Anxious and jittery after 2 days on levothyroxine, help!!

[never-4-ever]

Hello everyone! About a month ago I went to the gynecologist because I haven't had my period in a year. They did bloodwork and said that my tsh levels were abnormal and the doctor prescribed levothyroxine. The thing is, I didn't really have any symptoms of thyroid problems - maybe some fatigue, but nothing that felt really serious. I mostly felt good. But I took the levo because my gyno said that it might help me get my periods again.

Anyways I've only taken it for 2 days (I'm on 25 mcg). The first day I felt good, a bit hot but that's all. Today though I have been so anxious and jittery and broke down crying at work twice. I feel really warm and I can feel my heart beating and it freaks me out. I called the gyno and they said to stay on it until my body gets used to it. But I'm afraid that I don't need it and that it will do permanent damage if I stay on it. I'm also terrified about what will happen if I go off it now. The nurse at the gyno's office said I could try to take half the dosage in the morning and half at night, so I might just take a half tomorrow morning I just don't know what to do, I kind of want to just stop taking it but maybe I should give it a chance? It just feels pointless since I wasn't even feeling bad before all this help!!

[Skk001]

Hi , I felt the same when I first started on levo however unlike you I definately had an under active thyroid . I also had what felt like waves of feeling sick like morning sickness ! Those symptoms did go away after about 2 weeks maybe slightly less. Your body just need to get used to it. Good luck !

[Kitti1]

Hi never-4-ever

25mg is a very small dose and is unlikely to cause such noticeable symptoms especially as t4 - levothyroxine is a storage hormone and after 2 days is extremely unlikely to change the way you feel. When i say its a storage hormone that means that it is in the body for many days / weeks until it is slowly converted to t3 to be used by your cells.. When I was first diagnosed I was told by my endo that it would take a couple of months to notice any difference / feel better and it did. I was quite ill when diagnosed.

Do you have any blood results ? Have you seen your gp and chatted about your concerns. If your gyno said your TSH was abnormal and prescribed levo then it sounds like you need it. No periods for a year is pretty serious, it was also one of my symptoms but we are all different. Do you have any other symptoms ? Hair lose, brittle nails, constipation, insomnia, weight gain ? And don't worry it won't do any lasting damage.

Perhaps go to your gp and request another blood test. Also chat about your concerns.

[never-4-ever in reply to Kitti1]

Thanks so much for your responses! I have an appointment with my gp today. Unfortunately I don't know him/her, I moved to a new country recently so I don't really have anyone I trust; that's what makes it extra hard

I don't have any other hypo symptoms - I had some mild sleeping problems but nothing too serious. And I felt tired a lot of the time; but again nothing that really got in the way of my life or seemed particularly out of the ordinary. The period issues started in 2012, I went to the gyno in my home country after not having had a period for 7 months. They did tests then and everything was normal. Also had more blood tests done in 2015, again normal. That's why I feel like the period issues might not be related to this.

I'm waiting for a call back from my gyno to get the numbers for the blood test results. I'll keep you updated!

[silverfox7]

If you look on the Thyroid Uk site they have a list of symptoms and there may be things you are no awhere were thyroid related. Also rwad the other things as well as you may find them helpful. It was take time to get used to any medication and some are more sensitive than others. If I forgot my tabs on a morning I realised by lunch time that I'd missed them which seems illogical as it's a storage hormone and I body converts to to the active T3 when we need it.

So I think you just need a little time to get used to it. But it could be the fillers on the medication that disagree with you. It you look at the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) it will give you S list of fillers. All tablets have them to bulk up the. Intents and keep them stable. So if after a week or two you are still having problems then take an antihistamine tablet one hour before your thyroid meds and see if that stops the problem

If it does it's the fillers and you need to try a different brand. The pharmacist can help you there but tyhrre are several combinations of fillers and you might not get the right combination to start off with. When you find a brand you are ok with then get your GP to put it on your prescription so the Pharmacy have to get you that one.

Have you been told to go for a retest after 6 weeks? 25 is a very low dose so you may well need more once you are settled on it so retest and if you need some more then again retest after 6 weeks and so on until you are on the correct dose for you. The six weeks is the time it takes your dose to reach the maximum amount in your body as it gradually builds up to that dose so testing and increasing too early can lead to problems and you can end up taking too much which can be unpleasant.

Which brand have you been given? There have been a few adverse commebtsxre the TEVA brand which is thought by many to be a filler issue.

It's a lot to take on board at the start but plenty of help and guidance on here but if the tests the hospital did say yourcthyroid idntvright then you need to continue with the treatment as it could get more of a problem in time so better to get it sorted now.

One other thing to get used to is asking for your blood results. Doctors aren't always good at reading and understanding them so if you have them you can always post them and the ranges for comments. The ranges are important as they differ from lab to lab. That's why it may not be a good thing to suggest to your GP that you stop the medication he may not have the expertise to advise you on that. Give it a go and post any results as you go along and we will help you understand them and can comment.

[never-4-ever in reply to silverfox7]

OK, thanks so much for all the info, this is very helpful!

I really wish I had taken my time with this and seen an endocrinologist first instead of just starting meds because my gyno recommended it. I really hope this isn't going to screw things up more :/

[greygoose in reply to never-4-ever]

I really doubt it will.

[never-4-ever]

OK, just got off the phone with the gyno nurse and I am so so frustrated. It seems like they didn't even take tests for TSH, T4 and T3! The only thing she could give me (which she says is related to the thyroid) is TPO 17, and TRAb 1.0. Not sure if these are useful.

[steviecat]

Hi Never. Without test results for TSH, Free T4 and Free T3, they are shooting in the dark. Yes, folk were/are sometimes/often treated by symptoms, but it's a darn sight more scientific to have some numbers to fall back on - especially if you want advice here. I'm afraid you may have to insist they do the blood work or, get some done privately by Medichecks or Blue Horizons.

[never-4-ever in reply to steviecat]

Yeah I'm going to stop taking it. I didn't even have symptoms, they just wanted to see if it would help with my periods. I can't believe this; I never should have trusted them. I just hope I'll start feeling normal again soon and that I haven't messed myself up.

[greygoose in reply to never-4-ever]

No, you haven't messed yourself up, don't worry! Two days of 25 mcg levo won't make any difference to anything at all. I assure you, it's nothing to worry about. x

[never-4-ever in reply to greygoose]

Thank you, it really helps to get your reassurances! Actually, I already feel a bit better just from having not taken it this morning.

[greygoose in reply to never-4-ever]

You're welcome.

[CSmithLadd in reply to never-4-ever]

Yes, stop taking it! And good for you! No worries at all. You'll be just fine. The small doses you took are meaningless in the big picture. Happy for you that you asked the right questions and got clarity.

I'd suggest you check with a nutritionist. Seeing a doctor who deals in nutrition might be the answer as it could be you're merely low with either iodine levels(or any of a number of other nutrients -- or it may be that your sex hormones need a look see to balance them.

Please follow up though with someone who can check out your entire nutritional panel. There is a reason your periods have stopped. I'm positive it is a nutritional imbalance. Your doctor guessed the thyroid, but that's almost never the case: the thyroid has dysfunction most times because we don't have adequate nutrients available for it to do its job. It's the same way with all other body functioning as well.

Happy for you!!

[steviecat]

Hmm. Not sure you should stop taking it if it was prescribed by a doctor... However, you will know your bod best. To be sure, you should get all the bloods done that I mentioned above. You won't have messed yourself up - 25mcg for a couple of days won't have made a jot of difference, but it may take a couple of weeks to clear your system.

[never-4-ever in reply to steviecat]

Yes, I will definitely get all the bloods done, thank you! And thanks for the reassurance. I guess a couple of weeks isn't too long to be back to normal

[Mouldyoledoll]

I take it that being under a gynea, that yourve had your sex hormones tested? I don't know your age, but could you be peri menopause?

[never-4-ever in reply to Mouldyoledoll]

Yeah, they tested my sex hormones and everything came out as normal. I'm 28