Posted by tealady on October 10, 2003, at 21:08:38
In reply to Re: whats the typical cytomel dosage for depressio » tealady, posted by loolot on October 10, 2003, at 6:28:27
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> << The cytomel effect will wear off after a while as when your body adapts it turns your own thyroid production off...so if you do ever go off cytomel,..wean off very slowly..or you wil gain back so much weight until your own thyroid kicks in...could be 12 weeks at least for this to happen>>
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> Should I go off the cytomel before this happens? Or should I stay on it for a long time?sorry can't help . T3 is supposed to help with wiegh loss, but I doesn't work for everyone. I think you need to discuss this with a doc.
Does resistance increase and will I have to keep raising the dose?
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It's not really resistance. The cytomel in your blood feedbacks to the pituitary and hypothalmus..and this lowers yoour TSH (thyroid stimaulting hormone)..and this means your own thyroid is stimulated less to make its own thyroid hormones. It's a part of the way all our bodies regulate themselves.
You can keep putting more and more it until you totally turn off(or almost) your own thyroid hormone production. You thyroid gland may then start to shrink as it is no longer being used?(some docs think so)
Also TSH (or perhaps thyroid hormones) and leptin have a feedback thingy too..and leptin controls appetite/ metabolism/weight etc as well..so it is currently thought by some that you should probably not lower your TSH too much (like below 0.5)..and TSH is probably also involved in many other things in body..definitely thyroid hormones are.
So what happens by the time you hit around 50mcgT3 you are probably near a total replacemnt dose for your body..so your own TSH will probably be very low..and your own thyroid production has a rest...it's very individual how much this takes..one of the variables is your weight.Now you can keep increasing from there, and some people may need to, but I really feel uncomfortable as it can be dangerous. You really need to do this with a doc's supervision...even ncreasing your dose to the 50mcg mark
> << Usually increasing cytomel is increased in about 7.5mcg steps up..and I guess most would be on 25mcg to 50mcg as a "typical" dose.>>
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> Thanks.
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> <<> You are best to learn to monitor by symptoms..like your temperature, pulse, blood pressure. This is a guide to safety.
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> Good idea. What should I look for?
I went looking for some references.
Have a look at this post on temperatures
http://forums.about.com/ab-thyroid/messages?msg=43007.43note perhaps , if you are trying to reset your metabolic rate, you should look at wilson's syndrome link..he takes temperature 3 times a day and averages..the Barnes school takes basal underarm
Wilson' believes in cycling your T3 up and down, but he uses a slow release T3an even steady T3 input to the body.
here's some more links on temperature
http://forums.about.com/ab-thyroid/messages?msg=48074.2Please note: Wilson did go out of practise
http://forums.about.com/ab-thyroid/messages?msg=42301.1
He also cycles to very high amounts of T3..and this can be dangerous.....
Also I only know of a couple of people who have tried Wilsons' personally and they have both had to stay on T3 meds..they couldn't get off themselves.On the other hand my own doc is on T3 SR and thinks its great, she looks great too, and is going great..she is on about 45mcg I think.
I guess what one is trying to do is get a measure of 'normal " metabolic rate..and temperature is one of these measure.. (although temperature is not just measuring T3 levels ..it also is regualted by estrogen, and other things)
Another would be pulse..if hypothyroid it can be slow(like in an athlete but you usually aren't fit..around 60'ish..it's low as your whole body is slowed down).
Normal and unfit like me is around 80-90..this is resting.
If your pulse is getting too high ..resting, like you heart is beating too fast..this is a sign of too much T3.
It will often happen when you first lie down in bed at night..so if you notice palpitations then..this is a warning signI've heard from some folk who seem to ignore this and later on end up n emergency with pounding fast heart rate
Basically the free T3 levels in blood (FT3) if elevated can cause cardiac changes, such as high heart rate, high systolic blood pressure(the top number rises)...
, whereas in hypoT the bottom number, the diastolic pressure is more likely to rise.So a high pulse is seen with too much T3 (hyperthyroidism), and so is a high systolic blood pressure.
A high diastolic blood pressure and low pulse are associated with hypothyroidism (too little T3).I can gauge a too high Ft3 level by a slight headache I get in the centre of my forehead The high systolic blood pressure seen in hyperT also contributes to headaches. I know others do this too..but I'm uncertain if everyone gets it.
If you do experience this, I find a couple of calc/magnesium tablets will make it go away...then I adjust my T3 downwards.
Take care,
Jan
poster:tealady
thread:265752
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031010/msgs/268077.html