Question(s) about Synthroid...

DianeJ · 12-18-2002, 01:48 AM

I was wondering...did anyone feel worse at first when they started taking synthroid?? I've been taking it for about 2 1/2 weeks now and I feel worse than before I was dx. That awful fatigue you can get? I didn't have that; now I do. When evening comes, I need to take a nap for about 10 minutes. I literally cannot stay awake. I've NEVER been this tired before. I mean, I've been tired, could use more energy, but I seem to be going in the wrong direction! Could it be I need to change when I take my med? I take it about 9 AM (give or take 15 minutes). I don't eat when I take it (says to take 1 hour before or 2-3 hours after eating; fine with this). I have other meds that I can't take near it, so this is really the best time for me to take it. I dread the thought of changing my med schedule. yikes.

Is it possible I might need to take combo t4/t3 meds instead of just t4? I won't see my doctor until after xmas and if it's just a matter of changing when I take my synthroid, I'd like to play with it before I see her. Or do I just need to be patient and wait for the med to do it's job? I figured it would have helped a little by now.

BTW, I'm on a very low dose right now, .05 mg.

TIA!

DoorInward · 12-18-2002, 11:30 AM

It is not at all uncommon to feel "worse" in the beginning. You are more aware of your symptoms and in most cases they do not start treatment at a level which might help. The treatment is slow to any effect at all, they almost always start people at very low doses, and the effect you notice will be something that changes gradually over time, not over a week or two. You will have a lot of ups and downs before you stabalize (you should be going back for tests every couple of months). You should try to stabalize before adding any sort of T3 to your treatment plan and discuss it thoroughly with your endocrinologist before taking it.

The "trendy option" (which has become popular through people surfing the internet) is Armour. It is a thyroid drug made from dessicated pig thyroid. Because it contains a small amount of T3, it can give people who take it a quick jab of T3. (This is not necessarily beneficial, even if it occasionally makes you feel better.) Most knowledgeable doctors will express serious reservations about taking armour. The reasons for it: (1) it is not a consistent product, therefore dose is rendered almost irrelevant. (Yes, there have also been issues with consistency in synthroid, but not as seriously as in armour) (2)The body is trying to achieve homeostasis at all times. That quick jab of T3 is sometimes highly DE-stabalizing in the long run. It can really make your system go haywire. (3) Just because the hormones in Armour are from an actual thyroid gland, it does not mean they are in the proper ratio for a human being (4) You don't know what other impurities you are getting with it.

I personally am holding out for the miracle extended releaseT4/ T3 combo drug. We need one.

Hang in there...it took me a YEAR to start to notice the effects and only then when I compared how capable I felt to how capable I felt a year previous. (Sometimes journals can be useful to show us how far we have come.) I know it can be a long haul, but it is so worth it to be patient. Hypothyroidism is a chronic health issue and it takes time to rebalance. Don't get so desparate for an "up" that you start grabbing for T3 before you are ready for it. </advice>

DianeJ · 12-18-2002, 05:34 PM

A year?? yikes!!

I know it takes some time to get the right dosage going; I was just concerned because I feel awful. I've never felt this way before and I can only attribute it to the synthroid. I can barely function I'm so tired. And if the med is supposed to help, why go backwards? lol

I've been doing some reading on natural vs. synthetic. I've come to the conclusion that the way the natural (armour) works is better than the synthetic, it has both t4 and t3 in it; however, it's not the greatest because of the reasons you stated (consistancy, etc.). All of this is based on what I've read so far on the internet; I'm sure there are good arguments for the natural too (I've only come across one in a book I just read "Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat?" by Dr. Sanford Siegal (http://www.drsiegal.com)). That's why I was wondering about adding t3 in addition to the synthroid. I agree, we need a t4/t3 combo drug.

I wasn't necessarily looking for a quick fix. I was just concerned that I felt a LOT worse instead of the same or a little better. As long as I know it's normal, I won't freak. lol

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it.

DianeJ · 12-19-2002, 03:24 AM

Just found this in my reading; not sure if you already know about it or if it's even what you were talking about, an extended-release combo, but there IS a combo drug available:

Liotrix / Thyrolar

Liotrix (pronounced LYE-oh-trix) is a synthetic drug that combines both levothyroxine and liothyronine (T4 and T3). The only brand of liotrix available in the U.S. is Thyrolar, manufactured by Forest Labs.

http://www.thyroid-info.com/drugs/index.htm

http://www.thyrolar.com/

Unfortunately, it's not for me. It shouldn't be given to anyone with hypertension.

Oh, well, back to my reading.