Am I being overmedicated on levothyroxine?

[Emmajane1994]

So Im on 100mg of levothyroxine (teva) first few weeks I felt amazing but now I’m nearly 3 months in and waiting for my first check up blood test which is Thursday.

I have been feeling all sorts of things, so starters I’ve been short of breathe for a couple of months and had a sore/achy throat but doctors put it down to post covid!

lately the last few weeks I’ve been having palpitations, headaches, dizziness, muscle aches and anxiety. I can’t sit still, I hate relaxing,can’t sleep much and it’s like I’ve gone polar opposite to my sluggish ways!

I am wondering if I am taking too much, seeing as they started me on 100, plus I’ve lost half a stone aswell from dieting and exercise and have heard that can change your dose too.

When I went to the doctors they didn’t even bring my blood test forward or anything, they just put me on beta blockers for the palpitations and high pulse. I only took these for two days because they made me so extremely dizzy.

Thinking of changing doctors.

[FancyPants54]

You can't tell really, without a blood test, but the good thing is that you only have 2 more days to wait for it. When the results are back, ask them to email you a copy. Keep it in a file. Chances are they only test TSH, perhaps T4, but it will be a start.

Prepare for your test as recommended on this forum. Arrange your blood test first thing in the morning as early as possible and don't take your thyroid meds until after the blood draw. You want a 24hr gap between last meds and test. If your blood test is booked for later in the day, phone up and make an excuse and ask to rearrange it for first thing as soon as possible. TSH is highest in the morning.

Don't eat or drink anything other than water before your blood test. I take my dose with me and a bottle of water and take it as soon as I get back in the car.

[Emmajane1994 in reply to FancyPants54]

Yes just a few days now, thank god!

My test is in the afternoon, I struggle to get there for the morning as I start work at 8 and they open at 8. I don’t know what the best thing would be to do.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Emmajane1994]

Ideally Request later start at work and get test at 8am

Taking levothyroxine immediately after blood test

important when you test TSH ....

researchgate.net/publicatio...

“According to the current TSH reference interval, hypothyroidism was not diagnosed in about 50% of the cases in the afternoon.”

“Further analysis demonstrated inadequate compensation of hypothyroidism, which was defined in 45.5% of the morning samples and in 9% of the afternoon samples”

If delaying taking levothyroxine until after blood test, you likely want to not eat or drink anything apart from water before taking levothyroxine

It may (or may not) make a difference to TSH if fasting ….opinions differ

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/a...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/252...

[Emmajane1994 in reply to SlowDragon]

So my results came back all fine, I am just waiting for a copy of them, the only thing that was low was vitamin D. Now my palpitations and headaches have gone and the only thing I’m struggling with now is dizziness. Are these two things linked?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Emmajane1994]

Vitamin D and low B vitamins often linked

Low B vitamins can cause dizziness

Come back with new post once you get results

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Which beta blocker

Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking

As per previous post…..

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Come back with new post once you get copies of results from when diagnosed

Make sure you get thyroid tested early morning, ideally before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Essential to test iron/ferritin as low levels often cause breathlessness

Vitamin D for joint and bone pain

B12 and folate for dizziness

What’s your diet like, are you on gluten free diet or vegan or vegetarian

[Emmajane1994 in reply to SlowDragon]

Bedranol- sandoz

Still on teva

Yes I will be asking for both copies of them and this time I have asked them to check vitamin levels too.

My appointment is afternoon. Maybe I should call up and see if I can get in early and see if my manager won’t mind me starting later.

No strict diet, just on slimming world so eating healthier with more vegetables and fruit and less bread.

[FancyPants54]

As SlowDragon said above, you need to get permission to start work late for a medical test and rearrange that appointment for between 8-9am. I tend to manage to get them around 8.30 without too much trouble. You will be doing yourself no favours going in the afternoon. Thyroid hormones have a circadian cycle and for optimal treatment you need to be tested at the lowest practical point for TSH, which is first thing.

[Emmajane1994 in reply to FancyPants54]

I have managed after trying to persuade the doctors that I had to have it earlier 😂 I got in for 8:50, I usually take my tablet at 6:30 so will that be ok to wait until after blood test?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Emmajane1994]

Yes that will be fine ….day before if you can take levothyroxine a little later than normal…7.30am rather than 6.30am …but if not never mind

[Emmajane1994 in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes can do that

Thankyou!!