Raised heart rate Levothyroxine

[MyOrangeDog]

Levothyroxine Teva I’ve been taking 25ng for three weeks now and over the last week or so .my heart rate has increased. Doing just a small amount if exercise makes me Breathless . I’m used to going to gym and walking the dog, yoga etc and I can’t do a fraction of it. Any ideas what I can say at my review after my blood tests in about 2 weeks?

[shaws Administrator]

Unless you are very frail with a heart problem, 25mcg levothyroxine is an incremental dose and it is usual to start with 50mcg with 25mcg increments every six weeks (after a blood test) until TSH is 1 or lower. Free T4 and Free T3 should be in the upper part of the ranges but the latter two are rarely tested. (usually TSH and T4 are only checked.)

This is the procedure for blood tests:-

The earliest posssible blood draw. and be well hydrated a couple of days before.

Fasting (you can drink water).

Allow 24 hours between last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards.

This procedure helps to keep the TSH at its highest as doctors seem to take more notice of it than Free T4 and Free T3.

Doctor should also check B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

[Batty1]

Are you taking other medications at the same time as your Levo? You could try to split your pill and take it at 2 separate times in the day away from food/coffee and see if this helps, like Shaw’s said your dose is low but doesn’t mean it’s not affecting you.

[MyOrangeDog in reply to Batty1]

Hi, no I’m not taking anything else and only have a green tea about once a week and no coffee. I will try splitting the dose. Thank you

[DoeStewart]

I had these symptoms with Teva brand, make sure its not the Levo but the actual brand. I take other brands of Levo without a problem but could not tolerate Teva.