Glum. Grim. Grumpy.

[JoJoloveschocolate]

Had my levothyroxine increased to 75 last Thursday. Crikey on a bikey…feel terrible. All the symptoms that I had before I started levo went away for a while after a few weeks on the 50mcg and then came back so last week the Gp agreed an increase. This weekend it all seems to have ramped up again. Lay in bed this morning thinking…I’m not gonna get through this!! Foot pain, trapped wind, low back pain, sciatica, stomach cramps, hip pain. Got up, had some breakfast and everything seems to have settled again. Does it take a while for the increased dose to build up? Got to wait 2 months for the next blood tests now. I just want to crawl back into bed and stay there…forever😫

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Yes very common to initially feed worse

Which brand was 50mcg

Which brand have you got for extra 25mcg

Are you taking dose waking or at bedtime?

You could try splitting the dose levothyroxine for few weeks …..taking 50mcg waking and 25mcg at bedtime (or vice versa)

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi SlowDragon, the 50 is Teva the 25 is I think Wockhardt (don’t know if the spelling is right). I take both doses when I get up to go to the bathroom 430 - 5 am ish. I started to feel a bit better a couple of hours after taking the tablets. Didn’t know you could split the dose. Might give try that a try. Thanks. x

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to JoJoloveschocolate]

I would stick with taking both together for rest of this week

If still feeling if like been hit by a bus …..try taking 25mcg before bed

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to SlowDragon]

Will do. Thank you so much for the advice. “…like been hit by a bus”…that is it…exactly…a double-decker…

[tattybogle]

Hi JoJoL/C Yes , it's common to feel a bit better briefly, then worse again , and yes it does usually take at least 10 days/ 2 wks to start to feel the effect of a dose increase. See my reply to this post : healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[JoJoloveschocolate]

OMG I hadn’t seen that!!! Thank you so much. That is what happened to me when I started the 50. Now started 75mcg. You have given me hope!! I need to take a screenshot of your reply so I can look at it all day 😆Cheered me up a bit x

[myfanwy1945]

Last week an Endo insisted I have a blood test for Addison's Disease, which my mother died of. Don't know results yet. But if I do have it, I'll broadcast it far and wide. I am Hypo at the moment!

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to myfanwy1945]

Really sorry to hear this. Waiting for results is so stressful. Hope everything gets sorted for you. x

[Astro16]

Well when i was put on it as my thyroid went all undractive, i started on 50g and im now on 125g- it takes a while for the gp to get you to what they call - optimally medicated, were all different , but you have to keep an eye on it as your body changes as you age, and if youre feeling a bit rough id get it checked again ,thats all i can tell you as im no expert on the thyroid, there are plenty of them on here much more knowlegeable than me, id get advice from them about whens thebest tim to take it, but then again the best time for you may be completely different, but this is a very good group to belong to if youre having probs xx wish you all the very best xx

[Astro16]

this is just my experience, but it takes a while to find the correct dose for your body , and ive found you do feel awful first of all , it takes a bit of patience too , sorry scuse the pun, but your body has to get used to changes of any type, i take my levo at night as i felt dreadful taking it in the mornings , but thats just me, and i too would recomend splitting the dose for the first few weeks , and hope you get used to it in smaller amounts at first x I wish you luck . and all the best

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to Astro16]

Thank you so much, Astro. Everything you said makes complete sense. I thought that if my body needed thyroxine it wouldn’t be acting up this way! I suppose if I’ve been hypo for a while though it must be a kind of shock to the system to start adding the hormone back in. I think I remember someone on here saying that the body compensates for the lack of thyroxine in other ways so I suppose it takes a while for everything to straighten out and settle down. Last night I had the best sleep I’ve had for ages - a lovely, deep, relaxed, dreamful sleep with no joint pains and back pain. I took a couple of painkillers before bed, but I’ve done that before and not had a good night like last night. Also, I’ve woken up not feeling bloated or shattered. Maybe things are starting to improve. That said, I expect there’ll be other weird things happening for a while on the new dose. It’ll be two steps forward and one back probably won’t it. I’ll see how things go over the next couple of days and if things change again, I’ll split the dose as advised. Thanks xx

[Astro16 in reply to JoJoloveschocolate]

I wish you luck, but i have to say this group helped me a great deal when i was first diagnosed , i thought i was dying, and that noone was listening, and i felt dreadful until i found this group, there are quite a few very knowlegable and helpful folk here, who do care,and will help and wont think youre a hypochondriact , scuse my spelling its not brill, but this is a wonderfull group to belong to especially in the mids of all this new world concept stuff and everything on line and cant get in touch with your gps, doctors medical professionals etc, strikes whatevers happening in your area, none of its good, but YOU WILL GET HELP IN THIS GROUP , I LOVE IT XX Wish you all the very best, and you will feel a bit weird at first, but as our bodies get ill the hormones or whatever our bodies arent processing has to be replaced, and gradually you will feel a little more normal, but it takes time, we dont heal as fast as the animal kingdom, and it takes more time the older we get x Much love to you x Astro

[JoJoloveschocolate in reply to Astro16]

Thank you so much. You’re very kind. Everyone here has been lovely and there are lots of posts and comments that have given me hope that things will improve. I know exactly what you mean when you say “thought i was dying.” Before I was diagnosed (and a couple of times since starting the thyroxine!) I’ve felt just like that. Sometimes I wonder how it’s possible to feel this bad when the gp and all the guidelines describe me as “subclinical” or “mild” hypothyroidism. It certainly doesn’t feel “mild”! My tsh was only just over the range at 4.73, but when I think back I started with hypo symptoms when my tsh was around 3 and that was years ago! I think back to when I was first diagnosed in May this year…now here we are - nearly in October and I’ve had my dose increased so things are moving along now - hopefully moving in the right direction. Wishing you all the best. xx

[Astro16 in reply to JoJoloveschocolate]

Thankyou JoJo, I wish you all the best, just ride the storm , there is light at the end of the tunnel and you prob wont feel absolutley fantastic, but you will feel a great deal better xx Much Love xx

[JoJoloveschocolate]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my glumness! Things seem to be levelling out a bit now (have been three weeks on 75mcg now I think). The only thing is..I wake sometimes in the night with my mind racing and find it hard then to get back to sleep again. It’s not like I’m worrying over anything. I feel ok physically, like things are improving. Does anyone have any ideas about why this might be?