Unacceptable side effects of Levothyroxine

Rosy, I don't know what your tsh level was because you don't say but I fully approve the doctor who suggested starting you on 25mcg.

With a bit of luck you will never need to go any higher but if you don't take it and you need it, things will get worse, not better.

I have replied in full to Vanguard, everything you need to know and to a few others so I won't type it again but if you need any more information don't hesitate to ask.

I have nose running all the time now and noise in my ears constantly which I didn't have before why

Yes I to have a runny nose since taking Levothyroxine. But I have been in touch with Actavis the Pharmaceutical  Company that make this drug.

I must admit Actavis have been very good they have contacted me and asked me for my Doctors name, my name etc and they have been back in touch and are very interested in hearing from people who have adverse effects from Levothyroxine .

Until people write emails to Actavis telling them about the side effects they will not change anything g.

SO PLEASE PLEASE WILL PEOPLE GET IN TOUCH WITH ACTAVIS AND TELL THEM OF YOUR SIDE EFFECTS.

I cannot emphasise this enough!!  

Carole

I was just checking my tablets and Actavis make the 100micrograms that I take but the 25micrograms are made by Wockhardt in Wrexham. I suppose I'll need to contact both, 

Yes definitely they will respond to you !! I find Actavis very good in responding. Good luck. Carole

Do you have the address where we can contact them?

Your blood pressure may be going up and it sounds as if you're taking too high a dose. Dangerous.

My blood pressure is 120  80 most days it only goes higher when I have confrontation with the doctors about this aweful drug he as me on.

Hi Mike - You sound a bit of a 'rebel' like me - and we are ususally very unpopular with our doctors. Fortunately I dont have many problems with my thyroxine, apart from my original complaint re my blood pressure increase since taking them.  For me not taking them doesnt seem an option as I felt so poorly without them. However, I have refused any more BP medication other than the one I am currently on which agrees with me, but isnt as effective as 'they' would like. Have tired every single one on the market so far, and my Doctor always seems irritated with me when I mention the side effects or lack of effectiveness. I have a bit of a 'hey ho' attitude (after thirty years of this messing about) and cant help thinking what will be will be. Maybe 'some people' would find that attitude unacceptable to them. But this is my life. My decisions and I will take the consequences. Fortunatley my family are in full agreement.  But there are always those who disagree. So be it. They arent walking in my shoes (or yours). Good luck Mike hope you feel better soon.

 

Hi

I found the name of Actavis on the side of the tablet packet.  Carole

Lol!

You are the only one who can decide in the long run and of course you must do what :makes you feel  best.

Yes you will x

I don't know unless you have a look on the side of the box for the Email address, as I'm on holiday at the moment so do not have the box with me. Or ask any pharmacist for their address and they will be happy to give it to you.  Carole

Also have the running nose, mucus, and when I stopped taking the tablets that got better.

Hi Again Car\eml- Souonds like you're allergic. While the levo can trigger the immune system, the runny nose and such are more like a typical allergy. Probably due to additives in the meds. So when you do get on something that works, you'll need to make sure there are no dyes in them, no wheat, corn, or dairy products. These are often used as fillers in meds and are aften  difficult for th yroid patients to handle because most thyroid patients also have delicate immune systems... note the two causes of hyporthyroidism, Grave's and Hashimoto's disease, oare both autoimmune disease. So to start with, thryoid patiend have immune dysfunction. No reason to aggrivate it more.

On the topic of high blood pressure whilst on thyroid drugsI have found out  the following. Blood pressure will go up if your thyroid dose is incorrect - too low or too high. The first line of attack is to get your thyroid meds dose just right (takes  a long time and a lot of patience on the part of the doc and the patient.) You can get pretty close but you might still have high BP - but do not let them talk you into going onto BP medications, these will present you with more problems that you already have with your thyroid meds. I had this conundrum. Do some research and decide which path is palatable for you. For me it was eating celery and beetroot with any lunch, this will help a little bit. My biggest pay off was taking Hawthorn extract pills from the herbal/health food store. I took 1000mg per day and reduced my systolic Bp from ~150mmHg to 135 - 141 mmHg. I never had a problem wth my diastolic and that didn't change.

I also had a slight affect when I took a three month attempt of doing 1 and 1/2 hours of exercise per day - while I kept this up, which was very very difficult, my blood pressure reduced but as soon as I took a day off due to exhaustion it was back up to 150mmHg. I would recommend the Hawthorn extract, they also do a Hawthorn extract tea if you can drink that. Oh, and if you can drink unusual stuff, beet juice is pretty effective (saves going to a lot of salad type trouble for lunch).

I can't believe that any pharmaceutical organisation isn't already reading this stuff.  If not they should be.  Horror stories about thyroxine are written all over the place, not just on this website.  The medical people need to wake up and smell the roses (they are the only ones that can smell them, we can't, we are so beseiged with allergies we can't smell anything).  Soon my tongue won't be able to fit in my mouth and the only reason I haven't had any one take me seriously is because I am not anaphylactic.  It's a flippin joke! 

Hi, where can I get backup information to say that your BP doesn't settle if yourthyroid meds aren't correct please? I am in that position,with my BP being HIGH,which I've never had before despite numerous serious health issues. My thyroid meds were changed in November,and I believe not high enough because of symptoms I have. My GP wants to talk with me about my BP on Monday,as I recently had a 24 hour BP done. I think he will put me on BP tablets. I could do with some backup info please. Private message might be easier if you need to point me to a different site. Thanks Gill

Hi Gill, prior to hypothyroid, my BPwas always constant at 110/70.  

I've had the BP all over the place since  the hypothyroidism. Before I was on meds the BP was frequently 90/60 or lower. Once on the levo,  it's higher than it was prior to everything and was 140/80. Now it's still a little higher than before the hypothyroidism, but lower now that I'm on the OTC, organic dessicated. I've also had heart palpitations, but have never been treated for the BP or heart stuff. I've used acupuncture and herbs to help get the body's functions back to normal. 

My feeling is the BP will be effected by thyroid levels and will eventually level back out, given time, and as various body functions reset to a better homeostasis.

i responded earlier to your comment above, explaining the dynamic. No specific names or references. But it's being reviewed even though it doesn't violate any rules of this site. Should tell you something.

do an online search for Synthroid FDA approval 2001

or some variations of this for the history of Synthroid. All the other Levos are developed relative to synthroid. Generic drugs have to be within a certain % of efficacy of the brand drug. This assumes that the brand drug has gone through proper testing.

Try doing a scholar search on google. This will bring up research articles.

Darlene and Mike, fillers in the meds often cause the runny nose and other allergy symptoms. Try a medication without dyes, preservatives, dairy or wheat, or any other additives.