Help with Thyroid

[heatherjaber]

Hello,

I was recently told I have Hashimotos and a metabolically under active thyroid.  My doctor prescribed Cytomel, which I have not been able to tolerate due to heart palpitations.  When I started taking the Cytomel I noticed things in me disappearing that I have struggled with my whole life and felt better than I knew possible.  I even started losing weight without making a change to my diet, I have struggled to lose a lb even on phentermine.  My 8 year old son even asked me how come I was being so nice all the time.

My doctor has told me that I have to stop the Cytomel due to heart palpitations and that I cannot have T4, because my lab work indicates that I don't need it.  This has me devastated, now I know what it feels like to be "normal" I can't bear the thought of having to live the "other" way the rest of my life.  My numbers and symptoms are as follows:

TSH - 2.69
TSI - < 89%
Thyroid Peroxidase AB - 15 IU/ML
Free T4 - 1.1 NG/DL
Free T3 - 3.0 PG/ML
Reverse T3 - 14 NG/DL

The symptoms I noticed improvement with Cytomel were:

Depression
Irritability/ moodiness
Energy
Sensitivity to cold
Constipation
Sex drive
fingernails and toenails
dry cracked skin
bags under eyes disappeared
Cold hands and feet
Sleeping better and needing much less sleep
Sore joints and muscles
Body temp moved from 97.0 to 98.5 (my whole life my normal temp range has been 97.0 to 97.5)
Hair loss

I have also struggled with PCOS for most of my adult life.  Does anyone here have any advice or insight for me?  Now that I know all these things I have spent years complaining to doctors about individually seem to be related to one thing, I just can't seem to let it go.  I want to feel the way I did on the Cytomel,all the time.

Thank you in advance

[heatherjaber]

I don't unfortunately have the reference ranges. I saw my doctor today who said they had recently changed the guidelines and would order me a copy of the "actual" lab results.

My doctor has now added 25mcg of Synthroid, having me take 5mcg of Cytomel every other day, and also adding 100mg of Progesterone at night.  He will be rechecking the labs in 2 weeks again.  I am 41 years old.  I am not sure about all of this and there seems to be so much conflicting information on the internet.

The Cytomel seems to be causing a great deal of water retention.  Does any of this sound familiar to anyone?

[Barb135]

I'm not sure what you mean by "changing the guidelines".  If you mean reference ranges, those come from the lab on your report.  They vary from lab to lab.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there.  We'll help you sort it out, but we have to have certain information from you, in order to be able to do that.

Cytomel doesn't, typically, cause fluid retention.  Is there something else going on that could be causing that?  Hypothyroidism can cause it and your symptoms do match those of hypothyroidism.

[Barb135]

Please post the reference ranges for the above lab values.  Ranges vary from lab to lab and have to come from your own report for the best comparison.  Are those labs from before you began the cytomel or since you've been taking it?

I have no idea why your doctor would say you "don't need" T4, since that's the first medication prescribed when one has hypothyroidism.  It's very rare to be prescribed cytomel by itself and then only under very special conditions.