Hi all. I have recently been diagnosed with under active thyroid. 4 and a half weeks of 75mg levothyroxine and I have just started experiencing dizziness. Ive suffered from vertigo for many years but not had an episode for almost 3 years now.
Is it a coincidence or a side effect?
Rang my GP who didn't seem worried and claims it's not related but I've read so much that claims the opposite.
Had any one else experienced the same?
Teresa🙄
I would say it's more likely to be a hypo symptom than a side-effect of levo. It's not uncommon for people to develop new symptoms after they start levo.
But it can also be a symptom of low B12, so you really want that checked, plus folate.
Thanks. I think I will get B12 tested. It's not like vertigo as when I get an attack it feels like the room is spinning. This feels like many short light headiness and ocassionally when i move my head it feels very fuzzy.
Still concerned about the fatigue. Can shut my eyes any time of the day and can soon bob off 😴
Well, you're still only on a small dose of levo, so not surprising if you still have symptoms. And they do sound like hypo symptoms to me. Problem is, doctors don't know anything about hypo symptoms, so whatever you say, they'll say 'it has nothing to do with your thyroid'!
When you have B12 tested also have Folate/B9 tested - as they work together in the body in an important way. check out the Vertigo tablets and ensure they do not conflict with anything else you are taking ...
b12deficiency.info/signs-an...
The link above takes you to the signs and symptoms of B12 deficiency - neurological ones come first !
Wicks50 ,
My sympathy for you . It's not pleasant to have to experience vertigo . I would suggest perhaps and see if adding some Celtic Sea Salt and water helps you . You might be missing some salt . Taking Celtic Sea Salt helps with some minerals to . Don't mistake Celtic Sea Salt with regular refined salt . It's Not the same .
Hope This Helps You .
This happened to me too also have vertigo doc thought I was nuts but I proved it by taking and stopping
You will be surprised by how many clinical symptoms there are. Thankfully, we dont get all of them.
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...
Thanks. I am concerned with the weight I'm putting on as I don't really eat much. I've read about T3 self medicating which helps with the tiredness too. Is it too early for me. Sorry don't have print out of levels but going to GP to collect vertigo tablets later as he thinks the dizziness is caused by vertigo and related to hypo.
Unexplained weight gain is the commonest question/grievance on the forum. It is due to hypothyroidism because 'hypo' means slow and everything in our body has slowed down before being diagnosed, i.e. pulse and temp are usual indicators, except we are unaware of this before we're diagnosed.
Two thyroid hormones run our whole metabolism, i.e. T4 which is thyroxine and T3 which is liothyronine. When diagnosed we are given levothyroxine and a starting dose is 50mcg, with 25mcg increases every six weeks until our TSH is 1 or lower. Many doctors make the mistake of thinking that once we are somewhere in the range (up to 5) that they don't increase and we may still feel hypo. It is a slow and gradual increase until our symptoms are relieved.
We have to educate ourselves as it appears to me that doctors have been directed to only take account of the whereabouts of the TSH and T4. It has probably taken years for us to be, finally, diagnosed and so that's why our levo doses have to be increased slowly as we are dealing with hormones that run our whole metabolism.
If we can convert levothyroxine (inactive hormone) into liothyronine (Active hormone needed in our millions of T3 receptor cells) we will improve and become symptom-free.
Take your dose of levo on an empty stomach, usually when we get up with one full glass of water and wait an hour before eating. Also - when having a blood test for thyroid hormones - always get the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards. This helps keep the TSH at its highest and may prevent the doctor reducing our dose if the TSH is low. Many professionals believe we are becoming hyper-active if TSH is low but this isn't the case. Many of us hypo need a TSH of 1 or lower.
Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges for your own records and you can post if you have a query. Also on your Profile if you can add a bit of your thyroid history, so that members can refer to it in future without you having to answer repeat questions.
You also need to check B12 Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Everything has to be optimal and deficiencies of these also cause unpleasant symptoms.
p.s. I am not medically qualified but had undiagnosed hypothyroidism until I diagnosed myself.
Vertigo is a sign of hypothyroidism or too much thyroid hormone. To confirm this I would stop taking your levothyroxine for a few days and see if your vertigo resolves. If it doesn't you know your vertigo is not related to the levothyroxine.
One of my worse symptoms before I was diagnosed was light-headedness and dizziness. I passed out a few times which lead to the blood tests and discovering I was severely hypo. I had felt unwell for a long time, but put it down to getting old! I’m still striving for the optimum dose and close now, but through the treatment I still have moments of feeling weak and light-headed, though nothing like as bad. Hopefully, it will start to become less of a problem as you increase your dose. Doctors treat thyroid complaints as straightforward, but it is a bit of a journey. I wish you all the best for a recovery.
Ask your GP to test your Free T4 and Free T3 at your next blood test. It may not be tested because, as far as I know, they've been instructed that TSH and T4 are sufficient. That's not the case because T4 is an inactive hormone and has to convert to T3, the only Active thyroid hormone required in our millions of T3 receptor cells, so - ideally - a Free T4 and Free Test is more informative. Even if we only have both rarely when we don't feel well.
We also have private labs which do home self pin-prick tests if you wish. I have given some info above on how get the best results through GP but you may do this procedure already.
Posted my results which was taken 4 weeks ago. Can anyone interpret these for me as I don't have a clue.
Thank you
I have been feeling vertigo after dose change of levo but only after pooping! Just posted a question today. The room spins.. my B12 and thyroid labs are within range.
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