22 days on levo and counting

[flatfeet1]

Just as Cupi is, I am also on a (1 month) 25mg trial of levo, but unlike her I felt the effect almost immediatley . . . but for 2 days only

I was back to my old self; jumped out of bed did some house work ... no aches or pains, no exhaustion, no having to rest.... went in to the garden and did some weeding spent the rest of the day SINGING ! ! The dark oppression that had sat on my shoulder, that I hadn't even noticed had been there, had lifted. I felt warmer too. I was out of the fog and thinking clearly, I had sleep in my eyes in the morning, don't know when I last had that ! my constipation gone, (but period back (vitamin D ?).

After the initial 2 days I was better than I had been, but not to the extent of the first couple of days (perhaps I over did it ?) and in the afternoons now the effects are wearing off. so I have to go back to the sofa to rest again

Today I feel back to square one. Crawling around the shops being overtaken by 80 year olds (I'm 55) My daughter has also noticed that I am not hearing as well as I used to, additionally the chest pain I have is now painful when I sneeze or hiccup (dont know whats going on there ! ! ) and I now have a pain in my back between my shoulder blades.

Next week I go back the the doc, (he didn't think it was thyroid and I suspect he will take me off the levo) does anyone have any advice for me, anything I should, or more poignantly, shouldn't mention, and are these reactions normal for this initial treatment?

[Clarebear]

Yes this sounds completely normal and to me just means you need an increase 25mcg is a very low dose and it is likely that it is suppressing your TSH slightly so your own thyroid is now producing less thyroid hormones. For the first couple of days when you were feeling better the T4 that you were taking was in addition to what your thyroid was making, but due to the negative feedback loop, this is no longer the case. You will need to keep increasing until the amount of thyroxine you are taking is mmore than the amount your thyroid is no longer making due to a lower TSH.

I hope this makes sense If not I'm sure someone else can explain far better. I think it is a very good sign that you have felt this initial improvement xx

[flatfeet1 in reply to Clarebear]

Thanks Clarebear

[mitsy]

Hi Flatfeet,

I am in pretty much the same position.I am on a trial of 25mcg for 3-6 months for so-called " subclinical" hypothyroidism,except I have had every symptom under the sun.

Am now at day 16.At day 6 or so I felt an improvement in that the pain in my knee joints went,my throat swelling went down (I didn't even realise it had been swollen until it went away) and I was literally full of energy.Then bam around day 9 I began feeling tired again in the evenings and slowly the pain has returned-but only in one knee!

My tonsil stones,which I had been plagued with, have disappeared and I have not had one since starting levo.

I have to say though in general I have felt better,not massively, but every little helps.Anyhow from looking at other peoples' experiences here it seems to be par for the course to feel better and then slip back a bit.

One month trial sounds very short to me.Also maybe consider asking your doctor for an increase in meds when you see him,as it would be hard to tell if it's actually working when you're on such a low dose for such a short time.

best wishes xx

[flatfeet1 in reply to mitsy]

Hi Mitsy,

Thanks for the very helpful advice. I also hope that you get an increase as well, hopefully sooner than the 6 months. I will be posting again as any help that people can get from my experience I hope will be useful.

Wishing you well

[Hidden]

Hi flat feet,just seen your posting.I would suggest when you go back to gp explain that you had an improvement but then it wore off and you are back as before.thats what I said to mine and he immediately said well then double the dose.But before I said that and asked would the 25 mcg eventually raise T4 (to which he said definitely no it will not)he was wanting me to stay on 25mcg with no raise in dose. Makes no sense does it! I was to be on the trial for 3 months but got bloods done at 2 months after advice on here that at 6 weeks any improvement will be made.I know without doubt if I had not questioned him and had just said ok then thanks, that he would happily have left me on just the 25mcg due to being in bloods 'normal' range. Without the advise from the people on here that is exactly what would have happened I'm sure. I will let you know how this goes- time will tell.hope you get similar help- even if its not the answer for us it is nice to be given the opportunity to at least give it a go.

[flatfeet1 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Cupi,

Yes thats basically what did happen, Well done you for asserting yourself . I hope I can be articulate enough and string a sentence together to explain myself, I would have usually just accepted everything a doc would say... as they are gods. but I am learning, as we all seem to be on this site, that they dont know everything and especially about thyroid conditions.

Wishing you well