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Decreasing dosage
Was decreasing my lithium from 300 mg. was down to 100 mg and started to feel edgy. A week later I was going for blood work for my 6 month checkup. My tsh .40 (0.44-4.21) and t4 free 1.06 ( 0.60-1.40) I told her what was going on and especially that day I felt very hyper edgy. I said I have been on synthroid for 25 years and have never been below the normal range and asked her if lowering the lithium dose could have caused this and she said maybe. Then she asked me what I wanted to do. She felt the free t4 was within range. I then said reduce the dose to see if it helps. She lowered it to 88 mcg from 100 mcg and said to have bloodwork in 4 to 6 weeks. I thought why is she asking me what to do and not her advising me . I have to speak to my other about what to do about the lithium. I started the lower dose 5 days ago do you have any idea how it will take to adjust. Right now I feel like I am in limbo.
If the initial endo diagnosed me and he did all the tests. I am not aware of it. All I know is that I had a problem with the thyroid. And I was put on 100 mcg of synthroid. He is a good doctor. But I f didn't care for his attitude. If he thought my thyroid wasn't working maybe that is what he meant. He may have said it but I was in the hospital at the time because the doctor was taking me off the meds I was on and just wanted me to be on a thyroid medication
In 1985 I had a very bad throat infection could barely swallow for 4 days. I wasn't getting better and then they found out I had mono. In 1986 they checked my thyroid but said it was okay. When I was put on medication for depression it always gave me a lot of energy and later on on that is why I never felt tired. In 1990 was when I found about the hypothyroidism. I believe the infection in my throat had a lot to do with the thyroid. The endo never gave me that diagnosis just said it was dead. As I said it was very hard to communicate with him. He never made you feel comfotprtable.
When your psych tested your blood, you were on meds. So, your levels should have been good. However, once you stopped taking thyroid meds, your levels went back to where they had been before you started taking Synthroid.
Did your endo ever diagnose Hashimoto's thyroiditis? That's probably what you have if he said your thyroid was dead. When you have Hashi's, your thyroid gets worse and worse all the time (until it's dead), so you do have to be on meds for the rest of your life.
Thyroid meds don't "cure" your thyroid condition. They only replace the hormones your body can no longer make. So, once you stop taking them, your hormone levels go down again.
Did your endo ever diagnose Hashimoto's thyroiditis? That's probably what you have if he said your thyroid was dead. When you have Hashi's, your thyroid gets worse and worse all the time (until it's dead), so you do have to be on meds for the rest of your life.
Thyroid meds don't "cure" your thyroid condition. They only replace the hormones your body can no longer make. So, once you stop taking them, your hormone levels go down again.
I have been looking thru some of the threads and just have some questions. In 1990 when the doctor I was seeing did bloodwork and find out my thyroid results showed that I was hypo and the level showed I should just be wanting to sleep all the time. A endo saw me did bloodwork examines me . He even had me drink a glass of water while he was examine me. I was then put on synthroid. A few months later the psych treating me for depression did bloodwork and said I did't need it. I know it was at least a year or more that I was off it . After that when he did bloodwork he said my thyroid was off. I went back to the endo and he asked who took you off of the synthroid. I told him the doctor did. He said you need to be on this for the rest of your life because your thyroid is dead. I was than put back on the thyroid. Now when I think about it. I never asked him what he meant. He did not have the greatest bed side manner. As I read the different threads I was just wondering about these things.
I checked a drug interaction website, and they said there were no interactions with Prevacid.
That's a long time to be on meds. I think you have to expect a few bumps in the road as you try to get off it. You may have to take it slower than others after being on it so long.
That's a long time to be on meds. I think you have to expect a few bumps in the road as you try to get off it. You may have to take it slower than others after being on it so long.
Being on it for so long wanted to wean me off of it . Was supposed to do it awhile ago taking lamictal which is supposed to take the place of the lithium. But I think I am having a problem because I was on it for 23 years.
I just rembered last week I started to take Prevacid because I was getting heartburn. I had stopped takin it because it was affecting my iron level. Can Prevacid affect the lithium and synthroid?
Sorry, I did this wrong:
"1.06 (0.6-1.40) is 57% of range. You have to divide 1.06 by the width of the range (1.4 - 0.6 = 0.8), not by the top of the range. 1.06 / 0.8 = 57%."
I should have said you have to divide where you are in the range (1.06 - 0.6 = 0.46 by the width of the range (1.4 - 0.6 = 0.8). 0.46 / 0.8 - 57%.
Four weeks is a good time to check. The dose hasn't totally settled, but most of it has.
So, why did you reduce your lithium if you felt well on your previous dose?
"1.06 (0.6-1.40) is 57% of range. You have to divide 1.06 by the width of the range (1.4 - 0.6 = 0.8), not by the top of the range. 1.06 / 0.8 = 57%."
I should have said you have to divide where you are in the range (1.06 - 0.6 = 0.46 by the width of the range (1.4 - 0.6 = 0.8). 0.46 / 0.8 - 57%.
Four weeks is a good time to check. The dose hasn't totally settled, but most of it has.
So, why did you reduce your lithium if you felt well on your previous dose?
in 2 weeks it will.be 4 weeks since I decreased the dose. She said
To have it checked in 4 to 6 weeks. The lithium is always below normal even when I was taking 300 mg. before the change I was fine on 300 mg.
To have it checked in 4 to 6 weeks. The lithium is always below normal even when I was taking 300 mg. before the change I was fine on 300 mg.
I'd press the doctor and ask for FT3 again. Just tell her you'd like to see it. After all, you're paying for the tests. Also, lithium can impact conversion, so even though she doesn't order it typically, you may be the patient she needs to order it for.
I don't think we know yet if reducing the Synthroid is helping or not. You've made two changes to your meds, both of which take time to balance out in your system.
1.06 (0.6-1.40) is 57% of range. You have to divide 1.06 by the width of the range (1.4 - 0.6 = 0.8), not by the top of the range. 1.06 / 0.8 = 57%.
In two weeks, it will be how long since you adjusted Synthroid?
I don't think we know yet if reducing the Synthroid is helping or not. You've made two changes to your meds, both of which take time to balance out in your system.
1.06 (0.6-1.40) is 57% of range. You have to divide 1.06 by the width of the range (1.4 - 0.6 = 0.8), not by the top of the range. 1.06 / 0.8 = 57%.
In two weeks, it will be how long since you adjusted Synthroid?
In my last thread when I said to lower the dose I meant the synthroid dose. Based on the tests .ft4 was done it was 1.06. Range was .60-1.40 I am assuming this was at 75 per cent. If I am right. I don't know if 2 weeks a long enough time see results. I am deciding if I should get in touch with my pcp or wait. The lithium dose was increased August 1 and today is the 26th so I think that should. Be helping . I wondering if I should have decreased the dose.based on the results and the symptoms I was having I thought it was the best thing to do maybe. My body is just messed up and doesn't know how to react. I posted 3 threads please read all of them.
I forgot to mention that they started to reduce the lithium in June to 150 and in July to 100. All these problems developed went I started to decrease the lithium. Yes I think they should have done it more slowly.
I am scheduled to go for bloodwork in 2 weeks. I emailed and asked her if she did ft3 and she said she only did tsh and ft4. So you don't reducing my synthroid dose is helping. I keep analyzing both the synthroid and lithium and I'm perplexed. When I originally saw the Pcp she wanted to know if I just wanted to raise the lithium and see what happens . I am the one who suggested to lower the dose and see what happens. Right now the only thing I can to do is wait an see what comes up when I have the labs checked in2 weeks. I suggested reducing the synthroid dose.
You're still making some pretty big changes. Both lithium and T4 take a while to get out of your system. So, the reaction to reducing each can happen quite a while later. Would you consider having another set of labs drawn and making sure FT3 is in this set? Don't concentrate so much on TSH. It's not causing your symptoms. If your symptoms are thyroid related, it's either FT3 of FT4 causing them.
At the end of July when the dose was 100 mg and I started to feel edgy I increased it to 200 mg that was the beginning of August. The next week I went for the bloodwork Aug 7 and that was when we found out the tsh level was below normal and it was changed to 88mcg . Thursday,Friday saturday and Sunday I was fine . As I said the only thing I changed was to take a iron pill Sunday evening. I don't know if my body is different. My. Body is sensitive to meds
Could it be the reduction in your lithium dose? Perhaps 300 mg down to 100 mg was too much of a step?
Today it is two weeks since I decreased the dose to 88 mcg. Yesterday I started to feel edgy. Today I am very anxious. Saturday and Sunday I felt perfectly normal. The only I did differently was take an iron pill on Sunday. I don't know why I am feeling this way.
It really doesn't matter what time of day the blood is drawn; the important thing is to be consistent...always have it drawn at (approximately) the same time of day. That way you'll be in the same place in your daily cycle.
I have. A question. When is the best time to go for bloodwork I usually go in the morning about 9 am. Because I have to take my other meds after the bloodwork. I don't take my other meds before just my synthroid
Circadian rhythm is a cycle that repeats daily.
Factors affecting TSH include, but are not limited to, illness, trauma, malnutrition/starvation, other meds, other hormones, the list goes on and on.
In addition to those "legitimate" factors above, it can be affected by other factors, like thyroid meds. For example, T3 meds (Cytomel) can suppress TSH to close to zero.
Here's how it works: Your hypothalamus, which is located near your brain, is the organ responsible for stasis (keeping things constant in the body), so it regulates things like body temperature and thyroid hormone levels. Your hypothalamus checks your thyroid levels and sends a message to your pituitary if they're too low. The pituitary, in turn, produces TSH, which is its messenger to the thyroid. So, any disturbance in the hypothalamus or pituitary can also affect TSH.
Factors affecting TSH include, but are not limited to, illness, trauma, malnutrition/starvation, other meds, other hormones, the list goes on and on.
In addition to those "legitimate" factors above, it can be affected by other factors, like thyroid meds. For example, T3 meds (Cytomel) can suppress TSH to close to zero.
Here's how it works: Your hypothalamus, which is located near your brain, is the organ responsible for stasis (keeping things constant in the body), so it regulates things like body temperature and thyroid hormone levels. Your hypothalamus checks your thyroid levels and sends a message to your pituitary if they're too low. The pituitary, in turn, produces TSH, which is its messenger to the thyroid. So, any disturbance in the hypothalamus or pituitary can also affect TSH.
FT3 and FT4 levels vary throughout the day and according to demand. All have that circadian rhythm. Of course, many other factors affect levels, too.
I came across this info while researching. Tsh level 6 am and 6 pm the same. Sharp increase in the tsh in the evening continues to increase until midnight. Highest tsh recorded. Tsh. Level falls down around noon. Have you ever heard this. Does this mean your thyroid levels vary throughout the day?
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