Levothyroxine Side Effects (Page 15)

I was recently diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. I have been taking levothyroxine for almost two weeks. For the last four or five days I have had a weird feeling. It is hard to explain. I don't really feel dizzy but I get a strange feeling in my head. I guess you would describe it as a head rush. Has anyone else had this feeling and will it go away as my body adjusts to the levothyroxine?

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sometime after I started takin levothyroxin, I have had a terrible rash between my legs. it runs down both legs a little ways . I need some relief. Is it the medicine thats causing it?

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I was diagnosed with hypothyroid approximately 4 months ago, my mother is also hypo and had been telling me for years to get checked. I do not like taking any type of medication and did not like the idea of taking a pill for the rest of my life. I have struggled with wieght gain for the past 10 years, I am 34 years old. I started taking levothyroxine about a month and a half ago and have seen many changes already, my "foggyness" has decreased as has my hair loss and in the last 4 weeks have started to loose some wieght. So far so good.

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Get exactly the same thing. Aftger exercising (running, biking) I have fainted briefly, with a pulse in the 150s.

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Great to hear that people are getting some relief with Thyroxine. Ricky - what you are saying about how you are feeling is very concerning. I have to say that prior to taking medication i felt more like you are describing - particularly with the joint pain. I struggled to concentrate, and basically everything slowed down for me. Since being on the meds, i do feel better, but it has taken quite a few months to get there. Part of that i imagine would be from my dose being adjusted, and slowly increased. The type of medication is such that it takes time to settle into your system (? correct medical terminology for this:P). I wonder if there is something wrong with your dosage? Prior to being treated my hair was getting thinner and thinner (and it's already thin!!!), i had put on a small amount of weight, but was working out like a dog (running for 1 hour a day). Keep on trying to all of you that are suffering - you can get there eventually. My hair is now thickening, I've stabilised my weight, i look thinner in the face (prior i had jowls and i'm only 36) - i do suffer a horrid scaly rash on my arms and wonder if it's from med? Some things the doctors don't know, and sometimes they don't seem to care to find out. Good luck :)

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I am hypothyroid w/a TSH of 45. ALL thyroid medications, even compounded, eventually make me nauseated and give me flu-like symptoms. I feel better when i stop, but I know i must take medication. Has anyone else had this problem?

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dtl.... you need to take it slowly. As you have tried different brands I assume you've told your doctor. Yes they made me so nauseus that eating was hard work and I felt dreadful as well. The nausea bit was sorted by taking stomach meds from the doctor (proton pump inhibitors) just for a month whilst my body adjusted. then the other bit I resolved by taking it slowly to give my body time to adjust. I worked on the principle that any was better than none (my TSH was 100+). I took 25mgs maybe once or twice a week until I could take it with no ill effect (remember that each change takes 6 weeks for it to build up to the maximum it can in the body). I then increased it 25mgs at a time increasing the number of days one at a time (if you see what I mean). It took me nearly 2 years to get to 100mgs daily with no ill effects but I can say it was worth it. In the last 6 months my hair has got thicker (than I ever remember it), my stamina has increased and my libido has returned. My doctor thought I was mad to start with but now he really sees the difference. I hope this helps. (Oh, It makes you feel weird because every cell in the body is affected by it and they go a bit haywire when they have been short for a while and then get some!)

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pj - thank you for telling your story. I took Armour w/out any problems for a year, then started feeling very ill (like w/flu), extremely nauseated and lost 28 lbs. When I stopped taking it, within 48 hrs. I felt fine. That's when my Endo started trying other meds. They all affected me the same way, except for compounded T4. I started w/25 mcg. daily and after a month increased to 50 mcg/day. A few weeks later I started having the nausea and flu-like feeling again. I stopped for 4 days and am now back on the 25 mcg/day. The Endo doesn't understand why I can't tolerate the meds and why I haven't gained back the weight I lost. I have read that low thyroid affects the gallbladder and am wondering if this could have something to do with it. Am having it checked. Thanks again for your response. Hope you continue to do well.

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dtl..try taking 25mcgs a day for six weeks. If you are ok with that then increase it on maybe alternate days for 6 weeks. If at any time you feel rough then go back to the 25mcgs until you feel better then increase it again maybe every 3rd day for 6 weeks etc etc, If on the other hand you don't get to the 6 week point stop taking it until you feel better then take it alternate days for 6 weeks etc etc. I lost count of how many times I stopped and went back to 25mcgs. It is just a matter of persisting and going as slowly as your body needs. Remember any you take is better than not taking it at all so going slow is ok if it gets you there in the end. Good Luck

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pj - very good advice. I will try that. I've started taking 25 mcg. two days ago and am doing ok. Thanks for your encouragement.

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I have been also, taking this medication for some time now myself. I am wondering, just how does one get their life back after being on the medication for a while? I have also, been taking several other types of medications and to me, I feel, as if, I don't even have a life anymore. I feel as though, my life has been taken up by taking medications on a constant basis now, and to be honest with you, I don't like the thought of taking them nor, what they are doing to me and my body. I for one, have never been for taking any medications of this magnitude and now, I can see why. Is there any serious side effects for one to discontinue to taking their medications all together? If so, please, do let me know. Look forward to hearing from someone on this matter.

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Medications are expensive and dangerous so doctors don't dish them out lightly. Check with your doctor why you are prescribed each thing and voice your concerns. Yes, sometimes you end up taking one medication to alleviate the side effects of another (things like stomach meds for a short while whilst your body gets used to thyroxine). Some medications you can decide not to take and suffer the symptoms instead for example not taking anything to stop the itch from an an itchy rash that will go on its own BUT some meds you need to live and sadly thyroxine is one of those meds. Sadly because for some of us it takes time to adjust to it (I'm talking months here or even a year or two!). Try to think of medications supporting your body so that it can behave normally.Yes, it's a real drag but at least they are oral preparations and not injections. Thank goodness. Hope this helps

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I am a Human Resource professional and we do drug screen the 150 people in our business. as long as you bring your prescription to your drug test you will be fine. however, no poppy seed items for a good week before your test and do not use night time cold medicine that contains alcohol the night before your test.

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That feeling will go away. been on it for 3 weeks. I take my pill about 5 am and go back to sleep.You kind of sleep the jitteriness off,then get up. I am not so freaky feeling . Thank Gog!

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Your hair will grow back but want be a thick i been on 125 for a year and gained 20 pounds and cant get the weight off.

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My mom had the same feelings behind her eyes to the back of her head! She is getting help with her health naturally. Rejuvenation Station has many venues that have helped her greatly! She will be 92 this year!

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After trying levothyroxine 25 mg. for a week, the old symptoms returned - nausea, flu-like symptoms, fatigue. So endo put me back on Armour 10 mg. for 6 weeks, then will try an up to 20 mg. Will see if i can tolerate it this way.

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I'm on 112mcg of levo, and to tell you the truth, I want to get off this pill. I started with 75mcg which made me feel "good" and "ok". I am hypo. The doc was only doing TSH tests and kept saying it was too high. Since I been on 100, I went to the ER for a panic attack which I thought was a heart attack. Docs there told me to take 112mcg. Since, I've had major anxiety, dizziness, light headedness, migraines, you name it. I feel this pill is way too strong. Taking test for TS3 and TS4 but in the meantime, I'm seriously thinking about NOT taking this pill. It's hurting me more than helping it seems.

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Levo will mess up your heart. It happened to me. I was on it for a number of years when my heart started going wacky on me. My doctor tried to tell me that I had a premature heart beat (never had it before). I told her that my heart sometimes beats irratically that takes my breath away. She seemed to think I was nuts. Anyway to make a long story short, I asked her how low my Thryroid actually was and she said slightly low. I told her I am not taking the meds anymore. Since I have been off them my heart is almost all the way back to normal, no more joint pain and no more heart weirdness. If your thyroid is slightly low I would say quit taking pills. (Of course I am not a Dr.) Otherwise see if you can get on Armour or anything other than Levothyroxine. It is bad stuff.

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Was taking Levo for almost 6 months. In that time frame I gained 30 pounds and told that that was normal. The medication made me feel worse than if I wasn't taking it at all so went on herbal suppliments which made me feel alot better. Now I have a low level functioning liver which I never had before. I don't use alcohol, smoke, or use recreational drugs. And to top it all off my thyroid testing shows that I am at the low side of normal and don't need to take a thyroid suppliment at all. Did research on my own and found that iodine is a factor in your thyroid activity as well as carpal tunnel (which I also have and it is due to neck issues). So with taking iodine in my multivitamin wow no more issues with my carpal tunnel. Still having issues loosing the 30 lbs I gained although not being on the Levo I feel great except for my liver.

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I'm 16 years old and I began taking levothyroxine about a year ago. For the first few months, I had a lot of dizzy spells and felt like I wanted to faint sometimes, but luckily, the feeling goes away after a few months after you get used to the medicine and your dosage is correct. Don't worry about the dizzy feeling! (:

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