What Causes Dizziness And Anxiety While On Cytomel?

Posted on Fri, 24 Jun 2016

Question: I have been taking a synthroid 112 mcg for almost 10 years. Recently, I went to my endocrinologist looking for a solution to my fatigue and inability to lose weight. She suggested I add Cytomel 5mg twice a day in addition to taking synthroid. Doing this made me feel extremely weird- crazy head fog, unable to focus clearly, dizziness, anxiety off the charts, and more fatigue than I already felt. I stopped the Cytomel after one week of taking it- fast forward 3 weeks and i still have a lot of symptoms- the head fog, inability to focus, dizziness and extreme fatigue. This in turn has made me depressed and unmotivated. Can anyone help explain what's going on? I'm leaning towards adrenal fatigue. Please help! I did not feel like this until I took Cytomel.

Other information about my health- eat healthy, I work out, plenty of water, minimal alcohol.

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (11 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Thyroid

Detailed Answer:
Sorry to learn about your bothersome symptoms.

Cytomel is known to have certain side effects and hence is uncommonly used by most endocrinologists worldwide.

However, now that you have been off it for several weeks it cannot be the reason for your symptoms. This is because it gets out of the body rather quickly.

So I understand you are also searching for other possible causes. Adrenal fatigue is a myth. The correct medical term is adrenal insufficiency.

When I see someone like you in my practice, I typically order the following blood tests in addition to a detailed physical examination:

CBC (Complete Blood Count, also known as Hemogram; includes Hemoglobin, WBC and Platelet counts)
Electrolytes (Sodium and Potassium in particular)
HbA1c (Glycosylated Hemoglobin = your 3 month glucose average)
Liver function tests (SGOT , SGPT, Albumin, Bilirubin, Alkaline Phosphatase)
Kidney function tests (BUN, Creatinine)
TSH
Free T4
Anti Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) antibodies
Anti Thyroglobulin antibodies
25 hydroxy Vitamin D
Serum Cortisol at 8 am

None of these tests require any fasting. The last mentioned test screens for the possibility of adrenal insufficiency. This time of 8 am is assuming you have a conventional sleep-wake cycle of going to bed at night and waking in the morning hours

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (9 hours later)

Thank you for responding. Out of curiosity, what do you think the reason is that I'm still feeling the symptoms?

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Follow up

Detailed Answer:
It can be due to various reasons. The above test results may shed some light on the potential causes.

Note: For more information on hormonal imbalance symptoms or unmanaged diabetes with other comorbid conditions, get back to us & Consult with an Endocrinologist. Click here to book an appointment.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar