Mild shaking of hands, small pupils: Hi every... - Thyroid UK

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Mild shaking of hands, small pupils

marleydog profile image
15 Replies

Hi every, Can anyone help

I am suffering from shaking of my hands every day at sporadic times. The shaking is mild however concerning. I also feel as if I have not even been to bed . My family also say that I have pin pointed pupils. Can anyone advice me please. I currently take 100 mg Levo

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marleydog
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15 Replies

Hello marleydog,

I am sorry to hear of these symptoms you are feeling.

You sound over or under medicated but without thyroid hormone test results, it is impossible to comment.

How long have you been medicated on Levothyroxine and do you take any other meds?

Perhaps you could post some recent test results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets).

marleydog profile image
marleydog in reply to

Hi Flower007

Thanks for prompt reply :-) this was my first ever post

I have been diagnosed two years ago. Started at 50 to 75 to 100 which I have been on for over a year. I have not had bloods done for a year.

I have asked for results with ranges, however I seem to always get a different doctor. I also take Mirtzapine one daily. I am so tired, sometimes I do not know if I am coming or going. Any advice you can give would be appreciated

Marleydog

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply tomarleydog

Marleydog, if you were prescribed Mirtazpine after your last thyroid test it is possible that it is affecting the uptake of your Levothyroxine dose. Some antidepressants increase uptake while others decrease it. Mild tremors and fatigue can be due to under and over medication so you should request a thyroid blood test to check levels. Leave 24 hours between Levothyroxine dose and blood draw to avoid skewing results.

in reply tomarleydog

Marleydog,

Having just googled it, I can't find any known interactions between Levothyroxine & Mitzapine but this however doesn't mean there isn't any.

Clearly something is a little amiss and I would recommend you have it checked out at your doctors.

Also remember it is important to get bloods taken regularly to check you are being thyroid hormone medicated correctly.

Post any results you get in order for people to comment.

I hope you feel better soon.

marleydog profile image
marleydog in reply to

Flower007

Thank you so much, will sort doctors appointment will also ensure I get results and post online. One other questions you may be able to advice. I have had two episodes of where my body has become ice cold causing pain shaking, teeth chattering each episode has occurred in a normal temperature range.

Marleydog

in reply tomarleydog

I don't know much about Mirtazpine side effects but do know thyroid issues can cause any number of weird and miserable symptoms.

Cold and trembling are two major symptoms that many hypothyroid people complain of (myself included) until suitable medicated.

Remember you are legally entitled to a copy of your thyroid hormone blood test results no matter what your doctors receptionist tells you.

Spareribs profile image
Spareribs in reply to

I can still shiver whilst sun-bathing or in a red-hot bath!

marleydog profile image
marleydog in reply toSpareribs

Yes I can agree with that :-)

Spareribs profile image
Spareribs

Hi Marley - well done for finding the courage to post!

I just checked Mirtazapine & Levo interactions on drugs.com - nothing reported.

I checked pin-point pupils & 36 causes come up!

I know shakiness can be over-medication but, in my limited experience, I was more shaky before I was on Levo (but still shaky when increasing). As Flower says it's impossible to say which (Dr Broda Barnes said it could be either & went by temperature low = under active). When it's autoimmune we can be up & down like a yoyo!

I don't know how long you've been on ADs and I know nothing about them, but most drugs deplete something so (as I;ve said a lot of times before) check your vits/minerals especially

Iron (ferritin is the stored type)

folate & B12

Vitamin D

long term PPI meds can cause magnesium deficiency too & diuretics drain out salts.

(my colleague's Mum is still in hospital due to low magnesium would you believe).

Pop along for your annual blood tests and get a printout after- usually takes a week (you are entitled to your own records - they're supposed to be "rolling them out on-line" anytime soon!) Put you results here for folk to comment and help. J :D

Heloise profile image
Heloise

Hi Marley, there is so much to learn about hypothyroidism but it seems only functional medicine doctors seem to understand the whole picture. Personally I think we should be taking natural desiccated hormone rather than thyroxine but it's hard to get anyone to offer that. If you are treated correctly you do not need antidepressants, it's just another symptom. Tight muscles around neck and shoulders pinch nerves which may contribute to the shakes in your hands. If your head a bit too forward if you stand against a wall? This interferes with nerve function as well. A short video may help you see how involved this condition is.

youtube.com/watch?v=nZ_CP7l...

If you want to learn more, I'll post a longer video.

Revsie profile image
Revsie in reply toHeloise

I found this really interesting and would love to see a longer video please?

Heloise profile image
Heloise in reply toRevsie

Glad to hear that Revsie. I knew nothing about thyroid when I was diagnosed, in fact, they never even mentioned Hashimoto's 20 years ago. This is a good place to find out more because even your doctor seems only to have learned to prescribe thyroxine. So learn as much as you can and post questions here whenever you need to. You can jump to more 5-min. videos by Dr. Clark by clicking the youtube icon in bottom right corner.

I also feel Dr. Bergman explains the entire process very well.

youtube.com/watch?feature=p...

Sue-b profile image
Sue-b

Hi Marleydog

My daughter also had problems with her pupils but they were over large. She is also on Mirtazapine but very small doses. She has been on adrenal supplements for 9 months and her eyes are back to normal. Google adrenal fatigue. Her main symptom was her hair falling out, but it no longer does.

Pepekins profile image
Pepekins

Just to say I had the mild tremor for quite some time. I was on 125 mcg daily (I have no thyroid gland) at the time. Then vertigo and osteopena (the stage before osteoporosis), had to have a hip replaced through loss of bone. My endo now says I should be on less Levo, so now on 100mcg and 125 for 2 days only. Feel a bit dopey on this level. Regarding the cold hands and feet, I am quite the opposite and always have to hang my feet out of bed!!! Levo can have many many side effects, some mild and some not so mild!

Lionyx2006 profile image
Lionyx2006

If it's the tremor from overmedication from thyroid medication, they tell you to hold out your hands straight out in front of you. If your hand tremble that's a sign of it.

I was overmedicated more than once and never exhibited the sign. Unfortunately, some dumb doctors use that sign only to determine overmedication with thyroid meds. Wrong and bad way to diagnose.

Here's a breakdown I found on thyrotoxicosis through overmedication. You'll see the percentage of the time the symptom or sign occurs.

THYROTOXICOSIS

FROM ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM

BY PHILIP FELIG, LAWRENCE A. FROHMAN

© McGraw-Hill Professional, 2001

ISBN 0070220018, 9780070220010

1562 PAGES

Page 295:

Exogenous Thyrotoxicosis:

Thyrotoxicosis can occur as a result of the prescription of high doses of thyroid hormone by physicians ... It is more likely to occur in patients chronically taking T4 in doses of 0.2mg/day or more ...

Thyroid hormone-induced Thyrotoxicosis is especially likely to occur when T3 alone or combinations of T4 and T3 are used, treatment is monitored by measurements of serum T4, because the results underestimate the total dose of thyroid hormone administered.

TABLE 9-13. Common Symptoms and Signs of Thyrotoxicosis

_______________________________________

SymptomsFrequency in Patients, %

NERVOUSNESS35 -99%

INCREASED SWEATING45-95%

HEAT INTOLERANCE22-92%

PALPITATIONS22-89%

FATIGUE27-88%

WEAKNESS27-88%

WEIGHT LOSS50-85%

DYSPNEA41-81%

INCREASED APPETITE41-81%

HYPERDEFECATION 4-36%

Signs

TACHYCARDIA >9050-100%

THYROID ENLARGEMENT37-100%

TREMOR32-97%

LID RETRACTION34-80%

HYPERACTIVITY39-80%

ATRIAL FIBRILLATION 3-38%

_______________________________________

Their frequency and severity vary substantially among patients, and clinical severity is poorly correlated with serum T4 and T3 concentrations. None is specific for T, although the combination of increased appetite and weight loss is nearly so.

Factors that influence the clinical severity of Thyrotoxicosis include the rate of onset, the age of the patient, and the vulnerability of different organ systems to excess thyroid hormone action.

Some patients have steatorrhea, nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.

Easy bruising

B12, folate, and iron concentrations low

Patients with subclinical Thyrotoxicosis due to Exogenous thyroid hormone therapy should be treated by reduction of the dose of thyroid hormone.

-------------

So as one can see above, TREMOR occurs in 32 - 97% of patients. I find it infuriating when a doctor insists on telling me I'm not overmedicated because I do NOT have hand tremors.

Now, on a different topic. I get tremors in my fingers when my B12 level is too low. It's not my entire hand, rather several fingers.

I hope this helps you sort out the problem.

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