feeling weird just started levo

[Mag999]

I started 50 mcg levothyroxine 3 days ago, felt very energetic within an hour of taking it, bit hyper but manageable and felt so positive. Took advice from this forum to split the dose and that helped but last night I wasn’t able to sleep, tense muscles sensation of palpitations and just couldn’t drop off at all.

I’m just asking if it’s normal to take a while to adjust I’m not very hypothyroid, tsh only just out of range but thyroid hormones are low in range and quite symptomatic although I also have no hormones due to oopherectomy and am unable to take hrt.

I thought I’d cracked it and now doubting myself and as I pushed it with the gp I feel responsible

[Regenallotment Ambassador]

That sounds familiar, I started on 25mcg then 50 now 75 and it’s taken over 12 months to get to this point. I definitely experienced similar symptoms between the 25 and 50 increase. My top tip is to alternate days with a new dose. I do this for about a week E.g. 25/50/25/50 then go 25/50/50/25/50/50 or split a dose morning and night can help too. Remember 50mcg is a starter dose, many feel worse on that than before, on 25mcg I felt blooming awful after an initial honeymoon of around 4 weeks. Get on it with the regular testing, don’t wait for the GPS 12 week window do it in 6-8 weeks. Other thing is to try not to get anxious about tablet taking and symptoms, easier said than done but I know I have exhausted myself not sleeping, dreaming about missed tablets or over medication. If you are brain foggy, write it all down. Hide the tablets so you don’t take more in the night. I hear you on the early relief feeling, I get that too, don’t know if it’s the tablets or just the sense of achievement get them🙈 wishing you all the best 🦋💚🦋

[Mag999 in reply to Regenallotment]

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply this forum is very much appreciated. Will persevere then and I did just take 25 today so may not take the other tablet today and do 50 tomorrow trying your alternating method. I suppose it is a bit naive of me to expect a miracle cure after many months of getting to this point!

[Realtiger]

Excellent advice from @regenallotment which I can only second.Also sounds familiar. I was symptomatic but with subclinical TSH (private testing revealed low T3 and T4 but my GP remained unaware). I started on 50mg and initially felt energised (or was it relief as Regenallotment suggests🙈)then a bit hyperactive and headachy with insomnia, palpitations and a tired but wired feeling. I had to cut my dose in half after a week. I think the advice to alternate and gradually titrate your dose upwards to the full 50mg is excellent. I wish I’d done this as I then spent another year undermedicated on 25mg and had to beg for an increase to 50mg tablets again.

It makes sense to me that your body has got used to functioning as best it can with lower hormone levels so when you start taking Levo you have more T4 available for it to convert to T3 than it can initially cope with. I imagine the speed at which your body can recalibrate is very subjective - some people will be fine with

a starter dose of 50mg others might need to build up more gradually.

None of this promises instant results but hope the sense of improved well-being returns and is more sustained. 🌸

[Mag999 in reply to Realtiger]

Thanks this is so helpful to know, and very reassuring

[Starling87]

Hi Mag,

So sorry you're experiencing this but it is completely normal.. I still feel very off and not myself for a while when I change dose, it's just a big change for your body. I would say you're gonna come out of this on the better side eventually- meanwhile, be kind to yourself (mentally and physically) and try to have patience with the process.

My body is super sensitive to any kind of medication or diet change, so I feel your pain. Just hang in there!😌If you can, maybe take some days off work and treat yourself to rest and chill.

[Mag999 in reply to Starling87]

Thanks for your comments, always so helpful to hear about peoples’ experiences so much more than you get from the gp!

[greenfingers in reply to Starling87]

My body too is very sensitive to any medication, I’m sure it puts a brick wall up! I’ve to careful of any increase and I’ve taken Thyroxine for 30 years. I’ve just started splitting the dose so early days yet. It’s reassuring to know I’m not on my own for being sensitive.

[greygoose]

It is going to take time to adjust, yes. Exactly how much time is impossible to say, because it will vary from person to person. But, rather unlikely it made you feel energetic in just three days. First of all, it has to be converted to T3, and the T3 has to get into the cells, and none of that happens instantly. More likely to take at least two weeks to feel anything. So, I hate to say it, but your increase in energy after just one hour is more likely to have been a placebo effect because you were relieved to be on thyroid hormone replacement at last. Not that I'm knocking placebo effects, far from it! But they don't always last. And, 50 mcg is only a starter dose, anyway. It's unlikely to be enough.

So, stick it out to the next blood test to see where you are. Don't push yourself, and don't ever give up hope. It's very early days, and the best is yet to come.

[Mag999 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks for clarifying, quite extraordinary what the body can do!

[greygoose in reply to Mag999]

You're welcome.

[arTistapple]

I got a ‘buzz’ about two weeks after starting 25mcg which lasted about two weeks. I was going so fast I could not cope. I had already somehow got used to my slow pace and was pretty much unaware of it. Cut off the ends of two fingers could not stop the bleeding and ended up in A&E. Similar at 50mcg but I was much more careful. 75mcg no buzz. Few problems which I chose to cut down the dosage myself because of pandemic difficulties. Dr. just about had kittens about that. All this before I found the forum. Now on 100mcg for a good few months. Feel steadier in myself but many symptoms still remain. Just posting this to give you a bit of variety and to pay heed to the excellent advice we all get here.

[Mag999 in reply to arTistapple]

Thank you, interesting that the buzz went with higher dose.

[arTistapple in reply to Mag999]

Yes, never wondered about that! I was over the moon about a very major symptom virtually disappearing from the moment I started on thyroxine. I could not believe it. Even yet I get a bit nervous it will come back, although it has now been gone for about a year. The symptom was a major problem for at least for at least 25 years and responsible for one heart attack 20 years ago.