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Levothyroxine and heart rate

Posted , 6 users are following.

mikaelson99517
mikaelson99517

Hi all,for the past few weeks i had some strange feelings at chest(left area,near heart),so today i went to a cardiologist,he did some tests,everything was fine except my heart rate,it was high,i think he said at some point it reached 120.I do have thyroidism and i take levothyroxine(75 5 times a week,88 2 times a week) and he told me i should check my thyroid,do some blood tests etc.I am kinda worried cause i am young (22 years old). Could these pills cause this high heart rate?If so,i have been taking these pills for more than 1 year,why did these problems (high heart rate) come up after 1 year and not when i started taking the pills?I am not sure if i have hyperthyroidism or hypo,i don't remember because it's been 4 years since i was diagnosed with one of these 2.

Thanks for reading 

rolleyes

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • linda187
    linda187 mikaelson99517

    Posted

    If all you are taking is levothyroxine, you have HYPOthyroidism, not HYPERthyroidism and you should post to the Hypothyroidism Board.  This Board is for Hyperthyroidism and is the wrong Board for you.  To make sure, ask your doctor what your diagosis is.  Some people have Hashimoto's thyroiditis which can present with Hyperthyroidism and bounce back and forth from Hyper to Hypo.  If you have this, then this is the correct Board but you do have to know your diagnosis if you are asking for help so that you can be given the correct information by those who would respond to your post.
  • shellyC19
    shellyC19 mikaelson99517

    Posted

    Hello Mikaelson:

    My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA.  I have Hashimoto's thyroid disease a form of Hypothyroidism since 1987.

    Levothyroxine is a med to take care of under active thyroid.  It is a powerful hormone and YES, it can make your heart race!!!

    It can make you feel jittery and have palpitations or an irregular beat of the heart.  You need to ask the doctor to reduce the dosage or it is building up too much inside of you. Ask the doctor what the blood works says TSH T4 and T3 and post your results on the HYPOTHYROID  forum.

    So if you were placed on LEVO you must have Hypothyroidism which is UNDER ACTIVE and not HYPER which is over active.

    Sometimes the medication has to be adjusted up or down as you build a level. Don't worry you can live a good life once your meds are sorted out.

    I am still kicking and I am 54.  LOL.

    See you on the Hypothyroid forum,

    Regards,

    Shelly

     

    • mikaelson99517
      mikaelson99517 shellyC19

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply first of all.

      Apparently i did forget to mention a few things,it seems that the pill that i take everyday contains T3 too(T3 and T4).In the following week i will have some tests done and show them to the cardiologist and then contact my endocrinologist,i didn't inform my endocrinologist about the increase in heart rate as i thought that a cardiologist would have to check it. Meh,i became  paranoid and now i am checking  my heart rate every 5 minutes.Usually my heart rate rises after i take the pill and then it slowly goes to normal,hope everything turns out ok.

      Thanks everyone!

      I am still not sure if i had hypo or hyper,i don't have my previous results where i live so i will ask my mother i guess.

      cheesygrin

    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 mikaelson99517

      Posted

      Hello Mikaelson:

      There are a few meds that contain T3/T4 such as Liotrix (Thyrolar) and The Armour Thyroid, Thyroid S and Thyroid W and ThyroGold.

      Anyway T3 is the needed hormone for the body.  T4 converts into T3 via the thyroid gland, if you have too much of T3 or T4 it can bother the heart and make palpitations, a fast beat, and even make you feel jittery or wired up.

      Tell the Cardiologist about the increased heart rate so he can order a stress test for the heart, believe me I had it done, if you have a problem this test will find it!

      No need to take your pulse every 5 mins....LOL, you will be fine, you can always reduced the dose by 25% or cut your pill in half or ask the doctor to lower it. Many of us have to do this, you are not alone.

      Keep me posted,and any questions just ask,

      Shelly

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