Increased Levo and teeth grinding?!

[mountaingoat83]

I started Levo in March, and had my dosage increased from 25 to 50 about 5 weeks ago as TSH was 1.9 but I still wasn't feeling great. Since the increase I don't feel particularly different, still pretty tired and foggy, and it's not been like when I first started taking it and had a few weeks of feeling really good before slipping back to 'normal'. I have also started grinding my teeth really badly at night and I wondered if that might be related to the increased dose, has anyone else experienced this? I think it might be contributing to the tiredness, not sure I'm sleeping well and I'm waking up with a sore jaw/headache every day. It's also disturbing my boyfriend, and he wakes me up to make me stop. I've bought a very attractive mouth guard so at least my teeth won't break but I'd like to stop it! Any thoughts welcomed.

Many thanks,

Emma

[Apples]

Hi mountaingoat,

Your post caught my eye, I have started doing this....I have put it down to tension and am trying to relax more in the evening.

[mountaingoat83 in reply to Apples]

Hi Apples, I wondered about that but I have been through more stressful times in my life and not done it. Though I am now worrying about it so it's self-fulfilling! Trying to relax has got to help though, hope you can manage to stop.

[ejh1]

Hi Emma. I started with the gritting teeth at night (classed as the same sort of thing as grinding) when I was underdosed for a few years. Now I am on a higher dose of levo, I have stopped doing it most of the time. During this time I've started taking lots of vitamins (including lots of B12) and I'm also having physio of the neck for cervicogenic headaches, which could be partly responsible for the improvement.

50mcg thyroxine is a very low dose - you probably could do with an increase. I now take 150 and reckon I could go higher.

I do sympathise with you as it is a horrible thing - at least I never did the grinding! I would say that you need a dose increase not a decrease to start with, and look at other things too. There are exercises and jaw massages you can do to help - looking up bruxism on the internet will lead to all this! My dentist did say that often you just need to use the guards for 3 months to train yourself out of it...

From another Emma!

[mountaingoat83 in reply to ejh1]

Hi Emma, many thanks for the reply, what you've said about increasing the dose is interesting. I'm pretty sure there's no way my doc would agree though, I virtually had to beg for this increase! I'm having another blood test in a month so will see what that shows, I really want t3/t4 checking but doc is not playing ball. I've had B vits checked about 18 months ago when I was sub clinical and they were ok. I take a multivitamin/mineral every day but I'm never sure if that's enough. I will have a look for some exercises to try too. Thanks, Emma

[lucylocks in reply to mountaingoat83]

Hi

what were your B12 results? Doctors say they are in range but I have learn't from this site it really needs to be over 500 for your levo to work properly. Mine was 377 so I started supplementing with a sublingual spray.

Regards browny

[mountaingoat83 in reply to lucylocks]

Hi Browny, I don't actually know, they just said it was ok. I will see if I can find out from the surgery. Thanks, Emma

[ejh1 in reply to mountaingoat83]

Hi. I was very low on B12 for many years (I found out that my level was 197 when tested about 7 years ago, range 196-900, therefore marked as normal) and I actually started with dreadful neurological symptoms about 2 years ago. I started taking a multivitamin to help, and my next B12 level was 577, so the multivitamin was obviously affecting the result. I now take 1000mcg per day sublingual B12, which I think is important for me. I have never been officially diagnosed with low B12.

As for the thyroid results, your TSH should be low (near or below the bottom level), your T4 high in range and your T3 if they will test it should be mid-high. I was kept on 100mcg for years with a TSH of over 1 and a T4 at the low end of the range and I was quite ill. Only the endocrinologist was happy for an increase.

Emma

[mountaingoat83 in reply to ejh1]

Thank you, that's really helpful

[mountaingoat83 in reply to lucylocks]

I managed to get my result from 18 months ago and it was 386, so I might look into a supplement. Thanks for the advice

[Granitecitygirl]

I ground my teeth and chewed up my tounge at night. It's a known sign of stress, which us thryoid folk are susceptible to. On being treated with carbimazole for Graves and destressing I immediately stopped the grinding/chewing. Symptoms for hyper and hypo can swap so you will need to wait and see what your blood tests say.

[mountaingoat83 in reply to Granitecitygirl]

Thank you Granitecitygirl

[galathea]

bruxism teeth ginding is linked to hypothyroidism. have a look at the book by dr mark starr for more info about it.....

book is called hypothyroidism type 11

xx g

[mountaingoat83 in reply to galathea]

Thank you, I will. My poor teeth are angry again this morning and I'm shattered! x

[galathea in reply to mountaingoat83]

A hard mouth guard is a good idea from the dentist. Cost s bout a hundred pounds but it spreads the load when you clench your teeth. Without one, you can kill the teeth root or split the tooth, resulting in abcesses. Been there, done that! The mouth guard also got rid of the head, neck and face pain.

[mountaingoat83 in reply to galathea]

I did ring my dentist and they said an NHS one would be £214! I can't afford that at the moment so I bought one last week that you mould yourself, which seems to be absorbing some of the impact. Hopefully it'll last for a bit but it already has bite marks in!

[Omolaw in reply to mountaingoat83]

mountaingoat83 if you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, then you should be able to get the Medicare demotion card. Ask your GP. With the medical exemption card, you should be able to get the mouth guard for free

[kj1234]

coincidentally, I started Levothyroxine 50mcg and in about 4 weeks had jaw pain. after 8 weeks of taking this, i have jaw tension and pain. This started after I started this thyroid medicine, I was fine before Dr has now reduced my dosage to 25 mcg after blood test results. I hope this jaw pain stops! Did you find any cure /relief from this jaw issue?

[HeartWoman]

I haven't been on thyroid medication for several years and just started back on NP Thyroid 4 days ago. I have been clenching my jaw for the last 2 days. I hope it is just my body adjusting.

[DarkMan999 in reply to HeartWoman]

Hello people,

Sorry for my late reply to this thread. But I have never found ANYBODY mention this tooth grinding in the States (where I'm from). I really identify with the OP because I also started having major issues with tooth grinding (bruxism) right when I started taking "Tirosint". I was switched off of regular tablet Synthroid (Levothyroxine)---by my own request--- because I believed that Tirosint would absorb much better.

But-- I just think the Tirosint is just WAY too strong! Because I felt all the classical signs of bruxism from the first day or Tirosint-- Jaw pain, temple pain, headaches...

I also take 5 mcg of Cytomel with this Tirosint (75mcg).

The symptoms of bruxism are just too brutal to bear. So I guess my only alternative at this point is to go back to tablet-form Levothyroxine.