Posted by Mark H. on February 3, 2005, at 19:36:13
In reply to Re: Early Cytomel (T3) experience, posted by Questionmark on February 3, 2005, at 15:59:17
> > (Woah! Yes! That's encouraging. Man, i hope it works that way for me. .. How early on after starting Cytomel did you start to gain weight, and how much?)
Hi Q,
I think the weight gain I experienced was due to the fact that I'm taking Effexor (and later added a bit of Zyprexa), both of which seem to increase appetite for me. The T3 augmentation has just made them more effective -- instead of taking 375mg of Effexor a day (which I tried for a year back in 1994), I only have to take 150mg a day but with the same anti-depressant benefit.
I guess I should note that I'm also augmenting with pindolol (a beta-blocker) and methylphenidate ("Ritalin," a stimulant), because I was having trouble staying awake during the day. The combination of all of the above turned my depression around, and I started gaining about 10 pounds a year, which is not too bad.
I'm sorry I don't know much about Nardil. If it increases your appetite, then I think it is likely that the Cytomel will increase it more so. Of course Maxime is right that if you took a lot of T3, you'd tend to lose weight, but I don't think that's an issue at 25mcg a day.
I really know what you mean, Q. In 1997, before starting the above regimen, I was struggling with my meds and got really bad flu at the same time, and my weight went down to 135 pounds (at 6 foot 3). It was such a relief to finally find the right combination of meds and gain some weight. I've been stable for the past year or two at 190 pounds without doing anything different, and now I'd actually like to lose about 25 pounds. (I still eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's every day.)
Good luck to you!
Mark H.
poster:Mark H.
thread:450471
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050202/msgs/452655.html