Help needed please

[Mst27]

I am feeling awful I nearly passed out on Tuesday and have been sent home from work today for the same reason. I feel as thought my energy has all been drained from me. On Tuesday I had worked and felt okay in the morning and then out of nowhere I lost all of my energy ,today I woke up feeling rough but thought that I would feel better if I just got on with my day. I didn’t feel great but them I stood on the playground for ten minutes and felt horrendous I just about made it home. I tried lying with my feet raised which helped ease the feeling of thinking I would pass out but I still feel like I have no energy and feel breathless. My husband wanted to take me to A&E because he was very worried. I recently increased my dose from 25 to 50 and had a few days of feeling almost normal although the brain fog never seems to lift. Does this happen with dose changes ? I haven’t changed my brand. I can’t get a doctors appointment today but they have said to call back tomorrow. I’m beginning to worry that something else is going on and it’s being missed because of this diagnosis. I know that I am fed up of feeling unwell and just want to feel like my old self again. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

[tattybogle]

Is about 10 days since you increased from 25mcg to 50mcg ?

It could be that your body is finding it a bit of a shock going up by 25mcg all at once,,, some people do have problems increasing dose , even though they need it, and have to increase in smaller amounts over a longer time.

I see you have been left on only 25mcg for 3 months , which might be part of the problem with increasing if your body has got used to 'going too slow'

Your dose should probably have been increased in about December if i remember correctly from your previous posts.

One thing to try would be to take just 37.5mcg for a few weeks, and then go up to 50mcg .

If you still have some 25mcg tablets, you could do this by alternating 25mcg one day and 50mcg the next ...( it evens out , due to the long half life of Levo in blood )

If not , cut a 50mcg in half and take that one day instead of a 50mcg.

[Mst27 in reply to tattybogle]

Thank you I was thinking of cutting one tablet out tomorrow. I had originally asked the doctor if I could take 50 every other day as I was nervous of the increase because of my reaction to having been put straight onto 75 at diagnosis by the pharmacy making a mistake. If I do take it as you have suggested should I increase that to 50 a day after my next blood tests or try to increase it prior to the blood test? I am so grateful to have everyone’s help on here especially when things feel out of my control. Thanks again

[tattybogle in reply to Mst27]

See how you feel on 37.5mcg for next 2 or 3 weeks. .... if improved , then try 50 again . if not , wait a bit longer .it's pretty much a dead cert, you do need to go to 50mcg ( at least) , but do it in your own time.

If that means postponing your blood test until you've had time to be on 50mcg for 6 weeks , it doesn't matter .

Unless you have been taking 'x' dose for 6 weeks . blood tests aren't very accurate so not much point doing them until, you have been on 50mcg for 6 weeks .

If you do have to do a blood test while you are still taking 25/50, or when not been on 50mcg for 6 weeks , that's OK , just let the phlebotomist know what dose you are on a for how long, so it will be clear to GP what dose the results are from.

[Mst27]

Also wanted to add that I think I have to try harder to understand what is happening when I get symptoms and try to be a bit more resilient. I am still trying to understand what effects both hypothyroidism and levothyroxine has on me and how to manage them. I began to question if I should be taking levothyroxine at all today but I know that my results mean that I should. I am truly grateful for having your help today especially when I am unable to speak to my gp. I was scared today but I no longer feel scared after having received advice here. Thank you

[tattybogle in reply to Mst27]

You're welcome xx

People under estimate how difficult it is to deal with hypothyroidism , and how unpredictable it can make life until you get settled of a the right dose ,, and how hard it is to deal with the lack of control you have over your life while this is happening to you .... and how often it makes you doubt yourself ... and how much it knocks your confidence in yourself.

Be kind to yourself , let people know when you need help, let them know it is expected that there will be some ups and downs for a few months at least , don't feel unreliable or useless, you're not , take your time , don't panic .... it will get better than this.

Everyone here "gets it", even if the rest of the world seems to think you're 'better' as soon as you get the tablets.

But if thyroid disease teaches you anything , it teaches you patience ... the hard way

[Mst27]

Thank you for taking time to respond with such kind words they really do help I will follow your advice for the blood tests and let my doctor know that I will be reducing my dose for now. It really helps so thank you

[Micky7]

I was on 25 mcg for way to long..i was put on this dose, my body was absolutely bonkers( at some point i had moments like i wasnt myself..actually in the subway in London i felt like i was out of my body; totally scary).Hashimoto was the lesson of my life..I was on 25mcg for 2 years..horrible because i couldnt raise..my adrenals were shut down.After talking with an naturopath in Italy..and doing cortisol saliva tests, taking supplements and changing on NDT( i could raise to 3 grains..like 195 mcg) and my life changed.

I think is quite a journey until you find your dose, but you will make it.

All the best!

[Mst27]

Thank you I appreciate the support and you sharing your experience.