# Overmedicated, how long to feel better?!



## kristymay_c (Jun 13, 2012)

32 year old female, just found out I'm recently pregnant. My TSH flew to a 7.18 (this is my second pregnancy. My TSH went wacky early in my first pregnancy too). I was taking 125 mcg synthroid. I increased to 150mcg, and TSH went to a 10.18 in 10 days. I freaked out because I'm pregnant and know how important maintaining good TSH levels are during pregnancy, so I took it upon myself to self treat, and took 250mcg for 5 days. Well, that totally backfired on me and now I'm feeling extremely overmedicated! I have terrible heart palpitations and anxiety. I can't even move without my heart racing. I left work early yesterday and didn't go in today.  I checked my TSH yesterday and it's still high at 7.68. However it did come down almost 3 points in one week. I skipped a dose, and then resumed with 150 for two days, and since I'm still feeding horribly hyper, I only took 125 today. I'm scared to death that this is affecting the baby, but doctor assures me that just because I feel like crap, doesn't mean any harm to baby. He said I'm taking thyroid meds, so baby is getting it. I know I totally overshot and took too much synthroid too fast too soon and that is why I'm feeling like this despite still elevated TSH. The DR did not do free T3/T4 labs. But if I were to guess, my free T4 would be elevated. Anyway, lesson learned! But when will the hyper symptoms subside?! I can't even function with these terrible heart palpitations! Thanks for any thoughts!


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

When I was over medicated I had to completely stop taking medication for a month. When I had labs done my TSH was 9.78, and my Free T3 was WAY below normal, yet I felt great! (very weird,,,) Anyway, I went back on a very small dose and my TSH leveled out in about a week or so.


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## StormFinch (Nov 16, 2012)

If your doctor isn't testing Free T3 and Free T4 each time, my first thought is that you desperately need a new doctor. TSH is made by your pituitary gland, not your thyroid. It's your brain's messenger to the thyroid telling it to increase or decrease T4 and T3 production, and many things can confuse your pituitary. Free T4 and Free T3 are the thyroid produced hormone levels that are currently circulating in your blood and available for use by your cells. They are the only accurate predictors of what your thyroid or replacement medication is currently doing, no matter what some doctors will tell you.

My second thought is that I'm glad you learned your lesson and won't be doing that again.  Self medication isn't the best of ideas, especially if you don't know how a medication works.

As for how long it will take until the extra medication leaves your system, all T4 medications like synthroid; aka levothyroxine, has a half life of 6 to 7 days, which means that a 250 mcg dose today would be at 125 mcg in your system this time next week, 62.5 mcgs the week after, etc. It also takes 6 to 8 weeks for a regular dosage to build up completely in our systems, which is why dosages are only changed after blood work 2 months +/- after the last adjustment, and then by only 50 mcgs at a time until you're euthyroid. Also, another really good reason to switch doctors; TSH lags behind Frees by at least a month. In other words, even though you had made yourself hyper, your TSH didn't show it and wouldn't until a month from now. Needless to say, any doctor that doesn't know that should NOT be treating someone who is hypo and pregnant.

Since you are still feeling jittery I would suggest that you skip your synthroid for a day or two and start searching for a doctor that knows to test Frees. Try looking for a well rated reproductive endo, or if that fails check the following list of resources for another type of doctor in your area who would be willing to follow you; http://hypothyroidmom.com/top-10-resources-to-find-a-great-thyroid-doctor-in-2013/


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## kristymay_c (Jun 13, 2012)

Thank you for the replies. So, do you think I can safely skip a day just to help me come down a bit, knowing that I am pregnant, with a TSH still high at 7? I really want to skip a day, but am so nervous about the high TSH being pregnant. I wish my free Ts were tested, because I'm sure they are ok, probably even elevated, given the way I feel right now and how much synthroid I took. So maybe because the TSH lags behind, I would be ok to skip a day because the main hormones, free T3/4 are sufficient enough for baby.? Thank you!


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