Symptoms of hypothyroidism symptoms and conditions

I had the Mirena inserted right after I had my baby in Sept 2008. I have not had a period since then. Which is a curse and a blessing in itself. I have had terrible migraines at least once a week since then. I have no sex drive at all! I am tired all the time and cannot get enough rest. I work full time and have a small child, I cannot afford to feel this tired. I also have developed acne all over my forehead and chin. I am 27 years old. I didn't even have this when I was in high school. This is ridiculous. I had a thyroidectomy four years ago when I had half of my thyroid removed and have been fine since then until now. I really feel the Mirena has slowed by thyroid down because I have many of the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Does anyone have any thoughts on after stopping the nuvaring. I was only on it for 2 months but the extreme moods and depression made me stop and never look back. Its been 6 months since I stopped, I have not used any birth control since. My hair started falling out when I was on it, but it never stopped and is now getting worse. I am not feeling well and seem to have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism, I just had a blood test today and am waiting on the results. I am 25 yrs old and otherwise healthy besides this. I feel like all my symptoms, physical and emotional started with the nuvaring, I am wondering if anyone else has developed hypothyroidism after being on and stopping the nuvaring???

I can't believe I didn't find this sooner! I was on the Nuvaring for about 4 years and just last month traded it in for the Mirena.

At first, I was thrilled to find the Ring as I have a very hard time taking pills because I've always had a sensitive stomach. The patch was messy and sticky so I was excited to find the ring. For the first couple of years, the only problem I had was keeping it in place (it would continuously fall out) so I just got used to having to push it back into place every time I used the restroom. Every. Single. Time. But it was worth it because it made my periods much, much lighter and more manageable (i usually am down for the count for a few days). I also did the ring continuously without taking a week off because I still had some pretty terrible periods.

About two years ago, I started gaining weight uncontrollably, became very depressed, lethargic and achey. One day I came down with a terrible case of bronchitis and was put on a heavy duty round of antibiotics and steroids. After, I started having terrible heartburn and IBS symptoms which lead me to a gastroenterologist. Every test imaginable was performed, but nothing was found. I was told I had a nervous stomach. Unsatisfied, I got some bloodwork done and had abnormal blood glucose levels. My diabetic husband gave me a glucometer and I realized my blood sugars were totally out of range. I ended up at an Endocrinologist and all tests came back normal. I was also referred to a Rheumatologist for my achy body and joints. I found a list of symptoms of hypothyroidism and was convinced this is what I have, so I was put on a very low dose of Synthroid. At the same time, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on a whole mess of anti-inflammatories and pain killers.

Unsatisfied with my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and totally unwilling to admit this is something I have to live with for the rest of my life, I began working with a nutritionist who has helped me get off all the medications (except Synthroid). But still, I hadn't slept through the night in years (getting up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom), I was terribly achy, irritable, nauseous, constipated and still gaining weight.

Recently, my insurance changed and I decided to get the Mirena. Within a few weeks, most symptoms have drastically improved, my family notices a major change. I actually slept through the night last week, only 3 weeks after using the Ring for the last time. I haven't lost any weight yet, but the fact that I even CAN exercise is monumental. More than anything, I'm thrilled at the prospect that everything was caused by the Ring, the one constant no matter what I tried, and maybe I won't have to live with Fibromyalgia for the rest of my life.

I can't say with total certainty that the NuvaRing caused all my problems, but it is absolutely astounding that all of us are experiencing the same terrible symptoms and none of our doctors have bothered to think that it could be the Ring. I'm angry about this. Why don't they know about these side effects??

Yes these side effects are listed in the package, but they're the same side effects from pretty much every medication... and I don't know about all of you but this thing came damn near close to ruining my life. I couldn't work, sleep, eat, exercise, clean my house, etc. etc. It's no heart attack or stroke, but definitely life altering.

I think health care providers need to be alerted to these symptoms and the possibility that the Nuvaring could be causing it all. It would have saved me thousands of dollars in medical bills and despair. Patients should be warned that the side effects are very real and can be debilitating. I'm almost sorry I found this so late (after I already got rid of it!) but I'm glad I found it nonetheless.

Good luck to all of you!

So basically this is my story.. I am 19 and have had severe asthma every\ since I can remember. I took prednisone up until I was 14, and from what I can remember I just stopped taking it around then. Then when I was about 18 I started up again because my asthma got worse. Between the time period of 14-18 I still had asthma, but started working out and became very active and healthy.I lost alot of weight had VERY THICK long hair. Then at 18 I got very sick and my doctor put me on prednisone knowing my asthma history. After being on it for a month my hair has become thin, I have gained weight, my face has rounded, my skin used to get tan very easily but now just flushes. I have headaches all the time, can't sleep at all during the night, then crash during the day. I am constantly depressed. I always have to pee. I can't be at the gym for more than 30 mins and then I just die im so tired. I can go on and on. I have tried so many time to get off but like I have read from the above comments,I become very sick and lazy I literally can't move. But what I need answers for, and what I was wondering, has anyone started to get hives/rash after coming off or being on prednisone. Every time I try to wean off of it I get them all over my legs!! NOTHING and I mean NOTHING makes them go away except when I start up prednisone again. My doctor thinks its okay and no other doctor can figure out why im getting these hives but its so obvious its from that because when I go back on it goes away. This is not a good medication to be on. I haven't seen hair loss as one of the major side effects but has that happened to anyone else. im praying to god i can wean of this drug if anyone knows anything pleaaaase let me knowwwwwww

I have had a merina in for 12 months to reduce heavy periods as tehre was no change I went back to the doctors to have it removed only to find it had been out of position, so had another one inserted and some blood tests as i was feeling unwell, depressed,weight gain,itching eyes, feeling cold, insomnia,heart palpitations,headaches the tests showed i had hyperthyroidism yet i had more symptoms of hypothyroidism i feel this was caused by mirena but the doctors deny it yet looking into different sites the above symptoms are very common so i don't know if i feel unwell due to the merina of the thyroid will be going to the specialist this week hopefully to find out has anyone else had hyperthyroidism diagnosed while on mirena

Hi Ladies,
I am 31 with 3 beautiful children. I have had the mirena since July 2007. I now have a thyroid disorder called Hashimoto's thyroids. No personal or family history of any type of thyroid diseases. I am having mine removed in 4 days. Of course my family practice MD claims there is absolutely no connection between the mirena and my new onset of thyroid disorder. Just FYI for all of you ladies out there, the symptoms most commonly reported by a majority of you, take a look at the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Any of these sound familiar??? All of my labs including my thyroid (TSH) levels came back normal. Except one. PTO, the test for thyroid antibodies. My immune system is literally attacking my thyroid. Thyroid levels under 3.0 are looked at for many women with infertility and miscarriage. Mine was 2.44, which is within normal range, but I am also on the verge of hypothyroidism. 3 weeks ago I noticed a lump on the left side of my thyroid, I just found the infertility information late last night, and that's how I wound up here. Mirena is doing its job, but it is also messing with your metabolism. Just because your thyroid levels are within normal range does not necessarily mean you are not having thyroid issues or it may be early enough where your levels are not "concerning" yet. No connection between thyroid and Mirena, huh???? Good Luck to all of you.

I would strongly recommend anyone with hypothyroidism or on thyroid medication read a book called The Thyroid Solution. I believe the author was Dr. Arem. He seems to be an open-minded physician fully aware of the catastrophic effect low thyroid hormone and also quite aware of the inadequate care most patients are receiving.

There are so many misconceptions about thyroid health-- and many general practitioners do not have nearly enough information to be helping patients. He fully covers the problem of relying on your doctor to provide the adequate dosage. As well, many people with so-called 'normal' TSH levels still show symptoms of hypothyroidism. In fact, the 'normal' range was simply found by measuring the TSH of a cross-section of people to determine what level makes most people feel healthy. The problem with this is that some people may naturally have an extremely low TSH, but if it raises to a 4 (which is considered fine) that person may feel quite ill. There body knows something has changed but to a doctor who only looks at blood tests, they can't see why there is a problem.
In the past doctors used symptomology to determine the health of a patient, not ridiculous blood tests!
Best of all, Dr. Arem confirms that your symptoms are NOT IN YOUR HEAD like doctors try to convince you.

This is also a great book for people dealing with family members who are hypothyroid to understand what their loved one is dealing with emotionally.

I was diagnosed with low thyroid in July of 05 after my MD ran some blood work due to a rash and fever. Prior to that, I had no symptoms of hypothyroidism and in fact am a competitive triathlete and road cyclist. MD put me on Levothyroxine and even though my levels came down, I noticed no changes in energy, metabolism, etc. In October, I began having extreme headaches accompanied with numbness and tingling. MD refered me to a neurologist and after numerous, expensive tests, everything came back negative. Blamed it on anxiety and stress. I blame it on this drug. I feel worse now while my levels are normal?, then I did when they were originally diagnosed as being too high. What's the benefits of this drug if it makes you feel like crap? How can so many of us have these same side effects with not response from our doctors?

I was on propranolol for 3 years for mitral valve prolapse and hbp. When I developed symptoms of hypothyroidism I finally convinced the dr. to take me off it and I was put on 20 mg of lisinopril. My thyroid function went to normal range after one year but after 2 years the symptoms are returning. Has anyone seen a connection with this medication and thyroid function. I'm having twitches, cramps, indigestion, some lightheadedness, cold feet, tingling in hands, increased ringing in the ears.

51 year old female. I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

I just started Levothyroxine 75 micrograms last thursday. Immediately my constipation issues improved, my libido increased and I was more alert after taking it on an empty stomach in the morning. I have not experienced any joint pain or depression yet. Previous to diagnosis I had difficulty losing weight, dry skin, cold-natured, lethargy, experienced three major depressive episodes, two which were almost suicidal. My thyroid hormone levels were within normal range even though I presented with these symptoms of low thyroid function. My pregnancies were difficult (3 births but pregnant six times), with the third and last pregnancy resulting in three false labor trips to the hospital and a post partum depression that would not go away for 13 years. Accupuncture took care of the depression since i tired of the many years of antidepressant side-effects.

I finally went to an endocronologist because of the growing goiter on my neck and all the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

I'll post any negative side effects as time goes on. For now, I am happy with Levothyroxine since I have begun to lose weight slowly and do not have the terrible constipation. Previous to starting this drug, no amount of Weight Watcher meetings or exercise regimens would allow consistant weight loss. Only in the years before my enlarged thyroid could I achieve my weight goal. In 2000 I lost a lot of weight by running 5 miles a day and attending Weight Watcher meetings, extreme measures by any standard. Even then, my weight loss was much slower than the other attending members.

I am a 36 year old MALE and was diagnosed w/ hypothyroiditis about 3 months ago. My doctor placed me on levoxyl after confirming his concern through blood tests. Prior to taking levoxyl, I had all the symptoms of hypothyroidism. After 2 months on the med, I noticed much improvement and decrease in symptoms - stop of hair loss, better sleep, more energy, ability to concentrate, and no more constipation. From reading nothing but bad news regarding levoxyl on this site, I pray that my sucess continues in the long term w/ levoxyl and I hope all you find something that works.

Does any know of a support website for MALES regarding hypothroiditis?

I started Advair over a year ago, first 500/50 then decreased to 250/50. During the past year I have steadily gain 50 lbs, severe muscle and joint aches, as well as depression, forgetfullnes, and confusion. There were also a few periods where I had brief blackouts. In April of this year, I bought a treadmill. I was not able to walk over 2.0 mph or for longer than 1/4 mile. I started having chest pains. I went to the doctor and they admitted me to the hospital for heart tests. The tests came back negative, but they found that I had extremely high thyroid levels. My TSH level was 80.76 (normal is 3-5) and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. All of the above symptoms are also symptoms of hypothyroidism. My symptoms started to improve after taking the thyroid medication. However, at the same time my asthma improved and I stopped taking Advair. Three weeks ago I had to begin the Advair again and now I am starting to gain weight with muscle tightening and weakness. After reading this site, I now believe my symptoms were more from the Advair than the hypothyroidism. I will no longer use Advair. I would rather be on prednisone than have to experience these side effects.