Cytomel effectiveness
Common Questions and Answers about Cytomel effectiveness
cytomel
Wow...that was a high dosage of cytomel to start you on! Probably why you reacted so badly. First....what were your lab results before you started with the cytomel? How low was your free t3? A typical start dosage is only 5 mcg and work up from there only if needed.
You cannot pay attention to the tsh when on a t3 med...it will supress it and make you look hyper. When on combination meds, you can only treat by the free t4 and free t3.
Cytomel is a T3 med, which is generally used when one does not properly convert the storage hormone T4 to the usable hormone T3. As you have experienced, it can cause very serious symptoms if not needed.
The dosage/need for cytomel would be based on your FT3 levels. Do you have lab results that you can post here, along with the reference ranges? These vary from lab to lab and must come from your own report. Labs from both, before and after the cytomel, would be great.
I take Synthroid .1 and 5mcg Cytomel every day for hypothyroidism. I have been taking them together in the morning an hour before any other medications, foods and 6 hours before any iron, calcium, or zinc. Should the Synthroid be taken by itself completely? I can take the Cytomel with breakfast and other meds later in the day, but wondered if taking the Cytomel at the exact same time as the Synthroid was somehow lowering the effectiveness/absorbtion of the Synthroid.
I just got my most recent labwork back:
TSH = 0.06
Free T3 = 284 (Normal Range 240 - 420)
Free T4 = 1.3 (Normal Range .8 - 1.8)
I currently take 100mcg of Synthroid and 10mcg of Cytomel per day (that was upped from 50mcg of Synthroid & 10mcg of Cytomel 3 months ago). Still have major hypo symptoms of depression/anxiety which have been consistently the same even on old dosage. I understand that Free T3 needs to be in the upper 1/3 of range in order to get rid of depression/anxiety.
Your FT4 was quite high, so bear in mind that when adding Cytomel, the rule of thumb is to decrease Synthroid by 20-25 mcg for every 5 mcg Cytomel added. Cytomel is roughly 4 times more powerful than Synthroid, so be sure your doctor knows how to use it and doesn't try to dose it like Synthroid. Also, Cytomel is very fast-acting compared to Synthroid, so many of us split the dose and take some in the morning and some later in the day. Start low and work up.
Good luck!
I have been on a combination of synthroid and cytomel for over 3 years. Just recently I have really been in a lot of pain all over my body including burning sensations in many parts of the body including the face at different times. I work out daily and I go to a naturopathic doctor who gives me acupuncture and adjustments. My endo recently told me that the pain isn't from the medication. My naturopath says it is.
Hi!
If you were my patient, I would advise you that your age alone protects you from pregnancy. That combined with the tubal ligation should approach 99.9% effectiveness. I wouldn't ever give 100%. If you are that concerned you could use condoms as well, but really don't need to .
Good luck!
I can vouch for the anxiety and grouchiness part for sure, yeah, that's hypo all right -- though apparently hyper can do the same dang thing. I get a sort of all-body soreness when I'm hypo, too, and a weird middle-of-the-back pain that makes it hard to move around easily. Not the same as your describing, but I can certainly sympathize.
Cytomel, as I understand it, is T3 hormone (Synthroid's T4) and is sometimes prescribed along with Synthroid.
Are you taking the Armour still along with the Cytomel, or are you just taking the Cytomel alone for now? You mentioned trying upping your Armour mid-day, so I'm not sure what you're taking. By your ranges, I think you need an increase in not just the T3, but T4 as well-if you're taking the Armour and the 10mcg of Cytomel on top of it, you may be getting way too much T3 medication and not enough T4. Your FT4 was very low, so I think some more T4 would benefit you.
She told me she was 20 lbs over weights due to being hypo and was only be able to loose few lbs even with teaching many aerobic classes and eating healthy until she heard of Cytomel. She started taking 25mcg of Cytomel 4 yrs ago and noticed the fat melted quickly. She is now at her ideal weight and very fit.
s fairly rare for somone to be on Cytomel only. Usually a small dose of Cytomel is added to the Synthroid, which may have to be reduced to accomodate the Cytomel. Cytomel (T3) is very fast-acting, so it has to be taken several times throughout the day if taken by itself. This leads to intra-day ups and downs in hormone levels.
Do you have the results of your latest lab tests (FT3, FT4 and TSH) and their reference ranges?
I thought that the generic cytomel was exactly as the brand cytomel. no difference what so ever. I thought I read this somewhere in these forums???? i am on the generic for 3 weeks now and I really feel no different. the doc gave me 25 mg of cytomel to add to my 75mcg of synthroid. advice from you guys, so I cut my synthroid in half and taking only 6 mcg of cytomel. but I have been taking 1/2 of cytomel in the morning and breaking the other half in two. so yeah that is 25 mg.
I have been on thie Synthroid for over 15years. I have been on the Cytomel for about 10 years. I feel like the Cytomel is a waste of money. I was thinking about gradually dropping it to see if I notice any changes. I feel that 5 mg is hardly enough to notice a difference. Does anyone have any idea how long it takes to stabilize or to notice the change. I have forgotten to take it on occasion and I don't notice a difference in energy.
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