Could my aches and pains, tendonitis, trigger finger, pain in my heel and stiff knees be related to my underactive thyroid?

[jennyspen]

Most of these have appeared within the last twelve months. I have been on 125 mg Levothyroxine for the past 24 years. I have never had any of my blood test results explained to me just that they are always OK.

[marram]

Yes! They could.

You really should ask for your actual results and the ranges - then even if the doctor won't explain them to you, you will get an explanation here.

24 years is a long time - have you changed the brand of Levo recently?

[jennyspen]

No I have not changed my brand of levo for a few years. I shall ask my doctor for my recent results and post them on here for an explanation. The last time I saw the nurse she mentioned that one of my results was 4 but didnt explain any more.

[danceforever]

They are most definetly related to underactive thyroid, and are also side effects to thyroxine, unfortunetly. Sadly they are symptoms we have to live with.

[Hidden in reply to danceforever]

Hi. I also suffer from these types of aches. I'm ablated graves on levo replacement. Do we have any documented evidence of these aches being Levo related so I can show my gp????

[Banjogirl]

Hello. The simple answer is yes! All can be related to being hypo and I have had all of them! As previously mentioned it could also be related to the fact that you are on synthetic t4 and you might feel better on another brand, or that you have to consider the route of taking Natural Dessicated thyroid or the addition of t3. However optimal health will depend you dealing with any underlying health conditions, making sure you are taking the right supplements and finding yourself a good GP or Endo who will guide and support you. I am sure one of the administrators can advise you of a good dr in your area if you ask. Best wishes.

[shaws Administrator]

You may need your medication reviewed. For instance, the addition of some T3 to a reduced T4 (levothyroxine) may help.

[sassicat]

What brand if thyroxine do you take? I have been on Eltroxin (MercuryPharma) for 15 years and at the beginning of the year it changed. Since then I have had awful problems with it - and a return of all hypo symptoms, including aches and pain. Ektrixin is now out of stock and I find the MP levothyroxine even worse.

[sassicat]

Are you around the menopause?Just a thought as joint problems can be triggered by falling estrogen levels. I find that taking a high dose GLA (Gamma Linoleic Acid - the active ingredient in Evening Primrose Oil) really helps. I only found this out as following the menopause I stopped taking the GLA I took to help with PMT. Within 3 months my finger joints were so painful I could barely pick anything up. I started the GLA again and now its all much better. I have since read that GLA is good for joint health.

[jennyspen]

Thank you all for your helpful replies. I am seeing my doctor next week so shall ask him plenty of questions. I think that I will try the GLA as suggested by Pureblue as I feel that could be helpful.

[loisbrucie]

glutenfreesociety.org/video...

I have been on thyroxine for 12 years and this year I have discovered that my hypothyroidism, my achey knees, carpal tunnel, dry eyes, arthritis, plantar fasciatis (sore heels ) tendinitis are all related ( in my case and possibly to yours) to GLUTEN SENSITIVITY. I went gluten free for 3 weeks and couldn't believe the difference . I am now able to go to gym classes zumba, pilates yoga. I now have no pain in my joints - my red swollen finger joint are back to normal. The above video should help, and the web site is a mine of information.

[hairyfairy]

I have aches & pains in my tendons when I excercise, But I`m not sure if not doing any excercise at all would help at all.

[jennyspen]

Thank you for all your replies. I have my blood test results which are TSH value 0.70 range 0.3 - 5.0 mU/L my doctor has advised me that the result is normal. I have moved home in the last 2 years and maybe the Levo is from a different manufacturer as I have a new doctor and chemist. Perhaps this could be the cause.

[jennyspen]

My recent blood test was 0.53 range 0.3 - 5.0mU/L. This was after not taking my Levo for 24hrs beforehand (the first time I have done this since being diagnosed 25 years ago). My result was slightly lower than last years test which I expected to be higher. I have been given Naxopren to take for my numerous aches and pains, which to be honest aren't really helping. The doctors diagnosis was osteoarthritis due to my advancing age (59)! During the past 2 years I have suffered from tendonitis in my elbow, trigger finger on both hands, Plantar fasciitis and pain and stiffness in my knees to such an extent that sometimes I can hardly walk. Could this be due to a change in the brand of Levo I currently take or something else? I was a regular walker and cyclist up until 2 years ago. What can have changed so much to make me feel as I do now?