Re: what do these symptoms mean?

[Guest guest]

Sounds like low potassium especially if you felt a bit better for a while then symptoms came back. I am taking 40meq of potassium now. Before I started it I also had the weakness, heart pounding, probably high bp since I was gettin headaches <didn't check bp though>.

The extra HC probably lowered your potassium more. I'm sure being sick isn't helping it either. I would try more potassium, it sure won't hurt anything at this point!

kitty

To: RT3_T3 Sent: Sat, April 3, 2010 2:53:00 PMSubject: what do these symptoms mean?

Has anyone had experience with the following symptoms?

1.) All-over weakness--knees feel like jelly, I feel very wobbly, it strikes suddenly when I'm otherwise feeling okay. Twice in the past week I was at the grocery store and suddenly felt so weak I was concerned about driving home.

2.) Blood pressure becomes high, when it's always been normal or low. The highest was 199/91. Other times it's been more like 150/65, or 142/60. Pulse was 91 when bp was 199/91. Otherwise it's been in the 60's.

3.) Tightness in the chest, like something pressing on the heart.

When this happened on Wednesday, I suggested to my doc that it seemed to fit the symptom profile of low potassium. I'm on 20 mg/day HC, and only 30 mcg/day T3. He ordered blood tests and I'll have the results on Tuesday. Meanwhile, I wanted to ask whether anyone else has experienced anything like this.

I asked the doc for something to relieve the symptoms while I wait for test results. He prescribed potassium at 20 mEq/day. It seemed to help for a couple of days, but then today the weakness returned, along with the chest constriction. I have a slight cold, so I'd taken an extra 5 mg of HC. Maybe that further lowered potassium and brought the symptoms back?

Any observations would be much appreciated.

Peggy

[Guest guest]

Peggy,I take 40meq twice a day of potassium. I did have that feeling of heavy arms, extremely tired and weak when my potasssium was low. I cannot go below 3.8 for labs or I feel bad. I would guess you need more potassium than you are getting.That blood pressure reading is a little concerning. I think at that point I would have gone to the emergency room. They say when you subtract the bottom and top number, it is most serious if THAT number is 100.Hope this helps.VeniziaSubject: what do these symptoms mean?To: RT3_T3 Date:

Saturday, April 3, 2010, 1:53 PM

Has anyone had experience with the following symptoms?

1.) All-over weakness--knees feel like jelly, I feel very wobbly, it strikes suddenly when I'm otherwise feeling okay. Twice in the past week I was at the grocery store and suddenly felt so weak I was concerned about driving home.

2.) Blood pressure becomes high, when it's always been normal or low. The highest was 199/91. Other times it's been more like 150/65, or 142/60. Pulse was 91 when bp was 199/91. Otherwise it's been in the 60's.

3.) Tightness in the chest, like something pressing on the heart.

When this happened on Wednesday, I suggested to my doc that it seemed to fit the symptom profile of low potassium. I'm on 20 mg/day HC, and only 30 mcg/day T3. He ordered blood tests and I'll have the results on Tuesday. Meanwhile, I wanted to ask whether anyone else has experienced anything like this.

I asked the doc for something to relieve the symptoms while I wait for test results. He prescribed potassium at 20 mEq/day. It seemed to help for a couple of days, but then today the weakness returned, along with the chest constriction. I have a slight cold, so I'd taken an extra 5 mg of HC. Maybe that further lowered potassium and brought the symptoms back?

Any observations would be much appreciated.

Peggy

[Guest guest]



Have you ever heard that there's any danger in taking more potassium than was prescribed? My prescription is for 20 mEq, but that's only because we don't have the labs yet. It was just an experiment to see if potassium helped my symptoms. It did, but with the extra HC, I'm really struggling today. I'm considering doubling the dose, but a little concerned about repercussions, and wouldn't really know what repercussions would look like if they happened.

I sure won't take any extra HC from now on. A cold is better than what I'm going through now.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Sounds like low potassium especially if you felt a bit better for a while then symptoms came back. I am taking 40meq of potassium now. Before I started it I also had the weakness, heart pounding, probably high bp since I was gettin headaches <didn't check bp though>.

The extra HC probably lowered your potassium more. I'm sure being sick isn't helping it either. I would try more potassium, it sure won't hurt anything at this point!

[Guest guest]

I think the RDA for potassium is 4500mg and 20meq is only 1500mg. You should be safe taking extra potassium especially being on meds that lower potassium. You have to take A LOT of potassium to have to much.

If you are sick you MUST take extra HC or risk having a crisis. Being sick uses up a lot of cortisol so you really don't have a choice unfortunately. If you don't take extra you will stay sick way longer as well since you won't have anything to fight with.

To: RT3_T3 Sent: Sat, April 3, 2010 4:36:05 PMSubject: Re: what do these symptoms mean?

 Have you ever heard that there's any danger in taking more potassium than was prescribed? My prescription is for 20 mEq, but that's only because we don't have the labs yet. It was just an experiment to see if potassium helped my symptoms. It did, but with the extra HC, I'm really struggling today. I'm considering doubling the dose, but a little concerned about repercussions, and wouldn't really know what repercussions would look like if they happened.

I sure won't take any extra HC from now on. A cold is better than what I'm going through now.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Sounds like low potassium especially if you felt a bit better for a while then symptoms came back. I am taking 40meq of potassium now. Before I started it I also had the weakness, heart pounding, probably high bp since I was gettin headaches <didn't check bp though>.

The extra HC probably lowered your potassium more. I'm sure being sick isn't helping it either. I would try more potassium, it sure won't hurt anything at this point!

[Guest guest]

Peggy may be ok taking more potassium and I don't want to sound like I am disagreeing with you but I think until she gets those lab results, at least I would not increase potassium as too much can be dangerous. She may have something else going on here especially when her BP was so high. This is just my two cents. We all have to make the decision for ourselves. Personally, I could not handle HC at all!!! My blood pressure was high and I felt awful.VeniziaSubject: Re: what do these symptoms mean?To: RT3_T3 Date: Saturday, April 3, 2010, 3:40

PM

I think the RDA for potassium is 4500mg and 20meq is only 1500mg. You should be safe taking extra potassium especially being on meds that lower potassium. You have to take A LOT of potassium to have to much.

If you are sick you MUST take extra HC or risk having a crisis. Being sick uses up a lot of cortisol so you really don't have a choice unfortunately. If you don't take extra you will stay sick way longer as well since you won't have anything to fight with.

From: T Walters <twalters955@ comcast.net>To: RT3_T3yahoogroups (DOT) comSent: Sat, April 3, 2010 4:36:05 PMSubject: Re: what do these symptoms mean?

 Have you ever heard that there's any danger in taking more potassium than was prescribed? My prescription is for 20 mEq, but that's only because we don't have the labs yet. It was just an experiment to see if potassium helped my symptoms. It did, but with the extra HC, I'm really struggling today. I'm considering doubling the dose, but a little concerned about repercussions, and wouldn't really know what repercussions would look like if they happened.

I sure won't take any extra HC from now on. A cold is better than what I'm going through now.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Sounds like low potassium especially if you felt a bit better for a while then symptoms came back. I am taking 40meq of potassium now. Before I started it I also had the weakness, heart pounding, probably high bp since I was gettin headaches <didn't check bp though>.

The extra HC probably lowered your potassium more. I'm sure being sick isn't helping it either. I would try more potassium, it sure won't hurt anything at this point!

[Guest guest]



Thanks, Venizia. I appreciate all input on this subject. The weakness is much better, but it's been replaced by a more troublesome symptom--tightness in the chest, like something is pressing right in the middle of my sternum. Very heavy feeling. I think I prefer the weakness. I've checked my bp from time to time throughout the day. The top number stays in the 140's and the bottom number in the 50's and 60's. My pulse stays in the 60's.

My doctor suggested it might be too much T3, but I'm only taking 30 mcg and I haven't had trouble with that dose before, having taken almost two months to work up to that amount. So I doubt it's T3, though as he said, we'll know better once we have the test results. I doubt I'd get into trouble taking one more 20 mEq dose of K-Dur. I asked a pharmacist and he said it takes a good bit to get into trouble. But I don't know whether that amount will help my symptoms either.

Mainly I just wanted to know if anyone else here has had these symptoms, and what caused them. Everyone who responded said low potassium, and that's what I'd suspected. I'll try to remember to post my lab results when I get them on Tuesday, and to report what the problem really is--maybe the info will help someone else.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?To: RT3_T3 Date: Saturday, April 3, 2010, 3:40 PM

I think the RDA for potassium is 4500mg and 20meq is only 1500mg. You should be safe taking extra potassium especially being on meds that lower potassium. You have to take A LOT of potassium to have to much.

If you are sick you MUST take extra HC or risk having a crisis. Being sick uses up a lot of cortisol so you really don't have a choice unfortunately. If you don't take extra you will stay sick way longer as well since you won't have anything to fight with.

[Guest guest]

Peggy,

My chest/heart felt funny with the low potassium. I was getting chest pain almost like heart burn. With the added potassium I feel much better. I think you are ok to add it. To much potassium made me feel anxious/angry, fluid retention, headache... things like that. I sincerely doubt you would be taking to much if you added another 20meq tab. Many report taking 80-100meq a day! I think you would be able to tell really fast if it is low potassium causing the trouble as well. I usually feel results immediately. But then that is just my opinion and I'm no doctor

Kitty

To: RT3_T3 Sent: Sat, April 3, 2010 7:07:27 PMSubject: Re: what do these symptoms mean?

 Thanks, Venizia. I appreciate all input on this subject. The weakness is much better, but it's been replaced by a more troublesome symptom--tightness in the chest, like something is pressing right in the middle of my sternum. Very heavy feeling. I think I prefer the weakness. I've checked my bp from time to time throughout the day. The top number stays in the 140's and the bottom number in the 50's and 60's. My pulse stays in the 60's.

My doctor suggested it might be too much T3, but I'm only taking 30 mcg and I haven't had trouble with that dose before, having taken almost two months to work up to that amount. So I doubt it's T3, though as he said, we'll know better once we have the test results. I doubt I'd get into trouble taking one more 20 mEq dose of K-Dur. I asked a pharmacist and he said it takes a good bit to get into trouble. But I don't know whether that amount will help my symptoms either.

Mainly I just wanted to know if anyone else here has had these symptoms, and what caused them. Everyone who responded said low potassium, and that's what I'd suspected. I'll try to remember to post my lab results when I get them on Tuesday, and to report what the problem really is--maybe the info will help someone else.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?To: RT3_T3yahoogroups (DOT) comDate: Saturday, April 3, 2010, 3:40 PM

I think the RDA for potassium is 4500mg and 20meq is only 1500mg. You should be safe taking extra potassium especially being on meds that lower potassium. You have to take A LOT of potassium to have to much.

If you are sick you MUST take extra HC or risk having a crisis. Being sick uses up a lot of cortisol so you really don't have a choice unfortunately. If you don't take extra you will stay sick way longer as well since you won't have anything to fight with.

[Guest guest]



Thanks, Kitty. I did add another 20 mEq tab. We'll see what happens. My chest pain is nothing like heartburn. It's like someone sitting on my chest, very heavy pressure, which results in having to struggle a bit for air. I guess this is what they call air hunger. As I said earlier today, I did feel better almost immediately upon taking my first dose of potassium on Wednesday morning after the blood test. I continued to feel better till I took extra HC today for what felt like the early stages of a cold. The "cold" is gone now, but in its place I have these more troublesome symptoms. I'm hoping the extra potassium does something, and that tomorrow is easier than today has been.

Thanks to all who responded.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Peggy,

My chest/heart felt funny with the low potassium. I was getting chest pain almost like heart burn. With the added potassium I feel much better. I think you are ok to add it. To much potassium made me feel anxious/angry, fluid retention, headache... things like that. I sincerely doubt you would be taking to much if you added another 20meq tab. Many report taking 80-100meq a day! I think you would be able to tell really fast if it is low potassium causing the trouble as well. I usually feel results immediately. But then that is just my opinion and I'm no doctor

Kitty

[Guest guest]

Sorry but I would NEVER recommend raising potassium over 20mEq a day

without seeing labs. low potassium can cause muscle weakness and

eventual paralysis but that is after MONTHS of it being very low., HIGH

potassium can kill you in a heartbeat.

--

http://nthadrenalsweb.org/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://faqhelp.webs.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://www.thyroid-rt3.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Val. It's great to have you back, along with your wealth of info and experience. I'll hold the potassium at 20 mEq till I get my labs on Tuesday. The weakness and chest constriction continue, so who knows what's going on. Hopefully the labs will shed some light on this.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Sorry but I would NEVER recommend raising potassium over 20mEq a day without seeing labs. low potassium can cause muscle weakness and eventual paralysis but that is after MONTHS of it being very low., HIGH potassium can kill you in a heartbeat.--

[Guest guest]

Both sound adrenal to me, but high or low would need ot be determined.

How is your BP an pulse?

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

Both sound adrenal to me, but high or low would need ot be determined.

How is your BP an pulse?

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Val.

For bp, my top number is running in the 140's and bottom number in the 50's. Sometimes the top number goes into the 150's, and the bottom number in the 60's. My pulse is almost always in the low 60's, which is normal for me.

I awoke at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday feeling very strange, very weak. I thought maybe my blood pressure had dropped significantly, since it does sometimes run low. I checked it--it was 199/91, pulse 91. This has never happened to me in my life. My doc was alarmed and ordered a blood test. He suspected too much T3. But I've had several spells of this weakness, and the first one came last week when I'd been off T3 for two days because 3 iron IV's had made me hyper (probably from pooled T3). So the weakness didn't seem to correlate to too much T3, and anyway 30 mcg/day is the most I've ever taken. (I've been on T3 since January for an RT3 ratio of 4.8, which rose to 15.6 after the first month.)

You suggest it might be adrenal--the first weak spell came the day after I doubled my HC intake from 10 mg/day to 20 mg/day. After the iron IV's, I'd told my doc I thought 10 mg/day wasn't enough HC to support the T3 increases I needed to make. So he told me to double the HC to 20 mg/day. The following day I had my first weak spell, felt like I was turning to jelly. Two days later, another weak spell. When I started taking potassium, that seemed to help at first, but it didn't last. So now I've been weak for two days, with a bothersome tightness in the chest, and some shortness of breath.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Both sound adrenal to me, but high or low would need ot be determined. How is your BP an pulse?

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Val.

For bp, my top number is running in the 140's and bottom number in the 50's. Sometimes the top number goes into the 150's, and the bottom number in the 60's. My pulse is almost always in the low 60's, which is normal for me.

I awoke at 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday feeling very strange, very weak. I thought maybe my blood pressure had dropped significantly, since it does sometimes run low. I checked it--it was 199/91, pulse 91. This has never happened to me in my life. My doc was alarmed and ordered a blood test. He suspected too much T3. But I've had several spells of this weakness, and the first one came last week when I'd been off T3 for two days because 3 iron IV's had made me hyper (probably from pooled T3). So the weakness didn't seem to correlate to too much T3, and anyway 30 mcg/day is the most I've ever taken. (I've been on T3 since January for an RT3 ratio of 4.8, which rose to 15.6 after the first month.)

You suggest it might be adrenal--the first weak spell came the day after I doubled my HC intake from 10 mg/day to 20 mg/day. After the iron IV's, I'd told my doc I thought 10 mg/day wasn't enough HC to support the T3 increases I needed to make. So he told me to double the HC to 20 mg/day. The following day I had my first weak spell, felt like I was turning to jelly. Two days later, another weak spell. When I started taking potassium, that seemed to help at first, but it didn't last. So now I've been weak for two days, with a bothersome tightness in the chest, and some shortness of breath.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Both sound adrenal to me, but high or low would need ot be determined. How is your BP an pulse?

[Guest guest]

With a pulse in the 60's you are VERY hypo. I suspect thta is causing

your symptoms.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

Hypo and low cortiosl. Your 20mg dose is proabbyl not enough yet,

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

Hypo and low cortiosl. Your 20mg dose is proabbyl not enough yet,

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

At doctors' offices I've always been told that my pulse in the 60's was a very healthy thing--that I have the resting pulse of an athlete, although I'm very far from being an athlete. It's been like this for many years. I just turned 63. What would a healthy, non-hypo pulse be for me?

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

With a pulse in the 60's you are VERY hypo. I suspect thta is causing your symptoms.

[Guest guest]

I've been graphing my temps for 3 months. They've been consistently below normal, and fairly erratic. That continued to be true while I was getting the iron IV's. But in the past week, as I've gone on regular T3 instead of SR, my temps have gone above normal and stayed there, 98.7-98.9 consistently. Wouldn't this mean the adrenals are stabilizing and I'm getting less hypo? But at the same time, this weakness, high bp, and chest constriction started. So I'm very confused.

I see my doc for test results on Tuesday--thyroid, electrolytes, potassium, aldosterone/renin, CMP. He's very open to listening to me, so please recommend any changes you feel I need, and I'll ask for them.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Hypo and low cortiosl. Your 20mg dose is proabbyl not enough yet,-- Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WVhttp://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

I've been graphing my temps for 3 months. They've been consistently below normal, and fairly erratic. That continued to be true while I was getting the iron IV's. But in the past week, as I've gone on regular T3 instead of SR, my temps have gone above normal and stayed there, 98.7-98.9 consistently. Wouldn't this mean the adrenals are stabilizing and I'm getting less hypo? But at the same time, this weakness, high bp, and chest constriction started. So I'm very confused.

I see my doc for test results on Tuesday--thyroid, electrolytes, potassium, aldosterone/renin, CMP. He's very open to listening to me, so please recommend any changes you feel I need, and I'll ask for them.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Hypo and low cortiosl. Your 20mg dose is proabbyl not enough yet,-- Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WVhttp://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

I've been graphing my temps for 3 months. They've been consistently below normal, and fairly erratic. That continued to be true while I was getting the iron IV's. But in the past week, as I've gone on regular T3 instead of SR, my temps have gone above normal and stayed there, 98.7-98.9 consistently. Wouldn't this mean the adrenals are stabilizing and I'm getting less hypo? But at the same time, this weakness, high bp, and chest constriction started. So I'm very confused.

I see my doc for test results on Tuesday--thyroid, electrolytes, potassium, aldosterone/renin, CMP. He's very open to listening to me, so please recommend any changes you feel I need, and I'll ask for them.

Peggy

Re: what do these symptoms mean?

Hypo and low cortiosl. Your 20mg dose is proabbyl not enough yet,-- Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WVhttp://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/