chest pain

[Tammy40-]

does Anyone else get really bad chest pains and feeling unwell taking levothyroxine I had a blood test and it says my tsh is 33 no idea what that means as they didn’t tell me what my t4 and t3 was just said my tsh 33 and start on levothyroxine at a higher dose than usual so I’ve gone from 125 to taking 150 but I’ve had severe chest pain shortness off breath do I stop taking this till I see the doctor I also have low vitamin d and on viyamins for 7 weeks as my vitamin were seriously low and on a high dose of 20.000 iu twice a week

[bantam12]

Severe chest pain plus shortness of breath needs checking asap as it could indicate a cardiac problem.

[Tammy40- in reply to bantam12]

it’s only when I take levothyroxine I stopped it and my chest pains stopped I told my doctor I get chest pain but she said it’s due to low vitamins and under active thyroid as all the rest off my blood tests are normal

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

A TSH as high as 33 when you're taking 125mcgs Levo might indicate that its not being absorbed well.

How do you take your Levo? Its a very fussy hormone and needs to be taken on an empty stomach an hour away from food or caffeine containing drinks & other meds. Many people find taking it at bedtime works well for them.

Exactly what were your vitamin levels and reference range for each test?

Which brand of Levo do you take?

[Tammy40- in reply to Jaydee1507]

The doctor didn’t tell me the ranges of my vitamin d just said that my levels are very very low and need high dose meds for 7 weeks and then blood test I also take thyroid meds In the morning on a empty stomach with water xx I will give it a week see what happens.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Tammy40-]

Are you leaving a full hour from Levo to eating or drinking anything else?

Are you taking any other tablets with Levo?

What other vitamins re tested?

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.

Suggest you get a copy of your vitamin results and start a new post with them.

[Tammy40- in reply to Jaydee1507]

My Levo brand is accord Levo sodium

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Tammy40-]

The other thing is, if you are stop starting 125mcgs Levo then that will be a shock to your body, also it will mess up your blood results. If this is the case then you need to raise vitamin levels and then start at 50mcgs and work your way up again slowly over several months so your body can get used to it.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Tammy40-]

What were you taking when on 125mcg

Which brand was 25mcg

Which brand 100mcg

Accord don’t make 25mcg

[tattybogle]

Hi Tammy , looking back at your post from a couple of years ago ... you also had chest pain when your dose was increased to 125mcg ... and presumably that pain settled down as your body got used to taking 125mcg ?

your old post and replies from last time is here : healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... does-propanolol-help-thyroid-xx-also-why-do-i-feel-pain-in-my-neck-bck-chest-with-underctive-thyroid

so it might be the same issue again ? if so it should get easier as your body gets used to the higher dose .... you should not stop taking levothyroxine ... with TSH as high as 33 , you are very hypothyroid and you do need to take some levo .

How many days / or weeks have you been taking 150mcg for ?

25mcg increases are difficult to tolerate for some people , you may find it easier to increase more gradually ie. 137.5mcg for a few wks , then increase to 150mcg.

of course , if you are concerned about anything heart related you should always get it checked as soon as possible. 111 or A and E , or phone GP.

[Tammy40- in reply to tattybogle]

I’ve had a lot of ecg and tests for my heart over the past 7 years and all is ok x I was on 125 for 2 years I think I’ll do what you said with the medication cause I think 25mg is little to much ill half the 25 mg one

[tattybogle in reply to Tammy40-]

That sound like a good idea .

Try not to worry .. thyroid hormones control the speed of the whole body including the heart ...and if the body has got used to going slow due to being undermedicated, it's much gentler on the body to go up slowly...... as long as you get there in the end , it's ok.

if you can manage to get a printout of your blood test results from the doctors reception for your low vitamin levels , and post them on here, folk on here can help you with any issues you are having with improving low vitamins s etc .

[Tammy40- in reply to tattybogle]

I will call my doctor tomorrow and ask for my results and post them in here thankyou cxxx

[tattybogle in reply to Tammy40-]

You're welcome x

[SlowDragon Administrator]

DEFINITELY get a copy of your vitamin results and start a new post with them.

TSH at 33 is high….Especially if on 125mcg daily

Important to test Ft4 and Ft3 as well

TSH can be falsely high if test is contaminated by human mouse antibodies……

academic.oup.com/clinchem/a...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/232...

assuming TSH is genuinely high

Do you always take levothyroxine on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after

No other medications or supplements within 2 hours

Are you still taking propranolol?

If yes …..how much

What vitamin supplements were/are you taking

ESSENTIAL to test folate, B12 and ferritin

Low iron/ferritin can cause breathlessness

[Tammy40- in reply to SlowDragon]

I no longer take propranolol my iron was ok the medication for my vitamin b3 is colecalciferol 20.000iu twice a week yes I take Levo on empty stomach and with no other medication for 4 hours

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Tammy40-]

Has GP only tested TSH …..you need Ft4 and Ft3 results

What were B12, folate and ferritin results

[Hedgeree]

Hi Tammy,

When I was first prescribed levo a few years ago I started to get scary chest pains and palpitations. So I reduced my starting dose as I realised it was possibly too high for me with my thyroid levels being low and below range for some time previously. This worked for me. So I titrate very slowly to allow my body to get used to the increase in hormones. I've experienced no more chest pain since then.

[Tammy40- in reply to Hedgeree]

I think I may be on too high then. What dosage was you on they said my tsh is high and they increased mine from 125 to 150 maybe I need half of the other 25 xxx and not full 25 I don’t want to reduce it as my levels are high but why would I feel chest pain

[Hedgeree in reply to Tammy40-]

I was prescribed 25mcg in 2022 but it caused me chest pain and other symptoms. So I stopped and started on a tiny amount instead about 5mcg and very slowly have increased the amount I take. I'm now on 100mcg but need to increase so I'll go to 112mcg.