Returning symptoms

[Lisasue87]

Hi all

I’m currently on 75mg levithyroxine and have been since going up from 50mg at my initial diagnosis around a year ago. My initial symptoms were muscle weakness (struggling to brush my teeth, cut up my kids dinner etc) I started to feel better but the last few weeks my symptoms seem to have returned the same as they were before. My blood results were well within normal limits a couple of months ago. Just wondering should I see how it goes or get retested?? Also, suffering from chest discomfort in left side almost every day. Is this thyroid related?

Thanks

[greygoose]

When symptoms return like that, it's normally a sign that you need another increase in dose. Results just being in-range, is not necessarily a good thing. It's where in the range the results fall that count. I think you should have another test, then post the results and ranges on here for comment.

[Caroline888]

Hi Lisasue

I have had a lot of rib pain, especially when undermedicated. Could your chest pain be due to inflamed cartilage where your ribs join your sternum? This is called costochondritis and can sometimes cause a pain similar to a heart attack. In fact, the first time I had this I finished up in A & E!

Of course I cannot say your pain is the same as mine, but if you press on your ribcage in the areas where your ribs join your breastbone and you feel an intense pain then it is very possible you are suffering from costochondritis. I should point out that I am not medically qualified and can only tell you of my own experience with chest pain.

I have found the pain much reduced and far less frequent since being treated with a proper dose of levothyroxine. I still have to be careful though not to overstretch, e.g. not to reach to shelves that are really too high for me, or do too much pulling or pushing when gardening or doing housework. The cartilage easily becomes inflamed with this condition. You might find it helpful to look up diagrams of the rib cage on Google to see how extensive the areas of cartilage are.

One thing to try: you say the pain is on your left side. Do you sleep on your left side? Perhaps avoid this if you can and see if your pain improves. When you lie on your side your ribs get "squished" and this can cause pain. My pain is mainly on the right though it can occasionally extend to my back and even all the way round my rib cage. I never sleep on my right side now as that position is certainly a trigger for me.

At the end of the day, if you are still anxious about your chest pain I would certainly see your GP about it. It's probably related in some way to your being hypo but it's better to be safe than sorry.

All the best

Caroline

[MissGrace in reply to Caroline888]

Having had a bout of costochondritis that lasted for several weeks at the time I was first diagnosed as severely hypo I can attest to what Caroline888 is saying. I also ended up in A&E. It is some of the worse and most inescapable pain I have ever felt. Painkillers did not touch it. Fortunately, it has not returned since I started in Levothyroxine. I think it might also be an autoimmune response - I got it following a chest infection. Worth looking into. 🤸🏿‍♀️

[silverfox7]

Good advice from GG but I do think any chest pain should be a reason to check out with your doctor. You have to see him re new tests any way so tell him about this. It may well have a simple cause but it's best checked my the professionals.

[jgelliss]

IMHO Some hypo/hyper symptoms over lap each other. I would retest at this point to see where your FT-3 and FT-4 are at to be sure . You might need medical intervention . Otherwise your really shooting in the dark .

[dtate2016]

Yes, this is not good. T3 affects the heart, either if it is too much or too little. You have been on this dosage for a year, if I understand. You do not say if you have Hashimoto's or not, but if you do (and many do) then, your own thyroid hormone could be higher or lower and contributing to the dosage being too high. Many things contribute to autoimmune fluctuations (Hashimotos). If you are fighting a virus for instance, your own antibodies could be distracted, causing your own thyroid hormone to get to where it needs to be, and along with the higher dose of levothyroxine, an overdose could occur briefly. If you have been doing anything naturally, as in gluten-free, again, the autoimmune flare-ups calm down, and you could require less medication. The same thing would happen - you would need less medicine.

So, what have you been doing? Is it possible you have been exposed to something viral/bacterial? Have you added any healthy habits? Selenium? Vitamin D? Probiotics? If you take a calcium supplement, never take it at the same time as the levothyroxine - it can cause similar symptoms. (Chest tightness) All of these things could affect the need less or more, for thyroid hormone. And while it is true, none of us can advise you, and a Dr. is the safest route, with testing. The chest tightness sounds more like too much than too little levothyroxine. I have had both scenarios (too much and too little thyroid hormone), and I do have Hashimoto's - the immune system is a powerful thing, and the need for supplemental thyroid hormone can and does, many times fluctuate. It's just the nature of the beast. You learn the symptoms / how you feel and after a while, you do learn to trust and listen to your own body. Personally, I do adjust the NDT replacement (which is different than levothyroxine) from time to time - again, because I do know what the symptoms are. The chest tightness on the left side is what I feel when the thyroid replacement hormone is too high. It is a good guess that this is thyroid related.