After I lost my gland nearly 3 years ago, I started on synthroid and after about a year got my endo to add cytomel. And then we just kept raising and raising every two months for another year. Nothing made a difference. I ditched the synthetics for natural dessicated thyroid meds about six months ago and still not much of a difference. That said, my hypothyroid symptoms are minimal so my expectations are low. But I would also say that adding cytomel has got to be better than synthroid alone.

Hi Caro!

I'm taking 88 mcg Synthroid and 10 mcg Cytomel. My endocrinologist started me at 5 mcg once a day, but that didn't seem to do much so now I take 5 mcg twice a day.

I was on Synthroid only for the first few years. Like you, I'd have the dosage increased but still felt bad.

I think the meds and the diet are working together well. I've lost 30 pounds in the past 6 months and I'm finally starting to feel better, and feel like myself.

Here's the diet - I am gluten free, caffeine free, don't eat white rice or white potatoes, don't eat corn or peas or bananas, and I was dairy free for the first month or two. I also take lots of vitamins and a probiotic.

Hope this helps.

100% agree with this. I follow this same diet (roughly) and seem to manage my symptoms well. I'm on 30 mcg of cytomel and 125 of tirosint.....I also burn roughly 800 calories a day from exercise.

I used to be on Synthroid for over 20 yrs (diagnosed in my teens - now in my 40s) and my doc kept badgering me about my weight. Finally after showing her food and exercise journals she agreed that something was up and we added Cytomel slowly increasing from 5 to 25 over the course of almost a year. It helped me lose only about 7lbs in total.

I caution you to be careful with the Cytomel and watch for side effects. I actually ended up going to the ER because I started getting heart palpitations. The Cytomel had caused a change from hypo to HYPERthyroidism. I was having trouble sleeping, sweating during the day and feeling anxious for a couple of months before the palpitations and wrote it off as stress. As soon as I got the palpitations I had hubby dropped me at at the ER.

Now I'm only on Synthroid 88mcg and feel AWFUL. My levels have been tested by my primary and a well-known endo in the area and both found them to be normal. I've gained 15lbs since August, I try to work out but am always tired, noticed more hair loss and super moody (poor hubby).

Good luck to you and I hope that the combo of Synthroid and Cytomel work to your benefit. Just keep an eye out for side effects or bad changes in your body.

First of all, yay for your doctor testing your free T3 instead of just your TSH! My doctor had put me on Cytomel because of my free T3 being in the lower range (it should be in the upper 25%) and my energy level was so low. I too experienced heart palpitations and what was happening was my t3 would SPIKE right after taking it and then i would crash! So...I finally sucked it up and went to a naturopath. She prescribed me "timed released" cytomel! HUGE difference! Unfortunately my insurance doesn't cover it because I have to get it at a compounded pharmacy, but....the difference it made in my life....I would pay anything for it!

I take 5mg. cytomel in A.M. and 2 1/2 mg at about 1 P.M. It keeps me going. Makes a big difference with energy---which I have very little of due to another disease. I still frequently nap in the afternoon. I LOVE my cytomel.