Synthroid dose

[Neeson]

I am currently taking synthroid with lots of side effects.  For example faster heart rate, heart palps, sleeping issues, short of breath, fatigue, aching arms and itchy scalp.  I have slowing increasing my synthroid dose currently at 37.5 daily.  My labs are:

Vitamin D 38
T3 total 0.73
T3 free 2.44
T4 free 1.31
TSH 2.47

Thoughts?  Also my heart is very sensitive to thyroid meds.

[Neeson]

Here are my latest labs.

TSH 1.28 range 0.30-4.20
T4 Free 1.0 range 0.8-1.8
T3 Free 3.5 range 2.0-4.4

I thought these labs looks good but I still feel bad.

I have gone gluten and dairy free.
Stopped taking Tirosint
Taking functional docs supplement
Plus a few days of  WP Thyroid.

I still have faster pulse, feeling like it is hard to breathe.
My aches have got better since stopping Tirosint.
I feel better the days I take WP thyroid but my functional doctor does not want me taking any T4.
I thought with these labs I would be feeling great but no!

Thoughts?

[Neeson]

Plus he told me the T-100 was like armour with no T4.

[Neeson]

I just do not know what to do.  I think I have reached out to every type of doctor I can and nothing is helping.  I found an internist she wants me to stay on tirosint 13 mcg for 6 weeks before retesting...she thinks I may have a conversion issue.  I think we already know that.

I am lost.

[Barb135]

None of the OTC glandular support supplements are allowed, by law, to have any measurable hormone in them; all they are is ground up animal glands, typically, bovine (cow).  

I looked up the T-100 and it's got other glands as well (pituitary, adrenal, thymus) but it doesn't say where these glands came from (what animals), so you have no idea what you're taking.  It also has some herbs and minerals.  The biggest thing is that it's got iodine - a pretty hefty dose, at that, and, typically, iodine is contra-indicated if one has Hashimoto's.  I know you said you hadn't been diagnosed with it, but it's the # 1 cause of hypothyroidism in the developed world.  

I don't think you need an OTC supplement; I think you need "real" T3 medication to bring your FT3 up... the OTC supplement will not do that.  The only thing in it that might help you is the selenium and it doesn't have nearly enough of that to be very helpful.

[Neeson]

Have you heard of a supplement called T-100?  It is a glandular.  My functional doc has been taking this as well as 13 mcg Tirosint.  I am still not feeling well.

Also, it feels like I not have enough oxygen...air hunger? I get out breath or I guess it feels labored.

It seems that I cannot get better no matter what kind of doctor I go to.

Thanks.

[Barb135]

Typically, you're only given enough of the medication to last a specific amount of time, so if you double up, you might run out of med.  

I don't recommend self-medicating, but if you're going to try it, I'd rather see you try the T3 again, because your FT4 is high enough for right now to get you by for a bit.

A typical starting dose of cytomel or its generic counterpart is 5 mcg, split into 2 daily doses of 2.5 mcg - one, typically, taken first thing in the morning, with your T4 dose and the other taken around mid day.  If that's too much to start, one dose of 2.5 mcg, taken about mid morning will get you started.  The smallest dose T3 pills you can get are 5 mcg, so make sure that's what you get so they can be split into that 2.5 mcg dose.  A 10 mcg pill is too small to be quartered well.

T3 should usually not be taken after about 3:00 PM, as it can interfere with sleep.