Are you on Thyroid Hormone Replacement? Do you have PVCs, Palps., etc.

[Eva]

If you are taking a thyroid hormone replacement (THR), please share your experience, comments, or suggestions.

I am hoping we have members who take THR, but do not have PVCs or palpitations! And hoping this is true, I am curious of the different effect of different THR medications.


Thanks.

 

[Adrienne]

Occasional palps

Occasional palps

I've been taking Synthroid for ages, and I have a yearly blood test to make sure I am taking the right amount.

I have the occasional extrasystolic beat (PAC or PVC), but not often.

 

[Shari Thomas]

I've been taking Levothyroxin after having my thryoid gland ablated with radiation (2x radioactive pill). Since my OHS, I've settled into bradycardia and think I would welcome some "extra beats". Gonna get a pacemaker soon to remedy the problem. Also, I'm about due for my 6 months blood tests to determine optimal thyroid level.

 

[Eva]

I've been taking Synthroid for ages, and I have a yearly blood test to make sure I am taking the right amount.

I have the occasional extrasystolic beat (PAC or PVC), but not often.

Hi Adrienne and thanks for your reply. I am happy you are doing OK.

Did you ever listen to your heart with a stetoscope? I personally am able to feel the palpitations but not the PVCs, without the stetoscope.

Last June I switched from Synthroid to Levothyroxine hoping my TSH would get stabilized since it was up and down on Synthroid, even with the slightest dosage modifications. Then, suddenly in August, my PVCs increased! This was brought to my attention by my cardio and here I am now concentrating on how to resolve this, especially that we cannot live without THR.

I wish I was able to add in the poll who also experience any or all of these symtomps: fatigue, nervousness, insomnia, increased appetite, palpitations, and mood changes after taking the medication by a couple of hours. No doctor listened to me before, but now all of these symptoms are listed as side effects!

 

[Eva]

I've been taking Levothyroxin after having my thryoid gland ablated with radiation (2x radioactive pill). Since my OHS, I've settled into bradycardia and think I would welcome some "extra beats". Gonna get a pacemaker soon to remedy the problem. Also, I'm about due for my 6 months blood tests to determine optimal thyroid level.

Hi Shari and thanks for sharing your experience.

I had my thyroid gland ablated with the radio active iodine-131 in 1989. My hyperactive thyroid switched to hypoactive after two months

When I complained how I felt a change in my moods, energy, appetite, feeling some anxiety, etc. ...doctors did not take my symptoms seriously, simply because my TSH was within the normal range! :rolleyes2:

Nowadays, many websites agree that TSH, T3, and T4 tests "are poor measures.
....................the best estimate .....is the rT3 level and the T3/rT3 ratio.

Above was the following website's conclusion from "The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2005; 90(12):6403–6409" : http://www.holtorfmed.com/index.php?section=downloads&file_id=14

Even (since I can be skeptical) if these websites want to promote their services, it won't hurt to request these tests (which I never had done) next time and check if it reveals any difference.

If we are not on the right dose, our hearts are affected!

 

[Lily]

It's interesting how often people are on both a hypertensive medication and a thyroid medication. I don't know if it's coincidental or if it could be connected in some way.

My thyroid became sluggish about the same time my bicuspid valve began having more difficulties and about the same time I had to begin a hypertensive medication.

Regarding arrhythmias, I didn't have many until a couple of years ago.

BTW, have only women responded to the poll so far? I wonder if we're all around the same age :eek2:

 

[Lily]

I was looking for something else but found this old thread that some might find helpful: http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?18139-Thyroid-and-PVCs&highlight=pvcs

 

[Eva]

I was looking for something else but found this old thread that some might find helpful: http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?18139-Thyroid-and-PVCs&highlight=pvcs

Thanks, Lily. I did not think of searching before starting this thread...it was long before I joined and I hope we shall get more responses here.

When my doctor added Cytomel to my medication, I felt much better and my ankles did not swell and it was easy to lose weight! But unfortunately, I moved to CA before we were able to reach the right dose. Here in CA. all doctors had been reluctant to add it or switch me to Armour because it is *hard to control*. Yet, I am starting to believe my body does not tranform T3 enough on its own from my T4 medication.

Have your ever had the rT3 level and the T3/rT3 ratio checked?

 

[Wise]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism just over a year ago. Levothyroxin has helped but does not appear to be a solution for me. I am only taking 75 mcg. of the medication. I started out on 25 mcg. and the dosage was changed twice after its positive effects waned. I am again dealing with almost constant fatigue. I am seeing a "specialist" next month who does prescribe Armour. I will glad to be thoroughly tested and hopefully put on the road to normalcy once again.

 

[Eva]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism just over a year ago. Levothyroxin has helped but does not appear to be a solution for me. I am only taking 75 mcg. of the medication. I started out on 25 mcg. and the dosage was changed twice after its positive effects waned. I am again dealing with almost constant fatigue. I am seeing a "specialist" next month who does prescribe Armour. I will glad to be thoroughly tested and hopefully put on the road to normalcy once again.

Thanks, Wise, for sharing. I too would like to try Armour or Thyrolar again. Just be patient as these are more difficult to adjust, yet the benefits of taking T3 and T4 are much better than T4 alone.

I wish I was more patient when I tried it ten years ago!! Unluckily, my endocronologist was not patient either!

Here is an interesting excerpt about the benefits of taking T3 and T4:

From the standpoint of physiological effects, the differences between pulse, blood pressure, reflexes and a variety of other functions for T4 alone, versus T4 plus T3, were very small. Blood pressure and cholesterol in fact dropped slightly on the T4 plus T3.

Where the results were dramatic were in mental functioning. Patients performed better on a variety of standard neuropsychological tasks on the T4 plus T3. Patients' psychological state also showed improvement on T4 plus T3.

If you like to read more, here are interesting websites:

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/t3drugsnejm.htm

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199902113400603#t=articleDiscussion

Good luck and please let me know how you will do on Armour.

 

[Wise]

Thanks for the links Eva. It sounds like I need me some Triiodothyronine!

 

[Eva]

thanks for the links eva. It sounds like i need me some triiodothyronine!

me too definitely!!

 

[Lily]

Have your ever had the rT3 level and the T3/rT3 ratio checked?

It sounds like a good idea, Eva