sex drive, impotence in men
    Hypothyroidism
    Weakness
    Changes in skin color, turning grey or bronze

[Brucergoldberg]

Gimel,

Iron total  136  range  45 to 170
Iron binding capacity 315    250-425
% to saturation   43     20 -50
Ferritin   106   20-380

Test on 5-10-2013

[gimel]

Just an idle thought.  Have you been tested for ferritin?  If so, please post result and reference range.  

[Brucergoldberg]

they are okay!   well....   the cortisol is fine.  I havent done the spit test in a year, but the blood cortisol is fine.  

[Red_Star]

How are your cortisol levels?

[Brucergoldberg]

I need some expert advice on this.  I was on slow release t3/t4 and it was horrid.

My numbers look fairly good except my t3 seems a drop low.  Im still pretty wiped out during the day.  If you just looked at my tsh and ft4 you would say i should not be feeling the way i feel.   But today for example i was pretty wiped out.   I have a personal trainer and a physical therapist because if i dont force myself to get out of the house and do stuff, i would be glued to this computer chair and do absolutely nothing.    

I think i might need some help with the t3.   I am a little confused on it and still have questions.  

[Red_Star]

"Cytomel is immediate release T3, and compounded T3 is a 12 hour sustained release T3, therefore you are getting a continuous dose of T3 over a 12 hour period, and not just a burst of T3 with the immediate release cytomel." FAQ on T3 - Medaus Pharmacy

A slow steady flame compared to a stick of dynamite..or kryptonite. :P

[Brucergoldberg]

how long does it last ?  :)

[Red_Star]

Have you ever tried the slow release form of T3? I hear that is recommended if you have T3 sensitivity. Slow release T3 is made up in a compounding pharmacy.