TSH high with JITTERS

[JosyM]

I have been on Nardil (MAO Inhibitor) antidepressant for panic disorder since 1986 and never had any problems. I used to take 2 Nardil tablets a day. I also take Synthroid for hypothyroid for little over 10 years and couple of years ago I went through 3 doctors because they kept leaving the medical center and each one kept telling me to increase, decrease, increase, decrease my thyroid meds and they also changed the brand few times, from Synthroid, to Levoxyl (they removed the coating from pill and made me very sick), to Unithroid, and then I asked doctor to put me back on Synthroid. I think I was on 150 or 137 mcg when I got sick. The last doctor at this medical center had told me to decrease my Synthroid and I didn’t listen because I was tired of the up and down of the dose of Synthroid. Few weeks later I was so sick and went to emergency room but they didn’t do anything and I went home sick. I should have decreased my Synthroid when my doctor told me to. I was so sick I ended up stop taking the Synthroid for like a week or so and my TSH went up to 65. So I had to go back on Synthroid and I started at 25 mcg and my body couldn’t handle the 25 mcg. I was getting severe jitters and nervousness. I was so upset I couldn’t even take that low dose. I decided to break it in half and take the 12 mcg and it worked. Then I slowly tried to increase to 25 mcg and still couldn’t tolerate it. I was thinking maybe my body was rejecting it being I didn’t decrease it like I was supposed to. So I spoke to a gastroenterologist about it and she said try to reduce my Nardil. So that’s when I went from 2 Nardil tablets a day to 1 tablet a day. Then finally I was able to start increasing my Synthroid. It took me about a year to go from 25 mcg to 125 mcg. I felt hypothyroid on that dose of 125 mcg still. Years later I found a brand new internist doctor outside the medical center to help me with my thyroid meds. Bad experience with him, He had me go to 150 mcg and I got sick again. He wanted me to go from 150 mcg to 200 mcg a day of Synthroid in 3 weeks time and take Cytomel also. I was so jittery on Synthroid on just one pill of 150 mcg that I was too afraid to increase and to take the Cytomel, so I never took it. He said try taking 75 mcg in morning and 75 mcg at night instead. That worked but only lasted 4 months. So I left him and found an endocrinologist and he put me back on 137 mcg of Synthroid. I been on 137 mcg few months and the jitters came back. Even though I was getting the jitters my TSH was always still a little high like 7.53 but t3 and t4 and everything else was normal. When I was on 150 mcg my TSH was normal and t3 and t4 was normal but my t3free was low. I also noticed that my iron saturation levels would get too too low the more I increase the Synthroid. The lowest was 7% even when taking vitamins but all my other iron levels and hemoglobin were normal. My B12 blood level always super high like 1400. All these years I been always taking Centrum multivitamins and started to take Calcium from Citrate with it. I had learned by taking the vitamins after my thyroid meds would rid of my jitters so I continued. So we’re talking about this month now on 137 mcg, take the vitamins about 2 hours later which I know you’re not supposed to, then I would take a 1/8th of a 50 mcg Synthroid (approximately 6 mcg plus 137 mcg totalling 143 mcg) at night which I had from my latest doctor and that would make me feel less hypo at night from the vitamins blocking. The vitamins block Synthroid absorption and helped rid my jitters. Anyway, sorry so confusing but it’s about 5 months later and my blood pressure went up to 160/90 and laying down went to 140/90. So I called and left message to my endocrinologist please can I go from 143 to 125 mcg of Synthroid and for me to stop taking my vitamins altogether thinking maybe it’s giving me a false TSH reading. He didn’t call me till days later and I couldn’t wait so I lowered my Synthroid myself to 100 mcg. I went too low and now having a hard time increasing back up to 125 mcg of Synthroid. I wonder if my Nardil is causing my poor toleration to Synthroid increases. Being the manufacturer reformulated the Nardil I am so afraid of getting off of it and don’t know what to do. I was thinking of getting off it in case it was causing my synthroid problems. I bought books on safely withdrawing from antidepressants and believe it or not they didn’t have info on Nardil. It even said it in the book it didn’t have info for Nardil to withdraw safely. I don’t know what to do. I am only on 1 a day, 15 mg of Nardil I remember on the old (before it was reformulated) Nardil I weaned off so easily with no problems. I had to wean off because I had gall bladder surgery but something about the new Nardil scares me. I can’t handle being jittery every morning every time I take Synthroid and having high TSH readings and not knowing what causes it. The jitters would start about 1 hour and 1/2 to 2 hours after taking the Synthroid. I take Nardil about 3 hours later. I forgot to mention that I started taking ferrous sulfate 325 mg, my primary doctor told me to. None of my doctors have the answer about the jitters. The vitamins help but can’t take it too close to Synthroid. Hope to hear from you if you have an idea. Thanks for letting me submit comment here. Am so terribly sorry that it’s so long and confusing but I went through all of this too long. Thanks.

[Applecore]

Sorry at the top of your comment you mentioned you are taking something for panic disorder.  Would something like lorazapam for anxiety also help or is that too much.  I took it regularly during my worst times and hadn't taken it for 3 months but am now having some anxiety with the new challenge so I have taken 1/2 a pill about 3 times in the last 3 weeks.  It helps to know that if I need to I can take it which means I usually don't .  the doctor taught me a breathing excercise that I am trying.  You take a deep breath to the count of four and hold it for four and let it out for four and then repeat it 10 times or so.  I tried it in his office but haven't done it at home yet.  It did relax me in his office.  I have so much compassion for what you are going through.  Please hang in there because it will get better.  We have a loving God and he will bring us through all of our sicknesses.  My mom always said to me "Keep on keeping on"  It is hard but there are joys in life in the midst of it.  Linda

[Applecore]

I am so sorry for all the problems you have been having.  I have learned one thing during my time so far, if you have a good doctor stick with him and let him help you to stabilize.  I don't really like my doctors but he is doing a good job I think.  He has brought me over the past year down from an exremely high tsh to not quite normal yet but working on it.  I don't know what you mean by jittery but have you ever thought about using an anxiety medicine for a little while until you get straightened out.  It does calm you down and keep you more rational so that you can wait for things to change instead of trying to change them yourself.  I don't know how many others will agree with me but I think the doctors know what to try and we have to have some trust in them along with the Lord.  He is the bottom line for me.  It is hard to wait through the symptoms but I have walked through the fear many times and actually am doing that right now as I have a new challenge to overcome and that is a diagnosis of celiac disease (gluten intolerance)   I don't know what your beliefs are but try reading the psalms or some other source of encouragement when you are paniking.   I will be praying for you.  Lots of Love and Merry Christmas  Linda