Issues with sleep - stress? Thyroid?

woodstock

woodstock

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Not sure if anyone has experience/knowledge of this.

I've been on a really low dose of thyroid meds (booster) for at least 4 yrs now I'd say, perhaps 5, I can't recall. I started out with very low dose cytomel and then my doc decided to put me on low dose Armour Thyroid. (apparently cytomel helps one aspect, Armour does both?).

Some months ago Armour became very hard to come by - nearly impossible. It was last filled for me over a month ago. A few months here and there (including this month) I've used a compound pharmacy which can "replicate" armour thyroid.

I am definitely experiencing stress at work, but that's not a new thing - it's been my life for years now. I had a brief respite in the stress from July-December I'd say.

At any rate - simply not sleeping at night. Not even on wkds which is pretty bad. This has been for about three weeks now I'd say = each night. I try to get to bed earlier to try to catch 6 hours of sleep before I wake up and toss the rest of the night. Last night was THE worst - to sleep at 930 PM, awake at 11 f*cking PM and that was it. Maybe some dozing, but I don't think so.

Could this be the thyroid meds? Something else? I've lived through stress for years and years with this job and while it affected my sleep it didn't extend to weekends that often and I'd at least sleep until 3 AM most nights.

10-ish mos ago my doc tested me and said my cortisol was spiking through the roof (this due to my telling her how bad my sleep patterns were for a long time). Changes came at work shortly after which helped immensely and I was able to sleep for several months... now it seems to be back again.

Thoughts?
 
ps. I just realized I forgot to take my dose of thyroid meds y'day. Would that have an effect, and so quickly?

Ps. I should have made it more clear - I used to have big sleep issues from this job, but, with the improvement at work in July, I was sleeping again for a number of months. The stress from that sitch went away and it was really nice for a while.
 
Really hard to say without a fairly detailed list of conditions and medications being used to treat them. Lyothrionine has interactions with numerous other compounds. Yes, changing a med or forgetting to take one can lead to insomnia along with other symptoms. If the condition persists you should contact your physician, who has your medical history and can make a more cogent recommendation than a boob on the internet like myself.
 
Thanks guys.

I'm actually no longer on cytomel - for the past year it's been Armour Thyroid. Except that is hard to come by, so a compounding pharm replicates it for me.

I actually think I used to feel better, and in fact the cytomel didn't disagree with me. While I can't be sure it's the thyroid med I am on now that is doing this, I was a lot skinnier and felt better on the cytomel. More energy I think.
 
Woodstock: Everyone eventually ends upon Synthroid, even though for any one person it might not be the best fit. It's uniform, and regulatable.

Even though Cytomel has a 6-8hour serum half life, the action isn't in the serum, it's dissolved in the fatty tissues (liver, spleen, brain) and really a single dose shouldn't have any notable effect. It takes several weeks.

That being said, Armour thyroid is a biologic product and has some batch to batch variations, EVEN THOUGH THE T3 and T4 assays come out within tolerances. That's how BIOLOGICAL products are. Synthroid is not biologic. It is synthesized, hence the name.
 
I noticed your post regarding a compounded version.

http://thecompounder.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/thyroid-madness-apparently-so/

This link is an article by a compounding pharmacist. He provides a lot of useful information. I wanted to point out the following to you:

It is important to choose a compounding pharmacy that is using a high quality form of the Thyorid USP. The FDA states that for Thyroid powder to be considered USP grade (or pharmaceutical grade), it must have between 90 and 110% of the allowed amount amount of T3 and T4. This is a very wide potency range and could potentially account for therapeutic differences between two thyroid products that are labeled as the same strength.
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Maybe this wide range could explain some of the symptoms you're experiencing.

Have you have had your thyroid levels checked? It's usually recommended to have it checked 4-6 weeks after starting a new therapy.

Alternatively, many Armour Thyroid users are also looking to Canada to get an equivalent Thyroid product. Many have found that to be an effective interim solution. I'm a pharmacist in Canada so if you have any questions about that feel free to contact me asaria@canamerica.com and I can explain that option.

Hope this helps!
 
Frankly, I think I was fine on Cytomel. I am on a very low dose - either one - so it wasn't like I had a totally wacky thyroid.

Asaria, thanks - I will talk to my doc. The pharm is called Central Drugs in La Habra CA.
 
dmccormack said:
Not everyone. I've been on Cytomel over 9 years -- Synthroid simply did not work for me. Heart rate, body temperature, energy level, and overall well-being were all restored by Cytomel whereas Synthroid failed in every measure.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this thread. Synthroid doesn't seem to be making any difference for me either. I'll talk to my MD.
 
Woodstock: My mom couldn't find the natural thyroid and found it was still sold by Canadian pharmacies.

As to sleep patterns: shot in the dark here but check the air filter on your HVAC system. If mine becomes too dirty, I have a very light, restless sleep. With the heat running the way it is this time of year; it's worth check. Change the filter more often than the manufacturer recommends or get better ones.

Hope you get some help. Sounds very frustrating.

Best,

DAve
 
I was 10 pounds lighter when I was on cytomel. Not so with the Armour. That may be stress related of course.
 
Hashimoto's is an autoimmune attack on the thyroid. This causes initial release of thyroid hormone whcih is stored in thyroid cells. If the onset is subtle, the regulatable parts of the thyroid simply stop producing and you don't get hyperthyroid.

Then the disease burns out enough thyroid that you need replacement.

Now if you have a more rapid onset and more active disease, you get hyperthyroid. Then you need either Cytomel or Propylthiouracil to suppress thyroid hormone release and production.

Eventually this burns out and you need replacement.

When you are in hyperthyroid phase, you tend to lose weight, and if very mild, have a lot of energy. If it's very hyperthyroid you get weak and lose weight, have no appatite.

You really can't say much about cytomel, which is for the hyperthyroid phase, vs. Armour and/or Synthroid unless you know your TSH, T4, Free T4 ,T3 and FreeT4 values at any particular time.

It's........complicated.

Hashimotos' is the most common midlife endocrine afflication in North America.
 
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leah got diagnosed with hyperthyroid last week. Doc is still working on tweaking her medication. I called home and low and behold it turns out my dad is Hypo. No wonder he has gained 20 lbs in the last year or so. Must be Thyroid season.
 
she is. i think she'll need a little more tweaking on pill size and frequency to be perfect. last few days it seems like she is "low" in the mornings but with a morning pill she gets better than after the mid day pill she is just fine. it'll take some time to get everything balanced out. either way, WAY better than last week :)
 
Woodstock- The symptoms you described are exactly what I had about a year ago. Couldn't sleep for HOURS no matter what I did or how tired I was. I'd lay there in bed with my heart racing. I would get stressed that I was about to have a heart attack.

Had about enough and went to the Dr.
Graves Disease, Hyperthyroid.
Taking a low dose of Propylthiouracil twice a day. All is well. I sleep normally now and are calmer. Now unfortunately, I'm fighting weight gain. I keep reducing my intake, increasing my exercise and it keeps creeping up.

Of course, now I'm worried about my medical - due in April. Though I see a lot of folks have gotten past this but, I always get worried when government gets directly involved with my life.

I've also been recommended a good AME/pilot in our area (Dr. Mallick) who I hear can make sure the proper paperwork gets to the right people.
 
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