Levothyroxine-advice pls
Posted , 3 users are following.
HI I'm just after advice
after a slow recovery from pneumonia i was advised to have blood tests which resulted in a diagnosis of hypothyroidism. i was swiftly put on 50mg of Levo
5 weeks later and I'm in A and E with awful side effects i.e. too high a dose. I was advised to stop taking Levo for 2 weeks then start again on the lower dose of 25mg
So after 2 weeks of not taking any tablets I felt the best I had for a long time Now, a week into taking the Levo again I am feeling rough again.
Not sure what to do for the best really .... carry on or stop the tablets!
anyone experienced similar?
0 likes, 3 replies
Guest DaisyMaisy
Posted
Hi, did you get a referral to see an endocrinologist? Then it would be your endos job to determine what is causing your hypothyroidism. This is important because it will show if your hypothyroidism is temporary due to your recent illness or is caused to a thyroid disorder.
Your endocrinologist will likely monitor your thyroid hormone levels regularly and advise when your medication needs to be adjusted.
For now, I would advise you to start a diary and write down your current thyroxine dose and the symptoms you are having. Also, you could ask your GP for a printout of your blood tests. In the UK, many surgeries now offer an online system allowing you to see your medical record and blood tests. You could ask the GP receptionist if your surgery offers this service.
Keeping a record of your thyroid hormone levels will help you determine your optimal range.
DaisyMaisy Guest
Posted
Thank you so much for taking time to reply
I woke in middle of night with a racing heart so I decided not to take my tablets
I will phone GP tomorrow and start a diary
thank you
jake09099 DaisyMaisy
Posted
My fast answer to this is to do what makes you feel the best. If your symptoms are that bad then you should do whatever reduces those symptoms until you can get it properly checked out. In my experience the best way to know where your thyroid is at short of a comprehensive blood tests is your symptoms.
You can also take your BBT (basal body temperature) using an accurate under the tongue thermometer. That's what I used when first trying to find the right dose just when I wanted to get an idea of where on the hypo/hyper thyroid spectrum I was at. Its not a medical diagnosis, and you should of course be going through all of this with your doctor, but it is surprisingly accurate. 98.6 F is normal body temperature but generally people are a little under that. I have hypothyroidism and I feel good anywhere in the 98-98.5 F range, but that is just me personally.