Lily/Thyroid &Cytomel

[Guest guest]

Hi Lily,

Well, I'm on the 3 quarters of a (25mcg) tab Cytomel for a little over a week now. I must say I am grateful for the increase in energy, but I am having a few slight effects that I thought I'd ask about.

I'm a night owl because I don't work - go to bed about 2 a.m. or later most nights, sleep poorly due to chronic low back and neck problems and end up in bed till 11 a.m. or there about usually. A long time to sleep, but sometimes even longer. I attribute a good deal of these long hourse in bed to the fatigue of they thyroid malfunction.

So, anyway - back to the qustions. I have been waking up 9ish now that I'm taking the Cytomel. I am not spacing my tabs - but take them all at once, with Synthroid, upon rising every morning. I am assuming, after having read info on net and patient insert from mfg, that 25mcg would be a single dose for most people and then several hours later another 25mcg and that . In other words, do you take about 25 mcg at one time- equaling a single dose? And then 25mcg at a later time in the day? I wonder if the waking early is a (depending on your viewpoint) a bonus or a side effect of the Cytomel. I don't feel overly tired even when waking. I am, however, concered (at my age) that not enough sleep could cause physical problems. Having said that though, I will say that my Dad was a man who required little sleep - so maybe this is what normal SHOULD have been for me. I may be worrying needlessly, I just don't want to hurt myself and since this doc didn't want me to have Cytomel to begin with and said I would fee worse instead of better, I'm not real anxious to call him to discuss it!!!!! On this same subject, the mfg patient info insert says to take once a day, so I am a little confused as to whether I am taking this stuff the right way - all at once with the Synthroid.

Next question, I had no real side effects (negative occurrences) up to 12 l/2 mcg except for the very first day of 6 l/4 tab having a headache. After the first day - nothing. WIth this dosage 3 qrts of the Cytomel 25 mcg, I am having headache every day. Yesterday it was enough to justify an aspirin and an extra strenght tylenol together. Now I am a person of frequent headache due to the neck problems and TMJ issues, but the timing of the headaches seems to indicate that it may be Cytomel related - as they have been occurring about 1 hour after taking the meds. Is headache for a week or so normal? (BTW - its not blinding or anything and I'm not absolutely convinced it IS the Cytomel . If not, should I back track to just l/2 of the 25mcg - or cut this third dose in half so I'm getting about 3mcg instead of 6 l/2? If you don't know, that's okay..... I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Last but not least and actually the one thing that really somewhat concerned me, I awoke last night at 4 A.M., due to EXTREME sweating and overheating. Most distressing... had to get out of bed and remove my nighshirt - then still so hot, I turned up AC and sat next to it and then still hot enough that I sat on edge of tub and ran water from the shower across the top of my legs. Now, once again - this may not be Cytomel related and I have to wonder why it would start well over a week after I began at this dosage - and the other factor is that I began my Progesterone pills (first of 12) last night which could have been a contributing factor.

Maybe these questions are silly, but I somehow just feel better having asked someone!!!!

Anything you can contribute will help

Thanks Dusty