what happens when stop taking thyroxine?

[faithalone]

what have people experienced after taking thyroxine for years underactive thyroid but then stopping it completely?

[polly3]

I've been under active for around 16 years and would never stop taking my medication.

[faithalone in reply to polly3]

ok thanks, but my question was, what is anyones experience if have taken it for years and stopped.............what has happened?

[Hidden in reply to faithalone]

Hello faithalone,

I stopped Levothyroxine for 7 days after taking it for four years, and felt great. All the horrid symptoms caused by excess unused T4 such as a banging jumpy heart and brain fog suddenly cleared. However had I continued, I would have become seriously hypothyroid and suffered even worse symptoms and eventually organ damage as missing thyroid hormones must be replaced.

Flower007

[Clutter]

Faithalone, If you don't feel well on Levothyroxine there are alternative thyroid replacements but you may have to buy them online if you can't get them on prescription.

It's not uncommon to feel very well when first stopping thyroxine but it rarely lasts more than the 7-8 days it takes for the last dose to wash out of your system. It doesn't take long for symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, constipation, cold, weight gain, palpitations and hairloss to present. If your thyroid levels are very low for a long time your kidney, liver, heart, lung and brain function will become impaired and damage may not be reversible. Ability to withstand and recover from infection decreases and you'll probably succumb to pneumonia.

I have no thyroid and have been off thyroxine for 4 weeks on 2 occasions. The last time it took 3 months to feel well after resuming meds and six months for my hair to stop falling out, my dry skin to stop shedding like confetti and my nails to stop splitting.

[Jazzw]

Do you know of someone who is considering stopping? Bad idea. Whoever it is would be risking very poor health, possibly death. Apologies if that sounds dramatic, but it's true. There's a reason thyroid replacement hormones are prescribed free on the NHS in cases of hypothyroidism.

[frogandprincess]

I endorse what others are saying. I weaned myself off Levo very very slowly (and all my other meds). Felt fantastic for a month, but went straight over to NDT at a level equivalent to the old Levo I'd been on. I'm the one in charge of how much I need now, and this forum helped me to see what else I ought to check out and get into balance to work in conjunction with the hormone replacement to get optimal results. I'm generally fitter and slimmer with more stamina, but I have had a recent heart attack (mild) which means paying better attention to my diet and exercise now. But that fat old brain fogged slug is not who I am any more.

[Hidden]

Never do it . It's horrendous.

[Lilian15]

Thyroxine is a storage hormone, it has to convert to T3 which is the active hormone. When mine stopped converting it was like I was not taking any thyroxine. I became so ill. Started off with things like plantar faciitis, two frozen shoulders, constipated most of the time for 7 days (very uncomfortable) then diarrhea for a day or two then back to constipation. Being so fatigued, falling asleep whilst talking to someone or in middle of typing a message. Falling hair, breaking nails, putting on weight (despite no appetite because of contipation) were just minor things compared to how I was. Swollen legs that skin was breaking. My social life diminished. I was like a zombie. I could feel myself slowly dying. When it got to the stage when I was spending 24/7 in bed, sleeping most of it, I used to think the only difference between me and a dead person was that I was breathing.

[farmermechanic]

I would not recommend it. I was advised by my doctor to stop taking it as he reckoned I was being poisoned by it at the time. After being on it for 3 years. I was fine the first week I could do a lot but by the fourth week. I was a physical and mental wreck and during lambing season too I had to go to bed early because my throat was so sore with breathing cold air. At the fifth week I had a blood test and my doctor(at that time) actually came out to find me to say I was dangerously low and to double what I was taking to get levels up but I didn't I took what I thought was right and luckily it was but the time to get over it took months before I was any near right in myself.

When I first took levothyroxine my doctor gave it to me as blood results were not in the limits but antibodies were high and I was displaying symptoms. I was told to stop taking it if I felt worse and carry on if I felt better. I did feel better but I was not officially diagnosed until after 3 years when my bloods proved I was hypothyroid from stopping taking the medication at that time. I having a feeling my doctor forgot that I had not been formally diagnosed and was worried that he would get told off.( he has since left the profession).