Please help
Posted , 4 users are following.
I'm hoping someone will read this and tell me if they have any similiar experience! I'm not interested in hearing about the "bad side effects of Levo" because I know all about them. I know the good and bad effects of this drug. So no need to try to warn me or make me feel any worse! Please respect my asking of this. Thank you.
A few years ago I stumbled into a new doctors office after being prescribed Zoloft from another doctor because I was having health anxiety and depression. I had new lab work done and was tested for my thyroid because he believes everyone should be tested. I was 23 years old and weighing at 110 when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's. I thought this was crazy because I didn't have any weight gain or water retention, but I do remember being tired all the time and noticing clumps of hair in the shower. So started me off at 25mg of Levo along with Zoloft and said I could come off the anti-depressant once my thyroid levels were in normal range. So I agreed. A year passed and I found myself at 50mg of Levo. Everything was fine and I never suffered symptoms and that could be because of Zoloft numbing every part of me. Which I was okay with because Zoloft saved me from a dark hole. I was thriving in all aspects of life because of a happy pill. Another year goes by and I'm weighing 135. I was okay with this but my doctor suggested I go on 75mg of Levo because my periods became more lighter and my thyroid was a little swollen. So I did. That was April of this year. All went well until August when I stopped my Zoloft. I started noticing how I was losing weight but I thought it was the Levo working. Then I started getting anxiety, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, loose bowels, muscle spasms, elbow and shoulder joint pain, hand tremors, warm body temperature, no appetitie, and insonmia. I'm now down to weighing 110 while being in and out of the doctors office with normal thyroid levels. This can't be real because my periods are lighter again, my hair is falling out, I have acne, and my thyroid is swollen again. AND I LOST 25lbs IN A MONTH. So I begged my doctor to listen to me because the heart palpitations were being an every night thing and when I didn't have them I could still feel my heart beating, a strong pulse in my chest, not fast but strong, which I also hear in my ears at night when I try to sleep. I told him I started a multivitamin a couple of months ago that I didn't notice had iodine in it and he said I was overmedicating myself and brought me down to 50mg of Levo. Has someone experienced being overmedicated before and for this long? I started the 50mg a few days ago and I'm wondering the pounding heart and loose bowels will go away? I'm struggling keeping anything in my stomach as it's constantly going straight through me and I don't want to lose anymore weight. I'm afraid my body is attacking my insides and burning fat instead. I've noticed I get dehydrated easier and constantly drinking water. Someone help and send positive my way!
0 likes, 11 replies
sandy13371 katie14301
Posted
I was severely overmedicated last year for about 10 months - it didn't show in my blood tests for a long time and my doc did NOT pick up on the symptoms - which were almost identical to what you have listed but I did not have hand tremor and my mouth would go dry often. I felt horrible. We finally realized I was overmedicated and by Jan of this year I had stepped down of ALL thyroid med. my doctors -- and I have seen several good ones -- have not been much help because ALL they look at it the blood tests and blood does not show what's in your cells. my doc says that how long it takes your body to work through the overmedication depends on how long and how severely you were overmedicated. for me I was overmedicated severely for 10 months last year and those symptoms finally started fading in August although I still have acne (I am 58 NEVER had acne) but most of the hyper symptoms are better. Now I feel very hypo but my blood is in range (although not optimal) but doc refuses to give me any levothyroxine because I am in range. he says once overmedicated like I was could take 6 to 16 months to work through It has been horrible. Good luck to you hang in there be sure to go very slow w med reduction and it takes months for the thyroid to adjust.
katie14301 sandy13371
Posted
Thank you for replying. This brings me hope. Although he brought me down to 50mg, can I still recover? Or do I need to come off completely like you? I don't want to keep adding on to the overmedication, you know?
katie14301 sandy13371
Posted
And if you don't mind me asking, what did you experience during over treatment?
doodah katie14301
Posted
Hello Katie, I had pretty much the same symptoms as you describe, when I was overmedicated about 4 years ago. The worst ones were rapidly losing weight (I went down to nearly 6 stone), awful anxiety, depression and bowel movements that were just liquid. I actually went for a check-up because of the anxiety and stomach problems and really thought I had something like cancer - they checked my thyroid routinely and discovered that I was being overmedicated. I think it took me about 8 months or so to get my thyroid levels in the "normal" range and this was done by gradual reduction of the levothyroxine. I know straightaway now when I'm heading towards being overmedicated and if my levels fluctuate I always ask the doctor if I can alternate the dose that I'm taking, eg 50mcg one day, 75mcg the next. It does take quite a while to get back to normal but I'm sure you'll get there.
Wendy
katie14301 doodah
Posted
Thank you for replying! How long were you overmedicated for? Did you also suffer a pounding heart beat?
sandy13371 katie14301
Posted
katie I was over-medicated about eight months give or take last year. yes the pounding heartbeat was there the whole time. interestingly I did not really lose weight. 2 things you can keep a close eye on is your temperature and blood pressure. my temperature ran very low while I was coming through the over medication and now my temperatures are normal again although I'm still fighting some symptoms. also keep an eye on your blood pressure and pulse pressure. The pulse pressure is simply the bottom number subtracted from the top number of your blood pressure. So for example 120 over 80 the pulse pressure would be 40. When I was over-medicated and actually up to just a few months ago my pulse pressure was usually 50 to 60. Now that I'm better my pulse pressure is usually below 40. it has really been horrible and I hope you get through it quickly!
katie14301 sandy13371
Posted
Oh my! I'm so glad you were able to know you were being overmedicated. What symptoms are you still having? Sorry if I'm asking alot but I feel better knowing people have experienced the same.
sandy13371 katie14301
Posted
I am still having head pressure and fatigue but not every day. 2 months after my last dose of levothyroxine I developed a tingling in my lower legs which I am told is just part of the process. I still have that tingling going on. Now I have a lot of stiffness and muscle aches my body feels more hypo now on most days. some days just very fatigued and no energy. But since my blood work is normal the doc will not prescribe more Levothyroxine. happy to answer any questions you have and I feel for anyone going through this. and I feel for anyone going through this.
Levo katie14301
Posted
Hi - do you happen to know what your blood test results are? You need TSH/FT4/FT3 with ranges. Do you have Hashimotos? This can make you swing between Hypo and Hyper without any change in Levo dose.
katie14301 Levo
Posted
I don't have any labs, no. I can get them at my next appointment. I wasn't showing overmedicated because I was taking a multivitamin with iodine in it and that caused me to go hyper. I do have Hashimoto's though and am seeing a specialist next month.
Levo katie14301
Posted
ok, get your blood results when you can and post on the site. Hopefully Endo will shed some light on your Hashimotos and advise as to what to do whether having a hyper swing or hypo low. Good luck with your appointment. Take care of yourself