Today I almost passed out. I was out with my children, I picked up my youngest and almost instantly my legs went like jelly, i dropped my son and sat on the floor, I felt as though I was passing out. My heart was pounding, I started sweating, feeling unbearably hot, I couldn’t focus on anything happening around me and I felt sick, really sick. It took me a few minutes to be able to get back up and it took about 20 minutes for the sweating to stop and my heart rate to stop pounding. This happened 2 hours ago and I’m still feeling very shaky, tired and sick and I’m also now cold.
I’ve been feeling really poorly with my hypothyroid for a long time although it was only diagnosed 2 months ago, and I am shaky and I get breathless if I do too much, I’m also feeling extremely slow, tired and I feel like I have vertigo when I’m on my feet. But I haven’t had an episode like this before, is it thyroid related?
Thankyou.
Written by
mummytosix
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
You said they prescribed Teva when your dose was upped to 75mcg recently - have you been taking the Teva? Because that might be the problem - it doesn’t suit a lot of people and some people get some very strange side effects...
I can understand why you mentioned it could be to do with Teva. I have been on Thyroxine for 20 yrs with no problems until a month ago. I started to feel anxious, panicky with palpitations and generally feeling unwell. I noted my tablet looked bigger than normal and on closer inspection realised it was Teva and not Mercury (my usual manufacturer) I stopped taking it immediately and as I still had some of my old prescription started taking that. After 24 hrs I was back to normal with none of the horrid symptoms and couldn’t believe how awful that different tablet had made me feel. I mentioned it at the pharmacy and they said they had to give out what they were sent!!! I said that if Teva was sent again I wouldn’t take it! When I googled this so many others have had problems too.
No, I’m waiting for the pharmacist to do me a repeat prescription of the North Star. It won’t be ready until tomorrow and I didn’t have enough tablets left to break any in half. I’ve only got 2 left.
Well... It could be completely coincidental - you might have a bit of a bug brewing. But equally, we could see from your earlier results that you’re under replaced with thyroid hormone (and anaemic, I think?). So any bugs you pick up probably will hit you a bit harder at the moment which might be why you feel so weird.
You poor thing. Hopefully the pharmacist will sort out your prescription soon.
I hope it’s not a bug 😫 I’m totally sick phobic. Is there a possibility it could be iron related? It’s just that I felt rough yesterday a while after taking my iron tablet and I took my iron an hour before I nearly passed out today. I’m not feeling as sick now and I’m not shaking as much so I don’t think it’s a bug.
I was feeling like that when I was on 75mcg and I asked if they could up it to 100mcg which they did, this was nearly 5 weeks ago and I’m just starting to feel better now so increasing is not a quick fix. I have a blood test next week to see what my levels are but the dizziness, nausea and sometimes headache are awful I thought I was going mad and my agoraphobia started to come Bach as I was scared to go out feeling like I did incase I fainted. I feel for you and hope you feel better soon.
This happened to me when I was under medicated. My heart rate dropped too low and I nearly fainted and felt very sick. It would be worth keeping a check on your blood pressure and heart rate. A record of your vital signs would be useful data to take to medical consultations. Best wishes.
I have been keeping an eye on my heart rate, it normally sits at around 58 resting then usually about 80 when I’m doing anything, rising to around 110-115 when I’m going up the stairs or walking slowly uphill. But today it went up to 155 when it really felt as though it was racing.
A friend of mine recently sent me a hypothyroid emergency list and passing out was on it. I'll see if I can find it. But the list was a list suggesting going to the emergency room if you had any of the symptoms.
Oh my goodness this sounds so frightening I have hyper not hypo but I have had these exact symptoms from anxiety attacks where my legs were jelly, everything started blacking out/closing in on me, sweating & felt I’d be sick (also sick phobic!) it would take ages to recover then felt drained & awful after but sounds like from others it could be a medication issue. I hope you feel better soon.
Yes this has happened to me it is anxiety. Believe it or not it can be debilitating. When my medication is increased this is something that happens to me it has also happened when I was extremely hypothyroid. I absolutely never had anxiety I never even believed it to be a real thing until now 😩 after the thyroid was taken out I started having very weird issues. That doctors say are not related because they say my labs are “normal” also bearing my period or after my period I become hyperthyroid for some reason causing this issue I had to call 911 last time and drive off the highway with my son very embarrassing
I fainted twice two, my heart rate was very fast at times and not enough blood was going to my brain. Sounds like you are under medicated. I felt awful for months until they upped the dose.
So sorry to hear you have been feeling this unwell. I have had an underactive thyroid for over 20 years and what you have described does sound thyroid related, although I would go back and ask for a Heart checkup, just to be on the safe side. Good luck
I’ve been having headaches but I wouldn’t class them as migraines, bleary dry eyes and I’ve been craving strong salt and vinegar crisps. Are these related?
That was my thought too. My Dr wants to test for it and said it would cause thyroid issues, along with heart/BP and many other "little things" that seem to pop up.
As silly as it sounds, write down things like that that may seem like their just an annoyance. Keep an eye on your heart rate. If you have Samsung health & a smart watch, it will record 24/7 and you can show the Dr.
Bowel issues, rashes, muscle spasms, food problems, all of it.
Deep breath, one day at a time, and one step closer to finding out with every test and visit.
I had episodes exactly like this when I was hypothyroid due to over medication (I’m usually hyperthyroid) went to a&e every time because my gp and endo wouldn’t listen. Nothing showed up each time. The episodes have lessened in frequency and intensity since my levels have stabilised. I’ve been off my hyperthyroid meds’ now since December and feel a little more like myself every day. I thought I was dying/losing my mind for a good 6 months while I was hypo but again no one would listen. I felt like my extremities had been filled with lead, I was dizzy and off balance, I had severe derealization where people and things didn’t feel real, like I was dreaming, I felt nauseous and couldn’t string a thought together. It literally felt like a cloud sitting on my brain. I had paralizing anxiety and was afraid to leave the house. That is not me at all! Again no one would listen, no one thought my symptoms were real, apart from my mum. I thought I was losing my mind. One of my biggest ever fears. You my dear are not alone. I’ve posted a few times previously when I was really going through it but it was really hard to articulate how I was feeling. Again, like I said I’m usually hyperthyroid (due to Graves’ disease) so my hypothyroidism was medically induced. I’m now managing it with diet, a few supplements so my vitamins and minerals remain optimal and lifestyle changes and that has worked for me so far, so fingers crossed. I’m here if you need to chat! There was one other girl I had found on here that had suffered similiar symptoms as me and she’s the only one that gave me the hope I wasn’t losing it all together! Excuse the typos and repetitiveness I’m quickly typing in the school playground at drop off because I happened to open your post when it came through on my email
Wow, thank you so much for listing these symptoms, in the beginning when this was happening to me I didn't even know how to articulate, like "derealization", though I looked normal to everyone but inside I thought I was losing it! Fortunately I've stabilized with lifestyle and NDT changes but I'm printing this out as a reminder.
This was exactly my problem! I looked so “normal” to everyone else but I literally looked and myself in the mirror and I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing. By far the most terrifying ordeal I have ever experienced.
I’m sorry to hear about this scary episode . It may or may not be thyroid related . So many symptoms can be attributed to thyroid that there is a potential danger of putting everything down to thyroid . I would go to your GP and get it checked out to be on the safe side .
I had a similar thing 3 years ago coincidentally when I was with my child. I had over extended my neck and something popped in my head. That was eventually found to be a Dural injury and csf leak. I’m not saying that’s what you have just demonstrating that lots of symptoms cross over . Good luck.
I had a bad blackout and went down like a stone backwards straight onto my head when out shopping last Sept they called the ambulance and I went off to A & E for 4 hours. Here they could find nothing wrong.
I felt hot and weird for about 15 minutes beforehand. Now if I were to feel like that I would sit down.
I had just started a new batch of 1000 thyroid s which I had been taking for 7 days before the blackout. I ditched these and ordered from a new supplier and now I am back to normal.
The only good thing about it is, that every time I go to the well know Pet Shop they are so friendly and always ask how I am.
Hi Bunnyjean. I have been wanting to order the thyroid s off the internet but its really scary to hear about your reaction to a bad batch. That makes me very wary. I currently take a bovine supplement but would like to try the thyroid s to see if it is better. I had tt several years ago. Do you have any advice or recommendations on a reliable supplier? Thanks
I was misdiagnosed for a long time and in May diagnosed with hypo. I often feel as though I’m going to pass out and have to quickly sit down before I drop. I’ve been told this is a result of my heart rate and blood pressure being very low as a result of being hypo.
I can almost feel a pressure rising in my head until it feels like it could burst, the space around me becomes dark as though someone has turned a dimmer switch and I feel almost out of my body until I drop and or catch myself l before hand and sit.
I don’t suffer from palpitations and sweating following the drops although the symptoms sound synonymous with Anxiety attacks, as does the length of time in which they passed.
I once lost consciousness when visited homeopathic doctor. He immediately gave me an injection of a large dose of vitamin D, sent me for thyroid tests, and prescribed a lot of supplements, as vit a,b,c, d,e, magnesium, iron, amino acids... After the testing the dose of thyroxin was increased. We need a lot of tests in that way to find out what's wrong.
I was diagnosed with Hashimotos 12 years ago. Over the years I’ve had many collapsing situations. Legs go very weak and I’m swaying about. Vision problem and headaches. I’ve blacked out and vomited too during getting my hair cut. Last year I hit a wall, so to speak, and was in a terrible state collapsing all the time. My cortisol and ACTH was too low. My T4 too high and T3 too low. It’s now been diagnosed and I have a T4 to T3 conversion disorder. I only found this out through a private only Endocrinologist. All NHS Drs swerve T3 and just send you off down routes they hope you won’t come back from. Neurological or mental issues!!!
Please get your cortisol checked and your T4 to T3 conversion. T3 stimulates cortisol.
I do hope you are coming out of the shock of it now. It must have been very worrying especially with your child with you.
Another thing to consider is glucose Have you had you levels checked too
Cortisol needs to be tested at 9am only with the NHS. At 9am your cortisol is at its highest. So if it’s low at 9am then that’s not good. If it is low then you need a synacthen test to test for Addison’s. If not Addison’s and still low then T3 can drive your cortisol up.
my daughter had all of these symptoms until she was fully medicated. Initially kept thinking she had a virus, but it happened too regularly and stopped happening when (eventually) her meds were just right
Thankyou all for your advice, suggestions and kind words. It really helps being able to ask for advice here.
I have been in to see the doctor this morning and he has referred me for another set of bloods to include antibodies testing as well because he wants to find out if I have graves or Hashimoto. He’s also booked me in for an ecg and for a 24 hour heart rate monitor as he suspects I may have SVT and that the incident I had yesterday may not be thyroid related it may be due to svt. He has told me to stick to taking the 50mg Levo until after my ecg (next Wednesday) and he doesn’t recommend stopping the iron but maybe look at finding a more natural iron source that doesn’t make me feel sick.
After being unable to tolerate everything else, I started taking Spatone liquid iron, which is very mild and does not bother me. Add lots of vitamin C.
A similar thing happened to me about a year ago. I started monitoring my heart rate and noticed that at times my heart rate was only 39 beats per minute. Later, I read that it is common for persons suffering from Hashimotos to have heart beats from 10 to 20 beats less than normal. I since learned a breathing technique to keep my heart beats regular and not have a near collapsing moment.
I'm suffering with vertigo badly now for 3 months doctor has called and said he needs to discuss with me have appointment next week. I have a lot of medical conditions including thyroid problems so who knows but my attacks are just like yours. Once collapsed in town no one helped just looked at me as though I was drunk. I was so disoriented I called my son but he was unable to leave work. Shaking and sweating excessively I got on a bus ready to throw up just made it home in time.
You must go see your doctor there are many causes for vertigo. They think mine is possibly related to a disc touching my spinal chord at the base of my brain stem but aren't ruling anything out yet. Be safe.
My blood pressure when tested has always been ok, I’m not sure what the readings were but the doctor has always said they are good. I’ve had vertigo on and off for about 25 years, usually triggered by a stomach bug or ear infection. The first bout of it I had was the worst, 2 weeks bed ridden unable to lift my head and open my eyes without being sick but the subsequent bouts I’ve had have been bad enough but not bed ridden bad if you know what I mean.
I’m starting to wonder if all these symptoms are all linked to the overactive thyroid I had back in 1991 🤔
Hi, your symptoms could be related to autoimmune adrenal disease which can be exacerbated once you are being treated for hypothyroidism. It is one of the diseases that clinical guidelines ask doctors to be vigilant for when they start treating patients. It might be worth discussing this possibility with your GP, of course your adrenals might be perfectly healthy, but there is no harm in asking.
Hi, hope you feel better soon. In my opinion, Yeah it is related to you Hypothyroid unfortunately . Do not rely on what the doctors are saying only, you need to make more effort to feel better, your food need to be healthy and more vegetarian , this is what I did personally to feel better.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I have hyper not hypo but I have had these exact symptoms from anxiety attacks where my legs were jelly, everything started blacking out/closing in on me, sweating & felt I’d be sick (also sick phobic!) it would take ages to recover then felt drained & awful after but sounds like from others it could be a medication issue. I hope you feel better soon. 
Is this thyroid related?
Not really thyroid related but need advice 
Are these weird anxiety symptoms thyroid related?
Could this be thyroid related?
Sudden onset of vertigo - could it be thyroid related?
