Thyroids symptoms and conditions

I've been on the same dose of Levoxyl (118 mcg) for 11 years and I have none of the side effects that have been described. My mother and grandmother also have hypothyroidism, but my mom take 110 mg of synthroid, also prescribed by the same doctor that prescribed me. When I was in the 4th grade my thyroids swelled to the size of golfballs, so much so that you could see them when my head was up, and I was extremely tired and had hot and cold flashes- scary for a 10 year old! My doctor recognized it immediately, and put me on Levoxyl. About a year ago, I gained 15lbs for seemingly no reason, but then this summer I lost about 20lbs. The only difference was taking the medicine 1 hr before I ate anything. I saw someone said that after taking the medication she would get hungry, which I also have, but this makes sense, because Levoxyl is in essence trying to up your metabolism and by doing this you are burning more calories and thus become hungry. If you let this hunger pass, about 20 min later you are no longer hungry and feel great! I still get slight hot flashes, but not too noticeable. I would recommend just as other on here have, that the dose that your doctor may give you may not be 'your' number, and to give it time. If you change your dose, give it 3 months, not 5 days like I saw above! If you have to wait 6 months for 2 dose changes isn't that better than hurting your whole life? GOOD LUCK!

MY STORY

My Mirena was removed on 29th May 2008.

I had the Mirena put in four years ago,I had terrible pain the day after, it was that bad I was going to go to the hospital Emergency to get the thing out but I put up(the worst thing I done in my life, Im paying for it now) with it and it and the pain got a bit better,had a lot of bleeding (spotting) for the first six months and then it finally went away. For the first year I thought Mirena was Great but then the problems started.I started to gain a lot of weight,facial hair,Very sore breasts, I also had a lump removed from my left breast a couple of years ago, but I didn't know until recently that it was most likely caused by Mirena. Some of the other problems I had, My stomach bloated, I look like I'm six months pregnant ,I have a cyst on my left ovary,dry skin,acne,strange depression,headaches,and the Worst of all I had to have my Thyroids REMOVED on 1st Nov 2006 and I'm pretty sure that was caused by Mirena as well, so now I have to take thyroid Medication for the rest of my life,I had the Mirena removed as soon as I done some searching on the internet for my unexplained medical problems, mainly my weight as I had weighed about the same my whole adult life and now I had put on a few stone and now I have to try and lose it,as for my thyroid I have trouble getting the Meds right its a real pain,blood tests all the time.I just don't feel I have much left in my life,depressed,sick all the time. I eat well as I have high cholesterol so its not that I over ate,I noticed you do feel a lot more like eating sweet things. I found a site called ****** and found out there are thousands of woman,girls with the same problems as myself and that there is a class action law suit going on to Sue. Its worth having a look at this site it helped me a lot.I feel so bad I don't go out anymore I don't see friends or family I'm to depressed about my weight now. I am in the process of trying to find out if there is a Class Action Law Suit in Australia.If anyone knows of a Class Action in Australia could they Please let me know. After having the Mirena removed about 6 weeks ago I thought I was doing ok only a bit of spotting,but about 3 weeks after having it removed I got my period and the pain was unbearable,I was in agony stomach cramps and I bleed so much I thought I was going to die from blood loss,also the scariest was the huge blood clots,very scary,must of been four years of period in 1 week I couldn't believe how bad it was, I felt really sick and weak,but thank goodness its eased off now after a week. I just hope now I might slowly start and feel like my old self. Im also on medication for heart palpitations,I get Heart palpitations (SVT) a few times a week,I had my heart palpitations just after my thyroid removal op and was put on ecg and my heart rate was 176 Beats per Minute I was rushed to Intensive Care and I had to have an injection called Impending Doom (It makes you feel you are going to die) to slow my heart rate,it worked and I was kept in intensive car for 3 days,very scary thing to go through I hope I never have to go through that again,my heart palpitations got worse while I was on Mirena and now I also take Magnesium to help control them as well as Metoprolol which I have been on for some years and I recently read that if you are on Mirena it increases the side effects of Metoprolol.

So if you have had any bad experiences with Mirena please let us know,it will help others with their problems, hopefully. I just wish I never got Mirena and my advice is DON'T its not Worth the risk,if the Doctors had of told me about the BAD side effects I would NEVER of had it put in. Sorry about going on so long, Good Luck to you all,

Thanks Net.

google mirena-side-effects.****** (a mirena help,info site)

UPDATE

I have had it out nearly 3 months now my painful breasts feel normal again,I haven't lost any weight yet, but will soon hopefully,I do feel a lot better but still get some of the symptoms back just before my period.

I get sooo mad when i think of what Mirena done to me and all the other women and how bad some of their side effects have been. I get mad when i read some of the other ladies stories and the terrible things they have gone through ,

Perforations,Miscarriages,IUD's lost in their body,

Hystorectomy,and the rest. I want to wish them all the best, and we WILL get Better and Bayer ,Mirena will PAY some day for what they have done to US..

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 must say that I HATE this medicine. I have been on it for about 30 years. Constantly like playing a game. Too much then too little. It is driving me crazy. I swear that I have tremors from it. I also have gain lots of weight and my hair falls out everyday. Surprised I am not bald yet. I use to be able to go to the gym for 5-6 days a week and now it is soooo hard to get out of bed in the morning.

I truly wish that there was something that I could do. I have had one side of my thyroid taken out and now have to go and get a ultra sound of the other side. Still cant figure out why the doctor took one side and not the other when the other side had nodules too.

I am so tired of it and just don't know what to do.

I do know that I will be definitely speaking with my endo and even if my levels are okay she has to do something to help me.

I lost my job, my family, my dog, I'm dying, THANKS YASMIN...good lord some people on here are blaming every *** problem on the pill, come on now...going from a size 2 to a size 12, UMMM HELLO...how long would you let yourself gain that much weight, before STOPPING the pill??? Good lord..I understand that the pill isn't right for everyone, but it amazes me how long people continue to take something that isn't doing them any good.

Fluoroquinolones interfere with thyroid hormones. IMany of us (from another site) have found that we have Hashimoto's, which is that our autoimmune systems are attacking our thyroids. Also, there's a possibility that your adrenals are shot too. Now that I am on Armour (pig thyroid) all of the horrible tendon issues, anxiety, fibromyalgia and chronic-fatigue-like symptoms have abated. I am walking long distances again. Suggest that you all have these tests done: FREE T3, FREE T4, and thyroid antibodies test in addition to the TSH test that they will always do. Also, be aware that your TSH test score should NOT be above 2.0. Your docs will erroneously insist that anything under 5.0 is ok. WRONG. My scores were in the 3's before being floxed and in the 4's after. I also take tiny amounts of Cortef for my adrenal fatigue.

Dear Jen,

wow, this TSH of 0,009 (or 0,09?) sounds very very low.... The normal ranges (well, here in GErmany, I think it's in US the same...?) lie between 0,5 and 2,5...

Didn't they do anything for your thyroid? I think you should get checked this again.

In my case it's the opposite, I'm experiencing a subclinical hypothyreoidism, my TSH was a bit high (4,1). And I read very often, that the pill is also interacting with our thyroids.

So perhaps time will heal that thing but everyone should get checked for thyroid-problems, I think, because this can also cause all those symptoms of anxiety, dizzyness, tiredness, nervousness, muscle weakness and many more...

I wish you all the best, Jen, and keep us updated on how you're doing!!

Greetings
Silke

hi silke,
i'm so glad to hear that you still look in on us everyday,i think yours were some of the earliest post i came across on this site and you seemed to be the one to ask all the questions. i am glad that your cycles are beginning to return,i am also 32,mine came back at 28 days for the 1st to post yasmin cycles but now can be anywhere between 32 and 40 days (pre yasmin you could have set your watch by my cycles,i was 28 days without fail and always between 5 and 6 o'clock in the evening!) when you mentioned the anti anxiety drugs making you worse that really struck a cord with me,i was on diazepam for about 2 months and they were among my worst times,i never realised that they could have made me worse,i had really scary vivid dreams on it,i stopped taking diazepam and i started improve a little,when i stopped taking the yasmin too i improved a lot! like you ,silke, i am still suffering the mid cycle anxiety although not at extreme levels like on yasmin,i also have monthly cystic acne and hair loss,while all these things are upsetting they are preferable to the yasmin nightmare symptoms. talking of thyroids,i have an underactive thyroid (hashimoto's) and whilst on yasmin i became more hypothyroid and had to have my dose doubled! now i have been off yasmin for 6 months my levels have come down again so i have now had my dose reduced to avoid becaoming hyperthyroid. i still take the b-complex and b6 as well as magnesium and zinc but like you i have also stayed off all kinds of medication to treat the symtoms that yasmin caused. one of my doctors even suggested going back on the pill to sort out my hormone chaos (good way to describe it silke!) i won't tell you what my response was to that,but be assure my doctor got the message that i will not be putting that rubbish in my body ever again! i will let my body heal itself and let nature do it's thing from now on,i am through messing with my hormones,if i had found this site sooner i never would have let my doctor put me on yasmin in the 1st place,he sold it as the new wonder pill to cure acne,water retention and would help me loose my baby weight...ha! i would rather be fat,spotty and bloated than a skinny ,mental & physical wreck! just out of interest silke how did the b-complex make you feel worse? i take it everday and have not had any problems that i know of but it is useful to know what the symptoms were just in case!
best wishes to you silke

sarah

Hi Virginia!

Here I am! I've been off of Yasmin for about 1,5 years now and still struggeling with some symptoms off and on!! In my special case my first normal period has arrived only about 8 weeks ago after stopping Yasmin!! So my hormones are definitely still not back to normal after such a long time!! I never before had any problems with my period, it always was there around every 5 - 6 weeks.....

May I ask how old you are Virginia? I'm one week before my 32nd birthday and as many women wrote already it seems, that getting back to normal after such a hormonal chaos is more difficult in "higher" ages...

The only thing that I know is, that all that agony DEFINITELY was brought on by Yasmin and every symptom that is now still coming up sometimes (but keep in mind: NOT AT ALL as severe as it was WITH Yasmin!!) is caused by that still lasting hormonal chaos in my body.

I feel very unsure and anxious around the time I should be ovulating and again around the time my period should start. Then there are a few very good weeks again nearly without ANY problems and then it starts again... It goes up and down always with the hormonal changes during a monthly cycle!!

Well, you also should have checked out your thyroids (as flowerbabies already told in her previous post). Perhaps there is something wrong after stopping Yasmin!?

I decided to give my body even more time than I already did to get back to normal. Hormonal things are no flu or just a cold... It can take a very long time to rebalance everything again but I still feel a n improvement of my fitness every month!!

You said, that you are taking Clonozepam occasionally for the anxiety, well that could really be another reason for your still lasting anxiety. That might sound weird but I know what I'm talking about!! In February 2005 I had to take such stuff, too, because I was totally in despair and didn't know how to get through another day of this agony... I took it for only one week, because I felt the same things as you do now: It made me even MORE tired than the Yasmin already did, my muscles got weak and like rubber and I didn't feel like myself at all...

Please research a little over the internet about the side effects of diazepam or clonozepam. I'm pretty sure you'll find your symptoms!!

It might sound very hard Virginia, but I think you really should give your body time WITHOUT ANY chemical to get back to normal by its own. The only thing that I always had with me during the very hard times of 2005 was some Valerian (a herbal remedy), which always helped me to calm down a bit when the anxiety seemed unbearable, but with absolutely no side effects, especially without giving me weakness or tiredness!!

I think the multivitamin and b-complex is also a very important thing to take. Even if in my case the b-complex gave me some strange nervousness always a few hours after taking it... I don't know if I'm extra sensitive about such things or so... But the b-complex is really important. So you should try out by yourself, if it's good for you or not.

Another important thing especially for your nerves is MAGNESIUM! It helps with stress and nervousness so much!! I still take it in times, when I'm under stress or feeling weak again and it helps!!

OMG, I hope my post sounds not too confused, though I always really try my best to say what I mean in english (I'm from Germany...).

If there are any other questions or you're in need for pep talk, please post here Virginia and all of the other still suffering Yasmin victims out there!!

Best wishes to you and god's bless.

And thank you flowerbabies for your posts everyday!! I'm still coming around here every day to see what's going on and am so glad to see, what you're doing!! All the best to you, too!!

Silke

Hi Shari!

Well, after all I've been going through because of Yasmin (about 4 years not really being alive and healthy and even after one year WITHOUT not 100% there again....) the only thing I can recommend for your daughter: Get off Yasmin immediately and see, what happens!! Everything is better than taking this poison, especially because your daughter already has problems with her thyroids. I can't say if there is a connection between thyroid problems and Yasmin, but the one thing I CAN say is: Yasmin will only make it worse!!

If your daughter wants to stay on bcp than she should talk to her gyn and look for another one. There are so many pills on the market, that don't cause such severe problems as Yasmin can!! I've been on another bcp before Yasmin for about 5 years without any problems!! And since Yasmin my life has changed into a total mess!!

And if I read those posts, where women tell, that their doctors want them to stay on Yasmin in order to "get used" to the hormones, even if they ALREADY have problems with that poison pill........ Well, I haven't got any words for that!!

I'd like to tell you all again (althtough I already told it for about a 100 times...) that in my case the problems even came up after 2 years on the pill. In the beginning I was WITHOUT any problems!! So please ladies: BE CAREFUL with that stuff!!! I would have been so thankful if I've had the chance to discover earlier, why I was getting more and more tired, didn't feel very fit over about 2 - 3 years very slowly...

Hey voicesi,

My internist is a super doctor. when I didn't get my period and I went to my gyno, he denied the fact that it's due to the bc and came up w/ all sorts of excuses. He sent my with my thyroid results to an endocronlogist. Luckily I checked w/ my internist before I spent all that time and money at the endo. He said my thyroids are perfect, and the minute i said i came off b/c he said it takes 6 months to detox-its absolutely normal how i feel and that i shouldn' take vitex but provera.
I understand you totally with the weight issue. I was also a dancer and how do you expect me to go on stage with that disfiguring-figure, excuse the pun.
I will definitely update you on how that pill is going. I have two close weddings next week and nothing fits so I'm all the more desparate. Keep posting voice, i'll definitely be back w/ an update.
Take care,
Sherry

After reading a number of the letters posted I feel so connected with you all, my heart goes out to you all because I too am on Levoxyl.. I have experienced practically every symptom that I have read and it is not in your head even though the doctors may not know what the problem is they will just treat it with other drugs instead of just changing your medication. I had my thyroids removed 5 years ago and still having problems every time I go to the doctor they are changing my medication. I too have been on different antidepressions and am having problems with my joints and swelling. My sister noticed my skin darkening and I was told that my liver was not good. I know there is so much going on that I still have not addressed but it cause money to go to the doctors and that is a problem but to all of you keep the faith and remember no one knows how you feel but you.