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Side effects from Thyroxine

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Hi, I am 32 and have just been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. Been put on 50 mg but after about a week starting to get muscle aches, upset stomach. Did anyone else experience this? also feel really tired!

10 likes, 194 replies

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  • richard40025
    richard40025 Guest

    Posted

    My wife has hypothyroidism (low thyroid) due to being on Amioderone for some months after open heart surgery.  Her family have a history of heart problems.  Blood tests are carried out every six months to check the thyroid activity.

    My wife has noted that her stools are now lacking colour presumably due to a lack of production of bile.  Other than that she feels fine.

    There are papers linking lack of bile production to hypothyroidism.

    The GP is reluctant to prescibe thyroxine while she appears apparently well, and is in the mean time carrying out further tests relating mainly to the liver.

    If thyroxine can adversely affect the heart, then the GP's reluctance is understandable.

    Any advice much appreciated.

    • barbara98940
      barbara98940 richard40025

      Posted

      Hi Richard, having thyroid levels that are too high can have implications for the heart (read up on hyperthyroidism). So this may explain your doctor's reluctance to prescribe thyroxine at the moment. You don't say what the results of her thyroid blood tests are so it is difficult to comment in anything other than general terms. However if the blood tests indicate she needs thyroxine then the doctor will take care in starting on a low dose and increasing slowly. Note it is ok to chop the thyroxine tablets up and take a quarter or a half.

      Ligjt coloured stos can also Ioindicate a lack of iron. In which cae you need to get a blood test to check iron, ferritin (ideally should be 70+ even though the range is something like 5-300), vitamin B12 (this can cause another form of anaemia), and % iron saturation (around 30% is ok - or so my endo told me).

  • Noddydog
    Noddydog Guest

    Posted

    Hi Mary, 

    I was really interested in your posts as you sound like me in your reluctance to take Thyroxine. I am 62, twice your age and was diagnosed with UAT over 10 years ago. I struggle to take any medication, antibiotics, antiinflamitory pills even Paracetamol gives me an upset tum after a couple of days use so I didn't want to start medication especially as I would be on it for life. Anyway I have never had any of the usual symptoms of UAT so I have been managing it with Vitamins/Minerals/and Organic Kelp for all these years. The Vitamin Company 's nutritionalist advised me what to take and it kept my levels at borderline until 3 months ago. I have gone up to just over 10 T4 level and I am just about to have another blood test as asked for by my GP. If I felt ill I would find it easier to accept but I am fine, I am 9 stone, I exercise for 20 mins each morning and then walk for 30 mins and eat healthy food. I have done the exercise since spinal surgery over 6 years ago. When I read about the side effects I am even more reluctant to take Thyroxine than ever. I expect the medical profession would not be happy with me though. Regards  Cheryl.

  • carmel83758
    carmel83758 Guest

    Posted

    Also had upset stomach, muscle acles, feeling tired to start with, the feeling tired went, in fact that was so bad it was like being hypnotised and hardly able to move or think, am now on 50 mg of thyroxine and having all sorts of problems and downsides, the strange this is that I took a course of antibiotics - tremathoprime, and it made me feel almost 100% well, everything shifted and was good again, was elated with it, and then when I stopped taking them everything started to sneak back, not sure if this is an infection or the side effects of thyroxine causing the problems - or a mix of both.
  • notthedr
    notthedr Guest

    Posted

    i see your post is over a year old lol so i hope you see this.i also was just dignosed with hypothryroidism and put on medication and my stomach is really upset. i think its a side effect of the thyroxine. 
    • barbara98940
      barbara98940 notthedr

      Posted

      Hi, you may be allergic or intolerant to one of the fillers in the thyroxine tablets. The fillers in thyroxine tablets vary. Ask your doctor to prescribe, or your pharmacy to dispense, a different manufacturer's thyroxine. I had a problem with acacia filler. Also what dose did you start on? Do see your doctor and tell them and they might start you on s lower dose. Another idea is to take half the dose in the morning (an hour before food) and the other half at night (4 hours after food).

      It is ok to chop the thyroxine tablets up. It won't matter that it's not exactly in half if you take the other half of the tablet that night. Do go and see your doctor and tell them.

  • notthedr
    notthedr Guest

    Posted

    Yeah i just started it and not sure if if the medication or a problem from the hypothroiism. ill def mention it to my dr next time I see him. Im on 50 mc once a day and noticed the neausea like right away but like I say I have other condtions that can cause neasua..i hate not being sure lol but thanks for the advice ill check into it
  • lakshmi97459
    lakshmi97459 Guest

    Posted

    what happened by taking heavy dosage like by taking 100 mg power tablets more in one day
  • Tashima1981
    Tashima1981 Guest

    Posted

    I am 35 and had to have my entire thyroid removed..I now take 100 mgs of levothyroxine a day. I have been doing so for about 1 yr and 3 mos now...I dont feel any different then what I felt before. I have red bumps all over my chest. I asked the dr when I first had my surgery cause thays when the red bumps started and he said its my hormones??? What is the levothyroxine for?? I thought it was to balance out the hormones???? Anyone else having these issues and what should I do about it
    • sweetmelissa
      sweetmelissa Tashima1981

      Posted

      Hmmm, that interesting, because around the time I started levo, I have been getting a red rash on both side of my torso.  It just randomly comes and goes.  I have used the same soap, lotion, laundry getergent ect.. for like 10 years.  You have me thinking now...
    • Tashima1981
      Tashima1981 sweetmelissa

      Posted

      I have been using the same EVERYTHING also...I had my surgery in April of 2015 around June/July it started to pop up same thing is going on again..
  • sandra47474
    sandra47474 Guest

    Posted

    I was on 50 mg for nearly 8 years but side effects just got worse and worse, joint pain hair loss tiredness all symptoms of underactive thyroid but also side effects of levothyroxine, also made it hard for me to do my job as mobility and quality of life just got worse. I am at the moment off my tablets 2 months now monitered by my doctor after much research i went to her had long disscusion where she agreed to moniter me with blood tests as there was the possibility of me being sub clinical(borderline) So i am feeling much better and taking bioten and sea kelp exercising and due for next blood tests fingers crossed, If i need medication i will send off for ndt or any other natural make as i feel levothyroxine is not for me, after lost of research, and just my own opinion I will not be taking it again.
    • Carmenh
      Carmenh sandra47474

      Posted

      Hi Sandra,

      That's exactly what I'm afraid of when starting the thyroid meds, that it might make the symptoms worse or that it might trigger something else. I'm trying to do as much research as possible and it seems that I can't talk to the doctors, they insist on me taking the meds, no need to explore other avenues. My partner and I are trying to conceive and I'm afraid that if I should start thyroid medication that I might never be able to conceive.

    • barbara98940
      barbara98940 Carmenh

      Posted

      Hi Carmen,

      Are you aware of the research that links children born to mothers who had low thyroid hormones during pregnancy with problems with mental maths, stunted growth etc?  Google 'Daily Mail mental maths pregnancy'. 

      I'm convinced my child's Asperger's syndrome diagnosis is due to low thyroid hormones in pregnancy, and yes despite getting a grade A at GCSE maths they are terrible at mental maths, and they are shorter than it was predicted they would be given her parents height.

      ?Also remember that not everyone gets bad side effects from taking thryoxine (it's thought to be aout 15% - which means 85% don't) and those that don't aren't on this forum - they're getting on with their life!  By the way, thyroxine was fine for me for many years.  My seond child has not got Asperger's syndrome and I put this down to the fact that by then my GP and I had learnt to monitor my thyroid levels via my basal pulse rate, not blood tests - the blood tests are merely used as confirmation.  When I had my first child it was not known that it was at least 6 weeks after a dose change before blood tests were an accurate predictor of thyroid hormones.

      ?There are also studies showing it is more difficult to get pregnant if thryoid hormones are low.

      ?The only way to see how you react to thryroxine would be to try it.  I would advise waiting for 3 months after having two consecutive 'in range' blood tests before trying to get pregnant, and remember to take folic acid before trying to conceive and during first 3 months (though check the current advise as this is 16 years out of date!)

      Hope this has added to your body of knowledge and helps you decide what to do.

  • jpnuman
    jpnuman Guest

    Posted

    I have been taking levothyroxine 50 for 2/3 weeks and yes I asm experiencing the same today I got out of bed again aching legs and knee joint and my back has been agony.  I was sick once after 5 days of taking it this settled down.  Before this I was on only 25 and not working but since the increase have felt incredibly worse with depression not sleeping well fidgety legs and a general feeling of sluggishness.  I regularly work out 3 x on my bike to work swim 50 lengths once a week and go running 3 x a week in my luch hour.  This is now being affected as I am struggling to run feeling so heavy.  My weight gain is causing my depression as well as it keeps going up and up and if I do lose say a 1LB it goes back up again by at least 3LBS.  I am due to see my GP on Friday this week and I am going to tell him I am coming off this and if they cannot offer an alternative I may need to go through my private healthcare.  As most people on here we all know this is just a cheap medication with so many problems attached to it and no one within the healthcare seems to want to accept it.  I get sick of GP's saying no you are meant to lose weight taking this its rubbish and I am an example of it.

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