Hypothyroidism Support Group

Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...

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Synthroid and Cytomel at the same time?

ralpert
ralpert

I've been on Synthroid for a couple years and have slowly increased to 75 mcg. My TSH has been low and my T4 has been high, but I still feel horrible. My last labs for T3 showed me at 2.5 (range 2.3-4.2) so I think this is too low for me.


Today I saw my nurse practitioner to see if I could add Cytomel. Sadly, she didn't even know that replacement T3 exists but thankfully she was happy to start me on 5 mcg of Cytomel to see what happens.


The information from the pharmacists for the Cytomel merely says to take this drug at the same time every day. Online searching shows that I can take Cytomel with food, and I can take it in addition to Synthroid, but I can't find any information on whether I can take both pills at the same time. Does anyone have any information on taking Synthroid and Cytomel pills at the same time?


Thanks!


iwontbackdown1
iwontbackdown1
I can't help you. I ask around like you're doing right now. The best thing to do is to discuss this with your physician. Everyone is an individual with needs unique only to them....allergic reactions, other diagnoses, personal history, family history, et cetera. At the very least, why don't you talk with your pharmacist?
pattycake123
pattycake123
Hi. I take a combination of the T4 and T3, but not the cytomel brand. I take the T4 and 1/2 dose of the T3 in the morning at about 5am. I take the other 1/2 of the T3 at 3pm.
MButterfly
MButterfly
Yes. You can take them at the same time. Keep in mind, however, that cytomel is "fast acting" compared to T4 (synthroid) alone, so you'll get a bit of a "kick" for the first few hours and it will taper off fairly quickly (in a matter of hours as opposed to a matter of days for synthroid) and because of that you can get kind of "lagging" feeling later in the afternoon. If you experience this problem while taking your cytomel with your synthroid (which would be the same time EVERY day 1 hour prior to eating, right? Or at least it should be.) here's what you can do:
Take your synthroid and 1/2 of your cytomel at the same time -every- day, but take the other 1/2 of your cytomel around 1-2 pm in the afternoon (or whenever you start to notice the downturn in your energy when taking the whole pill if you go that route). Lots of people find this helpful, and it keeps the "afternoon crash" at bay, so it would be perfectly fine to start out that way as well.

Good for you for asking for help (and you're right, your Free T3 was way too low), being proactive, and getting the help you need! GOOOO YOU!