Changes since I started taking levothyroxine

Hello, 

After you stopped taking Levo, did your anxiety go away? If it did, how long did it take for the anxiety to fully go away or ease out? 

What natural methods of treatment do you use now? 

Please answer me!!! 

Hi Lexi, I used an organic bovine glandular similar to ThyroGold. The one I was using changed their formulation and it gas some contaminants that irritated me, so I’d recommend ThyroGold. I also use essential amino acids I can send you a private message with the brand. I recently changed my diet and am trying essential amino acid complex and another amino acid separately called phenylalanine. I think this will improve things for me.

Before I got to this point, I was on nearly 200 units of Levo and was beddridden. I then tried Naturethroid, which had worked for me previously. Then WP because it’s supposed to not have any additives. Then finally to an OTC glandular which worked ok until they changed the formulation. I got fed up and dumped the thyroxin replacement, did some research and opted for a precursor to thyroxin. Hence the essential amino acid supplements. 

I figured I’d save you the six years of hell it took me to get here. 

Good luck.

Hi , 

Yes please  private message me the brand!! Thank you 

Hi Annie, 

Sorry that I didn’t put it in, but I did start on 25 mg but I was only on that for a week then the doctor upped my dosage to 50 mg and on that I didn’t feel any different but I suppose it was because I was only on 25mg for a week and i was new to Levothyroxine and it hadn’t kicked it yet ? I don’t know. 

I can’t remember what my profile numbers were. I will definaltly be booking an appointment to sort this out. 

It is just weird as I told the doctor about my anxiety and they did a blood test and they said I was on the right dosage, they just said that it could just be my anxiety getting worse? Very stressful but thank you for your help! 

I had anxiety even when the dose was too low. 

Did the anxiety stop or get better when you stopped taking levothyroxine ? 

Hi, Levi, your doctor may have had a plan but it sounds a bit strange to do that -  it is a fact that levo takes weeks to build up in the body, and any endocrinologist will tell you that the clinical symptoms of the disease will take ages to resolve because ot this, one just has to wait  (ie feeling back to your normal will lag behind the start of medication).  If you  have already got the hyperthyroid symptoms from too much levo (just google hyperthyroid symptoms and you will see anxiety and many oher symptoms are there) then your dose probably is too high.  i have had hypothyroid disease for over 8 yrs and for most of that time was on the original meds, bovine or porcine thyroid extracts, they are good, but still caused me anxiety if too much - it is just a fact - too much of any type of thyroid hormone = hyperthyroid state. As they were shorter acting they were easiler to adjust though,  but if you are in uk you cannot get without special permission or privately.  Consultants do not like them as they say dose may not be exact.   As i am now on a low dose of standard Levo i am fine and would not go back on the extracts, but if i needed a lot more i might, though my permission may have run out , not sure,   Hope this helps  

Hi, now that you are on a low dose of Levo, has your anxiety stopped or do you get any bad anxiety at all? I just want to know because my anxiety now is really taking over my life and getting through the days are starting to become very hard, before taking Levo I was fine , mild anxiety and just low moods but now it is just so bad I can’t cope, I just want to get better and feel like my normal self again. 

Thanks for the info!! 

Hi, Lexi, the anxiety always went. linked with dose. when i was on the natural extracts i just halved the dose and within days i was fine, the great thing about this is i learnt to notice the slight irritation, and the feeling that something was not quite right. As mentioned, in my last post, now i am on the levo i keep to a low dose and have regular blood tests.  A few times i have had a hint of  that tense irritable feeling, along with a speedy one, and skip one dose, and reduce dose for a few days,  but this is after over 11 yrs experience,(i  just noticed i said 8 above, meant 8 on thyroid extracts). it is all a learning experience. Never do this by yourself without your doctor.   i always thought was the standard advice was to start low dose and wait 6 months to see how things are going was, as , being a little hypothyroid is less dangerous and a lot less traumatic than being a bit hyperthyroid.  Take your pulse as well, and make sure it is the same as it used to be - though at your age you may not nave had any need to take it in the past.  The basics are that the thyroid is complex, and that too little hormone slows you down - nails and hair and eyebrows grow slowly, and pulse is lower, and that too much hormone speeds you up, your hair, nails etc grow but could be brittle, and your pulse speeds up, and your hormones get out of synch, and you feel something is wrong and if this goes on = anxiety

HI Lexi, I don’t have the debilitating anxiety now that I’m off the Levo.

The side effects of the Levo worsen with increased dosage.

Hi Annie, I’m in the US. Docs don’t like to prescribe NDTs here either. The dose is as consistent as Levo.  Theyroid neds have a specification of +/- 10% from the labeled dose do you can get as much as 20% variation between lots. I suspect this is one reason the (thyroid medication and ) Levo is difficult to dose. The meds are like a flippin’ Roller coaster. As if the thyroid roller ioaster isn’t bad enough on its own!

Hi, Nshzhill, It may not be, i was just fortunate, at that time, as i seldom got anxious, and the strange anxious feeling was so different from anything i had ever experienced, and i had just had a blood test, my GP phoned up, asked it i was ok as my TSH was a bit low (i had not had time to report anxiety).  cutting the dose things resolved in a week or two,  as i was on the natural extracts at the time, which have a fairly short half life.  i just learnt, in my case, that that horrible feeling would go if i reduced my dose.   Now i am on levo this is not easy to do, as it builds up, so as soon as i get that feeling i just have a week off medication, and things gradually resolve.  My doctor knows i do this if necessary - though i have not had to do this for quite a long while now. Things may be very different in your case, everyone is very different, uses levo for different reasons, i always talk to my doctors first, maybe your doctor can help sort things?