# Overmedicated, been off meds for 12days, problems going back on?



## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

One night a couple weeks back, out of the blue I experienced my first anxiety attack. i thought I was going to die. It was too much thyroid. In hindsight, i had been going downhill over the previous few weeks, just had trouble seeing it at the time. Anyways, the day after my anxiety attack, i coincidentally had an appt with my doc. He confirmed I was overmedicated and told me to take a few days off until some of my symptoms have subsided. He said some people just need a day or two, other might need a few more...

It's been 12 days since that appointment. Most of the symptoms have left. So yesterday I tried to go back on my meds ( a safe dose that we both agreed I was doing fine on before we updosed). A couple hours after my afternoon dose of armour/cytomel. I had another anxiety attack. I also began experiencing nasty muscle twitches all over. horrible anxiety, sweating, ect.

My question is, is 12days off meds enough time? Or does the body somewhat shocked when the meds are reinstated?

I am confused on what to do. Today My bowels today have been on the constipated side. And i'm still not sleeping, I just kinda drift in and out of sleep all night. My vision is still pretty blurry as well.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Armour and Cytomel are generally considered not to mix well. I think it would make perfect sense that you had an anxiety attack (which I get, is awful). I would consider speaking to your doctor about sticking with Armour only.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

M&PS&W said:


> One night a couple weeks back, out of the blue I experienced my first anxiety attack. i thought I was going to die. It was too much thyroid. In hindsight, i had been going downhill over the previous few weeks, just had trouble seeing it at the time. Anyways, the day after my anxiety attack, i coincidentally had an appt with my doc. He confirmed I was overmedicated and told me to take a few days off until some of my symptoms have subsided. He said some people just need a day or two, other might need a few more...
> 
> It's been 12 days since that appointment. Most of the symptoms have left. So yesterday I tried to go back on my meds ( a safe dose that we both agreed I was doing fine on before we updosed). A couple hours after my afternoon dose of armour/cytomel. I had another anxiety attack. I also began experiencing nasty muscle twitches all over. horrible anxiety, sweating, ect.
> 
> ...


I agree 100% w/Joplin!


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

That's our goal in the end. Drop the cytomel, then the synthroid and have me on just armour. But he wants to take steps to accomplish this.

Although I've been on armour and cytmel for some time now without any problems. And for reference, i am only going back on 1/4gr. of armour. So I don't believe the combination of meds is the problem here.

Do you think there is still too much thyroid built up in my system?

My Doctor is pretty well known for his work. If i mentioned his name, i'm sure most of you have heard of him, most likely from his books. Regardless, I did ask him about synthetics mixing with natural hormones such as armour and he said there is nothing wrong with it.

So what do you guys think?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

M&PS&W said:


> That's our goal in the end. Drop the cytomel, then the synthroid and have me on just armour. But he wants to take steps to accomplish this.
> 
> Although I've been on armour and cytmel for some time now without any problems. And for reference, i am only going back on 1/4gr. of armour. So I don't believe the combination of meds is the problem here.
> 
> ...


To be honest w/you; none of the above makes any sense to me. If you are supposed to be on Armour, you just go on Armour. Nothing else.

But he is the doctor and we are not so I always advise the patient to listen to their doctor.

Let us know how you do. We all want you to feel better!!


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

Thanks. I'll just call my Dr. and ask him today.

I'm basically asking if 2 weeks is enough time to bring hormone levels down far enough, or if i am simply still overmedicated. Hence the reaction i experienced when reinstating.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

M&PS&W said:


> Thanks. I'll just call my Dr. and ask him today.
> 
> I'm basically asking if 2 weeks is enough time to bring hormone levels down far enough, or if i am simply still overmedicated. Hence the reaction i experienced when reinstating.


Only the proper lab tests would tell that. FREE T3 and TSH. The thing is, everyone's system processes differently. Your level of activity has a lot to do with it also.


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

Andros- In two days I will be 4 weeks off all thyroid meds. Pretty much all my symptoms are gone. Yet, i sill continue to have panic attacks at night. I have become very sensitive to noises and lights as well. I am startled easily.

I spoke to my doc approx 10days ago. He told me to continue to stay off until i become sluggish. Then try a 1/4gr. of armour. He mentioned that I may have a adrenal issue going on, even though my cortisol and DHEA tests came back normal. I didn't have a chance to ask him why he thought this way, but I do have an appt with him on the 16th and will ask then.

So is it normal to be 4 weeks off and still have panic/anxiety? Do symptoms lag behind blood levels that much? I'd love to reintroduce a tiny bit of armour, but i'm hesitant. For the record, I am dealing with Benzo w/d all well. I understand that this does impair the way the HPA axis communicates. Very similar to adrenal fatigue as far as symptoms go. I am 7 months off of Benzos and continue to get hit pretty hard by symptoms even when the thyroid was in check just weeks/months ago. Still one of my biggest regrets in life was accepting the klonopin to deal with Hashimotos symptoms prior to diagnosis. Maybe it exacerbated the benzo w/d?
Any words of wisdom or advice? Thanks.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

> That's our goal in the end. Drop the cytomel, then the synthroid and have me on just armour.


All three at the same time? Who wouldn't have problems with that? What kind of "doctor" is this?

How about posting some labs with ranges? Bloodwork might be in order after that cocktail, to see where you stand.



> For the record, I am dealing with Benzo w/d all well.


Okay, and what ELSE are you taking?

There could be a lot of reasons for your anxiety. I get anxious just thinking about anyone taking that many kinds of thyroid medication at once. Just scary.


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

lainey said:


> All three at the same time? Who wouldn't have problems with that? What kind of "doctor" is this?
> 
> How about posting some labs with ranges? Bloodwork might be in order after that cocktail, to see where you stand.
> 
> ...


I was on synthroid and cytomel from a previous doctor. I was in very poor shape. New doc said I was undermedicated after labs were done on my first visit.
TSH .6 (.5-3.0)
FT4 1.3 (.7-2.5)
FT3 2.6 (2.5-6.5)

He introduced some armour and things were wonderful for a short bit. Eventually I became overmedicated.

I am not on any medications now that I am not taking my thyroid. "I am 7 months off of benzos"

What kind of doctor? One that cares about his patients and doesn't treat by TSH. One that is willing to test for adrenal fatigue and other issue instead of telling me I should feel fine because my numbers are within range.
What more can you ask for? He is a very well known doctor, mostly from his books. The majority of his patients are not local, they fly in for treatment. I am just so lucky to have him down the street from my office. I'll take what I can get at this point. I wasted 3 years of my life searching for a doctor who was wiling to help me get my life back.

I've never had a panic attack in my life up until a few weeks ago. This is why this is so bothersome to me. And for the record, i was doing just for for some time while taking all three of those meds. I even questioned him about it.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

So...it looks like you're feeling better overall, but still having panic attacks. You also mention that you haven't taken benzos in 7 months, which tells me that you previously had problems with anxiety. Is that correct?

If that's the case, I wonder if your current panic attacks are just that--panic attacks/anxiety--and are at least _somewhat_ unrelated to your thyroid??? (Or perhaps they're related to the "mental" stress of your thyroid issues, but not "physically" caused by your thyroid levels, if that makes sense.)

I think Andros' suggestion to get labwork done for an accurate reading of your current thyroid levels is a good one. That's really the only way to know for sure whether you're at a point where you could begin taking the thyroid drugs again.

Now that you're starting with a "clean slate" so to speak, do you know what thyroid drugs you're going to start on? It looks like it will just be Armour...that may be a good way to start over.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

M&PS&W said:


> I was on synthroid and cytomel from a previous doctor. I was in very poor shape. New doc said I was undermedicated after labs were done on my first visit.
> TSH .6 (.5-3.0)
> FT4 1.3 (.7-2.5)
> FT3 2.6 (2.5-6.5)
> ...


Can you get your TSH and FREE T3 run before you start the 1/4 grain of Armour and post the results with the ranges for us (me) to see? Please?

Have you ever had this tests?

TSI
Normally, there is no TSI in the blood. If TSI is found in the blood, this indicates that the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is the cause of the of a person's hyperthyroidism. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

> I was on synthroid and cytomel from a previous doctor. I was in very poor shape. New doc said I was undermedicated after labs were done on my first visit.
> TSH .6 (.5-3.0)
> FT4 1.3 (.7-2.5)
> FT3 2.6 (2.5-6.5)


Nothing grossly out of line here--looks like all that really needed improvement was the low T3--a bit more cytomel should have done the job.

What dosage of Armour caused the problem? How long were you on it, and at what rate did he increase it? At what point did he stop the synthroid and cytomel, or didn't he? Did the doc do titration labs as your dose increased? Did he do labs when you had the anxiety symptoms? Were any antibodies tests ever run? What were the results of those?

Timing of dose increases, size of dose increases, and concurrent medications could all have an impact on your symptoms. Presence or absence of certain types of antibodies impact all of the above also. A doctor that cares about his patients will include some data in his dosing decisions. Providing that information will help us answer your question as well.


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

I get panic attacks if I DON'T take my thyroid medication. I thought I was getting too much and didn't take it for two days. Big mistake. Woke up on the third day with the worst anxiety ever. Got back on the meds and I was fine. But all I take is 1 grain of Naturethroid. I don't take any other thyroid medication.


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

I was put on benzos while I was undiagnosed Hashimotos and wasn't sleeping. I never had an anxiety problem up until tolerance w/d on the benzos.

I've never been tested for TSI. I was confirmed hasimotos via antibody labs a couple years ago.

I beleive I felt best with around 1/2 a grain of armour added to my synthroid/cytomel combo.(labs above were pre armour) After that i titrated up too fast. Eventually becoming overmedicated. went up about 1/2gr every 2 weeks. There was some miscommunication between my doctor and myself. Live and learn. I never want to be overmedicated again.

Yeah i agree lab work is overdue at this point. I'm sure he will want to run some next week if i stil feel crummy.

sjmjuly- You may have nailed it. I took half a 1/4gr of armour this morning and I feel much better, my headache dissapeared and i have more energy. But i noticed it did make my nervous leg shaking/bouncing more noticable at my desk. I'll see how things go tonight. It's quite possible that i slid from hyper to hypo without even noticing it. That or my adrenals were taxed from when i went hyper.

Thanks you all.


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

M&PS&W said:


> I was put on benzos while I was undiagnosed Hashimotos and wasn't sleeping. I never had an anxiety problem up until tolerance w/d on the benzos.
> 
> I've never been tested for TSI. I was confirmed hasimotos via antibody labs a couple years ago.
> 
> ...


Because I HATE feeling hyper, I am ever so careful when I dose up. Don't laugh, but when I started taking Naturethroid, I would cut a 1/2 grain in half and then cut that in half! I started at 8mcgs. I S-L-O-W-L-Y increased by an 1/8th every two weeks until I got to 1 grain which is where I am now. I still have some lingering symptoms so I know I am still in the "process". I was just diagnosed with hashi's this last March after switching from idiot doctor #1(Who gave me Ativan and Prozac - any NO thyroid medication,,,) to a naturopath who "gets it". Needless to say, I don't take Prozac, but do have a small supply of Ativan for those "hyper" times that are few and far between now. I hope and pray my hyper stage is a thing of the past, but with hashi's you never know. At least now when I feel that way, I know what is happening. Before I knew I had a thyroid issue, I thought I was dying.


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

Spoke too soon. Felt great this morning, took the other 1/8gr. (1/4gr total today) Now i'm shaking and experiencing horrible anxiety. WTF? If meds clear out in 5-6 weeks, how is this happening after 4 weeks without meds? If my adrenals are shot, why is my cortisola nd DHEA normal? So confused, so angry. I hate this ****.


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

M&PS&W said:


> Spoke too soon. Felt great this morning, took the other 1/8gr. (1/4gr total today) Now i'm shaking and experiencing horrible anxiety. WTF? If meds clear out in 5-6 weeks, how is this happening after 4 weeks without meds? If my adrenals are shot, why is my cortisola nd DHEA normal? So confused, so angry. I hate this ****.


Weird. Not sure why you are feeling this way. Your FT3 is in the basement so one would think the Armour would help. 
I know that I tried Levothroid at first before I went on Naturethroid. Even the smallest amount of the Levo made my heart beat out of my chest and gave me BAD anxiety. Once I switched, I felt alot better.
Maybe you need a different med?????? Maybe you are going through a hyper stage (we know Hashi's will do that,,,,) and any med is putting you over the edge? I am not sure. Maybe you should stick to just an 1/8th per day until you can adjust. That's exactly where I started - Just a small dose to start.


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## Brucergoldberg (May 23, 2011)

could the anxiety and panic attacks be from being hypo? That was one of my biggest symptoms. still peaks its head at me right before my next dose. the anxiety is horrible. I drug myself to sleep.


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

Brucergoldberg said:


> could the anxiety and panic attacks be from being hypo? That was one of my biggest symptoms. still peaks its head at me right before my next dose. the anxiety is horrible. I drug myself to sleep.


Yeah, i covered that in my last post. It's not unfortunately. I get hyper symptoms after i take a small dose of Armour.


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## M&PS&W (Mar 19, 2012)

sjmjuly said:


> Weird. Not sure why you are feeling this way. Your FT3 is in the basement so one would think the Armour would help.
> I know that I tried Levothroid at first before I went on Naturethroid. Even the smallest amount of the Levo made my heart beat out of my chest and gave me BAD anxiety. Once I switched, I felt alot better.
> Maybe you need a different med?????? Maybe you are going through a hyper stage (we know Hashi's will do that,,,,) and any med is putting you over the edge? I am not sure. Maybe you should stick to just an 1/8th per day until you can adjust. That's exactly where I started - Just a small dose to start.


Those labs were prior to adding Armour. Prior to being overmedicated as well. My Hashis has been stable for a while now, no more swings, thankfully. I think i will just stay off all meds until my appt next Thursday, which will total 5 weeks off meds. Thanks for your posts.


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

M&PS&W said:


> Yeah, i covered that in my last post. It's not unfortunately. I get hyper symptoms after i take a small dose of Armour.


I did too when I first started taking meds. Maybe just try a 1/8th a day and see???


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