Side effects from Thyroxine

Hi can docs in UK prescribe Armour? Mostly the american women I have spoken with prefer Armour and get on better with it than levothyroxine.

I am also trying to wean myself off Levothyroxine. I was put on it because I was mis-diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder and put on Lithium to 'stabalise moods' . The result, which the doctors would not admit, was a damaged thyroid. They said because my Mom had just been put on it, aged 70, that I inherited the condition. With a better diet and exercise, I reduced my dose from 100mcg to 50mcg. I have found that Kelp has iodine which the thyroid needs to work properly, so with advise from a herbalist, I am gradually reduing the dose again. I will consult my GP again, and over a period of a year, hopefully reduced it again to 25mcg or zero. He was surprised when my blood test showed a normal level of thryroxine last time, so maybe he will get a further surprise. I would suggest doing it with monitoring. I have a blood test every 6 months. I agree the doctors don't keep up their learning. If they want to reduce the NHS bills, they should work with patients who want to know their own bodies and help themselves thru diet and exercise.

Lithium can cause issues with the thyroid, too.

Lithium can cause issues with the thyroid, too.

Hi,

I was wondering how you are doing being off Levothyroxine? In short....(ha)...I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor about 2 years ago. I was sent to an Endocrinologist who put me on Cabergoline (to shrink the tumor) and also Levothyroxine and Liothyronine for "slight" hypothyroidism. I agreed to any medication just to make me feel sane after almost a year of craziness. I was also terrified and accepting any help. I kept notes to track my "sanity" and noticed a few months after starting the thyroid meds I became extremely dizzy, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, silent migraines.....all of these symptoms spanned over a two year period and involved nerve conduction studies: left arm/hand/pinky/ring finger numbness, (negative), physical therapy saying I had a raised 1st rib(unconfirmed),chiropractor visits for extremely sore neck/shoulder/back on the left side,(only caused migraines). My neurologist finally dx me with fibromyalgia and put me on cymbalta. I didn't take well to the meds and after being on them for 4 months I weaned myself off. I honestly don't think I have fibromyalgia. The pain in my left, lower neck is so painful that I feel like I am having a daily heart attack every day for TWO YEARS! I exhausted my "medical" resources and aside from getting on anti depressants (I'm not depressed, I am in constant left sided pain) I am now searching the web. I just thought that Levothyroxine and Liothyronine could possibly lead to some kind of answer. I've exhausted all other avenues of logical explanation. I'm only 38, I eat healthy...paleo/vegan/non gmo with the occasional hiccup of American indulgence of bites of my kids pizza and such. I don't know how these forums work, I hope I'm not talking to cyberspace.

Eagerly wanting to talk....

Steph

Side note: pituitary tumor has sense resolved 👍 I also come from a highly medical family. Trauma surgeons, RNs, General Practice...etc. so when I say I have exhausted all avenues, I am referring to western medical practice! I am very open to any help. Just anything to stop the constant pain. I'm so tired.

Hello I hope you see this after all this time. I am in a similar situation to you. I use kelp/iodine and brazil nuts to feel better and so far it works better than the thyroxine or the natural thyroxine.  I know what you mean about the gp.  I told my doctor that I was now, for the first time ever, having chest pains and wheezing and breathing problems and the stupid idiot said it ws because of my blue inyhaler - which I have had for 40 years and have not used for ages.  If that had caused it then I would have been this way decades ago.  You do need to think for yourself and make your own decisions.  If you decide to try iodine it is much cheaper to buy kelp tablets than iodine tablets, they are also  more natural and more easily absorbed. You need to have natural selenium with it, brazil nuts provide a lot of it. It frightens me that we can start off with a slightly underactive thyroid and then it gets worse and worse.

With someone like yourself this is a good idea, for doctors to work with patients, but a lot of patients are clueless. They have no idea of what they are taking, they do no research and they eat rubbish junk food. There is no point to tryng to work with them.

Dr in the uk use throxine I have been on throxine for around 16 years I am 51 ,get cold hands sometime and sludgeish they say it's hard two lose weight yes that's true but I have really gone for it one meal a day Drinking water lots off water the reason for this is my Bloodpreashure was 148/90 scared me to death so the weights comeing off lost 10ld so it's posable but harder had my Bloods done  two days ago Dr wants a Chate he's phone ing me later today,I am on 150 throxine a day funny feeling it will go up after the chat with Dr

I hope you have found your answer, but if not, request MRI. My husband was hurting in his neck, left arm, chest and back. Several doctors misdiagnosed him. Long story short, he ended up having herniated diskso in his neck.

Can you tell me how are you getting on with the herbal treatment? I'm going through exactly the same symptoms, currently on reduced dosage from 50 to 37.5mcg. My dr today advises me to see a psychologist to help me deal with accepting the side effects to levo. Since levo or lio is the only treatment here (they don't prescribe T3 only), I'm seriously considering going the herbal route. Would be great to know how you feel now?

Hi Steph

Hi Have also had similar symptoms as discribed above, first i had massive weightloss and after various blood tests for diffirent forms of cancer etc. and visits to an endocrynologist no one was able to help  and or give advice, all per perplexed with my syptoms.

Ons day i felt realy ill, had massive chest pains and acy muscles, and ended up an an emmergency room, The Doctor there took a look at me and asked how long have i been feeling like this?  I told him that its' been almost two year of feeling like crap all day, I strugled to concentrate could only get 3 hours of sleep per night. He asked me if i had my thyroid check and i said no, been to several doctors and they could not find anything wrong, He said hy wanted to a thyroid test and put me on anti depressant for the time being. he also sent me for a sonar scan of the thyroid. The scan showed an enlarged thyroid but the blood tests were normal. After several more tests he discovered that i had some sort of virus attacking my pituatary gland and this in turn caused the thyroid to swell and be over active. 

He sugested i start using 200micrograms of selenium and Vitamin D daily as well as a Multi vitiman suplement. this helped alot as the aches and pains and muscle cramps went away and i also started sleeping longer.

A year lates i started feeling like crap again and went back. They did more tests and have discovered that the thyroid has gone from being over active to under active.  He precribed Eltroxin as well as a Iodine solution that i dring every morning.  I feel much better now and sleep from about 10 pm to 5 am.

I have to go for more blood tests again next month and see if the thyroid has stabilised.  The virus affecting the pituatary gland seems to be at bay whilst using the anti depressant as i am more focused and able to be more productive at work..

I would sugest using the Selenium and Vitamin D especialy if you work in an office all day.

The body does not absorb enough natural Vitmin D per day thus adding to the aches and pains the body gets while sitting behind a desk all day.

My doctor said that i need to get at least an hour of sunlight on my skin every day.  So during my lunch and tea breaks i go outside when the sun is shining.

i'm still using eltroxin and the only side effect is that i get extremely nauseous after drinking it so i drink the pill at 5am every day and get back in bed untill 6am to get ready for work. I sleep again for that hour and no more nausea.

Hope you are able to use some if the information.

Regards

I decided to get Nature Thyroid from the US, you can buy it legally but get done for VAT + Royal Mail charges here though I think it is still cheaper than a private prescription in the UK. I have been on 125mg Levo for about 5 years, in the last few months I do feel it is not suiting me so I am 'mixing and matching' for a while. It is difficult because the dosage in Nature Thyroid is not entirely equivalent to Levothyroxine. I think it is worth a try, even if I keep taking some Levo. My GP was a bit shocked but has agreed to give me blood tests which is what matters. 

In the US the doctors do proper thyroid blood tests rather than just test fot TSH; it is a cope out here. We need to see a specialist, can't expect GPs to know everything.

Hi

I know your post was a year ago.but if your still here I would love to know how you ate doing and if you are on levo.

Many thanks

Hope to hear from you 😊

Hi Steph I have Hashimoto's and some fairly far reaching symptoms. I have spinal problems on the left side including my first rib winging out when it's out. Before starting on the medication my left side of my face was very swollen.

My illness was considered minor (only by looking at TSH). I went to a new DR and he looked at the T3 and T4 levels and trippled my thyroxine. hope you're feeling much better now

Hi, what was the virus that was attacking your pituitary? I've been unable to tolerate levothyroxoine the last few monhs (I go horribly hyper - despite being clinically hypothyroid) and have wondered about a tumor or virus.

Thanks!

Hi. I'm not sure if you are still look at this post, but I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and levothyroxine made me extremely hyper and agitated when I last tried it.(when I had a flare a couple of years ago). At the time I came off it as directed by the endo I had to pay for, and my TSH returned to just about in the UK normal range. Tsh recently gone to 19,but symptoms are more anxiety and agitation rather than fatigue. Am speaking to GP this week to discuss medication, and wondered how you have got on? Thanks

Hi Rebecca, many thanks for your reply.   I hope you are feeling better.    I had two attempts at taking the medication, and could not tolerate the extreme anxiety and agitation.   My husband was extremely concerned at my reaction to this drug.   When first given the medication, I asked my GP what side effects, if any.    He said "you might feel a bit anxious".   A bit?  Oh dear, what an understatement.  I ceased the medication over a year ago, and have not taken any further medication for the Hashimotos'.   I have instead focussed on healthy eating, gradual weight loss, and generally staying as fit and healthy as possible.    I believe that emotional trauma may have kickstarted the Hashimoto's from what was originally a very minor, and only occasional fluctuation of my thyroid.   The death of my mother, the death of my husband's niece from cancer at age 25, my sister's alcoholism and mental illness requiring us to have her permanently cared for in a secure residential facility, and other serious family issues, all of which have occurred in a relatively short time span, did I believe contribute to a downturn in my general health at that time.   I am happy to say that with the support of my husband we have both come through the difficult times and are now healthier and stronger.   I wish you every success with the improvement in your condition.   Please let me know how you are faring.  Best wishes, Helen

Hi, I can identify with everything you said. after taking levo for 6 years and steadily getting worse, Feeling ill legs and feet pain getting worse all the time. UK GP,s not knowing much about it, just pushing the pills. I finally had enough a couple of years ago. I did my own research found out Levothyroxine was a synthetic drug made not to treat the thyroid but only to treat the symptoms. I am not a doctor but i had a chat with a different doctor in our surgery. I told her i could not live like this anymore, and if she could not prescribe the natural thyroid (dried pigs thyroid) i was taking myself of the levo and using exercise and supplements. the doctor agreed as i was only on 50mg to moniter me with blood tests while i tried this. i waited till everything was gone from system and started taking biotin for all my hair thinning and skin. also sea kelp for iodine. along with exercise. Two years later its not perfect but its 85% better than it was. hair growth much improved more energy hardly any of the horrible leg pains and painful feet. but most of all blood tests at the moment still stable. Good advice when you say know yourself and your own body. listen to it question your treatment if not happy.

I just wanted to mention that biotin can falsely raise your TSH level..  Just something to keep an eye on..

Hi, tyrosine is worth researching.