Bizarre ATD dosing skeds - an explanation

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I took 30 mg a day for 16 years. Took it all at once, one time a

day. My levels were all over the place. This gave the docs ammo to

try to badger me that my levels would NEVER stabilize, so let's " get

it over with and get on with your life. " Nuke it dead, then one

little pill a day, and live happily ever after.

Then I figured out that I was getting too much iodine. Cut out

iodized salt, shellfish, and all foods with iodine additives. Was

able to drop to 15 mg a day. My levels were still spiking and

dropping, but at a lower level of meds.

With my levels in a period of jumping around on the LOW end of the

scale, my one good endo decided it was time for me to try for

remission. I dropped from 15 mg a day, to 10 mg a day for 3 weeks,

then to 5 mg a day. I ended up in the hospital with severe atrial

fibrillation and levels that had skyrocketed practically overnight.

Back to 15 mg a day - once a day dosing. After 6 weeks my levels

hadn't budged, and my heart would NOT settle down. By then I was on

the internet, and asked Elaine if she could please shed some light on

the situation. She suggested that I take equal amounts, three times

a day, to better metabolize the meds.

After taking 5 mg every 8 hours (AND noting that the mfr also

suggested in the package insert that it was best administered this

way) my levels finally started to drop, and I got some relief.

When my levels became too low again, I got the idea of VERY slowly

reducing the meds, but remaining on the 3 times a day dosing. I got

down to 3 mg a day (yes, 1 mg every 8 hours). Levels were just

beginning to stabilize in the perfect range for me.

Then, unbeknownst to me at the time, I started getting old and/or

expired meds after changing to a cheaper pharmacy.

My levels started zooming right back up, even while I was " chasing "

them with increased doses of Tap. By the time I was back to 15 mg a

day, just to keep within the normal range, I was frustrated beyond

words.

Upon discovering the " dead in the water " meds might have been part of

the problem, I found another pharmacy that would get me fresh meds

with EVERY refill.

Now I'm back down to 6 mg a day. Sure it might seem like a fruitless

hassle to most people to religiously keep to the 8-hour dosing of

equal amounts of med, AND reducing the meds by very small increments,

but it's working for me. And it's working QUITE WELL.

We all have to find our own way of dealing with this disease. So if

my suggestions seem too off-the-wall, or too difficult to comply

with, then forget about it. Figure out what works best for YOU, or

what fits YOUR lifestyle.

Chris

------

Diagnosed with Graves' May 1979

On tapazole since May 1979

Age 53 - menopause at 46

Currently on 6 mg/da Tap, 30 mg/da inderal

Latest testing:

8/6/02 -- FT4 - 0.99 (0.71 - 1.85), FT3 - 4.4 (2.2 - 4.0)

9/9/02 -- FT4 - 1.1 (0.7 - 2.2 ), FT3 - 5.4 (1.5 - 4.1)

9/30/02 -- FT4 - 1.3 (0.7 - 2.2), FT3 - 4.7 (1.5 - 4.1)

11/12/02--FT4 - 0.9 (0.7 - 2.2), FT3 - 3.6 (1.5 - 4-1)