Thyroiditis symptoms and conditions

I had a baby in May.I had the mirena inserted in the beginning of August. I began having night sweats and noticing a lot of hair loss at the beginning of Sept. I went to my Ob/gyn who said it couldn't be the mirena causing the symptoms. So I thought that maybe I had a thyroid issue.(After my last pregnancy I had post-partum thyroiditis, which caused my hair to fall out and night sweats). I had my levels checked, and sure enough my t4 levels were high. So, now I am waiting for my t4 levels to go back to normal and hope that's what was causing my symptoms, not the mirena. I have also read that the mirena can cause thyroid problems, so who knows what is REALLY causing my symptoms. My most recent symptom is numbness and pain in my wrist/hand. I'm thinking it is possibly carpal tunnel syndrome which can be caused by hypothyroidism. If you just had a baby and are having the night sweats, hair loss, heart palpitations, weight gain etc.... I would recommend getting your thyroid checked.

I have had no bad side effects whatsoever with Armour Thyroid. I was diagnosed 6 years ago with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (before I became symptomatic, actually, it was dumb luck that my neurologist sent me to the endocrinologist for a slightly off T4 level.)

I was started on Levoxyl (sp?) which gave me a headache every single day at the exact same time, exactly 9 hours after taking the pill. Then I was given Synthroid at too high a level and had rare side effects which subsided when I went down.

However, a couple years later I became symptomatic for Hashimoto's and although my endocrinologist swore up and down that no one should take Armour Thyroid, I had read otherwise, and had asked about it an an online women's forum. 9 out of 10 women on the forum said they did much better on the Armour Thyroid, and my new wholistic physician said, "Interesting, those are the same statistics I have in my office."

All my Hashimoto's symptoms went away within 6 months after starting Armour Thyroid and I've had no problems in years.

my daughter received her first shot in August of 08. Within 2 weeks she had a terrible bout of thyroiditis which translates into hypothyroidism;very tired and fatigued. A few months after that severe dizzy spells, racing heart and seeing stars in the middle of the night. Then migraine like headaches. Now chronic nausea and tingling and pain in her chest, shoulder and arm. Recently diagnosed with Parsonage-Turner syndrome which produces neurological impairment from "viral infection". The impairment is supposed to improve over time. She has had a hellish year. How is it that a 19 y0 girl who was healthy and a runner has turned into what doctors now think is a hypochondriac?

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 was prescribed Synthroid for Hypothyroidism about 6-months ago. I was told my thyroid is covered w/ nodules caused by Hoshimotos(?) Thyroiditis. Prior to that I suffered with severe anxiety attacks. Since my first dose of Synthroid I have felt much calmer. I realize Synthroid isn't prescribed for that, but I definitely feel much better. However, now it is early spring, and I ventured out for some light gardening and thought I was going to die from heat stroke and a pounding heart - it is only 68 degrees! Could this be a side effect or perimenopause?

Hello
I am 36 years old with a 3 yr old and a 22 month old.I had the mirena inserted in June of 2006 after my second daughter was born. It was great no more cramps (I also suffer from endometriosis),periods were shorter life was great. Then in april of 2007 I started getting horrible headaches, dizziness, nausea like I was pregnant and really bad stomach pains.I went to my primary care and he said i had the flu and sent me on my way.I went back in June and had lost 8 lbs and still not feeling good and was down to 2 meals a day and not sleeping and weak. He did some blood work and sent me to a GI specialist. The blood work showed a weird blood count(which till this day no one has ever found out why) and scheduled a upper GI. That came back negative so they gave me some acid reflux meds. Came back 2 months later and then scheduled me for a lower GI that too was negative. So I complained some more and sent me to Boston to the big wigs which is where Im still going to currently and they ran some allergy test and a couple of CT Scans. They all came back negative!!
So its now almost a year later and Im down 28 lbs, 1 meal a day which is dinner so i can go lay down since my husband is home and can watch my girls. I have constant nausea that is worse than being pregnant at least ginger ale and crackers cured that. The funny thing is my Dr. prescribed me a medication for nausea that cancer patients take. Great thanks for adding more toxic crap to my body. Hair is falling out by the clumps and I have very thick hair that my hair dresser tells me people would kill for, no sex drive my poor husband but he sees me in pain and the constant headaches and mood swings are bad. My poor 2 little girls that I adore must think Im this monster since I lose my patience very quickly and always yell at them and snap at my husband. I have constant chest pains that I feel like Im having a heart attack at times, and lower back pain in my kidney areas. The night sweats are getting worse and sleep what is sleep, Im still up and wide awake writing this and will still be up for another 2 hours. I never had a problem with sleep before especially have 2 toddlers.
Luckily for me I have read this and will have it removed immediatley and the fact I am an independent consultant for a health/wellness company will help me get on the right track. This company has a great natural hormone balancing cream that will help me recover from this nightmare. It wont help with the birth control but I will deal with that separately. I have read all of these blogs and most of you women express the hormone imbalance, I can help you with this so if you are interested please contact me. I am so happy I got involved with this company and the funny thing is someone on my team suggested it was the mirena that was causing my health issues.
Thank you all for listening and heres to living healthy...

I was recently diagnosed with Hoshimotos Thyroiditis. It's only been three days since I have been on the Levoxyl (100 mcg), but I am feeling slight chest pain and tingling in my face. My heart isn't racing though; it's just a dull pain! I am nervous that it will continue to increase and that other symptoms will come about. Just reading about people's experienced on this site has made me nervous too! Has anyone ever experienced this and if so, did other symptoms follow?

Thanks for your feedback!!!

I am so glad I found this site. I have been experiencing severe joint pain and constant edema. I never even thought it could possibly be the toprol xl 50 mg I have been on for over a year now. I have had extensive blood work to find out why I have such joint pain and everything has been coming out normal! I am in pain EVERY day...and it has been getting worse. I do have a thyroid condition (which was also recently checked and all the blood work was fine), because I got terrible joint pain as a symptom of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (an auto-immune disorder) way back in 1999 when I was first diagnosed. So, when this terrible joint pain returned, I was sure it was the thyroid and that my medication for THAT would have to be adjusted. Needless to say, I was shocked and concerned that my thyroid numbers are all normal.
I cried today over this pain...I am only 44 years old and I feel like I'm 90 years old. Maybe fate led me here tonight. It may or may not be the toprol causing all of this pain, but at least I have some hope now. I am scared because since I do have an "auto-immune" disease, I am apparantly at a much higher risk of developing other auto-immune diseases....so perhaps it is not the toprol. I HOPE IT IS THOUGH...

I'm a 39 y/o male and have been taking levoxyl for over 3 years. Dr. increases the dose about every 8-12 months. I'm on 125mcg now but I may have very mild thyroiditis compared with some of you who have posted. I don't take ANY other drugs (over the counter or narcotic) and I eat very healthy and exercise. Some of these postings are a bit unnerving, so I only post this so others don't get scared that Levoxyl is doing damage.

I had Hoshimotos Thyroiditis which turned cancerous and thyroid had to be removed . My daughter ( age 36) had the same thing with the same outcome.Since my surgery I had radiation treatment and now I was put on lavoxyl 125Micrograms.I have sleepless nights and no regulation of body temperature .One minute I am hot the ,next I am freezing . At least I don't feel like a walking dead person like when I was off of everything for my radiation treatment, but I still need to find something that will control my body temp and I also get bad headaches and have memory loss.

After taking Levoxyl, I am no longer fatigued, decreased vegetative symptoms of depression that go with lethargy, however, I came to this site as I have noticed memory problems, despite all other symptoms being relieved from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Since I started taking Levoxyl I am no longer fatigued or cold. My TSH levels stay between 2 and 3. However, I seem to be having memory problems that are getting worse. Also I have pain in my hands and feet and sometimes wrists and ankles. I have been tested for everything in the world and they have found nothing. I did not have this pain before the levoxyl, so I assume it is a side effect.

My 16 year old son has been on prednisone for 7 years for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Asthma, and Idiopathic Angio-Edema (deep tissue swelling/hives) with Chronic Uriticaria (Hives). He started on massive doses but in the last year decreased to 10mg every other day. 3 weeks ago we discovered he has developed scoliosis due to the long term use of prednisone. They tapered him off in 2 weeks. Now 1 week later he is having a type of withdrawl from it... weakness and no energy, nausea and headaches. He is never allowed to take prednisone again, and now the doctors are talking about putting him on cyclosporine. Has anyone experienced this too?

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.

Good God! What does all of this mean?! Is ANYBODY paying any attention to this, or do we all need to get together and petition the FDA?

Just the fact that presumably all of these folk writing in were in enough pain and turmoil to seek answers through the internet speaks volumes, doesn't it?

Anyhow, let me add my two cents' worth: I'm living in Greece so taking a European version of synthetic T4 (called, creatively enough, "T4"!) (Novartis is the manufacturer) and I'm finally so screwed up and concerned that I'm looking here there and everywhere else for answers. I was a pretty damned healthy 40-ish woman and suddenly I feel, as so many others have said, 100 years old ...

FYI, I'm on the lowest dose available, i.e. 50 mg/day. In the beginning I felt better because my periodic feelings of extreme fatigue went away, but the heart problems are making me a nervous, frightened wreck! I begin to prefer just plain ol' Hashimoto's thyroiditis with a slow dip toward hypothyroidism rather than this nonsense. At least then I didn't feel like I was on death's door!

The mail from the woman who woke up with pounding, racing heart struck me the most, as it's the pulsating and skipped beats and the rest that are driving me to distraction. I've worn a holter monitor for 24 hours and discovered that I "only" now have tachycardia, but suddenly I'm on TWO meds for the rest of my life (when I was never on any previously, short of a tylenol for an occasional headache ... quite a change, and not a very welcome one!) one for HEART problems! AND I'm still relatively young AND I now officially feel like s**t?!

Amazing, all of this. Drug companies pleasing their stockholders while a huge number of us go slowly crazy?

Would appreciate it if people who've succesfully gone off synthetic T4 would write and tell me their stories, particularly their experience with the Armour alternative (not that I know if it's available over here, but at this point, I'd happily fly over to the States a couple times a year to get it if it would end this misery!!)

Thanks to all and COURAGE!