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
chest pain : does Anyone else get really bad... - Thyroid UK
chest pain
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Tammy40-
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Severe chest pain plus shortness of breath needs checking asap as it could indicate a cardiac problem.
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
Did she actually check your heart though.....ie ecg?
I went to accident and emergency 5 times in the same year all ecg were fine and bloods
Maybe your GP can order a Holster. .this is where u wear a monitor for one or several days. ECGs are only 30seconds long so are a brief snapshot. Its probably your thyroid out of wack but given how long it's gone on, coming and going it's wise to be careful....just to check. I had Afib.....missed by ECGs.....eventually picked up by a 48hr Holster. Cardiologist was really surprised and shocked by the degree. I've since had a heart op and it's sorted.
Jaydee1507Administrator
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?
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.
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.
My Levo brand is accord Levo sodium
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.
Am not sure starting as low as 50mvg of levo is a good idea wuth a TSH of 33. That's a seriously high level.
I’m on 150 I was on 125 but my recent blood tests come back with higher TSH so she put me on extra 25 but since I took it I’ve had worse chest pains I’m also low on vitamin they given me 7 weeks off vitamin b3 20.000iu xx also I’m very over weight not very active. I have a telephone consultation this morning hopefully she sorts it
Tammy I think ure GP needs to check u out further tbh. U must have had some symptoms with duch a high TSH when already on 125mcg of levo. Ask your GP if she will also check your B12; ferritin, folate. She needs to check if you absorbing well so testing for coeliacs would be a good idea too.
all my bloods were fine apart from my vitamins and tsh I’ve just called them and got my results from t4 and tsh my t4 is 10.7 and my tsh 33 my vitamin d is 21.7
OK. Do you have the ranges (figures in brackets). They vary from lab to.lab. Dt4 of 10.7 would be below range in my area. Re blood tests what you really need is a copy. Being in range does not mean you are fine as we need them.optimal. eg ferritin nhs doesn't treat until very low. But being low in range will affect u. Commonly low in non treated or under treated hypothyroidism.
Always ask for a copy of your blood test results. Its ure right.
Are you taking a magnesium supplement? You cannot use the Vit. D you are supplementing, unless you have enough magnesium. The best form of magnesium for the heart is Magnesium Taurate.
If magnesium levels not at an appropriate level you will get AFIB. Vit B12 problems go hand in hand with thyroid problems. We need to take all the B vitamins, not just B12. Your B12 level must be sufficiently high enough before you take methylfolate, which is a B vitamin. Biotin is also a B vitamin.
It is absolutely essential that you have enough Vit B2 to make FAD. Otherwise your thyroid cannot work properly, B12 will be biologically inactive, Vit D too, etc., etc. Internet site b12oils.com explains the above.
You can tell if the Vit B2 in your B complex vitamins is high enough for you to make FAD. If your urine is bright yellow you have sufficient B2. If it is not, I , personally ,would suggest that you add in an extra B2 supplement. R-5-P is the best form of Riboflavin VIt B2, although b12oils.com does say that bog standard B2 is sufficient, as they state that stomach acid cancels out the advantage of R-5-P. I have personal experience of additionally supplementing B2 as Riboflavin. When I re-order it, however, I'm am going to push the boat out and purchase the more expensive R-5-P form, as my urine is still not bright yellow on 110mg B2 daily. I derive benefit from 110mg B2. As far as I can see the R-5-P type seems to be only available if ordered from America (iHerb stocks). Since if hypothyroid we usually have low stomach acid, ordinary B2 may suffice .
If you generally google there is information on the internet ,which I previously quoted in another post about how magnesium affects the heart( a while ago )in a discussion with arTistapple. If you google "atrioventricular node and magnesium", it explains how it controls the heart rhythm.
All my vitamins and iron is ok apart from my vitamin d which I’ve been prescribed 7 weeks medication of 20.000iu they done all my bloods liver kidneys thyroid all bloods and all was ok apart from vitamin d which was 10.7 I think 20.000 is a bit high to take twice asweel so I halved it
Magnesium should always show as okay in a blood test as the blood prioritises magnesium if levels are low or deficient, to the detriment of the bones , for example. Magnesium levels elsewhere can't be checked. An expensive red cell magnesium test is supposed to be able to assess possible magnesium deficiency, but I think would rarely be done.
If you use magnesium soap or magnesium lotion on the skin, and it initially smarts or nips, this is supposedly indicating magnesium deficiency. Through the skin is supposed to be an effective mode of magnesium supplementation.
I will call my doctor tomorrow ask if my magnesium was tested if not I’ll ask him to test it or I might just buy some tablets from the chemist for it what’s the best medication to get for it I’ve seen gummies are good but I don’t no what dose to start on. My doctor doesn’t test for much they are fussy what they test for there hopeless
There are many different types of magnesium , some of which are good for constipation, but not good if you have the opposite problem. You could start with a lotion / spray/gel. Better You brand do these. Too much magnesium is as bad as too little. There isn't much in your profile or posts to get a sense of what your levels and ranges and health history is. Any tests you have had done for thyroid and vitamins need to be posted with the results and ranges. It is unlikely that your other key, core vitamins will be"okay", when VitD is so low and your TSH so high." What is okay in the eyes of your G.P. is likely not optimal, per this forum, and too low for thyroid medication to be effective .
Please don't buy any old magnesium at a chemist and take at any old dose, as you risk doing more harm than good. Try a little gel or spray and see if it nips, or you feel any different.
As members have already suggested , you need to ask for a copy of the tests you have had done , with the results and ranges. Members can then advise you better.
When I was diagnosed hypo my tsh was over 100 and started on 50 mcg levo.
What were you taking when on 125mcg
Which brand was 25mcg
Which brand 100mcg
Accord don’t make 25mcg
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.
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
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 .
I will call my doctor tomorrow and ask for my results and post them in here thankyou cxxx
You're welcome x
SlowDragonAdministrator
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
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
Has GP only tested TSH …..you need Ft4 and Ft3 results
What were B12, folate and ferritin results
My doctor said my iron is ok it’s just my vitamin d and he put me on colecalciferol for 7 weeks
About 10 years ago, my doctor told me that my iron was okay when my ferritin (iron stores) level was only 20. It was in the range given at the time - bottom of range was 13. Despite this I had frequent bouts of severe chest pain that were investigated but nobody could find a reason for and I still remember the day I was asked by a cardiologist if I was "anxious". I knew then I would have to fix myself.
I now try and keep my ferritin level at around 90 - 110 micrograms/L (which is also in range, just like the 20 was years before), and my chest pain completely stopped as I raised my iron with supplements.
I don't have chest pain these days. And I still monitor my iron/ferritin/saturation levels once or twice a year by paying for my own tests. If my levels dropped I would start taking regular iron supplements again.
Doctors think that any test result that is in range is okay. But for the patient the thing which matters to them is whether or not they feel well. And as I found, there is a huge difference in how well I felt with a ferritin level of 20 and a level of around 100.
This same kind of problem occurs with vitamin B12. Doctors are happy with a result at the bottom of the range when recommended levels are as much as 5 or 6 times higher. A result of 200 is not a good one, even if it is in range. Personally, I try to keep my levels at around 1000 pg/mL.
perniciousanemia.org/b12/le...
Can you take iron with thyroid medication ain’t it got iodine in I think someone in here said that it affects tsh levels if it doesn’t then I’ll try it because I’ve had ecg after ecg over the last 5 years and every one is ok and I’ve had full blood counts X-rays and all fine maybe it’s iron and vitamin making my chest pains bad I worry so it makes my pains worse
Iron is just iron, it has nothing to do with iodine. You can take iron and thyroid hormones on the same day, but they must be taken at least 4 hours apart. These days if I take iron, I take my thyroid hormones when I wake up and then take iron just before bed. This works for me. Others may prefer to reverse the way I take things i.e. thyroid hormones at bedtime, iron when first waking up.
What are your iron tablets called are they from the shop or doctors I’ll give it a try
Personally I've always taken ferrous fumarate 210mg up until now. They are sold in boxes of 84 and last me a long time. But when I next stock up I'm going to order Three Arrows heme iron tablets and see how well I get on with those.
You should find all you need to know about iron supplements from this reply I wrote :
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.
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
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.
So do you think I should half my 25mg tablet then or under half
I'm in agreement with what others have said and try halving the 25mcg and see how you go.
sometimes it’s the brand that doesn’t agree, ie the fillers they use, rather than the levo, maybe ask for a different brand. I can’t take teva myself I feel very very ill on it.
Any chance you've been taking biotin? It messes up test results.
Has TSH been tested again? Could be a problem at the lab.
Yes I was taking biotin for 7 days before I had my bloods repeated
OOPS! Those results won't be any good. I understand that biotin is used in the testing process , so you have to give it up for a while before you take the test.
helvella should be able to give you more information.
helvella - Biotin supplementation and testing
A short article about how and why biotin can affect blood tests. Includes information about how to avoid any problems.
Last updated 05/11/2024.
Hi Tammy, ask your dr to send you for a scan for gallstones. They can present with chest and back pain and there is a link with hypothyroidism.
I had my gallbladder removed maybe it’s my weight I’ve gained a lot of it I’m atleast 18-19 stone and still gaining weight very fast
I had bad experience with Levothyroxin from Wockhart.
And any increase/decrease in Levo should be done gradually, isn’t it? Maybe 150 every other day? Its very individual.
TSH as high as 33 shows something is not working.
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