Root problem symptoms and conditions

I have hypothyroid. Have been taking Synthroid for about a year, 0.075MG a day. Had my levels checked 3 times since on the meds and still have never gotten to normal, but a lot closer. I have gained 20 pounds that I can't get rid of, which for me, is crazy. I have never had a problem dropping weight, and for the past month or so, I have started losing my hair. Not just losing it, but the texture and everything has changed. No matter what I do it looks dry and flat, and even when I condition it and also use a leave in conditioner, it still knots up and tangles. I have NEVER had a problem with tangles. It's coming out in handfuls. Im not taking any other meds, so I imagine it has to be the Synthroid. My problem is..What else can I take? I mean, I have Hypothyroid, so I can,t just leave it untreated, But I have no wish to be fat and bald either. Please...anyone know of others meds without these side effects?

I am a 54 year old male who has a chronic a-fib. My cholesterol was a wee bit high so my now retired MD put me on Zetia, which just about killed me- constant stomach pains and associated GI problems-we all can guess. So I went to see my cardiologist- he took me off Zetia and put me on Lipitor. It dropped my cholesterol levels significantly but the side effects are horrendous. My new MD was gooing to look into it because I was on 80 mg a day- but never did and never lowered the dose-229 is not all that high to warrant 80 mg a day.
I am now experiencing severe pain in my right rib-cage area, making sleep an event every night. Also have severe leg cramps the size of golf balls constanlty at night while sleeping. Pain in both elbows, and in the right foot, which when I can sleep wakes me up with a severe pounding pain. I am also experiencing severe neck and shoulder pain and am generally fatigued all the time- So I quit taking the stuff as of today on my own, I am seeing my MD in two week and I want to see what the difference is pain wise being off of the med for two weeks. I have always been a strong physical guy, played football all the way through college and am in pretty good shape for my age, but this stuff is killing me!! Hope this helps someone else also-Thanks for listening-John in Napa, CA.

Hello again,
Sarah-thank you so much, once again, for your comforting words. It is amazing that after I read your post telling me that where I am in the process (and what I am currently experiencing) is normal, I actually feel physically calmer and less anxious! I feel now that I know what to expect. Do you have any idea how long that second "phase"--when your own hormones take over--will last? Thank you thank you for comforting me!

Silke-as I was reading your post, something struck me. You mentioned a few times that you feel like something is missing in your body. Ever since my Yasmin nightmare started I have been reading up on Eastern medicine (like Ayurveda) and Chinese medicine because I do not trust Western medicine at the moment. Anyway, have you ever studied it? There is an idea that your lifeforce, or "chi", runs through your body and that each of your systems are connected to each other, instead of operating exclusively from one another. If one system is sick, Western doctors simply provide a pill that will make it better, never thinking that it might not be treating the root problem. In Eastern/Chinese medicine, this idea of chi brings everything togther holistically. There are several different areas in your body that this chi may be centered. If one of the centers is "blocked," it can drain your life force from smoothly running throughout your body at all times. (Anybody who knows about Eastern and Chinese medicine...please feel free to chime in or say it better than me--the amateur!)

Long story short, there are ways to "free" this blocked chi. That might be the answer to what you feel like is "missing." I have a friend who struggled for a long time to heal from being on a terrible oral contraceptive (not Yasmin, actually) and she swears by this alternative medicine. She has an acupunturist and an herbologist and feels so healthy, holistically. So if you feel like traditional medicine, doctors, and tests are not working to help you heal, just google some alternative methods. They have been around a lot longer! I considered it for myself, but unfortunately I cannot afford it at the moment.

I hope everyone reading this is doing well today!
Best, Erykah