Posted by Ritch on November 11, 2002, at 20:22:23
In reply to Re:I got my thyroid lab results » Ritch, posted by Chloe on November 11, 2002, at 11:25:45
> > Hi Chloe,
> >
> > So, these blood draws were done when you were taking the 5mcg. Cytomel for a little while, or when you tried the 10mcg. dose? Your free T3 and free T4 values do seem a little on the low side given the relativey low TSH value (maybe they were taken quite some time after your last Cytomel dose). Did your pdoc properly inform you of when to dose your Cytomel relative to the blood draw? Your pdoc's advice about staying at 5mcg. sounds reasonable. I know what you mean about SSRI-induced sweating and feeling hot. The tiny pinch of Effexor I am on really sets it off like crazy. I tried taking it at bedtime for a couple of nights, but couldn't sleep on it for a while because of the sweatiness---Mitch
>
> Hi Mitch,
> I don't know when I was supposed to take my last dose before the blood draw. I took the 5 mcgs of Cytomel about 24 hours or the morning before the day I got it drawn. Is that correct? What does a low free T4 and T3 mean? Isn't my TSH pretty low? Or in the hyperthyroid range, which would lead to the sweating, etc?
>
> For the last two days I have taken 2.5 mcgs which has really helped with the sweating. Though my armpits are all broken out from the sweating period I went through. And the rash just doesn't seem to clear up. Hum. I am also still SO sleepy. I can't seem to snap out of being half asleep. I tried cutting down on my benzo, but that didn't seem to make any difference in the tired department. But did make my fuse a bit shorter. I will get this balanced out somehow. I do think it would help if it didn't get dark at 4 pm everyday. I am ready for bed by 7 pm! Are you now taking the effexor in the am? Or did you can it completely due to the sweating? I hope you are feeling good...
> Thanks for your reply
> Chloe
>
>Hi Chloe, I take the Effexor midday with lunch now. It seems to be the best compromise between upset stomach in the morning or sweatiness at night. I've had to cut the Depakote in half-it is causing way too much sleepiness for this time of year, I also added back a little bit of oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), to offset it. The OXC is a little activating, so I like that, just not the nausea. I know little about the blood draw timings for thyroid. I just know that generally free T3-T4 and TSH tend to have an inverse relationship. Jumpy is correct about the feedback loop. If your free T3-T4 goes up (let's say because of taking thyroid hormone), your TSH level should begin to fall (at some point) because that is the hormone that stimulates your thyroid to make more of your own T3-T4. It is like saying: "Well, it looks like there is plenty of T3/T4, cut down the amount of TSH so we don't get too much more." So your TSH drops in an attempt to slow down your thyroid gland. It just *seems* weird that if you are taking thyroid supplementation (Cytomel), that your free T3/T4 levels are so close to the *bottom* of the normal range. Could you ask your pdoc about it? You might need a referral to an endocrinologist.---Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:124779
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021108/msgs/127291.html