Thyroid med reaction

[BarbieHi]

Someone help please, I been on the generic synthroid only 4 days and I been soooooo sick. My tsh is only 7.1

Why am I feeling so shaky and twitchy and no sleep, I feel muscle aches. Can anyone help .

Barbie

[greygoose]

Do you think that it's the synthroid that is causing this problem? If so, stop taking it and see if it goes away. You might need a different brand.

However, a TSH of ONLY 7.1 can make you pretty ill! It's not as 'only' as all that. It's high.

[BarbieHi in reply to greygoose]

I know very little about the thyroid, so your saying tsh 7.1Is bad? I lost my husband 8 wks ago but this has been a little high even before then it was 6. Something.

I was not feeling this awful until I starting taking the meds the only thing it has helped is the hiatal hernia that produces a lot of reflux , I was taking nexiium and haven't needed it for 3 days

Managed to kind of give me gas or I took tums.

But this feels like I'm dying and I haven't been out of the house in 4 days, too sick ;(

[bantam12 in reply to BarbieHi]

What dose are you taking ? maybe it's to high.

[greygoose in reply to BarbieHi]

Yes, 7.1 is bad. You are hypo, and your dose of levo is very low. 6 is also bad. A normal TSH is around one or under.

Very often starting thyroid hormone replacement can reveal symptoms that you hadn't had or noticed before. But that usually passes with time. Or, you could be reacting to one of the fillers in the tablet, which is why I said to try a different brand.

[BarbieHi in reply to greygoose]

I will have to stop taking it till doc is open on Monday.Will that make symptoms worse? Ug I'm just so tired of being sick!!!

[greygoose in reply to BarbieHi]

If it is the synthroid causing it, then symptoms will get better. You'll just have to try it and see.

But, of course, you could just have some sort of bug, and it's coincidence.

[BarbieHi in reply to greygoose]

Thank you , I wish I knew what it was. It's the not knowing and of course all the symptoms I'm having are listed and then some.

So I thought it has to be the meds.

[BarbieHi]

25 mcg. Only 4 days now and I'm so sick

[BarbieHi]

I've lost 10 lbs in a few months and my appetite is still awful. I have to force eat.

[jimh111]

It could be a reaction to fillers in the levothyroxine, see if you can try synthroid or another brand. You may not have a hiatus hernia, it can be mistaken for impaired motility due to hypothyroidism. A TSH of 7 is not very high but some people are hypothroid with a TSH that is not high. It might be worthwhile your doctor prescribing a higher dose of levothyroxine and you taking it on alternate days. I have heard from an endocrinologist that patients who react to levothyroxine don't do so if they are started on a decent dose. Perhaps the hypothyroidism causes sensitivity to the medication - so resolve the hypo quickly and they are OK.

[BarbieHi]

Thank you to all of you for your replies.

My doc is closed till Monday so I have to suffer till he tells me what to do .

I'm just scared, I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin. It's very very uncomfortable to feel every single side effect and then some 😰

Any and all suggestions are so helpful!

Thank you

PS. He did an endoscopy to see the hiatal hernia, could he still be missing something???

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Very sorry to hear your lost your husband so recently.

Feeling so ill as well is tough. The stress of recent weeks may have exhausted your adrenal glands. They produce adrenalin and react to stress, grief and illness. Thyroid problems can often upset adrenals too

Vitamin C helps support adrenals. So taking some every day may help

25mcg of thyroid hormone is a small dose, it can sometimes make people feel worse, as it causes your own thyroid to take a rest, but it's not a high enough dose to support you

Do you know if you have high thyroid antibodies? Did GP test these?

If these are high the cause is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto's

Common for vitamins to be low, especially with Hashimoto's

So ask that they check vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12. Sometimes these are too low and can make it hard for thyroid hormones to work

[BarbieHi in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you, yes my stress has been high. I did do vid d check and b12 and folate, al were good.

The tsh as been rising he said for couple months. I was feeling tired with no energy and felt sick but now I feel worse. I feel muscle aches and muscle twitching

And I feel like I'm very ill, you know what I mean ? like you can't go out all you can do is moan that you feel ill. I feel like I'm coming out of my skin sorta like it's not me in there.

Thank you

[phoenix23002]

I agree with SlowDragon that you may have an adrenal issue which can make taking any thyroid meds in any dosage problematic. I lost my husband of almost 50 yrs last year and you losing your husband such a short time ago, you may well be experiencing adrenal exhaustion brought on by stress. In addition to the vitamin C, adrenals run on salt. A salt 'cocktail' can help support your adrenals. Just add 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of natural, celtic-type salt (unprocessed) to a glass of water and drink once/twice per day. Some add lemon juice and a sweetener like honey or stevia and make lemonade out of the drink to make it more palatable.

The theory is that our bodies tolerate and struggle to function even when our vitamin levels and adrenals are not optimal and we somehow manage day to day. Suddenly when we add thyroid meds to the mix, they 'rev' up our bodies and try to restore our metabolism to normal levels and our adrenals just can't cope and we 'crash'.

So many docs won't even acknowledge the condition of 'adrenal exhaustion' let alone be informed and experienced enough to treat the condition. A 4 part saliva cortisol test can reveal the condition of the adrenals. This link will also give you some home tests that you can do to confirm adrenal exhaustion or stressed adrenals. I think you can get the test privately if your doc refuses to give you the cortisol test.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/a...

For now, stop the levo and see if this relieves your symptoms.

[BarbieHi]

Stopping the thyroid meds will not make me feel even worse correct?

[BarbieHi in reply to BarbieHi]

Also, if I decide to stay on till I talk with docs because I'm scared

Can I do the Celtic salt in addition

With vit c?

Ty

[phoenix23002 in reply to BarbieHi]

You can do the salt 'cocktail' even with vit C. The only caution would be if you have congestive heart failure and/or on a strict salt - restrictive diet.

BarbieHi... I don't understand your first sentence about .... 'till I talk with docs because I am scared' ??

you need to read the sttm link above.

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

I stopped taking the med.

I was so very sick. I am still feeling the sickness too or withdrawals. I am scared because Whenever we get that sick is very scary to me.

We think doctors are gonna fix us not hurt us 😰

I'm losing too much weight too. That medicine made me so sick I had to force food in my mouth. I'm 105 now and I think the 4 days I was on that I lost atleast 5 lbs !!! Awful

[phoenix23002 in reply to BarbieHi]

Barbie... is this 4 day period the first time you have taken any kind of thyroid meds? You shouldn't be feeling this bad and should have felt a little improvement when you stopped taking the T 4.

The dosage you are on is so small. It shouldn't have made you this ill. Do drink plenty of fluids. Getting dehydrated can make you feel pretty awful.

I would suggest that if you continue to feel this bad, please go to your local hospital immediately and get checked out. Something else (like being dehydrated) may be going on. Your electrolytes may be out of whack. Don't just suffer..... get to the hospital.

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

Yes first time ever taking meds for thyroid. I'm drinking plenty of water, I am eating but small amounts. Some reason since I had the acid problem from hiatal hernia I couldn't eat large amounts . Now this made it worse, eating is a chore but I do force it.

[phoenix23002 in reply to BarbieHi]

grrr.. typed and lost reply. lol ... How are you feeling today? You said your doc would be in today (Monday), right? Have you called him/her to see what he/she suggests you do? Sorry for all the questions but I am worried. Your response to this medication is out of all proportion to the dosage. Something may be going on and you might want to get to the bottom of it. Drinking plenty of fluids is a good thing unless you are flushing out needed minerals that you aren't replacing thru diet/meals.

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

I have an 8 am appt tomorrow .

He said I may have serotonin issues and he wanted me on lexapro when my husband passed away that was 8 wks so he's kind of mad I didn't take it. I guess if that's off then I could be ill. He said he doubted it was the thyroid med at all. Ug but I'm still suffering😰

Thank you for asking.

[phoenix23002 in reply to BarbieHi]

thank goodness, Barbie. I feel better knowing you will be seeing the doc in the am. Something is going on. I was a basket case for a while after my hubby of 49 yrs passed but got thru it. You are still in the 'numb' stage as I was for 3 - 4 months. God bless, Barbie.

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

Thank you very much!! I know I do feel knumb. I'm sorry you lost your husband, 49 yrs is a lifetime!!

I was married 22

And together 25. I'm only 46 yrs old. I just feel like you know, crud😰

I'll keep you informed after doc. I like talking to you. Everyone. Here has been so nice.

[phoenix23002 in reply to BarbieHi]

Yes.... please let me know what your doc tells you.

22 yrs is a long time to be married also. There is a wonderful sweetness and trusting that happens in a relationship after a long time together. You finish each other's sentences...lol.. I don't know what to do with myself after taking care of Ken for so long (and him taking care of me). Take care, my friend. Talk tomorrow.

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

Morning, yes I agree , our marriage was a blessing. I know he would want me to be happy though and move on to be the happy woman I am . My doc said he never puts anyone in the generic synthroid and it was pharmacy fault. I showed him the rash I just discovered last night all over my back and he said yea you had an allergic reaction to one of the fillers. I was like, I thought I was dying and I still feel crappy. He said start the lexapro in a week . I have to let all the allergic reaction withdrawals pass. So I'm just trying to stay up today and eat more. I lost 3 more lbs ug.

He's not worried about my thyroid it was 3.5 last yr. I was mad because he knows stress can mess my body up and now I'm just waiting a week to feel normal. More rest I guess.

😊 have a good day and I will keep in touch, you please do also.

[phoenix23002 in reply to BarbieHi]

whew... what a relief. I was worried about you. Allergic reaction... it will be on your records from now on that you can't take the generic levo and maybe after all this and things quiet down, you can address your thyroid (if necessary) again.

Rest and eat. It is always amazing to me how stress can be such a major player in the body and how many systems it can foul up. Don't forget to pray for guidance and peace. Prayer has been a mainstay for me regardless of what is going on around me.

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

Some how I knew you knew the Lord. I do as well and we have a looong term relationship😜

That why I'm alive I'm sure of it. Stress kills !!!

It's true it can actually kill you and knowing the signs is key. I do now!! Lexapro should help me get my mind stable. I'll start that in a week.

I hope you have a great day 😁

[phoenix23002 in reply to BarbieHi]

Some of your symptoms are hyper-like. You are probably going to feel lousy no matter what. As the hyper like symptoms ease, you will experience hypo symptoms once again. You really need to get your iron, d 3, b 12 and cortisol checked.

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

I had folate, vit d,b12

And those were good

I will check cortisol

[BarbieHi in reply to phoenix23002]

I found my results

Ft4-1.27

T3 total 155

Iron 42

[BarbieHi in reply to BarbieHi]

Tsh s 7.1

Couldn't that be stress like someone said on here??

I have had a lot it!!

Could take a while to get over loss of loved ones.

[child-of-God]

You will find that research will prove to be very beneficial on this journey. Be proactive. It is my experience , as well as my mothers, that synthroid (levothyroxine) may present good labs but does not actually treat the symptoms of hypothyroidism. NDT(natural dessicated thyroid) is my choice. You may end up having to add T3(Leothyronine) if your T4 isn't converting to T3 as it should. Your progress should be monitored with the free T3, free T4, RT3 etc., not just the TSH. You must bring up your body temperature. You will never reach your optimal levels if you do not correct the underlying problems. Support for the adrenals that are struggling and optimal iron are imperative. Good D3 level, B12 supplementation, and iodine supplementation would be a good place to start. Research the iodine. It is most excellent! Good luck

[BarbieHi in reply to child-of-God]

I stopped taking it

I felt like I may die. I still do I'm so sick and I don't know what to do.

What about herbal alternatives??

[child-of-God in reply to BarbieHi]

You don't just stop taking a thyroid medication. Find a doctor or nurse practitioner that is knowledgeable about treating thyroid. I learned so much from the STTM [Stop The Thyroid Madness] group. I don't know much about herbal alternatives. It takes a lot of patience. My body temp use to be in the 95s upon waking up. I've been able to get my 3:00 temperature to 98. I'm still striving for the 98.6 I've been on this journey for over 6 years. I'm working on giving my adrenals help with an adaptagen. I am also working on improving my digestion because hypothyroidism causes one to have insufficient stomach acids which can hinder your progress. Iodine helped my thyroid but know that addressing your thyroid requires a multifaceted approach. Your thyroid is struggling and you have to help it.

[BarbieHi in reply to child-of-God]

Mine was normal before my husband passed and a lot of stress has been following.

Before that I was stressed as well because of hernia pain. So we will see if it knocks itself back into place, I pray !!!

[child-of-God in reply to BarbieHi]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Feel free to talk anytime. I pray all goes well for you.

[BarbieHi in reply to child-of-God]

Thank you, I think the immune system is suffering. When we grieve our bodies do too and we don't know it for a while .

Then the doc put me on a med that I'm allergic too and I fall a few steps back. It's life I guess. Hope all is well and talk any time.

Barbie

[child-of-God]

I'd like that.

Betty

[beaubeau1121]

You might check for hormonal imbalance w your oB/gyn