Hi there, please could anyone give me some advice. Can thyroxine have side effects? I am scared, I am having palpitations where I can hear my heart beat in my left ear which is worse when I lie down. I get a lot of indigestion and belch a lot. At night I have episodes where my heart beats fast and I can feel it in my tummy area which is worse if I eat late. I am on 75mg thyroxine, which I cut down slightly a few weeks ago but increased it again. My TSH is 0.85.
My blood pressure is up and down and has a tendency to be high if I am stressed.
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Cat-222
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This happened to me and appeared to be due to a low T3 rather than a high T4 because my conversion was poor. I would suggest that you get a full thyroid blood test done showing TSH, T4, T3, and ferritin, folate, B12 and vit D to see exactly what is going on.
Hi, thank you for your reply. My T3 was low 3.6 and my T4 was 19. I had the blood tests done privately and told my doctor but they didn’t want to know.
My ferritin, B12 and vit D are all good, my folate was at the lower end of the range.
my folate was below range, so we seem to be similar! Personally I would go back to the GP and talk about the conversion issues again. Sadly, a lot of GPS don’t really understand. Ask for a referral to a thyroid friendly endocrinologist for a trial of T3. If this GP will not help, try another one!
Hi Cat-222What brand are you taking? I had similar issues to you when I was given teva. My heart rate went up and I had a dodgy tummy. Many people don't tolerate teva.
Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking
Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription
Approx how much do you weigh in kilo
If been left under medicated a long time, you are likely to have low vitamin levels
What vitamin supplements are you currently taking
When were vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 last tested
Obviously just testing TSH is completely inadequate
Get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing done 6-8 weeks after being on constant unchanging dose and brand of levothyroxine
ALWAYS test early morning and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s, usually diagnosed by high TPO or high TG antibodies……have you had both thyroid antibodies tested?
List of private testing options and money off codes
I have been on 75mg for 12 years and always take the same brand 25mg Mercury and 50mg Alma.
My vitamins were tested in November because I am seeing a Neurologist for numbness.
I currently take vitamin D and K2, Probiotics, vitamin C, Zinc and sometimes Selenium and Omega 3.
Last time I did private blood tests my T3 was low and my T4 was high, I told the GP but they didn’t want to know so what’s the point of paying out for these tests?
My antibodies were fine.
I am due to have an endoscopy on Thursday for my indigestion and have been referred to a cardiologist for my palpitations and dizzy spells.
This is really getting me down and I am very scared as to what’s going on.
so that vitamin B complex seems pretty useless then
B vitamins best taken after breakfast
Thorne Basic B recommended vitamin B complex that contains folate, but they are large capsules.
(You can tip powder out if can’t swallow capsule)
Thorne currently difficult to find at reasonable price, should be around £20
If you want to try a different brand in the meantime, one with virtually identical doses of the ingredients, and bioavailable too, then take a look at Vitablossom Liposomal B Complex. Amazon sometimes has it branded Vitablossom but it's also available there branded as Yipmai, it's the same supplement
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
In week before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate methyl folate supplement eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg
In a study evaluating tissue function tests before total thyroidectomy and at 1 year postoperatively when using LT4, it was found that peripheral tissue function tests indicated mild hyperthyroidism at TSH <0.03 mU/L and mild hypothyroidism at TSH 0.3 to 5.0 mU/L; the tissues were closest to euthyroidism at TSH 0.03 to 0.3 mU/L [48]. A normal serum TSH level consequently does not necessarily indicate a euthyroid state at the tissue level.
Comprehensive list of references for needing LOW TSH on levothyroxine
the best paper on this that I have seen indicates that a TSH of 0.03-0.5 is best on therapy. Above that is insufficient and below MAY or MAY NOT indicate slight overdosing
Interestingly, patients with a serum TSH below the reference range, but not suppressed (0.04–0.4 mU/liter), had no increased risk of cardiovascular disease, dysrhythmias, or fractures. It is unfortunate that we did not have access to serum free T4 concentrations in these patients to ascertain whether they were above or within the laboratory reference range. However, our data indicate that it may be safe for patients to be on a dose of T4 that results in a low serum TSH concentration, as long as it is not suppressed at less than 0.03 mU/liter. Many patients report that they prefer such T4 doses (9, 10). Figure 2 indicates that the best outcomes appear to be associated with having a TSH within the lower end of the reference range.
If T3 is added alongside levothyroxine it’s extremely common for TSH to be 0.01 or lower
I am having palpitations where I can hear my heart beat in my left ear which is worse when I lie down.
Hearing the heartbeat in your ear is a condition called "pulsatile tinnitus". It's always easier to research something when you know the name of it.
I am scared
I don't know if you are afraid because of the tinnitus or whether you are afraid of thyroid hormones. If it is the hormones please read this link - it should make you feel better :
I would suggest that you start keeping records of which makes of thyroid hormones you are taking, what dose you are taking, and try a few different makes. Although the active ingredient in Levo is always the same the inactive ingredients known as fillers and/or excipients do differ from one make to another. Some people react to certain excipients. A few of them that cause problems for some people are lactose, acacia and mannitol. There are others.
See helvella 's blog for more info on which products are available and what excipents they have :
Ca-222 I suffered from pulsatile tinnitus and it went once I got some T3 as I was a poor converter, low T3, mid range T4. I also used to have palpitations when undermedicated, they went too once on T3. Sending you for endoscopy and cardiology testing , in my opinion, shows how NHS spends money unneccessarily. You need an Endocrinologist. make sure you get the TUK list of recommended ones, good luck
Hi Cat. I agree with others that you're probably slightly overmedicated. It may be a temporary thing, particularly if you've had covid or a virus which my Dr told me can affect the thyroid in those of us who are autoimmune thyroid and may mean a dose adjustment up and down for a while. I have been struggling with similar symptoms for a while and I'm due to have another TFT set of tests soon to see if I need to lower my dose now. Tempting though it is to start adjusting the dose yourself it's best to keep it settled and get the levels tested more regularly for a while as it may be a blip.
I have had pulsatile tinnitus since starting 100mcg of levo (over a year since). It does drive me mad sometimes and off course if you have not experienced it before, it is frightening. I recently started T3 and I believe I am getting periods of ‘quiet’. Anyway before this I used a white noise machine which was helpful but not always. My experience of hypothyroidism has made me even more introspective than my usual; meaning I am not always open to distraction. Distraction is the best first aid. Also lift your ear off the pillow at night by adjusting your hand to take ‘the weight’ of your ear. I am all for trying alternative interventions where at all possible. Obviously take on board all thyroid advice given here and Good Luck!
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