# Congential hypothyroidism and liothyronine's effect on mood



## Idioglottic Spicewood (Aug 8, 2013)

This is my first post to this forum. I am about to start taking the Sigmapharm generic of liothyronine at 5 mcg per day.

I am a 30 year old male and was born with hypothyroidism. I have taken only Synthroid since I was about 2 weeks old, and my lab levels have been almost always normal. My dose of Synthroid is now 150 mcg.

I regrettably had not educated myself on this condition and had assumed that it was not responsible for my feelings of depression, anxiety, and fatigue when my levels consistently fell within the normal range.

This led me to believe that there was another underlying cause of my symptoms, which are associated with hypothyroidism but also many other conditions. I have gone through the typical courses of self-medication over the past 10-15 years, went through an addiction to prescribed amphetamines, and tried and failed with a couple of antidepressants and amino acid/herbal treatments.

Finally my T3 levels have been officially flagged as low:

TSH&#8230; 1.74&#8230; (0.34 - 5.60)

T3&#8230; 63&#8230; (70 - 204)

Free T4&#8230; 1.0&#8230; (0.6 - 1.1)

I have searched the web and have found that liothyronine commonly causes an increase in adrenalin and thus an increase in energy. There is also evidence that it increases serotonin. I am curious about others' experiences...

What can I expect from liothyronine in terms of mood? Depression, pessimism, fatigue, and lack of motivation are the major obstacles for me currently.

Has anyone had experience with the Sigmapharm version of liothyronine?

Any other applicable information about liothyronine is welcomed.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Idioglottic Spicewood said:


> This is my first post to this forum. I am about to start taking the Sigmapharm generic of liothyronine at 5 mcg per day.
> 
> I am a 30 year old male and was born with hypothyroidism. I have taken only Synthroid since I was about 2 weeks old, and my lab levels have been almost always normal. My dose of Synthroid is now 150 mcg.
> 
> ...












The limbic (mood regulated) portion of the brain can not function w/sufficient T3.
http://www.hotthyroidology.com/print.php?ID=64

You must feel absolutely horrible.

Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/understanding-thyroid-why-you-should-check-your-free-t3

If I was your doctor, I would immediately have you on some form of T3 and fast. It is not just your brain that is suffering.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triiodothyronine

I personally have not had experience w/ the Sigmapharm. I take Armour. When are you starting this and what is the starting dose?

Starting dosage of liothyronine sodium tablets is 5 mcg daily, and should be increased by no more than 5 mcg increments at 2-week intervals. When, in such patients, a euthyroid state can only be reached at the expense of an aggravation of the cardiovascular disease, thyroid hormone dosage should be reduced.
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=38ef3766-bb9a-402e-9e4a-ad8bb5b26e4c


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## Idioglottic Spicewood (Aug 8, 2013)

Thank you so much for the links.

I have been prescribed 5 mcg of liothyronine once per day. Should I split such a small dose in half and divide it between morning and afternoon (as I have seen suggested on web boards such as this one)? Or should I just take it all in the morning?

I do feel very lethargic and unmotivated, and seem to be unable to experience pleasure 50% of the time. On a daily basis, I have the "3pm crash" and am compelled to take a nap. I have become very accustomed to all of this as my routine over the years, and I feel like my T3 level has most likely been within the "normal" range, but on the very low end for quite some time.

I am going to start taking the medication in a week or two, as I am tapering off of another med now (an anxiolytic and nootropic called phenibut). I want to have a relatively clean system, but I will however continue the gabapentin.


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## Idioglottic Spicewood (Aug 8, 2013)

So I am on day 3 of taking 5 mcg of liothyronine per day, I have been taking it between 30 min and 1 hour after my synthroid (150 mcg).

So far, I have felt the most pronounced effects today: I felt awake first, but then irritable, a little overheated, and very slight nausea. Does this normally pass after a week or so of dosing, or should I divide the dose into two 2.5 mcg doses per day?

Should I wait longer after taking synthroid to take it?

Thank you


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## StormFinch (Nov 16, 2012)

Since cytomel/liothyronine doesn't necessarily need to be taken on an empty stomach you could try taking it with lunch to see if that makes a difference. If not, many people take theirs in split doses so you could give it a try as well. I had minor side effects only for the first week or so when I was on it, but some people are more sensitive to it from what I've seen here on the forums.


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