When is cytomel prescribed?

[Totie]

I read on here how many use cytomel with their Levothyroxin or other thyroid medication. Why & When is cytomel prescribed? Is it something that makes your mind feel better? How do you know if it would help me or not?

Just curious..

[rumpled]

Are they changing your dose based just on TSH? I used to get mine done and the doc was bouncing me all over and I felt like poo.

I take 150 T4 and 15 of T3 now...

[pep88]

What was your original dx?  I would ask for copies of your lab results for however far back you can from you docs office.  Have they run any other tests?  To go from 200mcg's for ten years then consistantly down seems to show there might be something else going on here.  I would ask why.  Unless something about you has drastically changed (excercise levels, weight, etc...) you should not be flopping all about in your need for thyroid hormone.  But yes, I would agree with Shannon in that you are currently hypo.

[Totie]

For ten years I was on 200mcg

Then for the last two my dosage has been decreased

175, 150 , 125 , 100 , (dosage upped as of last week to 112).

[shannon828]

Well, you are hypothyroid which is why you have no concentration.  T3 might not necessarily be the answer for you.  What level of Levo are you on?

[Totie]

Thanks for the replies. I will look at my test results from Aug to see what my T3 was and then post the results here. I just want my brain back, i have no concentration at work no motivation what so ever....

My last TSH (done last week) was 5.19.

[shannon828]

Levo is a T4 med and Cyto is a T3 med and is faster acting.  Most people can convert the T4 in Levo into T3, but others cannot (as rumpled mentioned above) and need to have it prescribed seperately.

I was on Cytomel briefly after my TT and before my RAI treatment.  It is faster acting and they can get you off of it quicker than Levo (withdrawl for scans/treatments require you to be off your meds to elevate your TSH unless you doctor allows you to use Thyrogen which artificially elevates your TSH).  Generally, Endos do not prescribe a T3 med for ThyCa patients as monitoring blood levels is essential to cancer management and the additional T3 can mess with the tests.

Hope that was helpful!