Why Did My Doctor Give Me Cytomel for My Hypothyroidism?

If you have hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) chances are you are taking either Levothyroxine or Synthroid the two most commonly prescribed thyroid hormones in the United States. These are both a synthetic form of T4, the inactive form of thyroid hormone that your thyroid gland is not making enough of to support your metabolism. T4 needs to be converted in the liver and gastrointestinal tract to create the necessary active form of T3.

It has been my experience that some patients will continue expressing low thyroid symptoms like feeling cold, tired, brain fog, weight gain, depression, constipation, etc. even after their physician has introduced thyroid hormone replacement and determined the patient has the correct dosage via blood work.

It has also been my experience that these patients will often go back to their physician frustrated and the doctor will give Cytomel. Cytomel is a synthetic T3, active thyroid hormone that has immediate activity in the body. At times this can help with the symptoms but cause other side-effects like heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, etc. and may not correct the frustrating symptoms. Besides, who really wants to be on yet another medication? Let's get to the root of the problem and fix it, if possible.

In my opinion it would be better to get to the real source of the issue that is help the body CONVERT T4 into T3 naturally. If you are not converting well then we can assume you have issues with either the liver, the GI tract or both. These are major areas of thyroid hormone conversion.

There are many possibilities for addressing these areas but we always start with proper testing to give us a baseline understanding of nature of the problem(s). For instance performing a lipid panel and liver enzyme panel may be a start but it is not usually enough. There are excellent tests for evaluating the function of the liver and GI system from a functional point of view. It is lack of function that we really want to unearth and understand.

Once we have a good understanding of the issues then targeted supplementation and specific dietary changes can have a profound impact of liver and GI function and thus thyroid hormone conversion from T4 to T3.

I have found that address these underlying issues has helped patient feel better. Within a couple of weeks they often report better and more consistent energy, normalizing sleep patterns, relief from constipation, lifting depression and a general sense of well being.

This tells me that they are responding to my individual protocol for their issue. It is possible to feel good again!