Symptoms of medication

[Dolphin40]

Hello

My daughter had symptoms such as (more) anxiety, feeling sick, hair loss etc when her Levo was initially increased then these improved. I was just wondering if the same can happen initially when Levo is reduced please?

[Lalatoot]

Yes. The body takes time to adjust to new levels be it up or down and that adjustment can cause symptoms.

[Dolphin40 in reply to Lalatoot]

Thank you x

[Nanaedake]

I think that if you increase or reduce by no more than 25mcg and possibly 12.5 mcg initially then a person should not have a severe reaction. Your daughter's reaction sounds more severe than one would expect.

Several possible reasons come to mind.

1. The pharmacy has changed the type of levothyroxine to achieve the new dosage and the meds don't suit her. It's not necessary to change formulation as pills can be split or taken alternate days.

2. Low nutrient levels like low iron, vit D, folate and B12 may be present and symptoms may be mistaken for thyroid symptoms.

3. Gut flora may be disrupted by change in dosage. Gut problems need to be addressed as very common with thyroid conditions.

4. Could be an entirely unconnected issue.

I was sick (vomiting) when dispensary swapped me to TEVA Levothyroxine. We are all different though so that's only based on my experience.

[Dolphin40 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thank you.

Yes, she continues to use same brand for these reasons i feared from the outset. Eltroxin.

Had all vitamins checked and all good.

We have a functional dr so working on gut with diet and supplements.

I think its the dosage as its the third time shes changed and previous times She had symptoms for a while before normalising. I just wasn’t sure if it also happened when reduced. Hopefully it wont last and she will be on the correct dose for her.

Thanks

[Nanaedake in reply to Dolphin40]

Perhaps you need to make the dose changes in smaller increments? Are your daughter's vitamin levels naturally good? If so, does she need supplements? Could a supplement be causing the problem?

[Dolphin40 in reply to Nanaedake]

They were yes. Taking omega 3, glutamine and iron drops at present?

[Nanaedake in reply to Dolphin40]

Have her iron levels been tested? If so, was it a full iron panel? Iron should be taken at least 4 hours apart from levothyroxine or it will interact. All other supplements at least 2 hour apart from levothyroxine. Also ensure any milk products are separated by at least an hour. NHS recommends 4 hours but that may not be feasible for children.

Iron is notorious for causing stomach upset.

[Dolphin40 in reply to Nanaedake]

Yes. They said her iron was fine but because ferritin was 52 and having hair loss, suggested iron for 1 month. Yes, been reading that and now unsure whether to keep giving it. Really worried about hair loss though.

[Nanaedake in reply to Dolphin40]

Might be worth speaking to doctor as there might be different types of iron and some might cause less stomach upset? Iron rich foods might improve ferritin levels too.

Has your daughter only just started levothyroxine because on the leaflet it might say that hair loss is possible in children when adjusting to taking levo so worth checking.

[Dolphin40 in reply to Nanaedake]

Yes saw that too. 4 months now 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Nanaedake in reply to Dolphin40]

Could be adjustment to levo hair loss if it only started when she began levothyroxine then.

[Dolphin40 in reply to Nanaedake]

Yes this is what i thought but just worried when it will stop 😞