Levo and fever as side effect?

[SecondAngel]

I've had a low grade fever for a few years and vaguely blaming it on one of my autoimmune diseases but it didn't really fit with my diagnoses. It just occurred to me to look at levothyroxine side effects and both fever and heat intolerance are on the list. Does anyone have any experience of this, or have any advice? Is it worth raising with my GP?

[Forestgarden]

Thyroid hormones control your metabolic rate, hence if you have low levels (hypothyroid) your cellular activity is slowed down and you generate less heat. Conversely if you are hyperthyroid. However, your core body temperature should remain a fairly steady 37c. This is avhieved by sweating to get rid of excess heat, and reducing blood flow to extremities to save heat where it is needed at your vital organs. When you say you have a low grade fever what do you mean? Do you feel ill? Do you sweat a lot and feel hot all the time? Is your core body temperature above the normal 37c?

[SecondAngel in reply to Forestgarden]

I don't feel unwell, I just have cycles of suddenly feeling extremely hot and start to sweat or suddenly cold and shivery; just a constant low grade high temperature. I haven't been taking my temperature regularly but have just got a smart watch to monitor my temp.

I otherwise feel slightly under-medicated in terms of my thyroid related symptoms (total thyroidectomy and currently on 125 levo, i had the fever on lower doses too).

[Forestgarden in reply to SecondAngel]

There is a lot of overlap between hyper and hypo symptoms. Do you have blood test results for tsh, free t4 and free t3? In my experience, low t3 can lead to odd panicky hot flush type symptoms, as can high t4. The only way to know if its due to your thyroid hormones is through blood tests.

[SecondAngel in reply to Forestgarden]

I've just done an online thyroid review on my GPs website and will be going for a blood test soon. My last one was in the autumn and I don't have the results.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Do you have a copy of your latest blood results that you can share with us? You are legally entitled to a printed copy of your results, ask at GP reception. In England you can get the NHS app and ask for permission to see your blood results on that by asking at GP’s reception.

What are your latest results for ferritin, folate, B12 & D3?

What supplements are you taking?

We need OPTIMAL vitamin levels for our thyroid hormone to work well.

[SecondAngel in reply to Jaydee1507]

I haven't got them, I'll put it it onnn my list - my last blood test was taken at the hospital, will it be on the same system?

[greygoose]

What they list as 'side-effects' of levo are usually the effects of taking too much or too little. Levo is not a drug, it is a hormone. Hormones, in general, don't have side-effects when taken in the correct doses.

[Jazzw]

Could it be menopause related? The random hots and colds are often par for the course —and don’t just stop post menopause either.

[SecondAngel in reply to Jazzw]

That's not impossible I suppose, I'm nearly 45 and, I suspect, peri-menopausal

[DandyThyro]

I certainly have enormous heat intolerance, often feeling feverish when my temperature is barely over 36º, and sometimes under it. I don't quite blame that on the Levothyroxine, rather I think I am under-medicated and therefore my metabolic rate is slow and temperature always low, so that any slight increase is reacted to as though I'd fallen into a furnace. I do occasionally get the shivers too.

I therefore think you might be slightly under-medicated; you could try bringing this to your doctor's attention in the hope of getting them to look beyond just the TSH etc that has them convinced you're doing fine.

[SecondAngel in reply to DandyThyro]

I've been taking my temp regularly for the last few days (got a cheap smart watch, seems as accurate as my thermometer) and yes - about 36'C. I've just done an online thyroid review explaining my symptoms and have been asked to book a blood test. Will have to wait and see, but thank you for your reply - reassuring it isn't just me

[DandyThyro in reply to SecondAngel]

I hope you get more than the TSH tested. Really, you need Free T3 and Free T4 tested as well to get any real idea of how you thyroid is doing. If your GP doesn't do it, there are reliable online tests. I'm sure there's an up to date list on Thyroid UK. Good luck. 😊

[kiefer]

Besides getting the appropriate thyroid testing, it might be useful to also determine what your cortisol levels are.

"This study examined the relationship between salivary cortisol levels and hot flashes during midlife. Previous studies have shown that cortisol levels increase with hot flashes in the laboratory, and higher cortisol levels have been associated with more severe hot flashes"

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...