Over the years, 29 to be exact, once we got my maintenance dose right, I've never had to bother about it, until recently. Yes, 6 monthly blood test, with the occasional self-maintenance on my part. All ailments I put down to my thyroid, it does cause a lot of problems.
However, I started to get major palpitations in October and thought, thyroid function needs to be done again. Only to find out I have SVT (supraventricular tacycardia) and high blood pressure.
I was rushed into ITU with type 2 respiratory failure. The moral, if it doesn't feel right, go to the doctor! I've learnt a hard lesson and never want to go down that road again.
I totally agree with this, we can get so hung up on our thyroid problems that we dont look further than out noses for any other causes. Just going by the law of averages, the amount of memebers on this site alone will have any number of other illness totally unrelated to the thyroid to contend with throughout their lives.
You can be born with SVT and don't know you have it for years. It was a combination of illness' which lead to the ITU the major being heart and lung. The doctors did various tests and didn't put it down to levothyroxine and knowing the ITU consultant, had he found it, he would have told me.
I can't praise the ITU staff enough, not that I knew much for 10 days, a very dedicated team of Doctors and nurses and ancillary staff.
I think you might be one of those rare people that don't have any problems!! I can link all my ailments back to my thyroid even if the endo refuses to acknowledge it!!
Indeed you could well be right, although I don't think potential for toxicity of levothyroxine after long term use (or even short term) and it's possible effects is going to be on the radar for most specialists, they will be more concerned to alleviate immediate difficulties, which indeed they are very often very brilliant at, especially at ITUs.
I have no cause to complain about the NHS or intensive treatment units, but I have a bugbear about levothyroxine and several other pharma drugs simply because they don't work for me and have made me feel much worse with other symptoms - including palpitations! Just makes me wonder what these allopathic crutches might do to our bodies, particularly over a long period of time.
I have a friend who was born with congenital hypothyroidism and been on levothyroxine all her life - she seems fit as a fiddle at 35 but beginning to be concerned with various minor health difficulties which she thinks may be related. But that's the thing - no-one's telling what the long term effects are... if anybody knows what they might be? I imagine cardiac difficulties, especially tachycardia, would be a prime possibility as a side effect of long term use of thyroid medication, but that's just my concern perhaps.
Other medications are out there which appear to be potentially much less damaging but our beloved NHS fails to recognise this or is seemingly intent on denying people a right of choice for potentially safer or more effective medications... but that's my battle I suppose ... it just made me reflect on your case and comments.
Very best wishes to you and a full and speedy recovery. Andy
Just wonder whether this is why they don't seem to want to start us on levothyroxine too soon, bcause they really know what problems they can cause in the long-term?
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