raising levo dosage will decrease heart palpitations?

Posted , 7 users are following.

Anyone else found this?

I'm currently on my dr's prescription of 37.5mcg one day and 50mcg the next. However due to the intense depression I feel on 37.5mcg I've taken 50mcg for the last 10 days and now have taken 37.5mcg over the last 2 days as I'm having bad reactions. (Reduced dosage due to panic/palpitatikns etc) Tomorrow I plan to return to my dr's prescription. Previous to this I had been on 37.5mcg for 2 weeks (they lowered dosage due to side effects). Which is why I upped dosage to try and find the right one for my body.

I've just read online that someone was on 50mcg and had the exact same symptoms I have. Her dr changed her to 75mcg and her heart palpitations disappeared.

So now I wonder if higher dosage would help? I sleep so much and am constantly exhausted. Can the heart react better on higher dosage of levo? I'm so at a wall that I'm ready to try it. I've been on levo since feb and there's no other treatment for me in this country. Please do not advise on other treatments. (Yes - I am obviously checking them out but it requires going abroad or dosing myself.)

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Mary,

    I too have trouble with palpitations when increasing my levo dosages. About two months ago my Doctor upped my dose from around 60 up to 100mcgs and for the first few weeks I had some reactions. I got a really bad heart palpitation that sent pins and needles down my body along with a really fast heart beat like never before... I eventually got used to the dosage. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that heart palpitations are side effects of higher doses. My advice is to stick to the dosage your doctor gave you for now and discuss your concern about the side effects you're having with your doctor again. Maybe he could allow you to take half of an 88mcg (44mcg) for a few weeks and then up the dose to 50mcg. Just a suggestion. smile best wishes!

  • Posted

    All I can suggest is keeping checking in often with your Doctor.  Do you know what your blood  tests show?  The one most often used is called the TSH TEST. Check into it and other related info on Wikipedia.  See what is called "normal range".  Becoming informed is the absolute best thing you can do.
  • Posted

    I had been suffering all kinds of aches and pains, esp my feet and ankles, along with palpatations in the evening. I increased my dose from 100 to 125 mcg and within days all these symptoms disappeared. I get the odd palpatation now, but nothing like the pounding I felt before. 
  • Posted

    Hi There

    I am on 50mcg daily and have been sine the end of April and i am having a really bad time my heart is constantly pounding i feel really really anxious and scared and worried i just want to feel well just for one day i have had a recent blood test done and my doc is just leaving me on 50mcg as he said my reading was 1.9 i just feel like i am in no mans land i am so tired of feeling this way the heart thing is really worrying i do get dizziness sometimes aswell

    • Posted

      Sara,

      have you had the tsh, t4 and t3 done? Some dr's just do the tsh and its not enough.

    • Posted

      It took for my tsh to go less than 1.0 before I felt better. Also, asked my GP for t3, so had to be referred to an endocrinologist. On mix of t3 and t4 now, feel good, and have started to lose weight. Honestly, keep pushing your gp, hound them, beg for a referral, say your life is in ruins, change your gp, dont give up! 
    • Posted

      i have no idea my dr was very vague and just said my reading was 1.9 and i said i didnt know what that meant and he said it means that due to the 50mcg you are now in normal range so i have to stay on it

       

    • Posted

      Sara, It's important to read up on hypothyroidism, tsh, t4, t3 to become informed so that you can ask your dr specific questions and not be fobbed off. You really need to get at least tsh, t4, t3 done. It would be better if you could also get vit d, ferritine, vit b12, calcium and cortisol levels.

      Tsh normal levels can vary depending on where you are. Over here its between 0.27 - 4.20 A good dr will test everything. Your dr is right in that your tsh looks good at 1.9. It could improve though. And tsh does also depend on the t4 and t3.....so just reading tsh is not going to show whether your body is doing ok. Normally they test t4 and tsh every 2 mths. I'd to push my endocrinologist to also test my t3 because I still have all hypo symptoms and side effects of levo added on to that. Having a hypo problem means you have to be informed and you have to push.

  • Posted

    Anyone considered supplementing with ubiquinone? It strengthens the heart, reduces muscular cramps and aches and finally gives natural energy (it's essential in 95% of our energy production). I would certainly recommend talking to your doctor before supplementing, however, even though thyroid health is most often connected to selenium and iodine supplements, CoQ10 really is worth considering for its energy, myopathy and cardioprotective effects. 

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