Levothyroxine causing sympthoms

[Friend49]

Ive been on 25 mg of levothyroxine since june since i was borderline low on thyroid 6days on it my legs wete restless and then my rigjt knee started hurting and behind tje knee down to my ankle now i have to limp and it hurys to put pressure on it .I havent been back to doctor .Could it be the levothyroxine? I stopped takig it yesterday.

[Greenwall]

Hi. What were your symptoms before taking levo?

Restless legs is a syndrome in itself. If you're not sleeping, or waking up lots, then you may need a low dose of dopamine. Talk to gp (or google) re restless legs syndrome.

RLS link: umm.edu/health/medical/repo...

This states there can be a link between RLS, hypothyroid, anxiety, plus other diagnoses.

[Friend49 in reply to Greenwall]

My legs just bothered me restless one nigjt then my knee started bothering me and it started getting worse where i couldnt stand on it the musles tendens? Nehind my knee. Then my legs hurt like a toothache. I dont go back to doctor til october .i dont know it just seems like it started when i started takin levo.

[Friend49]

I dont understand it i just dont understand if thats whats making my knees and body hurt.if she upped it would that go away my body hurting or it migjt be something else.

[greygoose]

Very often starting levo causes symptoms you haven't had before, to raise their ugly heads. It's very common to feel worse on levo than you did before, but it does go away.

If your thyroid is not producing adequate thyroid hormone for your needs, then just stopping levo is not an option. But, I do agree with Pauliewalnuts that 25 mcg was too low a dose to start you on. The problem is that doctors know very little about thyroid and treating it. They confuse thyroid hormone with drugs like aspirin, and believe that if you're only a 'little bit' hypo, then you only need a little bit of levo. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you are only a little bit hypo, it means that your thyroid is still producing some hormone, just not enough. But, when you start taking a little bit of levo, you thyroid stops making that hormone, so instead of raising your hormone level, you are in fact lowering it, which makes you feel worse. Unless you have a heart condition, or are over 90 years old, she should have started you on 50.

Also, you say you started taking it in June, but you won't return to the doctor until October? That is much too long. Leaving someone on a starter dose - especially such a small one - can be counter-productive. She should have retested you after six weeks and increased your dose by 25 mcg. And, continued that cycle until all your symptoms are gone.

Just out of interest, what were your levels when you were diagnosed? Did you get a print-out of your results? Always ask for a print-out, whenever you have a blood test. If you live in the UK, it is your legal right to have a copy.

Something else you might consider, the cause of RLS is often nutritional. So, ask your doctor to test your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin, next time you're tested.

When you go for your next test, make sure it's early in the morning, and fast over night. The TSH is highest early morning, and drops throughout the day. It also drops after eating. Leave a 24 hour gap between your last dose of levo and the test. That way, you will get the best results.