I'm having RAI on April 2, I had my thyroid removed due to cancer in November. In preparation for this I'm going off Levoxyl tomorrow, and starting 10 mcgs of Cytomel 2x a day. I'm scared of being hypo, but know there is no way around it. Will the Cytomel be enough to make me feel normal? Will I be jittery? I'm on 125mcgs of Levoxyl now, is 20mcgs of Cytomel enough to keep me normal for a month? My endo says yes, but She also has said a lot of things I don't agree with. If anyone has been on Cytomel alone let me kow how it affected you. Thanks, Aimee
Hi Aimee8396,
I was on cytomel alone and felt fine with it.
I felt more lively. It has a faster action than T4.
The dose depends on your own personal needs, so we cannot say if that dose is enough for you. Your doctor probably has a pretty good idea.
Make sure you know the symptoms of both hyper and hypo, and communicate to the doc what you are experiencing.
There is a lot of info here-
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Aimee, like Tree Frog, I felt pretty good on the Cytomel. In fact, after the first week, in which I felt a little hyper, I felt really well for the next two weeks. I was awfully stressed about the situation (being treated for cancer), so it wasn’t like it was a walk in the park, but physically I didn’t suffer from a lot of symptoms – and had a surprising amount of energy. Once I stopped the Cytomel, I felt progressively more tired. I would wake up feeling like I could not move. At first it was kind of nice to be so relaxed after feeling so stressed for so long (like becoming a type B personality), but then I started to think, “Oh, this just isn’t normal.” My hair and skin became very strange – dry and fragile. In fact, fragile is a good word for how I felt in general! Once I started on my medication after my RAI, I bounced back very quickly.
The Cytomel has very positive associations for me. If I still don’t feel well when my labs are showing up right (I’m getting closer, right?), I plan to discuss using it with my doctor. If you do feel fine on it, use that time to prepare for the two weeks or so that you won’t feel so well. Before you know it, you will have this all behind you. Let us know how it is going, okay?
Hi Ring, I know what you mean, I'm stressed about the "C" word too. It's been 3 months since my surgery, so I was starting to feel ok, and now I have to be hypo again. My Dr. said that if I thought I felt bad before just wait. Great!!! She is letting me start back on Levoxyl along with Cytomel after my RAI. She said that will allow me to bounce back even faster. I sure hope so. I'm glad you're doing better. Thanks for the info. Aimee
Hi Aimee8396
Yes, Cytomel is just a component of thyroid hormone like T4. So take it on an empty stomach, with water, and wait at very least an hour before eating or drinking anything else.
About Cytomel..........
Because T3 works a very short time, (only 2-4 hours after taking it), T3 has to be taken together with food so you yourself can create some soort of time-released proces. That's also the reason why T3 has to be taken into two doses a day.
Marion,
What about Thyrolar, it has T3, but the directions are to take on an empty stomach and not eat for an hour. I find it difficult to take and not eat soon, I am ravishing when I wake up.
So I should take Cytomel with Food??? I find it easy to take in the AM befor eating, but taking it at 2pm is hard. I seem to snack all the time in the late afternoon. I did notice yesterday that I had forgotten until 4pm. I was tired then and commented to my husband, he asked if I had taken my Cytomel. OOPS, I was awake last night until midnight then.... I need to get in the habit better. Thanks Marion for the info.
Cytomel alone, how will I feel? 
