CuriousKay
Member
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2019
- Messages
- 27
The below labs were taken a couple weeks ago when I was on 50mcg levothyroxine and 30 mcg liothyronine. Screenshots are Norwegian, converted below for US. I do have a somewhat complex healthy history, so I can provide more info if someone wants, I am just attempting to keep this somewhat specific.
I’ve been trying to find the right doses for thyroid meds for about a year now, working around some other health issues that caused a need for an increase, then later a decrease of thyroid. Trying to find the real dose now, but feeling a bit puzzled. Have worked with a Peaty thyroid person for a while, and my GP, but they don’t seem to have great answers at this time either.
About 2 months ago I went from 50mcg up to 75mcg levothyroxine and from 30mcg to 40mcg liothyronine, but was experiencing significantly increased RHR (from 68 to 82 in a few weeks, measured with Apple Watch 8), decreased HRV, heart palpitations that I felt/heard when reclining/in bed, and very poor sleep, not recovering from my 3x/week lifting sessions. Unfortunately, due to travel for work I couldn’t get to a lab a couple months ago, so could only go by my symptoms. I was also trying to start pregnenolone, in theory to be able to cycle progesterone instead of taking it daily which feels great, but that seemed to also make me super wired.
I took a break from resistance training, adjusted my thyroid meds down, stopped pregnenolone altogether, and focused on getting rest and sleep for about a month while I went down to 50mcg/30mcg. I had been on those doses for about 4 weeks before the last labs.
My doctor wanted me to up my T4 again, but I told her I had reduced it from 75mcg to 50mcg 6 weeks prior because I had such uncomfortable side effects. She then suggested I do 50mcg and 75mcg on alternate days. Side notes: the lab had written her a note asking if I was overmedicated with T3. I had just started full time school while still working in my business. It's going smooth now, though.
I started alternating 50/75mcg on alternating days, and starting 5 days ago my RHR is up from 72 to 79. I have a thumping heart and I’m struggling to stay asleep, even with diphenhydramine. I also have body aches and woke up in the middle of the night last night with muscle pain all over, after a little dance workout in my living room yesterday.
I’m a 40yr old female with good muscle mass, around 19% body fat, just dealing with some loose skin/stretch marks/cellulite. Was hoping that would improve on thyroid, but so far it hasn’t been much. Eat mostly Peaty, and have for the past 5 years.
When I was on a lower dose of T4, coupled with no resistance training, just walking/biking, I did have sugar cravings all the time, but I was able to sleep and I felt comfortable muscle-wise. At the slightly higher dose I don’t have any cravings, but I don’t feel very good.
Could it be that the heart palpitations, higher RHR, muscle pains, anxiety and sleep issues from increased T4 will go away after a period of time? But if I actually need more T4 because my FT4 is below range still, why am I reacting like this?
Is there anything I’m missing in the thyroid world? I have had low ferritin for a long time, but my Peaty thyroid coach said to not supplement, and that lower iron seemed to be better for anti-aging. But I feel pretty old right now… :-p
What wisdom or insights might you all have?
Translated/Converted to Imperial:
Blood Test Results:
Thyroid Function Tests:
I’ve been trying to find the right doses for thyroid meds for about a year now, working around some other health issues that caused a need for an increase, then later a decrease of thyroid. Trying to find the real dose now, but feeling a bit puzzled. Have worked with a Peaty thyroid person for a while, and my GP, but they don’t seem to have great answers at this time either.
About 2 months ago I went from 50mcg up to 75mcg levothyroxine and from 30mcg to 40mcg liothyronine, but was experiencing significantly increased RHR (from 68 to 82 in a few weeks, measured with Apple Watch 8), decreased HRV, heart palpitations that I felt/heard when reclining/in bed, and very poor sleep, not recovering from my 3x/week lifting sessions. Unfortunately, due to travel for work I couldn’t get to a lab a couple months ago, so could only go by my symptoms. I was also trying to start pregnenolone, in theory to be able to cycle progesterone instead of taking it daily which feels great, but that seemed to also make me super wired.
I took a break from resistance training, adjusted my thyroid meds down, stopped pregnenolone altogether, and focused on getting rest and sleep for about a month while I went down to 50mcg/30mcg. I had been on those doses for about 4 weeks before the last labs.
My doctor wanted me to up my T4 again, but I told her I had reduced it from 75mcg to 50mcg 6 weeks prior because I had such uncomfortable side effects. She then suggested I do 50mcg and 75mcg on alternate days. Side notes: the lab had written her a note asking if I was overmedicated with T3. I had just started full time school while still working in my business. It's going smooth now, though.
I started alternating 50/75mcg on alternating days, and starting 5 days ago my RHR is up from 72 to 79. I have a thumping heart and I’m struggling to stay asleep, even with diphenhydramine. I also have body aches and woke up in the middle of the night last night with muscle pain all over, after a little dance workout in my living room yesterday.
I’m a 40yr old female with good muscle mass, around 19% body fat, just dealing with some loose skin/stretch marks/cellulite. Was hoping that would improve on thyroid, but so far it hasn’t been much. Eat mostly Peaty, and have for the past 5 years.
When I was on a lower dose of T4, coupled with no resistance training, just walking/biking, I did have sugar cravings all the time, but I was able to sleep and I felt comfortable muscle-wise. At the slightly higher dose I don’t have any cravings, but I don’t feel very good.
Could it be that the heart palpitations, higher RHR, muscle pains, anxiety and sleep issues from increased T4 will go away after a period of time? But if I actually need more T4 because my FT4 is below range still, why am I reacting like this?
Is there anything I’m missing in the thyroid world? I have had low ferritin for a long time, but my Peaty thyroid coach said to not supplement, and that lower iron seemed to be better for anti-aging. But I feel pretty old right now… :-p
What wisdom or insights might you all have?
Translated/Converted to Imperial:
Blood Test Results:
- Hemoglobin: 12.8 g/dL
- White Blood Cells: 7.4 × 10^9/L
- White Blood Cells with Differential Count
- Neutrophils: 3.4 × 10^9/L
- Lymphocytes: 2.9 × 10^9/L
- Monocytes: 0.7 × 10^9/L
- Eosinophils: 0.3 × 10^9/L
- Basophils: <0.1 × 10^9/L
- Platelets: 355 × 10^9/L
- Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV): 91 fL
- Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH): 29 pg
- Ferritin: 13 μg/L
- Iron: 21.3 μmol/L
- Total Iron-Binding Capacity (TIBC): 80 μmol/L
- Transferrin Saturation: 26%
- Vitamin B12: 526 pmol/L
- Folate: 12.2 nmol/L
- Sodium: 142 mmol/L
- Potassium: 4.1 mmol/L
- Chloride: 107 mmol/L
- Calcium: 2.31 mmol/L
- Corrected Calcium: 2.28 mmol/L
- Creatinine: 72 μmol/L
- Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR): 90 mL/min/1.73m^2
- Uric Acid: 208 μmol/L
- Bilirubin: 11 μmol/L
- Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST): 26 U/L
- Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT): 32 U/L
- Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT): 14 U/L
- Alkaline Phosphatase: 68 U/L
- Pancreatic Amylase: 38 U/L
Thyroid Function Tests:
- Lactate Dehydrogenase (LD): 199 U/L
- Albumin: 42 g/L
- Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH): <0.01 mU/L
- Free Thyroxine (T4): 7.9 pmol/L
- Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (Anti-TPO): <34 kU/L
- Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH): 5 U/L
- Luteinizing Hormone (LH): 2 U/L
- Prolactin: 251 mU/L
- Beta-Estradiol: 0.09 nmol/L
- Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH): 6.7 pmol/L
- Vitamin D: 100 nmol/L
- Vitamin D3: 100
