Levothyroxine Side Effects (Page 5)

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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rusty i too was on armor great stuff too bad i cant find anywhere now i take 200 mcg on sintrocid or levotiroxinne moody still sluggish heart palpitatons dry skin and severe puffiness..

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Wow - I am glad I found this site. I have thyroid cancer in 07 and they took it. They found folicular and also Herthel Cell features (pre-cancer cells). So they put me on LEVO and now I am up to 200, but no chemo was done, just using the med to see if cancer returns. The side effects have always made me feel off - I like the word many of you use drunk. I am also prediabetic since 1997 and on TriCor which also gave me some dizzy feelings and other side effects. I am just glad to know the feelings are not me but the drugs.

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I have been on Synthroid for over 20 years now with very little symptoms. Several years ago I forgot to take my pill, and the next, etc. My memory went and I became so tired I could hardly lift my arms. Back to the endocrinologist who told me that it would take at least six weeks to get back on tract, and he was right. Give it a chance. I have never missed a pill since, at least I don't think I have.

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My right hand hurts. l think the levothyroxine causes me hip pain also, doctors have switched 50mg to 25 & back. Some warnings say the low thyroid med can make you feel WORSE if you have some adrenal condition you shouldn't take levothyroxine, it'll MAKE YOU FEEL WORSE! Guadalupe

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Just saw my Dr this PM. Told him I have been having palpitations since I started Levothyroxine 125mcg last July 1 and I wake up each morning with a terrible headache. He told me to adjust to 100mcg. I hope I feel better this time. p.s. Just had total thyroidectomy with radical neck on May 3 and my RAI 131 from June 28 to July 1.

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I'm a mature med student & I was started on levothyroxine (50mcg) 6 weeks ago because my T4 was 4.6 and TSH was through the roof. I went from being shattered to being nauseaus, shattered, light headed with indigestion. After 3 weeks I decided I couldn't face taking it any more so I told my doctor I rather just sleep my life away. He was totally unhelpful so sense persuaded me to try taking it (50mcgs) with food. Much better now I just have unbearable indigestion and nausea. I know I should persist but I have to give myself 'days off' for my sanity.

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have been on medication for just over a year for underactive thyroid, have never felt so terrible in all my life,palpitations, fatigue,numbness in arms and legs, i was fine before being diagnosed, not a day off work in over a year, after taking medication was off for five weeks and could nt get out of bed.

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I have had 3 episodes of blister like places pop up on my arm, finger, and knee. I've only been taking Levothyroxin for about 2 months now. Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

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I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in March of 09. I took levothyroxine for a year (50 mcg). the side effects I noticed were chest tightness, touble swallowing food, weight gain, tired, muscle aches...but then I had hair loss, extremely tired, constant body ache prior to taking meds. I decided I didn't like the side effects so took myself off of them after a year. Symptons came back with a vengeance. Dr. put me back on Levo...she poo pooed my complaints of sudden weight gain and chest tightness (I gained 4 pounds in the first two weeks of being back on meds and I had just worked so hard to lose 15 pounds). I am thinking of seeing a naturopathic doctor for my hypothyroidism. Has anyone else discussed their issues with a naturopathic doctor?

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I think I've sorted it for me at least. I now take my prescribed dose for two days until I start to feel lousy then I give it a miss for the next day (or sometimes two if I don't feel better) and it seems to be helping. I figure that my system has been trudging along with barely any for so long it just has gone haywire with a regular supply. I am having a check blood test next weeks but I certainly won't be increasing the dose until I can take this daily. I'm a med student and I asked the thyroid guru and he says it is because every cell of your body uses it and if it is balanced on barely any and you then have a heap everything goes a bit haywire....you can say that again!

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My thyroid was removed in 14 years ago. I was on synthroid and levothyroxine. For the past couple of years, I have been having trouble with my and ankles swelling. The Endo keeps telling me it's salt. I have reduced salt, lost 30 pounds and am water pills. There has been some improvement, but not to my satisfaction. Has anyone had problems with swelling?

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im taking levothyroxin 75 mcg and im only 32 years old and i cant stay outside for to long cause i get headaches

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After using Levothyroxine for just a few weeks, I had dizziness, out of sorts in my head, tired and would wake up in a full sweat. Just picked up a new Rx... Armour Thyroid. ($11 at Costco) ..and it's suppose to be natural. I'm hoping this will help. You could look on their website for more info.

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I've been taking 100MCG of Levothyroxin for akmost 5 years now. Before being diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism, I felt twice as bad as what most of you have described. However, my journey began with hyperthyroidism, with a small goiter present , to having iodine radiation and finally, I now have hypothyroidism. For the first couple of years of taking Levothyroxin, I still did'nt feel good, can't explain it...just felt like poop...very often. I don't have the energy that I once had and my mucles ache from time to time. However, I can say that I feel better, overall now. Whatever you do, don't just stop taking the Levothyroxin, (if you do, you may find yourself in the hospital or worse), like I did!
The thyroid is a very important gland and it controls some very important functions of the body. If the thyroid malfunctions, and is not put back in a normal state, you could die?
I think that I felt worse in the mornings after taking the med and having a cup of coffee...I always feel better after I eat something.
Not enough space to talk about the weight issues????
If you want to talk more about this issue...email me. I would be glad to share my experiences with you in more detail.
dennytt

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As I said previously the thyroxine made me feel worse so I took the slow approach to taking it. I took it until it made me feel so bad that I couldn't face it, then I stopped until I felt better and then took it again because I had no option but to take it. Anyway the outcome is that now I can take it for several days in a row and only need an odd day off. I can't say I feel good about food since I started it, eating is now a chore and not a pleasure but I hold out hope that eventually my system will retune its self. I now have to increase the dose and I shall do that slowly too rather than just upping it in one leap

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I went from 130 pounds to 210 pounds in less than 7 months. My face looks like a puffy marshmellow. I just found out I have hypothyrodism and was prescribed levonthyroxine. I am also on methadone. It seems like I waas healthy until I got on methadone for pain after shattering my femur. Could the methadone have caused me to have thyroid trouble? Will I lose the weight I gained taking the levothyroxine? What would happen if I don't take it? Right now I feel depressed, exhausted all the time, and feel like suicide each time I see my fat, puffy, face and body in thr mirrow. Please someone out there tell me this will get better. Life is just so horribe right now. Most days I do not even have enough energy to get myself out of bed. I am only 34. Help me please!

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Hi Nicky, Have you shared your feelings with your medic, if not you ought to. Yes, hypothyroidism makes you clinically depressed as well as put on weight etc etc. so taking the tablets will help both things but it is not instant. although you may start to feel different after a couple of weeks it takes about 5 or 6 weeks to get into your system and then you may need the dose increasing to reach the best dose for you. You can't be given a large dose for starters as every cell in your body needs thyroxine to produce energy and if you swamp them they go haywire hence we all keep talking about feeling rough when we start taking it or increase the dose. Actually very few people feel grotty just us unlucky few.
I seem to be losing about a pound every couple of weeks so stick with it.

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Hi Nicky, I forgot to say. If you don't take it you can eventually look forward to your hair falling out, your skin becoming very dry and flaky, even worse depression, memory problems... need I go on. I'm struggling with the effects of it but I'm plodding on as there is not alternative and I have improved since I started taking it at the beginning of June and I'm looking forward to feeling good again eventually.

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I'm 66, have had a TSH of 6+ and T3 at bottom of limits for 10 yrs, with tiredness, weight gain, mental fog, hair loss etc., but my doc always said it was old age. Have now seen a specialist who put me on levothyroxine - starting 25mcg, to build to 50 over next month. Have only taken three doses but since day one am suffering violent nausea, bloating, churning intestines and am producing so much gas I'm a health hazard! Is this normal? And will it go away?

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I have been feeling what I call crummy for a very long time. Three weeks ago I went to my Dr. because I thought I was having a gallbladder attack. My abdoman hurt so bad! I also told her about the extreme tiredness and headaches that I have been experiencing. Also body aches, and a dizzy/lightheaded feeling. My blood test results came back that my Thyroid was not functioning right and that I was hypothyroid. She did a Thyroid exam and found a density on the right side. Since then I have had an ultrasound and a solid nodule was found along with some coloid nodules which are presumed benign. I am scheduled for a biopsy of the solid nodule in 5 weeks. [soonest I can get into an endocrinoligist] I still feel bad even tho I have been on levo for 3 weeks. I feel very depressed, mostly because I have no energy and feel like I'm in a fog most the time. I hate the dizzy feeling. Eight years ago I had a total hysterectomy with my ovaries out for stage 4 endometreosis. It took about a year to feel better from that with hormone replacement. I wonder if that lead to what I am going thru now. If the nodule is malignant, I will need a thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine which will leave me completely dependent on levothyroxine. Has anyone else had an experience like this?

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