Stopped taking 100 thyroxine

[Procrastinate]

I have stopped taking thyroxine 100 into third week now what is likely to happen

[bluebug]

Why?

[Procrastinate in reply to bluebug]

I went away without a supply of tablets which drifted into a third week so I have been monitoring myself for changes. Up until that point I have not been well for a long time and is thyroxine not helping me. I am not feeling brilliant but the constipation that I have been suffering has gone So does thyroxine cause constipation? I am going to have a blood test to see what my levels are. I am not feeling well but I am concerned that once you have been on thyroxine for a long time you do get lost in the medical system and I am wanting to know if and what is happening to me so if there is a significant change hopefully it will be noticed and acted on. Prior to stopping I have had a serious vitamin d deficiency Joint problems . I have noticeable muscle loss sinus problems . I do have feelings of claustrophobia (panic attacks) whilst taking thyroxine. For example I had an M R I scan on my knee for chronic pain this is a real task mentally I become overwhelmed and unable to allow myself to undertake this procedure I can be the same getting into the back of a car. It is like being unable to breathe and mind over matter. I am male and this is not my normal outgoing persona.

In fact this is the first time I have ever written anything like this.

I suppose I am asking the question what will happen to me not taking it heart attack stroke? If not I am not convinced thryroxin is the answer as I feel a lot of the problems associated with a thyroid problem do not dissapear taking thyroxine

Is there another approach medication which will assist me rather other than thyroxine

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Procrastinate]

Procrastinate it would be good to know if you have recent test results to post here. If you were constipated it's likely you were being undertreated and/or your body wasn't using the levo well. When optimally treated these symptoms should resolve.

There are other meds - t3 and ndt - and some people feel better on them, but equally you don't yet know if you were on enough levo to help you, which might be the first port of call.

[Procrastinate in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Thank you for your reply .

Regarding constipation along with other symptons I have it would seem to appear that either I am not on the right level of medication or that my body is not absorbing it properly. A noticeable thing I have noticed is that my previous constipation is no longer a problem and it is not through a change of diet however I felt very disconnected yesterday and I shall start taking the medication after I have had a blood test Monday.

If my level is the same as previously I will ask to try alternative medication. Thanks

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Procrastinate]

Yes, that is interesting re constipation improving after stopping meds. If the dose is very inadequate (this is common on a starting dose of 25 or 50mcg) it can stop your thyroid from producing whatever amount of hormone it has been contributing, so you can actually be getting less thyroxine than before. This seems unlikely on 100 but who knows, there are folk here who take 200 or 300 so maybe you need much more.

Do you have your last test results? If you post them here it might be fairly straightforward to see what's going wrong.

[LouiseRoberts]

People will need a lot more information about your thyroid journey up to this point in order to make informed comments about the most likely outcomes of your stopping your medication.

Perhaps you could supply some more info?

Louise

[Procrastinate in reply to LouiseRoberts]

I have just rather rambled on in response to a reply

Can you access that and post it.

[SeaVee79 in reply to Procrastinate]

You could copy and paste it.

[cjrsquared]

It depends if you have a thyroid which produces any natural thyroid hormones, but potentially you could cause long term irrevesible damage to your heart, skeleton and brain and in worst case scenario go into a myxoedematous coma and die, but hey it's your choice.

[Clutter]

Procrastinate,

Three weeks after stopping Levothyroxine there will be very little left in your system and you are likely to experience hypothyroid symptoms. Nothing drastic will happen in 3 or 4 weeks of not taking Levothyroxine but it will take several weeks after you resume Levothyroxine for levels to build up and it may take a couple of months for symptoms to improve.

[Bioluminence]

Im not advising you, I'm merely stating how it was for me...i was put on levothyroixin for 3-4 months with catastrophic results....not content with that they threw HRT and antidepressants into the mix...yeah...you can imagine what a chemical Sh*t storm that was can't you....

anyway after gaining 2 stone in weight and having a period for 30 days i quit the lot.....

Best thing i ever did, felt GREAT!.....except 4 months later i totally crashed....long story short,

my vitamin nd iron levels were chronically low, my TSH was rising and I didn't have a cats chance in hell of sorting it via diet...

SO i went the NDT route, totally unsure of what i was doing....i tried iron sups but that caused constipation..vitamins were not being absorbed and guess what..the GP DOESNT CARE!!!

I've been gluten free for 9 months and that helps...

my suggestion here is that you probably wasn't correctly medicated..i had constipation when i was undereducated too...

i would seek some advice on the forums about NDT and sourcing it yourself...stick with the dosage suggested and get tested regularly until you find your bablnce...no quick fixes here....

if you get tested via BH ( Blue horizon in uk) they do a pretty good one which looks at your thyroid, plus iron and B12 levels also...

whatever you i would strongly suggest a test first to give you some idea of whats is going on and then take it from there

trust me...GPS rarely care and they are all pretty much clueless...as they are working within the confines of the NICE guidelines (TSH in range? good ALL IS WELL!)..... and are unable to use common sense or basic skills in making decisions which actually help you.....thats my experience and I've had 3 different surgeries now!

good luck

[loueldhen]

You will just slow down, start sleeping in the afternoon etc and eventually beg for an appointment with an endo That's a lengthy process unless you can pay in which case you can have one Tuesday. I'd start it now.

[Procrastinate in reply to loueldhen]

I know I need to start taking something I have them ready. I am abstaining until tomorrow morning as I read somewhere on the website about fasting before a blood test. I may have not quite understood what I should be doing but I want a detailed blood test. No doctor has ever told me what is really happening to me or how serious thyroid is. I suppose the main pointer you get is free prescriptions so it must be of a concern but it has never been spelt out to me by my then GP's I am now at a new surgery and I have requested this test. I must say this thyroid site has exposed me to much more information about this condition and it is a lot to take in all at once. So to save me trawling back through pages what exactly should I ask for from this test. My instinct is telling me my vitamin D level is low it was very very low over a year ago so I will ask for that.

Previously some prescribed Super boost Vitamin D pills made me feel better aches went in fact I came across some book extolling the virtues of self medicating with large doses but I cannot recall the title probably due to my inability to recall everything.

If what I seem to glean from this site many people have been or feel let down by certain parts of the medical profession.

My own experience tells me that there is a lack of concern or indeed understanding of how this condition affects the body.

If many symptons were cross referenced it appears they could all point back to the thyroid instead of treating each medical problem in isolation. If that makes sense.

I could probably fill a page or two with examples

I know it can be said you should help yourself but if you are not mentally functioning as well as you should that can be easier said than done.

Incidentally I came across the thyroid uk website from an article in the guardian about a writer who struggled for 10 years I could see many similarities in myself

[Bioluminence in reply to Procrastinate]

Did you manage to get a test by blue horison?

If not and you are feeling symptoms go back to GP and ask for test. If you've been prescribed levothyroxine they do need to test

You won't automatically be re called especially if you are "in range"

I'm only just in range and my next re call is February 2017.....DESPITE seeing an endo who wrote and told them that I needed testing very 6-8 weeks until I was stable!!!

Oh well you know the drill.....GP s are not well informed about this condition and are limited in what they can offer you...

Time to take the bull by the horns and try yourself to get well because from what you've described so far you will be in the same state if not worse this time next year....

[loueldhen]

I meant start the process of referral to an endo - not medication! What are you going to start taking? I agree you need a baseline blood test before you do anything. I'd exhaust what the medical profession have to offer before I started self medicating. Levothyroxine doesn't agree with me at all. Is your GP doing the blood test or if you've ordered it yourself what tests are they? I wouldn't say that hypothyroid is 'serious' in that in itself it's not a death sentence, but it can take a lot of effort to work out what medication and lifestyle changes make you feel better and GPs do not generally offer options. Re constipation - diet, diet, diet. Porridge and flax seeds, gluten free etc. Eat food not processed stuff. Good luck.