I can also agree with this... my main symptoms were joint/muscle pain and it took 2 almost 3 months of levo to see a significant improvement. I also take vitamin d so that could’ve also helped. Either way I feel much better aches and joint pain wise than I did before. I would say that you need to pick your drug of choice and stick to it for 8/12 weeks routinely before deciding if it does/ doesn’t work x
I’m only on levo 50mcg and just taking the better me vitamin d spray.. I don’t have it to hand atm sorry but I got it from amazon . I wouldn’t say I’m completely free of the aches and pains but I don’t think my levo is optimal at the moment but the improvement is massive x
On NDT TSH almost always drops very low, frequently well under one and Ft4 often drops very low too. Most important result on NDT is always Ft3
On levothyroxine plus T3, Ft4 doesn’t drop low like NDT (unless not taking enough levothyroxine). Some people are ok with Ft4 mid range, others need it in top third of range
Levo plus T3 can be more flexible. Some people on NDT find they can’t increase dose high enough without getting palpitations from high Ft3
On levothyroxine, before even considering adding T3 ..usually we increase levothyroxine slowly upwards...in 25mcg steps. Always retesting minimum 6-8 weeks after each increase......this continues until Ft4 in near top of range....
Always making sure all four vitamins optimal too
If Ft3 remains low after 2-3 months on high dose levothyroxine, then some people need Ft4 over range to get Ft3 high enough. That’s the easiest option...but some of us can’t tolerate high Ft4
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,
"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.
In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.
Most patients will feel well in that circumstance.
But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.
This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."
You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor
please email Dionne at
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
So basically increasing levothyroxine until high as possible ...if Ft3 remains too low, ....adding small dose T3 alongside levothyroxine ....
If Ft4 is right at top (or just over top) of range on levothyroxine, then dose levothyroxine is reduced by 25mcg and 5mcg T3 added. After a week (assuming going ok) add 2nd 5mcg dose T3 mid afternoon and then wait minimum 6-8 weeks before retesting FULL thyroid and vitamins
Consider starting levothyroxine at a dosage of 1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (rounded to the nearest 25 micrograms) for adults under 65 with primary hypothyroidism and no history of cardiovascular disease.
Magnesium helps muscle aches so highly recommend taking a supplement if you’re not doing so already, also turmeric extract reduces inflammation. Dairy products can also cause inflammatory reactions in many people making pain worse.
As others said, it takes time for anything to help, nothing’s going to improve in a couple of weeks. I’d also get checked by rheumatologist rather than assuming your aches are thyroid related, good luck.
Aww, I hope you find something which gives you relief, I know a friend got a lot of relief starting magnesium supplements when he got a lot of muscle soreness from running so it can work. Best of luck
Hi there - I don't think you are hyper - I think your adrenal glands are showing they can't cope with the uptake in the need for their assistance.
A lot of endo's now give a small dose of steroid to allow for this uptake but of course this is something not all of them advocate so you may have to 'go it alone' with other ways of upping the adrenal function.
Try taking 1,000 mg of Vitamin C a day - if the pains get worse - then stop - then you could try Magnesium oil spray when the pains are bad to help the muscles relax. If you are getting pains in the lower legs this is called shin splints and is definitely an adrenal issue.
Sorry for forgot to add that if an adrenal issue then it should respond very quickly to the treatment I mention - try also to avoid coffee which is an added load on the kidneys/adrenals when they are a bit weakened because of the thyroid hormone you are taking.
If you are taking Vitamin D - sometimes the amount you are taking can give you pain - although in saying this - if you have muscle pain it can be a sign of low Vitamin D - unfortunately with thyroid/vitamin and mineral deficiencies caused by thyroid treatment load can be like looking after flowers or plants - the plant is wilting - lack of water - the plant is wilting - too much water - the plant is wilting not enough sun - the plant is wilting - too much sun.
It is all about finding out what it is causing the issue and adjusting everything accordingly - even your thyroid hormone to see if it is too much for your adrenals - hope all this makes sense.
Hi, I've recently found that low potassium may cause muscle aches and pains. The amount we need to consume of potassium in our diet daily is Huge so many don't consume enough. Some of the symptoms of low potassium match hypo symptoms. Have you ever had your potassium levels tested? As with thyroid, low in range results can still mean you are not at optimal level for you, so read the results cautiously.
There is a danger in high potassium too, so might be best to have a test, especially if you consider a supplement.
This isn't to say there's not a thyroid issue of course as your numbers re antibodies especially are troubling, but it doesn't mean it's the only issue either.
Me again, I just reread your main question about feeling thyroid meds make your aches worse. I did have a similar experience when I first started levothyroxine UK prescription meds. It wasn't my muscle aches that worsened though, it was my anxiety, it became out of control, it was really awful. At the same time I developed migraines daily and huge boils (I know, grim!). Most people told me it was just something I had to go through while I found the right dosage and I that these issues would settle over time as my levels improved. I just didn't feel this was right though, and my mum has thyroid problems and has regular migraines since being on UK levothyroxine too! She didn't have them before levo...
What I did was similar to you, I tried a form of NDT, UK version metavive I think it was, instead of levo. For me the t3 content was too high and caused me to feel hyper. But... as soon as I stopped UK levothyroxine my symptoms of anxiety, migraines and boils stopped 😮
After trying metavive I went back to the UK levo and again my symptoms restarted. I stopped UK levo and they stopped. This was enough to test the theory for me! Note I tried different variants of UK levo too and had the same problems.
So then I read that UK levo are generics, ingredients can be cheap and the amount of levo can vary within the tablets! Branded levo, non-uk levo is apparently usually more stable and better quality. So I sought some Synthroid online from abroad, a brand name. This gave me none of the symptoms that UK levo did!!! And no hyperness like metavive.
So it is worth trying all the variants before giving up on levo. It might be there's an ingredient you are sensitive to.
I find the feedback loop on anything thyroid to be months not weeks.
Hope I don't offend I got reading your posts was a lot of bounding around trying this and that. Its very easy to consume a lot of articles on thyroid and jump into every bit of internet wisdom, you may not do yourself harm but it can be mentally exhausting and frustrating plus you can spend a lot of money on unnecessary vitamins and supplements.
If you don't see improvement you seek then perhaps strip everything back to the basics, start again but take it slower?
I also fell foul of the 'feel better off thyroid after a week' - not something I have repeated.
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. I wouldn’t say I’m completely free of the aches and pains but I don’t think my levo is optimal at the moment but the improvement is massive x
NDT taken together with L-tyrosine made me much worse. Any ideas why please?
Newbie. Hashi? Advice please
