im sorry if everyone is really bored with me keep asking questions about this horrid condition, but since ive been on 50 mg levothyroxine, i seem to be up all night having to go to urinate ever 40 mins ,, has anyone else experienced this ?
up all night having to urinate about every 40 mins - Thyroid UK
up all night having to urinate about every 40 mins
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astroscopesuk
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If you've been hypo that will have caused you to store too much water and the Levo will help you get rid of it. You'll be lighter! (Don't know if this is an issue for you). Alternatively you may have an infection, it may be worth getting checks. Good luck
Dear Aurealis
thank you,, why don't the gps tell you all this when they put you on it,, its driving me nuts, and no wonder were so tired ..I don't have an infection(thankgoodness) i had all that when i was newly diagnosed about a month ago i was put on levo and antibiotics and omprazole and lots of painkillers,,this condition, no wonder the gps seem to have a hard time with it,,i also read it was called the great imitator,, as it mimics so many other conditions,, however i also hear that one can have heart problems with this and ive never had a problem with my heart in my life,,,
anyway on a comical note ive christened my condition eeyor as he s very slow and if you know the story of Christopher Robin,,it makes me feel like a moan y old donkey,,
thank-you
Astro
well...about the same time I became hypothyroid in my early 40's..i sure peed a lot...I had to go see a specialist and they did a little operation thing which didn't help...As time went on, I was told its a hormone thing if your older...and to avoid coffee and tea as it makes it worse. If your younger can be infection...if your older too, I guess.
Dear dgleds
thank you for your reply.
Im in my early 50s sounds better that way, makes me feel better about being like this,, but ive never felt so dreadful in all my life, i know i seem overly dramatic at the moment but its hit me like a ton of bricks,,
i never usually go sick from work and Ive currently been off since may and am going to have to ask the doc for an extension as i feel terrible.
This condition as i understand it is a hormone thing, a lack of the thyroid producing the iodine one needs for ones metabolism.
However i did notice my body has been craving foods that have lots of iodine in them ie, artichokes and eggs. As for the tea and coffee, I dont drink excessive amounts, in fact i dont drink excessive amounts of anything as my poor little body cant take very much. I also have a hernia which stops me eating and drinking too much. But now i have found out that the levo causes this from another member im a tad relieved.
Thankyou for your reply
Astro
I have a friend that's in her 50's too..When she visits its a competition for the bathroom...Thing is she doesn't take levo, or have a thyroid prob that she knows of....she will not go to a conventional gp....Only a naturopath which is costly here...
It can seriously effect your friends organs if left untreated for along time, my liver is damaged for life , my lungs , my bowels , and alot of mental health issues too, this is why levo are free prescriptions in uk along with diabetes , if you work or not , hope she hasnt got it 👌x
me too
shawsAdministrator
Maybe it's about time GP raised your levo slightly.
Dear Shaws
i am going to see one of the gps in the practice I belong to on Thursday, i have also asked to be referred to a specialist as I would like this dealt with properly and i don't feel that general practitioners can .
I do hope i will feel some improvement if they do that, but at the moment i have been on levo since 24th april and i am feeling like ive been in a car crash every day . I thought this medicine was supposed to sort things and make you feel better not worse. I seem to have developed more symptoms since ive been on it and here i am again at 2,44am still up as my bladder wont let me sleep and my under active thyroid makes me feel like a buzzing battery like my bloods boiling and ive got white noise tinnitus!!!
Thankyou for your reply
Astro
hmmm wonder if you can be allergic to thyroid meds? like an irritant...
is there anything else the docs can prescribe to assist the thyroid,,i dont particularly want it chopped out!!!!!
regards
astro
Ive never used it, but I think there is an alternative called Armour...
Isit on prescription in the uk? by any chance ive not seen it?
thankyou
regards
Astro
I think it is..Im not sure, cause I live in Canada now. There is a search button thing on this page (on mine its in the right corner)...punch in armour, and I think lots of info there...Or one of the Uk members might know more....You never know it might be the right thing... all the best to you
Hi iam going through these symptoms of yours after starting levo on monday, they keep me awake at night anyway, and yes iam going toilet ALOT more, infact a whole bunch of symtoms before i was diagnosed , iam just wondering if your tablets balanced out eventually , many thanks sharon
Check inactive ingredients. Acacia aka gum Arabic can cause itchy nose, eye irritation and irritated bladder. Acacia is related to cedar, juniper, and American mesquite.
Have you been checked for diabetes? Is your urine dark in colour? Are you thirsty excessively ? Could be not LEVO but diabetes or something else.
Dear edysia2
no i havent, no its not, yes i am!!
i dont think i m diabetic, i really hope not any way having enough difficulty coping with this hypothyroidism,just going through the change too,, i think i would go mad if this were the case,
but thankyou
regards
astro
Hi is it a normal amount when you go to the loo or is it little and often. What are your muscles like. One of the possible side effects listed on thyroxine is muscle cramps or weakness. I have muscle weakness which has not only effected my bladder but also my voice. For me t3 has helped. I think you would need to rule out any infections. What are your other muscles like.
Dear Rubyred
its quite a lot,,and its every half an hour. I cant be doing this and staying awake all night, no wonder im shattered in the am, and all day.
My muscles are weak, i cant life what i normally can. I dont get the cramps but my back feels like ive got flu and i find that if i go out in the rain i catch a c old immediately. my immune system is shot,
i am so fed up with this itchness, going to the loo , weakness and shakes, pins and needles and foggyness and weight gain and all the rest of the horrible ness of hypothyroidism and not being to eat the foods i love,. I commented to another member that i just got the all clear from breast cancer this year and that was only a couple of months ago, and bang i get this two months later.. The universe must hate me
regards#
Astro
Although there is a good chance this is your body getting rid of oedema due to hypothyroidism. I think you should see a doctor so he can check you over - just to make sure nothing else is going on.
There are so many things that it could be, and many of the above suggestions from the lovely members here are realistic, but I still think it is worth getting checked out, especially if it continues.
I hope you get to the bottom of it soon so you can get some sleep!
Carolyn x
Dear CarolynB
you could be right here as Ive had two bursitis s on my hip and my knee, the fluid has to go somewhere i suppose, so you're probable correct here, but its driving me nuts, i will mention this to my doc too, thankyou , as i woke the other night after a ten minute nap and both my ankles had really swelled too,,it was really scary!! i put some cushions up at the end of my bed and slept with my legs ellivated, but i was really frightened as the next morning it hurt so much to move.
I do think the people on here are wonderful yourself included, i call them all mu earth angels as i wouldnt have been able to get through these last few weeks without finding the wonderful folk on this site,, youve all saved my sanity ,this is a horrible condition.
regards
Astro
That sounds awful 
It is best to get it checked out. I hope it goes well with the doctor so you can feel better soon. It would be a good idea to get your kidney function checked just to be safe. Kidney infections can be treated with antibiotics but are best caught early so they can be cleared up quickly.
All the best.
Carolyn xxx
i also asked my doc if this could be the case and she said no ,, the bursis i had on my knee would have been absorbed by the body!!! i still have a bad one on my hip , but this hypo thing is making me feel like a walking corpse!!!
thankyou
kind regards
Astro
Did your doctor do any tests to find out why you are having to wee so much?
Dear CarolynB
No, I have asked to be referred to a specialist as I don't think any of the doctors at my surgery really know what they are doing with thyroid problems and am fed up with them getting it wrong, (to date two out of four blood tests and several different painkillers subscribed,, and now I feel so rough I've had to take nearly two months off work,,
I am having another blood test on Friday, and am hoping that may shed some light on what on earth is going on internally!!!
The only way I manage to feel halfway normal is taking two really strong painkillers, but when they wear off I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus!!
Still weeks later I don’t now what to do with myself!!!
I am taking B12, and vit d and various other vitamin supplements and selenium ace... I am trying to find out what not to eat, and have not eaten bread, am trying to avoid soy and its counterparts, have been trying to eat foods that support the thyroid,, as I’m vege.. but do wonder if I dint get hypo from eating endamne beans in a tuna salad, which i used to love,
However I think that’s a bit farfetched, and feel it was prob due to large amounts of stress..
Kind regards
Astro
I have had this for about 10 years - much worse in last 5. It is an absolute hassle so i know what you are going through
astroscopesuk• in reply to
Dear Bluedaffodil
soooo sorry to hear you're suffering like me,, im glad in a way im not alone, but i feel so sorry for you,,its absolutely horrendous,, please would you care to share any of your coping strategies as im going steadily mad,,
regards
Astro
I has this recently when I increased my armour dose from 90mg to 120mg-I was getting up every half hour to pee all night it was literally sleepless nights every night...i dropped my dose back down and found it improved. On looking into it excessive urination &bladder issues are much more related to being hyper thyroid ( I have hashimotos & swing between the two) as the metabolism is hyper stimulated in hyperthyroidism & this means your kidneys are working over time to create excessive urine. I would also look into having your pee dipsticked at your gp/nurse practice for protein, nitrites etc as these will show if u have an infection
Dear saryfairy
I didnt think it was possible to swing between hypo and hyper?
i havent been given armour, im on 50 mg levo. I dont drink that much fluids and i am wondering where its coming from or my liver and kidneys are working overtime.
I have asked to be reffered to a specialist as i have too many issues all at once since being put on 50 mg levo.
I did have an infection but went on antibiotics that seems to have cleared that one up.
just heard from another member that levo can make one pee excessively,
wish the gps would tell you this
Thankyou
regards
astro
weigh yourself...see if your losing weight...
Dear dgleds
currently go between 9 and a half and ten stone,, ive always always been 7 and a half to 8!!!
I was thinking maybe you were losing water weight.,..its a bummer like every few minutes. Well probably hormone imbalance from the levo etc...A lady once said to me, muscles act differently when your hypothyroid...she thought maybe my bladder had relaxed or something. There is also a thing can happen where you don't completely empty your bladder, then u add up amounts of this residual left over urine each time..So many things...
I had thyroid tumors encased in cysts. I developed thyroiditis. My immune system was attacking thyroid. largest tumor was 5.5 cm. Went from 1 tumor at 1 cm to over 30 from 1cm to 5cm. was on prednisone to help w inflammation so I could breath until surgery. after surgery auto immunity continued attacking thyroid replacement. At lowest point I was urinating every 10 minutes. I had to start taking levothyroxine in half doses with glass of water, followed 30 minutes later by antihistamines and prednisone, steroid therapy to get immune system to ease up. itchy nose, eyes swelled shut and watering, were symptoms of my immune system thinking thyroid med was to be attacked.
Excessive urination can also be a symptom of low cortisol. Which in itself is a symptom of poor adrenal function and the adrenals and the thyroid interact.
Poor aldosterone function will also affect waterworks.
You might need to get your adrenal function fully checked.
Dear Coppernob
thankyou for this
I shall take this up with the specialist when i get an appointment,
although i have never experienced this before , just since being on levo
Thankyou
Regards
astro
Thierry Hertoghe talks in his book - The Hormone Solution - about Vasopressin. Apparently there is a connection with low levels and going often to the loo....so another hormone....
Dear Marz
thankyou, appreciated i shall take this up with the specialist too when i get an appointment
regards
astro
Hope he has heard of it ....
My OH has a thyroid problem so I am watching the Thyroid forum with interest, and have read through some of your posts with interest Astro. I read that you have a lot of white noise in your ears, this sounds like tinnitus to me. My OH was put on levothyroxine last year and started on 25mg, then 50mg, his main side affect was that when the GP raised his dose to 100mg, his tinnitus, which he already suffered from, was raised dramatically and caused him to become almost suicidal. Turns out that levothryoxine is an ototoxic drug (there are hundreds of them) that can cause tinnitus or exacerbate the problem even more, as it did in his case!
My main reason for posting here though is that, as I don't know if you are a man or a woman, apart from all the other things people have suggested, I would say that if you are a man and going to the loo all those many times in the night, then you should get your PSA Levels tested. OH had problems years ago (long before his thyroid problems) and had prostate problems, he has now been diagnosed with low grade prostate cancer. So I really think you should see your GP and get this sorted out, besides anything else, you must be exhausted through lack of sleep.
Deer ceejayblue
thankyou, whats an OH?
I am female,i have asked to see a specialist,, as you can see yet again its silly o clock 4.25 am and have been up all night again,,
im getting so fed up i have a hydro appointment today and if i fall asleep in the water,, well!!
im drying to heal a bursitis in my hip that cos i put on two stone with the hypothyroid my poor little body couldnt take the weight and popped...
im only little and was terrified of putting on weight, ive always only ever been 8 stone and now im ten stone and my body hates it as much as my head does and i cant lose it and i dont eat much cos i have a hernia too!!!
any way onward and up ward
regards
astro
Hi Astro, OH stands for other half (ie my husband).
I have sleep apnoea and was always tired with it because I was constantly stopping breathing in the night and then my brain kicks in with adrenalin which shocked me awake but also meant my kidneys got a shock and I ended up needing the loo several times a night. I didn't sleep properly until I was diagnosed and got my CPAP machine. I didn't realise just how much sleep I was losing until I went to the sleep clinic!
I really hope that you get this sorted as it can be very debilitating to keep getting up for the loo in the night. Make sure you speak to your GP and mention it and tell them how worried you are.
Sending hugs.
Dear Ceejayblue
thanks for clearing that up , my brother has sleep apnoea so i know what that is,,
i wish i could sleep longer than an hour or two.
however thanks to these good earth angels yourself included i am beginning to think its low cortisol, as well and prob adrenal probs or getting rid of the fluid from two bursitis that they wouldn't drain,, but of course the fluid has to go somewhere ,,yep all the way through me,, so it has to come out but with everything else,, not feeling well at all
but thankyou
i hope all your problems get better soon and at least you have an OH
my long term man doesnt live with me and is waiting a hip operation so we are both limping about the place and hes in pain too and gets tired so i dont want to bother him with my pain
my brother has just had a major bowel opp so i dont want to stress him i want him to recover,,
so this is why this forum is so vital to me
thankyou
Regards
astro,
My bladder was nagging at me all through the 16 years of my being on levothyroxine.
When I changed to T3 only the symptoms disappeared.
After 3 years on T3 my bladder feels like a bladder should-only signalling when it needs emptying!
Dear Wild deer
what is t3?
im getting really fed up with all the symptoms im experiencing on levo,,i did ask on an earlier question if one could be allergic to levo but i have had more agony than ever on this and just want some peace so i can go back to work and feel human again,,
regards
thankyou for your reply
astro
There is so much information on the main Thyroid UK website about the different treatments for thyroid. thyroiduk.org.uk T3 is the active hormone that your T4 should convert into. T3 needed in every cell of your body for it to work well.
Also lots to read about the many other tests needed for optimal thyroid function. 50mcg of T4 is a very low starting dose. Time to take control and read as much as you can. Being informed enables you to ask the right questions for you to regain your health. Sometimes it is the most simple things that need improving - B12 - VitD - and so on....
Yes when I was first diagnosed with Hashi I was up every two hours for a wee, but only at night, day time is ok, as I started the levo it improved but am now back to the every two hours at night, I hate being at the mercy of the medical profession as to how well I feel and their bl**dy parameters on blood tests.
Dear Helenback
love the name..
i totally agree
i feel as though im at the mercy of the medical profession at the moment apart from when the gp says what can i do for you?
i shall not repeat what goes through my head at this point!!
regards
astro
Hello, have you been tested for interstitial cystitis? Your GP needs to send you for urodynamics and hopefully a cystoscopy. I have this disease and one of the symptoms is frequency of uriniation. Do you have any pain?
Have a look on the Cystitis and Overactive Bladder web site (COB) it will describe symptoms of various bladder conditions.
Before I accessed a diagnosis (which took five years) and treatment, I was going to the loo every 10 minutes day and night, I understand how debilitating this is. Some sufferers just get frequency without the pain, so this doesn't rule this out.
I can PM you the Urologist who is an expert on this disease, and believe me there are very few in the UK. Let me know.
astroscopesuk• in reply to
Dear Helecaster
hello,
i did have a bladder infection and went on antibiotics
this had now subsided but with this hypothroidism i find my immune system shot at the moment.
I have only experienced this since being on levo
many thanks
regards
Astro
I wrote but it disappeared...
Have you weighed yourself? See if your losing weight with all the weeing...
I pee alot on Levothyroxine Im on 100mcg..But I drink loads even in night.Im wondering if I should change from me taking my Levo at 11pm at night to having it in the morning instead..The other syptoms I get are the shakes & bad muscle cramps do others get these?
dont know when the best time to take it
but im on 50 mg and get shakes and muscle aches not so much the cramps,, but i do get pins and needles , brain fog, and giddyness, and tinnitus!!!
regards
astro
Hi,
I haven't had this frequent wee problem at night, but my urine production used to speed up when I fell asleep instead of slowing down, and I would soon need a huge wee and maybe another later, leaving me dehydrated!
I think mine was an adrenal thing --- over stimulation of the adrenals caused by the physical stress of being ill. In your case, starting with thyroxine medication could be causing over stimulation because your body is new to it and not settled. I had terrible insomnia and nervousness for a long time when I started taking thyroxine.
I always -- 18 years -- felt over stimulated on thyroxine until I began splitting my dose in two, taking half morning and half before my evening meal. When I did this, I felt more at ease immediately, even on the first day.
Do any relaxation routines you can in these early months -- they help to calm the body by calming the mind. Bodies can panic!
Dear Helen abc
i have the insomnia thing
i have palpitations and pins and needles and itches and weight gain and shakes and foggyness and tiredness and feel like im 105.
my friend suggested i split the tablet too,, i usually take it in the am as i fall asleep all over the place so thought if i took it in the am i would be reasonably aware when i do..lol
however i do take this with a glass of water
but how do you dplit the tiny tablet and where do u put the other half safely?
seems a stupid question but its such a small tablet?
regards
astro
Hi again,
I know what you mean by feeling very old. I can't claim to have ever felt 105, just 90 or so!
You could ask the doctor about splitting the dose, and see if she/he will give you tablets half that dose -- 25mcg -- to help you with your experiment. Using a very sharp knife, it may be possible to cut the tablets you have got: you could try and see how well they cut. It's no good if you lose some into powder. You could put cotton wool into the bottom of a tiny container for the half, and keep it in a safe place.
Personally, I am on liquid thyroxine, but this has an outrageous price tag for the NHS.
Commenting on the reply from WildDeer, clearly, your body IS converting the thyroxine in your tablets into the active hormone, or you wouldn't be getting the strong reaction you're experiencing.
Dear Astroscopes,
I see you are getting a mixed bag of advice, which is confusing. Trouble is that different people have
differing forms of imbalance, and we don't always understand that our form of it is not the only one possible. Which is a drawback of the HU website, wonderful though it is.
My advice is to spend time reading the information on the Thyroid UK website , which will tell you all about T3. thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/#
Basically it is the useable form of the thyroid hormone that our bodies produce. It has 3 iodine atoms. Levothyroxine is the storage form , which has 4 iodine atoms.
Quite a proportion of people can't convert T4 tablets into useable T3. Maybe you are one of those?
At this point in history the evidence about it is not generally accepted by Endocrinologists or GPs. But the tide is turning.
We have to become responsible for our own health, and try to learn all we can, because most GPs can't think about it, and are afraid of being in trouble if they do.
Thyroid UK has been a tremendous help to me.
Ask if there is a volunteer advisor in your area.
I also recommend Dr Peatfield's book, Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy.
Then you have to find support to sort out what will help. Dr P would also want to test your adrenal function, which interacts with the thyroid.Thyroid UK has a list of recommended doctors.
Best Wishes
Jenny
Dear WildDeer
thank you for that , i have noted all your comments, thank you again, however i do only try to read the thyroid uk and stop the madness . Thank you so much for your recommendation too.
Regards
Astro
helvellaAdministrator
As I can't see anything that says otherwise, I assume you take your levothyroxine in the morning.
I suggest you try switching to bed-time dosing. Many people do this. Read the comments on this poll:
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Rod
I got my diagnosis today and start Levothyroxin tomorrow. for the last 3 weeks, I've been urinating twice an hour, all day and most of the night. I thought it might be related to the hypothyroidism. I hope this med won't affect me like it seems to be affecting you - I'd never leave the bathroom!!
i had to laugh ,,sorry
it gets like that some nights, thats why i only took one painkiller and slept a bit more but peeing doesn't seem to make me lose any weight unfortunately,, and i was going mad with all the being up throughout the night .
My poor little slightly two stone overweight body is giving up on me and i hate every minute of this condition physically,,the only thing that has been of any value at all is being in contact with all you earth angels
that's saved me and kept me going,
Ive changed seemingly over night to a very active person to one who cant do a thing without having to sit down and cant even get out of bed with the pain,, ive currently been off work since 7 may and all i wish is to feel healthy again but its getting worse daily , not better,, i have a blood test next Friday and have
asked my gp to refer me to an endocronologist as i need this sorted before i become a complete criple
Good luck with your levo
I really really really hope it makes you feel a million times better
Regards
Astro
Make sure to take thyroid meds on empty stomach. And do not eat anything with calcium 4 hours before or after thyroid meds because calcium binds with it and it will not be absorbed.
Also, don't take acid reducing meds 4 hours before or after, because stomach acid has to be present to digest thyroid replacement.
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