Can't handle 5 mcg of Cytomel!!!

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

So I had labs done about 3 weeks ago. Here they are:

Ferritin, Serum: 71 ng/mL (30-400)
Triiodothyroine, Free, Serum: 2.7 pg/mL (2.0-4.4)
Thyroxine (T4), Free (Direct): 1.23 ng/dL (.82-1.77)
TSH: 4.470 uIU/mL (.450-4.500)
Reverse T3, Serum: 15.3 ng/dL (9.2-24.1)
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy: 38.9 ng/mL (30.0-100.0)


FT3/RT3: 17.6

So, because my FT3/RT3 ratio is below 20, my doctor put me on 5 mcg of Cytomel, twice per day. I have been taking the first dose with breakfast, and the second dose about 5-7 hours later. The first day I took it, it was great. I felt amazing. I thought all my problems would be fixed in no time. However, about 5 days later I am consistently getting a bad response to the Cytomel. I get extremely irritable, tired, and sweaty. I feel awful. I feel like I could punch a wall. I would guess that my body temperature is dropping as well. It's been 16 hours since I took that 5 mcg dose, and I still feel lingering symptoms. So I suspected this was an adrenal insufficiency problem and I started to take Pregnenolone with the Cytomel. The pregnenolone definitely helped, but obviously not enough. Basically, I'm not sure what to do here. Around here, 5 mcg sounds like a larger dose, but I've seen other forums discuss taking 10, 12.5, 25 mcg at once. If I took that much I'd be in the ER. Should I cut it in quarters or halves and try just 1.25 or 2.5 mcg? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would love to know why I am so sensitive.

Thank you! :)

 

[yoshiesque]

You should definitely be checking body temperature and heart rate, few times a day...ESPECIALLY if you are taking cytomel.

 

[BingDing]

Ray has said that when metabolism increases magnesium uptake does too. Well, all nutrient needs increase, I guess, but he specifically mentioned magnesium. Magnesium oil, epsom salt baths and mag bicarbonate have been reported as good sources, there is a formula for making it out of milk of magnesia here.

There is a longer thread about the best form here, on page 3 narouz has a quote from RP about it.

 

[Aspekt]

Sometimes i think the products change and European thyroid supplements are unpredictable. Magnesium Deficiency can cause those symptoms. Thyroid makes your cells able to use magnesium and take it up. Big organs like your skeletal muscles and bones can take up so much from your blood that your heart and brain have trouble getting any magnesium they need to respond to the thyroid and then you get an exaggerated stress of adrenaline. Doses of about 100mg at a time as you take the 1 - 2 mcg cytomel. 100mg will be enough for a few hours to respond the the dose of thyroid."

- RP

 

[Anonymous]

Sometimes i think the products change and European thyroid supplements are unpredictable. Magnesium Deficiency can cause those symptoms. Thyroid makes your cells able to use magnesium and take it up. Big organs like your skeletal muscles and bones can take up so much from your blood that your heart and brain have trouble getting any magnesium they need to respond to the thyroid and then you get an exaggerated stress of adrenaline. Doses of about 100mg at a time as you take the 1 - 2 mcg cytomel. 100mg will be enough for a few hours to respond the the dose of thyroid."

- RP

Thank you BingDing and Aspekt.

I do take magnesium daily, however, I will be sure to take it around the Cytomel dose. I also think I am taking too much at once. Especially after reading this quote:

"When your stress hormones are very high, you shouldn't take more than about one microgram of Cytomel at a time, and should accompany it with things like milk and orange juice. " - Ray Peat

 

[tara]

JRMoney15
Yes to chopping tablet into quarters, and yes to measuring temps afew time a day at least while adjuting dose.. Then you can see if you are better off with 2, 3, or 4 doses of 1.25 spread across day.

 

[kineticz]

Poor mitochondrial health, history of high fatty acid and serotonin suffocation of energy respiration, will prevent adequate flow of thyroid and pregnenolone.

Start with the standard Peat protocol for protecting against stress hormone pathways.

 

[aguilaroja]

...
TSH: 4.470 uIU/mL (.450-4.500)

...my doctor put me on 5 mcg of Cytomel, twice per day. I have been taking the first dose with breakfast, and the second dose about 5-7 hours later. The first day I took it, it was great. I felt amazing. I thought all my problems would be fixed in no time. However, about 5 days later I am consistently getting a bad response to the Cytomel. I get extremely irritable, tired, and sweaty....

A few things aren't specified and the forum general disclaimers apply. This is relating general experience for discussion purposes.

It is not mentioned what difficulties and low thyroid/metabolism symptoms there were before the labs. The high TSH (upper end of the lab normal, above the AACE guidelines (
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthy ... bs2003.htm )

It is actually encouraging that you felt much improved, even briefly, following early doses of T3.

It is generally best to track symptoms, pulse, temperature, reflexes (if you have help to check them) as an accessible guide to adjusting things.

As mentioned by others, it is better to spread T3 several times or more throughout the day, in smaller amounts.

Also as mentioned by others, improved thyroid function will use of fuel and nutrients more rapidly in some cases, since metabolism is more effective. In addition to magnesium, more fruit/juice/sugar, protein, salt, (also coconut oil for some people) and other supportive factors may be helpful.

Also, when thyroid augmentation is needed, some people just do better with a combination of T4 (even a little) with T3. I leave the reverseT3/ratios/Dennis Wilson/Wilson's syndrome topic to passages from Dr. Peat (look for specific passages)

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/thyroid.shtml
http://peatarian.com/peatexchanges#thyroid_hormone

and other threads on the forum.

 

[answersfound]

Sometimes i think the products change and European thyroid supplements are unpredictable. Magnesium Deficiency can cause those symptoms. Thyroid makes your cells able to use magnesium and take it up. Big organs like your skeletal muscles and bones can take up so much from your blood that your heart and brain have trouble getting any magnesium they need to respond to the thyroid and then you get an exaggerated stress of adrenaline. Doses of about 100mg at a time as you take the 1 - 2 mcg cytomel. 100mg will be enough for a few hours to respond the the dose of thyroid."

- RP

What type of magnesium do you recommend?