thyroxine

[Nanny1086]

hi , i’ve been taking thyroxine 100 for over 20 years ,but my last blood test 6months ago it was increased to 125 , but the last 6 weeks or so i’ve not felt at all well ,,,,trembling feelings inside , not sleeping , generally very weak ,heart rate increased , today i’ve finally realised its the thyroxine that’s making me feel this way ,so is it ok for me to leave off the medication for a few days to regulate it .

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Better to get bloods tested on Monday morning

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription

Many people find different brands are not interchangeable

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

[Nanny1086 in reply to SlowDragon]

hi , thanks for replying , yes i’ve always had the same brand , iphoned the surgery and i’ve been given a phone appointment with the nurse and i’m having a review of my COPD ,

[radd]

Nanny1086

Yes, Levo has a long half life so missing a day or two will help rid the body of excess you are not tolerating, without large detrimental effect.

I have looked at your profile & you have posted to the Anxiety Support forum regarding previous 'inner body vibrations'. This is a common phenomenon within some of our members which I have experienced myself feeling like I was plugged into a fridge 24/7.

It is not recognised by doctors & thankfully mine eventually improved after getting thyroid meds working effectively and supporting the adrenals.

Thyroid hormone replacement requires optimal levels of iron, Vit B12, folate & Vit D to work best, and it is common for low iron & thyroid meds to bring on jittery feelings. Have you had iron & these nutrients tested recently?

To support the adrenals best it is beneficial to do an Adrenal Function Test that identifies cortisol levels at varying points over 24hours, allowing you to supplement beneficially, ie adaptogen, glandular, etc.

Otherwise it is Vit C, eliminating caffeine, ensuring adequate sleep, healthy diet, etc. Otimising iron & nutrients will take stress off the adrenals and eventually should allow your body to tolerate that Levo dose raise which I am assuming was given after last bloods.

If you supply any recent test results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets) members will comment. ThyroidUK, the charity who run this forum supply details of private testing labs.

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Private labs

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

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Adrenal Function Test

regeneruslabs.com/products/...

[jgelliss in reply to radd]

Radd you really bought out Great points. No Dr ever ever tells us how very important nutrients are to take that helps our thyroids work much more Optimally. In my experiences Iron makes a total difference. It bought up my body temperature helps with my palpitations and better all around feeling.

Thank you for these great pointers.

[Nanny1086 in reply to radd]

hi , apologies for late reply to you , and yes the dose was increased after blood tests , but all other blood tests were ok , but i do think iron increase would be worth a try , ive left off the thyroxine now for 2 days and already an improvement , and as for the “ jitters “ again i think your right , i have now got a telephone appointment with the nurse next week and also my COPD annual review and i will ask her about another blood test and iron tablets , i really appreciate your explanation it was reassuring,

[Nanny1086 in reply to radd]

thankyou , no one has ever mentioned to me about iron B12 or Vitamin D ,( i already take vitamin D ) and i’ve been on thyroxine over20 years , i’ve now ordered some B12 and iron from Zipfit , thankyou for this vital imformation , , not sure if your aware ,,, i was prescribed Antidepressants, but i’m not a depressive person , i have many health problems but i cope well and deal with them, then i was given anxiety medication,,,, i have now emailed my Zgp and suggested my feelings could be my thyroid medication adjustment, and not as yet under control , hopefully she will understand ,

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Nanny1086]

Please get iron, ferritin, B12 and folate levels tested BEFORE starting any supplements

Iron is extremely toxic in excess.

Many post menopause thyroid patients already have HIGH iron. Never ever take iron supplements without getting full iron panel test first

See GP and request testing of ferritin, iron panel, folate and B12

Or test privately

Come back with new post once you get results

[Nanny1086 in reply to SlowDragon]

hi ,thankyou for telling me , i will wait untill i have had results, i spoke to the nurse by phone and she’s past my request on to the gp, so hopefully i’ll hear soon about more blood tests ,

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Nanny1086]

How much vitamin D are you currently taking

Vitamin D should be tested twice year when supplementing

GP usually extremely reluctant to test even at once every 2 years ……GP currently can’t test at moment due to test tube shortage

Test twice yearly via NHS private testing service when supplementing £29

vitamindtest.org.uk

[Nanny1086 in reply to SlowDragon]

the vitamin D i’m taking is the one the government sent out to me .

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Nanny1086]

So will be ludicrously small dose of vitamin D 400iu

Come back with new post once you get vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 results and ranges

You may need to test privately

[helvella Administrator]

Just think about your dose change.

A 25% increase. Imagine if you suddenly started eating 25% more? It would surely have an impact.

Even if you needed an increase, going to 125 every other day would have been a more reasonable step. (Or 112.5 every day.)

The only rationale behind dose adjustments is the size of standard tablets.

[Nanny1086 in reply to helvella]

thankyou , i’m hoping for blood tests again and if i still need the increase i’ll suggest every other day instead of daily ,

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Like helvella has advised, I would be cautious about increasing your dose too quickly.

I’ve experienced adverse symptoms to dose changes, so now only increase in 12.5mcg intervals (sometimes adding 12.5mcg alternate days), leaving at least a week (sometimes longer) before adjusting.

Very best wishes to you.

[radd in reply to Buddy195]

Buddy196,

The duration is six weeks between dose adjustments for Levo.

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to radd]

I agree that it takes at least 6 weeks to increase to a given dose. My Endo wanted me to increase by 25mcg but (for me) this was too much, so I added 12.5mcg alternate days for 2 weeks, then took 12.5 mcg every day when I was settled in this for another 1-2 weeks. By reducing the dose prescribed it actually took me 3 months to work up to the 25mcg prescribed increase. I know some members can tolerate larger increases, but I seem to be super- sensitive to changes with medication, so am always cautious (more of a tortoise than a hare!)

[radd in reply to Buddy195]

Buddy195

Good strategy 😀

[Buddy195 Administrator in reply to radd]

I’m not sure why, but increases in medication always make my anxiety levels go overboard. For me, this is the worst symptom (although have also experienced tremors & heart palpitations from increases in Levo).

[radd in reply to Buddy195]

Buddy195,

When we have been left under medicated for many years the adrenals become compromised and don't always tolerate dose changes well.

Hence the anxiety from adrenaline rushes caused by the increase in metabolism. I hate dose changes and have a tendency to under medicate myself (with undesirable consequences) because am always so focussed on the horrible side effects an increase may temporarily cause.

It shouldn't be like this 🙁 .

[Nanny1086 in reply to radd]

thank you , ive learned a lot from the reply’s i’ve received,

[Nanny1086 in reply to Buddy195]

hi ,thanks again , i’m the same , my anxiety levels rose and i so insomnia,

[Nanny1086 in reply to Buddy195]

thankyou , snap that’s the same as me ,i’m super sensitive to many antibiotics also , i will remember this for the future , ,

[Nanny1086 in reply to Buddy195]

thanks Buddy , all makes sense , glad i posted the query