Cytomel vs liothyronine
Common Questions and Answers about Cytomel vs liothyronine
cytomel
This is related to the other question you asked about generic vs brand cytomel. It's always best to keep related questions together.
While you may not feel that 5 mcg cytomel is not making a difference, most likely, it is, even though it may be subtle. I was on 5 mcg for quite a while before my endo finally agreed to increase to 7.5 mcg/day and I'd even forget to take it on occasion. If you forget often enough, you'll know the difference.
5 mcg is the smallest dose of cytomel you can get. You can try quartering the cytomel, though it's rather difficult with those tiny pills. I have done it though. I've never heard of tonsilitis being a side effect of cytomel; do you have a website or anything stating that?
It's not unusual to have symptoms return when changing doses/meds, until your body gets used to them. Even though cytomel is fast acting, it can still take some time to adjust to it.
ve taken, both, generic levothyroxine (T4) and liothyronine (T3), as well, as brand name Synthroid and Cytomel. I did better on on generic levo than I did on Synthyroid...
I've been taking generic liothyronine for over 5 yrs and have done just as well as I did on Cytomel.
I don't think you'll have any difficulty, with generic T3, but if you do, you can always go back to Cytomel.
Some people have a hard time adapting to a T3 med. And going to a total of 10 mcg I think is a lot. Plus the fact that they never lowered your T4 med.
I would be a bit concerned about side effects. You may want to go a week or so with half the amount of T3 and work up. See what kind of side effects you may have. Some people adapt well others have difficulty. I would at least discuss it with your Dr.
While a T4 med takes 6 weeks to stabilize in the blood, T3 is more immediate.
Hello, I just started taking Liothyronine 5mcg twice daily generic for cytomel on Sunday 8/2, today Monday I feel nauseated and have had a little diareha. Could it just be from the first day of taking it? Does anyone else experience nausea at first and then go away?
Thanks for the info. Next question....got the meds filled and they gave me"Liothyronine" which is the generic of Cytomel. Is this an issue? My endo's directions are to take every morning with my Synthroid and not split it. Hopefully I'll keep feeling well. You just hate to mess with a good thing with thyroid issues. I'm sure I have symptoms that I'm just living with as normal. One being major constipation! If that goes away then all will be well with the world, LOL!
What are your actual, current, thyroid levels? Please include reference ranges, since those vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report.
There are 2 ways to calculate the dosage of desiccated vs synthetic. Dessicated has 38 mcg T4 and 9 mcg T3 per grain, so if you'd raised your desiccated according that, ahmee's calculation would be correct, and would seem logical; however, according to the conversion charts, 1.
I'm actually doing better on the generic levo than I did on synthroid; I can't tell a difference with the generic liothyronine (Cytomel).
I'm happy to hear that you are on the tirosint; I downloaded info on it last week and faxed to my endo, in hopes that he will let me try it when I see him on Tues.
I had my thyroid removed in Nov due to cancerous nodules and will be having radioactive iodine treatment in Feb. My endocrinologist has recommended that I go off my thyroid medication for 2-3 weeks before the treatment to raise my TSH levels (and I've heard that this makes you feel really lousy!). However, I have heard that an alternative to going off the thyroid medication for raising TSH is to take liothyronine a few days before treatment.
Some people absolutely have to have desiccated in order to feel well, some of us do fine on synthetics, others do well on compounded. I, personally, am on 88 mcg Tirosint (T4 gelcap) and 10 mcg Liothyronine (generic cytomel)/day and it works great, for me, but may not be right for someone else. Adjustments to either T4 or T3 med can be made very easily without changing the other.
You can try going to a naturopathic or functional medicine doctor. They are usually willing to prescribe desiccated hormones when conventional medicine doctors aren't, though there are conventional doctors that are willing to prescribe desiccated hormones. Instead of wasting time and $$ visiting various doctors, call around to endos, internal medicine doctor and general practice doctors that treat thyroid disorders and ask if they prescribe T3 medications.
I discontinued Armour after the previous issues, when you provided info about re adrenals. Am now on Synthroid 75mcg 1x day and Liothyronine SOD (Cytomel) 5 mcg 2x a day. Did not receive timing of Cytomel fr endo beyond 2x day. Pharmacist recommended 12 hrs apart so am taking 8:30 am and 8:30pm.
Unlike Synthroid (or other T4 meds), cytomel/liothyronine (generic T3) can be taken with or without food.
I was started on 10 mcg cytomel and that was too much, but at that time I didn't know to split the dosage... I dropped back to 5 mcg and no - I didn't feel any difference when I first started taking it. In fact, I didn't know that it was really doing anything for me, until I didn't take it for a few days and quickly began to feel like cr@p...
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