I feel awful, please help!!! Had to stop Cytomel!

[aaamommy27]

I have hashis, have had for about 8 years now. About a year ago I went on Cytomel too. My free T3 was low, so my endo agreed. I started with 5 mcg once a day and then went to twice a day about 4 hours apart. I started getting heart palpatations even though my levels were looking better. I went back down to one Cytomel. I then about 6 months later started with the heart palps again and diarehha. This went on for about a month and then again cut out the Cytomel completely and I don't have issues anymore. The problem now is that I am completly achey, grumpy and have gained 15 lbs. I did Synthroid only for years and am always and emotional wreck! What do I do?
Should I try Erfa? Will the T3 in it give me heart palps again? I am getting a stress echo done to make sure I am ok in a few weeks. I feel awful, worse than ever. PLEASE HELP!!!

[rondoo]

I share your frustration.  I switched about 5 weeks ago from Naturethroid to Synthroid.  Felt horrible.  Endo prescribed Cytomel 25mcg once a day.  I know that is not the way to take it.  I am taking 112 mcg synthroid now and 1/4 of a 25mcg cytomel 2 times daily.  Still not feeling well. Labs in couple weeks.  I am the definition of "Emotional Wreck".  Depression, anxiety, fatigue, irritability.....I feel for you.  Hope we all find the right combination and start feeling better.

[aaamommy27]

Just did blood, will post next week.

[Barb135]

What are your current thyroid blood labs?  If you have a copy of the most recent, please post the results, along with the reference ranges, which vary from lab to lab.  

[aaamommy27]

Thanks for the response. I did the Cytomel for over a year. They lowered my Synthroid to add it in too. I started with one 5 mcg a day and then after about 3 months added the 2nd one in. I did fine for months though. After almost a year of being on Cytomel though my heart palps started. I first was lowered from 2 a day to 1 a day. I then went another few months and the heart palps came back. I would get them hours after taking the Cytomel.
Like I said though I am going to have a stress echo done on my heart in a few weeks to make sure nothing is wrong. I know some compound pharmacies have a time released T3, do you think that could help? Will any T3 though make me feel like that? I am so frustrated, I am gaing weight sooo fast! I might need to find a doc that gets the thyroid a little better too. They are hard to find though!!!

[laura1967]

"Natural" combo meds will have a higher concentration of T3 in them. You are probably better off doing the Cytomel separately. My question to you is, did you ever split your 5 mcg in half and take 1/2 in am and 1/2 6 hours later?  Taking 4 hours apart was way to close. In fact some doctors have their patients take 1/2 in morning and the other 1/2 at bedtime. I prefer to take mine about 6 hours apart. You ahve to remember that 5 mcg of cytomel is approximately the same as 20- 25 mcg of T4 medicine. I think that it was a big mistake to add another 5 mcg when you did. That is a huge increase in meds all at once.
If it was me I would go back to 5 mcg daily split in 2 dosages.
I use to get horrible heart palps from being hypo.