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Help! How long does it take for symptoms of over medication last?

Posted , 16 users are following.

selina59300
selina59300

I posted on here the other day, trying to find some answers! I recently found out I was over medicated! I went on a higher dose and my tsh went from 52 to .14 in 3 weeks! I was on that dose which was 137 for 3 weeks! I've been completely off of levothyroxine for 1 week! Some symptoms are better, like tremors, dry mouth, bad anxiety and over worrying, having frequent bowel movements! But still don't feel well, still having anxiety, and worrying, and insomnia!

My question is has anyone had this happen to them? I do not have a thyroid it was removed 20+ years ago! I saw my endocrinologist today explained everything best I could and I told him my symptoms! He saw my labs from 4/5 and he also mentioned my T4 was high! I think 1.9 He wants me to not take any medication yet, get labs in 10 days and I see him on 4/21, and go from there!

He mentioned that the medication has a half life of 7 days, and said it can take a couple of weeks! I don't understand if it has a half life of 7 days why it can take a couple of weeks!

This is horrible! I'm raising a family which includes a a 3 year old, but I also have teenagers and young adults, and I don't want them to see what I'm going through! Plus I haven't slept real sleep in days!

Also I don't want to have to resort to having to take something for sleep, I'm so tired but when I lay down I can't sleep! I've never been prescribed something before and I don't really like the effects of otc meds like NyQuil! My Dr. prescribed trazadone 50 but I worry about side effects! At this point though I'd be happy with 4 hours of sleep! Please let me know if you've had insomnia and what works for you!

Many thanks!

2 likes, 25 replies

25 Replies

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  • MtViewCatherine
    MtViewCatherine selina59300

    Posted

    Hi Selina, I think this forum is a good place for answers from others using the drug. Unfortunately, so many of us find it hard to know when we've been overmedicated or under medicated since the symptoms are so similar. And the over medication symptoms you describe can also be caused by this medication at any dose. 

    I went off the levo and then was on an OTC for a year. When I went off the levo, it seemed to take months to get out of my system, and then, when I went completely off the (OTC) meds, it's been nearly 6 months now and I feel like I'm still detoxing. When I went off the OTC, I felt like I started detoxing more of the levo. I don't know how much of the medication gets stored in the thyroid gland and how much gets stored in fats and elsewhere in the body. I suspect both.

    A half life if 7 days? Ha ha ha ha. That's an interesting way to put it. Keep in mind that these types of thyroid meds take nearly three full months to level out each time you adjust the dose. So you can hedge your bets toward three months. However, my experience is that every time my system gets thrown out of whack with the thyroid stuff, it takes a while for the body to get back on track. I've found that acupuncture treatments help get things I track a lot faster.

    Hope that's a little helpful.

    • selina59300
      selina59300 MtViewCatherine

      Posted

      Thanks MtViewCatherine, I hope it doesn't take too long! At least my endocrinologist thought it a good idea to not start any medication yet! And we'll get labs first! I don't have a thyroid do I hope in this situation it helps! My GP wanted to just start up meds right away, but I didn't take them and decided to just wait to see the endocrinologist!

    • MtViewCatherine
      MtViewCatherine lori27543

      Posted

      Hi Lori, OTC is over-the-counter, meaning non prescription. my mother has had thyroid surgery. We went through all the standard treatments. She's doing so much better now on ThyroGold and essential amino acids.

      I have hypothyroid disease and don't feel the thyroxin replacement meds are a long term solution. Best to preserve your thyroid gland function. So I use essential amino acids. I feel the thyroxin replacement would be best used only as short term symptom relief in pulse doses, because it suppresses the body's thyroid function.

    • lori27543
      lori27543 MtViewCatherine

      Posted

      I had the entire thyroid removed but I haven't taken any Levothyrocine in 2 days and my bowels have went back to normal but I was in AFIB for an hour this morning and my heart rate is still over 100. I think I'd rather deal with hypo than hyper. I had hypo many years ago and I was just tired and couldn't lose weight. Hyper is like have a demon on your back! Sorry, I've had the worst 2 weeks and today waking in AFIB topped off my week!

    • amanda87990
      amanda87990 lori27543

      Posted

      I absolutely agree I'd rather be hypo than hyper! Was recently overdosed which dropped me into hyper...got as low as .08...for about 6-8 weeks. I was begging to "just be tired again",lol. The heart problems were awful!! We finally got things moving the right direction, and then at a checkup 4 weeks ago I tested low AGAIN. Welcome back palpitations and shortness of breath...ugh.

    • sandy13371
      sandy13371 amanda87990

      Posted

      Amanda - I too have been on too much medication. I got as low as 0.13 with T3 way high - overmedicated for 3 MONTHS before the doc realized. I had gone gluten free and was absorbing way more of my thyroid meds. Plus Thyroid is functioning again.

      It has been HORRIBLE - not know what was wrong doc thinking I was undermedicated. I had crazy high pulse, palpatations, dry mouth, head pressure, WEAK, shorness of breath. Since Sept 1, I am reducing meds drastically and bloods are still going in the right direction. I am actually 13 days with NO meds and feeling "ok" - pulse is still too high but bloods going in the right direction.

      I wanted to tell you this trick. A very old internist said before the days of blood tests (like WWII) they used to use this pulse "formula" to figure out if someone was overmedicated. You take your blood pressure and subtract bottom number from the top number (so like 120 - 70 = 50). 50 is the "pulse pressure". (by the way, a pulse pressure over 50 is considered high also called "wide" pulse pressure. THEN, multiple your pulse by the pulse pressure. So if my pulse is 75 and my pluse pressure is 50 I would multiple those two numbers to get 3750. If that number is getting close to or over 3200 the doc said that is how they knew the patient was overmedicated for thyroid and needed to reduce by half.

      My number is still ranging over 3200 but i am sure my body is still overmedicated. I have read it can take MONTHS before the overly saturated cells are functioning right again and you are not overmedicated!

      Just thought I'd share - hope you are recovering - I know how horrible it is.

    • amanda91667
      amanda91667 MtViewCatherine

      Posted

      I was put on euthyrox about 8 months ago. About 5 months ago i started having rapid heart rate, very high intolerance to heat, increased sweating, chest pain and tightness and trouble sleeping and high blood pressure, shortness of breath and severe fatigue. I went to the ER several times because i thought i was having a heart attack to find out i wasnt and was treated for anxiety. I've been to my primary care doctor who put me on the euthyrox with these issues and he just "dont know why this could be happening" , never does blood work even when i ask him to he tells me its not necessary and laughed at me and told me he just thinks i need xanax. I stopped taking the euthyrox on my own about 2 months ago and im still having all of these issues. how long can it take to get back to normal? id rather live with hypothyroid then hyperthyroid.

    • MichelleS15
      MichelleS15 amanda91667

      Edited

      hi there! are you still having these symptoms? i am having similar issues. two months after taking armour thyroid and it has been a nightmare!

    • shavonda50487
      shavonda50487 amanda91667

      Posted

      git perscribed that med at ER instead of the levosynthyroid i normally take bo went to 211/119 read the information and warnings one of them is bloodclots try asking to go on a more natural med i asked my doctor to do this for me but he hasnt since he overmedicated me but i am having some trouble with shortness of breath??

  • pam34048
    pam34048 selina59300

    Posted

    Hi the same thing happened to me my shrink noticed that I was loosing weight real quickly, I have nown him for years he was the dr that diagnosed me.  Anyway I was at his office because I could not sleep,  we tried what you may know as ambien that was a waste of time and money.  They are like taking tic tacs to sleep.  I really did not want to take meds but I was at my wits end.  Try melitonin get the highest dose, also vallarian all natural 2 before bed.  Lavender or night time teas. No caffeine.

    Exercise was the best of my treatments even if that meant running around the house for half an hour.  Also look around the house and find the most boring book you can find and read it while in bed.  It will take weeks for you to come out of your hyperthyroid state.  Good luck to you it does get better my problem now is they give me too low a dose and have to keep raising it, but I am used to being hypothyroid I hate hyperthyroidism.

    • selina59300
      selina59300 pam34048

      Posted

      Thanks pam34048 for the reply, and the sleep suggestions! I too am use to being hypothyroid!
    • MtViewCatherine
      MtViewCatherine selina59300

      Posted

      Be. Really careful with the melatonin. You don't ever want to take this on a regular basis. Do an online search for long term side effects on melatonin.

    • pam34048
      pam34048 MtViewCatherine

      Posted

      I bout a bottle of both melatonin and valarien  the both lasted for 3 months.  After that I was back to sleeping wuhout them.  The relaxin tas really seemed to help.  My dr did not take me of the thyroid  pills, they just said your talking way to much  was .125 and lowered my dosage to 88  I now now if I start loosin my hair I am eather hypo or hyper.
  • dave64969
    dave64969 selina59300

    Posted

    Selina, do not expect quick results from changes in thyroid meds. It can take weeks and you have to stick with it, that's just how it works. Meantime, otc sleep aids have worked for me, but If your doc gave you something then you would be well advised to try it.

    A half life of 7 days means that half of the medication is gone in seven days. Then half of what's left in your system is gone in another 7 days, and it kind of tapers off unless you take more.

    Hope this helps

    • selina59300
      selina59300 dave64969

      Posted

      Thanks dave64969! I had know idea what that meant, the half life thing!! Makes me feel a bit better to know that it's the meds! I start to worry what if the symptoms are from something else, and I won't get better! And in the meantime, totally thinking of taking the trazadone, at least give it a try!

    • lori27543
      lori27543 dave64969

      Posted

      Ahhhh.... that reply makes more sense than the endo Dr gave me. I just need to hang in there since I went hyper and even with reduced dosage, I still have the symptoms.

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