can you cut synthroid in half

I realize this may sound strange but I was wondering if any of you have a "pill cutter" at home or do you just cut your pill in half with a knife? I am cutting down on the dose of my beta blocker per my Doctor and I was wondering if I have to purchase a pill cutter or can I just cut it with a knife or razor? I am a little anxious because you aren't supposed to "crush or chew" these pills and I'm afraid that if I cut it.......perhaps it will be crumbly.

You could be having side effects from some of the fillers in synthroid or your dose could have been too high to start. I had a TT last year; started on 88mg then up to 100 mg and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Palpatations, sweating, anxiety etc. Had to come back down to 50 mg and ease my way back up. My TSH got a little high also but eventually it all worked out. 2 days off is not going to impact you that much especially if you Dr is putting you on another dose.

I take a half of 37.2 phentermine and .150 synthroid can that throw my TSH out of wack. Are you suppose to take these two together. What can it cause if anything?

There's no reason not to cut thyroid tablets. I've done it a lot. T4 has a long half life and stays in your body for weeks. So, you don't have to take exactly the same dose every day (a weekly average is more important than an exact daily amount). If I were you, I'd split the 88 into four quarters (approximately 22 mcg each) and take one of those quarters every other day. That will give you an extra 11 per day, which will be 99 (very close to 100).

Hi, If you could tell me which community or expert forum you were attempting to post in I am sure I can help you.

And, the side effects from Synthroid, My God, were horrible for me getting to that 2 week feeling almost normal point. My Family Doctor now wants me to try Armour, 1/4 gram, and cut it in half till I see how I react. My Endocrinologist looked like she would explode when I asked about Armour when all this started 6 months ago, so I will find another Endo. Any advice out there? I would like to try Armour, but if I'm sensitive to Synthroid, will I be the same on Armour?

When the Cytomel was added, did your doctor lower your Synthroid dose to compensate? The rule of thumb is to decrease Synthroid by 25 mcg for every 5 mcg Cytomel added IF you want to keep the overall dose the same. Were these labs before you added the Cytomel? Just because your total T4 is above range doesn't mean that your FT4 is too high. You should really ask to have FT4 tested and talk to your doctor (you might have to demand to) about lowering your Synthroid.

I know it sounds daft but he was told to try and eat a small handful of brazil nuts throughout the day they are a brill form of iron and they did seem to help. Hang in there you are doing really well. I wish you all the best for rest of tx.

Well, I may be a bit cavalier about it. But, I figure they tell you not to eat for a half hour to an hour after. And, they tell you not to take other meds or supplements for four hours (like calcium). I think about taking something like an aspirin. In half an hour, it's in your bloodstream. So, I imagine the levo is, too. Calcium is known to interact with levo, and you can take that a few hours later. So, why not food?

The 10mg zyrtec is too strong for me so can I cut it in half and take 5mg instead?

It takes a couple of weeks for the Synthroid to get completely out of your system, so you should be able to simply resume taking your regular dosage, without any trouble. The other option is cut the pills in half for a week and take half a dose, then go back to regular dosing. Due to the long half life of Synthroid/levothyroxine, you should be fine either way. If in doubt, call your doctor...

I've had some suggestions to cut the pills in half, but I have capsules, not tablets and they cannot be cut in half. What should I do??

I had half of my thyroid removed 6yrs ago and have been on synthroid since. I have lost weight before (deliberately) and not seen a change in my TSH levels. This year I have really worked hard to improve my diet & exercise thoroughly. I eat a wide variety of vegetables & fruits and have cut out almost all extra sugar and processed foods. I've lost about 47lbs in 7 months. I just had my TSH level checked and its 0.

Your triloddothyronine Free Serum is Free T3, that would be the bottom level, When you were on Armour, Did anyone advise you to split your dose and take 1/2 in the Am and the other half in the afternoon?

I started treatment with 25 mcg of Synthroid, went to 38, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150. Then I went hyperthyroid was was told to cut dose in half. I have now been on 75 for about 7 weeks. Originally I was told I needed to go to full replacement, which was supposed to be around 145 mcg. I am 6'3", 180 lbs. My TSH, FT4, and FT3 were as follows along the way: Synthroid, TSH, FT4 (0.6-1.6), FT3 (2.3-4.2), TPO, cortisol (serum, 4-22) 0, 8.58, 0.

Are you just starting both these meds? Is this your initial dose? Do you have thyroid labs to post with reference ranges? Synthroid is typically taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a full glass of water with no food or drink for the next half to one hour. All other meds/supplements should be separated from it by 3-4 hours. Cytomel, because it is more fast-acting, is often split into two half doses...

So I started taking it again, but cut them in half. and then after 4 days started taking the half pill every other day . then every two days then after a week every three days then stopped taking it all together, and now I am all good. See what your doctor says, but I would cut the morning dose out liked you had planned, and then slowly adjust the night dose.. Hope that helps ..

Is it safe to take a b12 supplement while taking synthroid (125mcg cut in half daily)? The supplement I am looking to take has Dibencozide (coenzyme B12) 3000mcg, Folic Acid (folacin) 200mcg. I suffer from annoying "benign fasciculations" that no one can help me with. I did some reading and have found that even though B12 levels may show up normal in blood work that a sublingual supplement can help. Any help with this would be much appreciated.

I think before the Dec Labs I had been on .75 synthroid and cytomel and I did feel fine thru Dec and Apr Labs, then after April they notched me down to .75 synthroid 6 days a week, then cut one in half on Sunday's...still no heart palp's so he seemed fine with it, I was only on Cytomel for 3- months maybe...it became too expensive for me so I quit taking it. Now after June Labs he has bumped me back up to .125 synthroid and I have repeat labs again in August.

Isn't Opana Time Released? I know you're the doctor, but I don't think you should inform people to cut their medications in half, ESPECIALLY if they're time released as this could cause a rapid release of all the medication in turn making her more sick, or am I wrong? This discussion is related to <a href='/posts/show/976915'>New Medication - Side Effects</a>.

Hey there...you cannot cut the dose in half....i would call your doctor and see if he/she can change your meds or if it's ok to stop..Levaquin can be given in 250, 500 & 750 mg doses...I was on Levaquin earlier this year for uti and had horrible side effects, so i just stopped taking the meds...I had horrible heart pounding, swollen knees and it felt as if someone had beaten the crap out of me with a baseball bat...

Yes its ok to cut it in half. It should have a little place on the pill where to cut it. If you want to be absolutely sure you can always ask your pharmacist.

I cut the pill in half this morning and its been 6 hrs and no sign of rapid heart beat. Thank you again.

How long have you been taking the levo/synthroid? What dose are you on? Did you feel any of these symptoms before you began the medication? I began taking synthroid eight weeks ago for my hypothyroidism. I was started out at a 137 mcg dose, and within 2 weeks I was feeling very anxious, had heart palpitations, chest pain, and I was starving all the time! I went to an endocrinologist who said I started out on too high of a dose.

Cytomel is roughly four times more potent than Synthroid. So, when you add in 10 mcg of Cytomel, you should lower Synthroid by approximately 40 mcg IF you want your overall dose to remain about the same. Did your doctor test FT3 before adding the Cytomel? What are the ranges on your FT4 and TT3? These vary from lab to lab and have to come from your own lab report.

That was a pretty drastic change in Cytomel. You only lost 10 lbs, and he cut your Cytomel in half. Hair loss is often the last symptom to go away. The body heals the more crucial systems first. Hair loss is reactive and often has more to do with what was going on a month or six weeks ago than what is happening today. Is your doctor testing FREE T3 and FREE T4? Please post labs and reference ranges from before he reduced your meds if you have them.

I have been having chills without fever 12 days and thought I could be hyperthyroid, so when I started my synthroid back I cut in half, taking half the dose, because I thought I was hyper due to the chills. I was going to start my full dose back but nurse told me to wait to see what my Endo wants me to, waiting on a call. How are you building on the dose?

I told her that she should insist on seeing a real endo and lower her Synthroid levels. Her pill can be cut in half. She is contemplating doing that. Any advice?

The good thing about T3 meds is that you can cut back on them and feel a much more immediate change than when you cut back on T4 meds. Also, sometimes increasing too fast can give us hyper symptoms even when we're not...our bodies just have to have time to adapt. I think you are doing what you should. Cut back on the Cytomel for the weekend until you can speak with your doctor. If your chest discomfort goes away, you'll pretty much have your answer.

Can you cut synthroid in half

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