1. Community
  2. Diabetes and hormone problems
  3. Hypothyroidism

When does it get better?

Posted , 9 users are following.

lvkitty7777
lvkitty7777

Hi there, I have been on thyroid medication now since I was 34 and I am now 48. I found out I had hypothyroidism when I thought I was having flu like symptoms and then all my joints in my body ached and progressively got worse. When I woke up to my hands and feet swollen I went to urgent care to get checked. Since thyroid conditions run in my family I told them to check that as well and sure enough my thyroid was out of whack. I was finally regulated on a dose of 100 for many years and just fine until the last two years. Last year I was borderline on the upper end of the "gray area" at 4.8 and the dr adjusted my meds to 137 which i was on for about a year. Feeling fine then recently my lower back started aching which I thought was my torn disc in my back but I do notice that i am easily irritable and constantly have anxiety.  Sleeping I don't sleep well through the night. I just was checked again and sure enough my results came back at 4.55 so the dr is bumping me to 185 on the meds. She also switched me last year from levo to synthroid as she says sometimes generic doesn't regulate the dosage as regular as the brand medicine. Has anyone else have issues with the body aches and anxiety feeling/sleeplessness with hypothyroidism? When does it get better?

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • joeyb03
    joeyb03 lvkitty7777

    Posted

    This condition just sucks!!!! I have anxiety that got worse when my thyroid quit..... and I can go literally 3 days without sleeping, but then I’m completely useless. I got terribly depressed. I think I blamed it on the weight gain but I honestly think it’s just a symptom. I dunno about it getting better, Do you see a pc for your thyroid or an endocrinologist? If your just seeing your pc then maybe you want to see an endocrinologist just to make sure everything is in order
  • MtViewCatherine
    MtViewCatherine lvkitty7777

    Posted

    Hi Kitty, the specifications (in the US) firvdoding are all the same, as set by the FDA, at +/- 10% from the label dose. This means on any thyroid medication, you can have as much as 20% diffetence between doses. Pharmaceutical companies have specifications they follow, they don’t throw out a batch because it’s worse, as long as it’s within “specs”. So your doctor is mistaken about name brands having more reliable dosing.

    In addition, Synthroid contains several allergens and dies that can trigger the immune system for thyroid patients. Thyroid disease is autoimmune disease- the last thing we need is an allergen in our medication.

    If you have low back pain, you may be having kidney or adrenal strain. You can try drinking more fluids, taking some cranberry or parsley tabs or other kidney or adrenal herbal support. 

    I’ve seen quite a few posts from people who say geyve been in Levo and it’s worked for many years until the last few. 

    My experience has been that drug formulations are changed frequently. It could be an actual change or something as simple as changing manufacturing facilities can have a huge effect in the final product. Since many drug companies are now manufacturing in third world countries, I’m extremely cautious about medications. I found myself to be extremely sensitive to formulation changes, having tried many different thyroid medications.

      

    • lvkitty7777
      lvkitty7777 MtViewCatherine

      Posted

      Thank you for the information. Its just frustrating when you don't know what triggers the body to change and then the thyroid is thrown off again. I am just trying to relate how I feel when they bloodwork shows that I am off balance again. Because my initial body reaction to it was aching joints i know when my body doesn't feel right and is off. I noticed that I am anxious all the time and I assume that is the thyroid off balance. 

      I will see what the new dosage does. I noticed it does say to not take any calcium or Iron supplements when you take your medicine at least wait 4 hours between doses and I knew that about calcium but didn't know that about Iron and that is one of my vitamins i take. I am wondering if I was sabatoshing myself and didn't know it. I am on the new dose and going to change my regimen of vitamins to end of day when i get home from work see if that makes a difference. 

      Also do you see your regular dr or someone mentioned about seeing an endocrinologist does that make a difference on how your this is being treated? 

       

    • MtViewCatherine
      MtViewCatherine lvkitty7777

      Posted

      Hi Kitty, I had been seeing a very good endocrinologist. When I moved, I was not able to find a good one, though it seems decent medical care in my area is difficult to find across the board. A doctor recently sued one of the hospitals because their policies prevent doctors from treating patients. When I heard of this, it explains a lot of why I can’t get treatment. 

      I was ok with the really good endo, but once I moved, things were really a mess and I’ve never really gotten back on track. 

      The start of getting back, for me, was going off the Levo. Once I went off it, everything else seems to help a lot more. But the damage is done, and recovery is slow. I did my own research and stopped wasting my time with doctors who are required to follow ineffective protocols. 

      I’ve gone rogue and found other ways to treat myself, since the medical route offered was not only a waste of time, but harmful. 

      I use acupuncture, essential amino acid complex, borax, and cleansing.

      I happened to run across a post here in the thyroid section where someone asked about some blood work I’d not heard of, and it lead to information on oancreatitis that proved extremely helpful. As with thyroid disease you get many gut problems, liver, gallbladder and adrenal problems, and yes, pancreatic issues. It makes sense, as these are all connected and are part of the endocrine system on various levels. 

      So, it’s difficult to find the source of the problems. I find I just work on one issue at a time as best I can, while supporting the other organs. I try to pinpoint whatever is most urgent.

      I feel like I’ve declared war on thyroid disease, but it’s really about supporting the whole body.

    • olive8
      olive8 lvkitty7777

      Posted

      Be careful of the supplements you take. I took green supplements (fruit and veg)!

      and they put my hypothyroidism right off.  It took a few weeks to get it back to what It was before I took the supplements.  I never take any supplement now without checking with pharmacist first.

    • MtViewCatherine
      MtViewCatherine olive8

      Posted

      I have to agree with being careful. My approach is to try it and see. I’ve found a lot of stuff that doesn’t work, and a lot that helps.

      There are certain things I stay away from, in particular, alfalfa, soy, anything tgat sounds like they’ve tweaked it unless I’m familiar with what it is. A good guide is the more natural, the better. The advantage of processing is you can get much higher doses than you can naturally. So you have to take these diets of factors into consideration.

  • hazel16126
    hazel16126 lvkitty7777

    Posted

    I find the aches and pains and swelling the worst part. I get pains that I am sure I have a physical problem. Like you lower back pain, not done anything to cause it but felt like pulled muscle or trapped nerve. Had it for 2 weeks then gone, at the minute it’s my knee. It’s agony.  X-ray it’s old age - no it isn’t it’s thyroid!!!!!!!!!!
  • dani8979
    dani8979 lvkitty7777

    Posted

    Hi,

    Diet and exercise are crucial.... a low carb diet, wheat free, sugar fee if you can manage, it will make you feel better, giving you more energy. Taking good supplements, TCM acupuncture, massages, yoga, pilates as weight shifts off. A holistic approach helps....keeps you going.

    Look after your skin and moisturizing daily....There is a very long list of symptoms for hypothyroidism, look up www.thyroiduk.org.uk. 

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.