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Anxiety Attacks and Panic Attacks Synthroid Cytomel

A few months ago I saw a Doc for a running related injury that was bothering me.  As I was new to his care, he did a full physical with blood test.
I came back a TSH of around 16.  He explained how common (man, do I know now) hypo is in society.  He put me on 50mcg of synthroid.  Great I thought, at least I know why I'm unusually tired all time.
Within a few days of starting it, I was raving mad.  I felt like I couldn't communicate correctly, was terrified of god knows what (anything), felt like my motor skills were impaired to the point where I shouldn't drive, had ringing in my ears.  These anxiety/panic attacks are not like classic 5mn horrible ordeals.  Thay can and do go on for hours.  I feel like I've taken some kind of street drug.  I'm not talking about a little inconvience here, this is full insanity.
It has totally altered my thinking.  I can look at an lifeless object (street light, moon rise. . anything really) and feel like crying.
I made an emergency appt and told him what was going on.  Well, there really are no side effects to this stuff, but lets knock you down to 25s cut in half so your only getting 12.5mcg.  He also had me go and get a blood test at the same time, same day.  My number had dropped to about 9.  This is a good sign, he said, you body is taking it.  We might just need to work up.  I did it, went great.  After 10 days, with his consent I upped to the full 25, knowing I'd have to anyway for the TSH to come down.
[I should point out here, that I had few if any recognizable symptoms of hypo prior.  It only turned up because of this blood test in a physical.]

So, the saga continues, I go up to 25mcg.  Have some good days, where I feel fine.  And I have bad days where I feel atrocious and mad.  I always feel like there is someplace I'm supposed to be or something I'm supposed to doing and I don't know what it is.
After all this, and not quitting the 25, my first 6week blood check comes around.  I decide to skip the pill on the morning of my meeting with the Doc a few days later, just to see if I can feel "normal" again.  He says, that my 9.? has stayed the same, not moved a bit.  Is it possible that a TSH, over a six week period of time and measured as finely as it is, has not moved a decimal point?  Could the lab have merely sent the second test results, on the day of the emergency appt where we first saw 9.?
Could these be the symptoms of having hit some sort of hyper status?  And instead of the 9.? I'm really lower in TSH?
The doc sent me to an Endo.  He's great, seemed to listen to my feelings about insanity.  Put me on 5mcg of Cytomel.    I will give the endo credit, he said he'd never heard of this happening but I shouldn't take the synthroid any more. I took one dose and the whole damn thing happened again.  I had four hours of hell, and what felt like the hangover of an emotional breakdown!
I write this today as a cry for help.  I'm what I thought was a healthy 40 year old father.  I love my wife and kids, but now they just irritate me.
I know people who 225mcg of synthroid a day and don't feel a thing.
Is or has any of this happened to anyone else?  Am I alone in this? What if I had a standing blood test/appt with a endo every three months and didn't treat it with hormones?  From what I understand, the main concern is high chloesterol and I cut mine in half through lifestyle changes (quit smoking, don't drink, low fat high fiber diet, lost 60lbs while supposedly hypo) in the year prior to diagnosis.  Plus, I'd rather take Lipitor than this ****.
I'm sorry for the longwinded nature of this.  It stands testement to how wired and panickey these drugs are making me and my own desperation.  I wish they never would have found this.
Any help would be appreciated.
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Avatar universal
Wow.  Its strange to read these comments and see that what i live is being experienced by many others.  I have chest constriction, pain and the other day i had a very serious panic attack.  However the emergency room doctor said i had too much to drink.  I thought i was going to die.  I thouht somebody had drugged my drink.  I couldnt feel my arms or legs.  I was hyperventilating and very cold.  The er  doctor didnt check my urine sample and just sent me home.  ?!  It seems that doctors dont know much about synthroide.  My endo says to take all the missed doses when i iremember.  He gave no warnings about food intake.  I told him i have gained 20 lbs in two years since my thyroidectomy but he relies on the tsh numbers.  This is all a little alarming.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Wow.  Its strange to read these comments and see that what i live is being experienced by many others.  I have chest constriction, pain and the other day i had a very serious panic attack.  However the emergency room doctor said i had too much to drink.  I thought i was going to die.  I thouht somebody had drugged my drink.  I couldnt feel my arms or legs.  I was hyperventilating and very cold.  The er  doctor didnt check my urine sample and just sent me home.  ?!  It seems that doctors dont know much about synthroide.  My endo says to take all the missed doses when i iremember.  He gave no warnings about food intake.  I told him i have gained 20 lbs in two years since my thyroidectomy but he relies on the tsh numbers.  This is all a little alarming.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
How much Cytomel are we talking about here?  Was the Cytomel an addition to, or a replacement for the Synthroid?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It is so comforting to realize I am not the only one "losing my mind" when trying to get my thryoid leveled out.  I have been on Synthroid for 15 years and it worked fine until recently.  My dr. placed my on cytomel  a week ago and I thought I was going to lose my mind, jump off my balcony, and had extreme depression.  She said to hang in - I don't know if I can do that as I am so unpleasant to be around, depressed, and wired.  I went off it for two days and took my old dose of 75mg Synthorid and felt better but I guess I need the T3.  If any have experienced the T3 problem how long did it take you to get it evened out so you could stand it???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
OMG.  OK.  I thought my life was over---that was it for me.  I started talking Synthroid 25mcg and immediately shot upp to 50mcg per dr.  Mine was for hypothyroidism -secodary to pituitary tumor...adrenals not checked yet-my bad. reaason:
UNCONTROLLABLE hours-long CRYING FITS AND RAGE FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON- to the degree where I hyperventilate and ppl think I'm having a nervous breakdown.  Memory lost, inability to tell which day it is, what is real or what is a dream I had last night, what day it is, jumping out of my skin, shaking no appetite.  I cannot take this anymore.  I am stopping this madness.couldnt drive my car, get dressed or go to the mailbox downstairs.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have been on synthroid for about 20 years and 10 yars ago I was put on cytomel. Started feeling better for a while but last year I developed these symptoms where I would feel something growing in my throat and could not breath. Kept going to the emergency room and they would give me oxygen to calm me down. The endo said it had nothing to do with the meds. Went for all different kinds of test, all normal. The docs made me feel like I was going crazy. When the attacks would happen I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin could not get no air. Felt like I would die, was so scared and just thinking about it would give me anxiety atacks. My doc gave me Xanax, it seemed to help. These attacks still happen and the xanax does not work as well. Am on synthroid 100mcg and cytomel 5 mcg. Now I stopped taking the cytomel cause would get heart palpitations. Would like to know if this happens to anyone else or am I crazy. I am very scared and docs don't know what it is. Maybe should see a cardiologist, but what is this feeling of a growth in my throat. I have been tested and they find nothing.
Helpful - 0
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