So over the past 5 weeks I’ve had 5 migraines, 3 of which were over 7 days Saturday, Wednesday & Sunday. Two have actually woken me up at 4 am which is something completely new for me, they usually start in the mornings but never through the night. I’ve spoken to my GP who seems quite blaze and won’t refer me to my local migraine clinic as he said it’s pointless basically, a) referrals are so backlogged due to the pandemic b) they will just give me medication to try and then refer me back to him so he might as well prescribe me.
I am at my wits end and so fed up, the pain is unbearable and the following day I’m left feeling like I’m a zombie.
I’m wondering if this could be blood sugar related, my husband seems to think there’s a pattern and it could be hypoglycaemia. I was told a few years ago I have reactive hypoglycaemia and I know when I’m having a blood sugar crash the shakes/hunger etc but this is different.
Can levothyroxine (Accord formerly Actavis) cause hypoglycaemia? I seem to have been continually ill since the brand changed it’s name.
Any suggestions/help is truly appreciated
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Shazy-B
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My TSH is still a bit high for me at 2.2 but I’m hoping now that I’m back on 100mcg it will lower. I’ve started taking vitamins D3 oral spray. My GP said my folate was normal at 7, despite it saying deficient (Thriva) I’m past challenging him to be honest feel like it’s a losing battle. I’ve started supplementing with methyl folate.
I’ve never tried any other brands of Levo as I always felt safe on Actavis, but I’m seriously considering I should but don’t know which one would be best?
I’m convinced that there’s something different with my Levo since the brand name change, it’s seems too much of a coincidence that for the past 2 months since I started taking the Accord I have been unwell. I’ve checked the ingredients and it’s states that they are exactly the same as when it was Activas, however I’m wondering if there may now be mannitol in it? This would make sense as it affects electrolytes, which can be a major factor in triggering migraines.
This happened to me when my Levo was switched to one manufactured by a different pharmaceutical company. It only brought my T4 down by 0.2 points but it was enough to lower my T3 levels and my reactive hypoglycemia intensified. Then I was switched to another different brand that was even lower in potency and I developed headaches and head pain immediately.
I switched to a different brand because headaches and head pain I can't deal with. The brand that caused the headaches is called Euthyrox from Merck. I've never had that experience with any other brand or generic of Levo. The one different ingredient I noticed was mannitol. I currently use a liothyronine brand that has mannitol and I had a terrible headache the first day but went away the next day. I can't say if mannitol is the culprit because when I got the headaches with Euthyrox it went away upon taking some liothyronine with it so that leads me to believe your brand may be much lower in potency than what your body needs or is used to. I can't take any birth control that has fluctuations in the estrogen because it triggers ocular migraines. I've also noticed I get them if I don't eat for awhile or seem to have blood pressure issues, which seems to be brought on by my low T3 levels.
Hi Shazy-B - I had this same problem with brain busting migraines starting in the middle of the night and just horrible when waking up. Every single morning, I began a new relationship and discovered that I snore. So I had a home sleep study done, and I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. Once I started on CPAP therapy and got the right mask and pressures which took a little doing, those morning migrainres went away. I still have some during the month but they occur in the afternoon if I haven't eaten properly. Might be a good idea to have a home sleep study to rule out sleep apnea. Hope that can help you.
Hi Shazy. I just wanted to say that you’re not going mad or imagining the fact that when Actavis changed to accord something changed. I too started to feel horrendous. Hair loss, brain fog, headaches, joint pain, etc. I have changed to mercury now after asking my Gp to write me a new prescription. I have to say all the other symptoms disappeared but suddenly got back my migraines with Aura (had them all my life) but had three in seven days. They’ve settled down at present so hoping my body has got used to the change. I was so happy on Actavis. It’s so frustrating.
I have emailed Accord and they have assured me there has been no change to the formulation since the name change, and the ingredients are exactly the same. I’m too scared to change to Mercury as they have mannitol in them which can upset your electrolytes ( a known trigger for migraines) I think I may now be suffering with cluster headache, the past 2 nights have been horrific the pain is like nothing I’ve ever known.
I didn’t realise mannitol did that so that would explain my sudden increase. I’m sorry you feel so bad. Migraines are awful and don’t just effect your head. They effect your body and the way you feel and function. I contacted accord too and they said the same, but I don’t believe them as I am not the only one who has noticed these side effects. Is there possibly another brand you can try?
I have found a huge improvement in the number of migraines I have since taking magnesium. I have also optimised vitamins, eat only unprocessed food and now I’m gluten and dairy free. It’s been a long process but I finally have some lasting improvements. I hope you find some relief soon.
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