Tsh levels symptoms and conditions

Hi, my name is Eva and I am 27 years old.
I am a mother of 2 and had Mirena IUD inserted a few months after my 2nd daughter was born. This was 3 1/2 years ago.
Since then I have developed Eczema on my hands (which is the least of my concerns). More importantly I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease (hyperactive thyroid function) last year.
I had developed a goiter on my neck (enlarged Thyroid) , my hair was very brittle & my eyes were always dry and itchy.
Since then I have undergone Radioactive iodine treatment to destroy my thyroid. Reading all of your posts seriously made me angry and I teared up because I definitely think that there is a link between Mirena and thyroid problems. It makes sense that your body would try and fight off any foreign object in your body and maybe that send the thyroid into a out of whack mode ?
I am currently researching if there are any clinical studies out there on this possible connection. If anyone would like to join me - pls. contact me at ******
I have an appointment to have my Mirena removed in a few days, I sincerely hope that it will make a difference in my health.
Best regards,
E.

Hi, I was taking Yasmin for around 3 years when I started becoming really tired and lost half my hair among other symptoms. I went of BCP all together and read up my symptoms on the net as I suspected my thyroid was under active - sure enough TSH levels were too high but T3 and T4 levels came back normal - was put on 50mcg of thyroxine but because I was still symptomatic this was upped to 100mcg, I have since discovered I also have multiple nodules on my thyroid. 18 months later my doctor talked me into getting a Depo Provera Injection and in the last 9 weeks since I had it I have never felt so ill in my life. Night Sweats, fever, swollen glands, nausea, sore throat just to name a few. I have had to halve the thyroxine tablets and I am still feeling lousy. I am seeing a throat specialist this afternoon. Wish me luck. N.

I am a 48 year old woman, 5'1" (now 145 pounds). I had Mirena inserted almost exactly 5 years ago, and am scheduled to have it removed in 2 weeks. I gained 25 pounds over the course of the last three years; prior to that, my maximum weight for my whole (non pregnant) life was 123 (I was at 120 when Mirena was inserted, four years after the birth of my second child). I have always been very healthy, never abnormal blood tests except during my two pregnancies was tested as pre-gestational diabetic and had to watch my carbs.

I never put it together with Mirena until just recently, when I started doing research on hypothyroidism after a friend told me that my symptoms could be due to that problem. Depression, hair loss, acne on my back, and the terrible weight gain. I went to see my G.P. who referred me for blood work. I hoped to see evidence of low thyroid function (actual TSH value, 3.12 -- I was told this is normal on a range of .4 to 4.5). I also discovered that I now have high cholesterol (269 triglycerides, 251 total cholesterol, 46 HDL, and 151 LDL). My fasting (14 hours) glucose # is 99 (I was told this is normal on a range of 65-99 mg/dL), and my vitamin D, 25-OH is 21 (also was told this is still normal but low on a range of 20-100 ng/mL). I tried to give blood six months ago, and was turned down because of anemia, so I've been eating a lot of spinach, greens, and more red meat than I normally would, so I was interested to see if I am still anemic -- the red blood cell count is 3.8 (told it was normal on a range of 3.8-5.1 mill/uL). I mention these specific results because although I was told they were normal (except for cholesterol), when I physically went to the doctor's office and requested a copy of the results and did some research online I see that my thyroid IS actually low-functioning -- according to guidelines revised six years ago, anything over 3.0 is considered hypothyroid and should be treated. Plus, isn't a fasting glucose of 99 pretty high? Yet my doctor's only suggestion: diet and exercise. Good grief, I've been on a diet since I had my first child, 13 years ago. True, I don't exercise regularly (I'm a teacher and mom of 2; I never seem to have the me time.) I guess I have an excuse to get a gym membership now.

Also, for the last year I've had increasing pain in my shoulder (I couldn't lay on my side, for example, and lately I can't reach behind me or over my head). An x-ray turned up mild bone degeneration, but not enough to cause the pain I've been having. I was referred to an orthopedist, who today diagnosed a shoulder rotator cuff injury (I've had no injury; he says it is a common degenerative complaint in the over-40 crowd). He gave me a cortisone injection and I'll be on PT for a while to see if the pain goes away. If not, I'll have to have an MRI and surgery to correct the tear.

I'm posting all of this in case it might be useful to someone out there who might be going through the same thing. I had a thyroid test done about six years ago at my OB/GYN, and it was normal then (though I don't have the number; I'll get it in 2 weeks at the OB/GYN). It will be interesting to learn whether my thyroid level has gone up since Mirena. Also, although my research suggests that the effects of these synthetic hormones do not wear off for some time, possibly even years, I will finally feel like there may be hope if my symptoms improve over the next few months when Mirena is gone. If so, I will share it with you.

If you are reading this, perhaps you have a similar story. I wish I had been more aggressive about checking out the possible causes of my many symptoms, but I let them go for years because, I guess, I just figured I'm a healthy woman who is no longer young. (Oh, one more thing: for the first year or even two years that I had Mirena, I had incredibly heavy periods. The blood flow was similar to that during the day or two after the vaginal births of my daughters. Don't know if that's significant, but it took a couple of years for my periods to get fairly normal on Mirena.)

I have been taking Levoxyl for approx. 5 years following having a total ablation of my thyroid due to follicular thyroid cancer. I am constantly tired, have joint pain, trouble sleeping and continue to experience weight gain. The doctor continues to tell me this is not from the medicine and to improve my diet. My vision has also gotten terrible over the past two years. Has anyone else experienced this and do you know of anything that helps?

I've been on levothyroxine 150mcg for about 3 months before that it was 100mcg and so on. I have gain lots of weight and tired all the time. depression also, headaches. I hate this gaining weight, sleepy all the time and depression is from gaining weight. I thought this med is to up boost my thryiode but it doesn't seem to be working. my dr. said I'm on the highest dose there is. I don't know what to do any more. I was thinking about taking myself off this but not sure what will happen if i do. I hope there is someone out there that might be able to let me know if they are going through the same things what they are doing and how they feel now.

I have been on Synthroid for about five months. I started out on a relatively small dosage- 50 mcg. My Doctor upped me 50 mcg every month after he checked my TSH levels. They started out at 150, and right now they're at a 10. I hate this medication. Im now on a 250 mcg, and my side effects keep getting worse. I have probably lost about a third of my hair. I started to loose weigh, but i don't feel like i really am anymore. I am very moody, and also emotional. I lash out for absolutely NO reason whatsoever. Im hot, cold, but can never find a comfortable temperature. Im always tired, No matter if i just wake up, or if its time to go to bed. He's put me on Celexa, he said i was just depressed. But its not depression. Three months ago i wouldn't have lashed out for something as small as the mail didn't come. I hate to be this way, and i wish i didn't have to take this medication for the rest of my life.

I was prescribed this drug in hopes of keeping thyroid nodules and goiter from growing larger. My TSH levels have always been in the normal range throughout my life, so the theory that "normal TSH' means a working, normal thyroid is absolutely untrue. I am a prime example of a person who's numbers have always remained normal and yet their thyroid does not work properly. I have decided to discontinue this drug after 3 months of use. The weight is packing on faster than I can diet and exercise it off. My face is puffy, my stomach bloated and looking pregnant, and now retaining water. Anyone who does not believe that Synthroid causes weight gain, I welcome you to try this drug. It does the exact thing it claims it is combating. I am not hypo with levels of 1.07 and yet something odd is occurring within my body with this synthroid. I'm praying that if I stop the drug I might return to some form of normalcy soon.

Oh My Gosh....I cannot believe I just stumbled across this site. Feeling so NOT LIKE MYSELF for quite sometime now made me decide to google Snythroid side effects, wondering if this medication I am on could possibly be the reason I am feeling so badly. I am 50-years old and started taking synthroid (Levythyroxine) about a year ago for hypothyroidism. I have been struggling tremendously with anxiety, mood swings, fatigue, more hot flashes, emotional instability, and sudden weight gain (about 10 lbs) since I started taking it. I never had any weight issues. I have just assumed this was all related to being "menopausal" (and I'm sure some of it is) and stress-related.....but here's the thing....BEFORE I started taking it, I felt "normal" emotionally, I never had a problem with my weight, and never really had any major "pre-menopausal" symptoms....in fact, I think I had A LOT LESS hot flashes and emotional turmoil, BRAIN FOG, etc., BEFORE I went on this stuff. I was technically POST MENOPAUSE two months ago. Okay, so symptoms should be subsiding now. Any menopausal symptoms would/should have been worse during pre-menopause. Again, I never remember having any major symptoms going through "the change" and felt blessed in that respect......so could it be possible that this hell I have been going through COULD be related to this fricken Snythroid????!?!? I want to just stop taking it to see if I feel normal again, but don't know if it's SAFE to go off all of a sudden. What is this Armour?? I cannot believe how many others out there are feeling like me. I hope this is the reason, so I can feel some hope. But now what do I do? I'm sure I still have to get my TSH levels or whatever regulated. Any suggestions out there? I'll try and make a doctor's appt and check levels again and see what my options are...I was told I probably had to stay on this stuff for the rest of my life. Thanks, everyone.

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

Welcome to my hell!

If I could choose to have my thyroid back, I take it and take my chances with the cancer. Well lets see... I take .300mcg of Synthroid and generally feel good only when I forget to take my medication for a couple of days. After about 3 days, I start feeling tired and will eventually start crashing for 10 to 12 hours at a time. OH! Ive heard that it takes weeks to level out, but I can feel the difference in about 3 days. Of course, the doctor says that's not possible, but then - he is holding my thyroid hostage.

I have gained 30 lbs. Have headaches frequently, get moody, AND now I get bloated when I eat. Im ready to try the Armour thing that Ive read about. Cytomel makes my heart race.

Im pretty sure that smoking helps! I read that it lowers your TSH levels.

Im just tired of feeling like sh_t all the time.

Hi,
I am 50 years old. I was diagnosed with as hypo at age 39. My doctor prescribed Synthroid at 25mcg and I have (proudly-ha!) worked my way up to 125mcg. I was always one of the "lucky ones" who could eat any and everything and my weight stayed the same. I am a busy mom of two and a first grade teacher, so the 33 lbs. I have gained since age 39 has not been due to diet changes or sitting around with a bag of chips in front of a TV all day. I also questioned my doctor about this and he just brushed it off. Well, I am tired of not feeling good about myself. My life is in good order except for my weight. I want someone to take this seriously. Should I see a specialist rather than my regular internist?
Wow! I think I just lost a little weight telling you great people about this!
jf

I was put on synthroid a year ago, due to a tsh level of 87. I pretty much felt better right away after taking it. First I took 50mcg and then it was upped to 100mcg. Everything went well until I had my latest tsh test. The level was going up again (tsh 5.4) so the doctor decided to put me on 125mcg. After about a week I began feeling like crap. Slugglishness, tiredness, muscle pain, joint pain, and it became progressively worse. I have an appointment coming up thank god. In the mean time I read 3 books on thyroid and it was mentioned that most people don't benefit from just taking T4 (ie. synthroid), despite the fact that the pharmac. and some docs say that body breaks t4 down into t3.
Some people's body cannot successfully break it down enough, some are cellular resistant to thyroid hormones, and those people absolutely need t3 in order to not develop Hypometablolism. The cell need the T3 to function. But unfortunately one can be hypo and still have good TSH levels, because this particular test only tests if there is enough T4 in the body.
Unfortunately, it's so hard to explain that to mainstream doctors.
One doctor I read about said it right: Don't just treat the test results but also the bodily symptoms, for everybody is different anyways. Just like our finger prints are unique, so is our hormonal metabolism.
I'm going to try to talk to my doc about this, but if he doesn't listen I will look for another doc until I found one that will. Good luck to all in this hormone jungle.

It took 3 years for me to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism and for a year I tried levethyroxine. This was a total waste of time. I was so exhausted the kids kept missing school, I kept walking into things, couldn't remember anything so I asked my doctor to let me try armour thyroid. This has apparently T4 T3 T2 and T1 and the T2 is the one that helps your metabolism (weight).
The change is nothing short of miraculous...I know it may not work for everyone but it is worth trying. I also had very extreme mood swings and the doctors were considering manic depression, but the latest thinking with that is to take your TSH levels higher before considering drugs such as lithium. I have just moved to Reading and my new doctor thought my T3 levels too high so reduced my armour dosage by half .....BIG mistake. Ended up in bed for days, couldn't remember which day it was, and the mood swings
!!!!!!! screaming, tearing my hair in frustration, punching my boyfriend. I staggered, literally, in tears back to the doctor who reinstated my original dosage of 2 grains one day 3 the next etc. For me my TSH has to be 0.1,
T4 around 14 and T3 around 8 to 9; basically on the high side but my blood pressure stays low as does my body temp and I feel alive again. It is worth trying different variations synthetic T4 AND T3, and don't rule out armour thyroid if nothing else is working after 6 months of use.

I've been on synthroid now for about a year. My dosage is VERY little (0.075). My doctor keeps running blood tests every 3 months and assures me I am within the "lower-end" of the norm, but I still feel tired, sleep deprived, wake up with night-sweats and I keep gaining weight...

I am only 24 and have just been told that I need to take this medication for the rest of my life, it\s pretty depressing. I keep asking if there are other ways to lose weight and feel more energized. He tells me that I need to keep taking this medication and has put me on a "sleep hygeine" routine where I go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Does this "disease" mean I will always be overweight and tired for the rest of my life? I would like to know if someone else with more experience with this medication can give any sort of advice? Feeling a little hopeless about it and not really interested in complaining to my doctor anymore.

Thanks:)

I have been on synthyroid for the past 4 months and my doses have been increased from .75 to .112 which I am currently on. I weigh 92 pounds, which is my normal weight, but it seems this new increased dose has increased my appetite (I always had a fast metabolism) given my palpitations, flushing, sweating, high and low blood pressure and generally feeling overstimulated. It's been two weeks since my dose was increased and I felt better with the lower doses. My endocrinologist keeps increasing my dose since my TSH levels are still not in the right numbers, but this new dose is making me sicker than I was before. Could this new dose be too high for me.

A couple of other symptoms I didn't mention before are I still get cold a lot and ibuprofen is my best friend because of all the aches and pains. But running on 3-5 hours of sleep a night with the occasional 7 hours has definitely diminished the quality of my life.

Wow. I am so relieved to find people like me ! I got the IUD when my son was 6 weeks old and It has been over a year and a half. ( I cannot take regular birth control because it affects my blood pressure)I thought everything was great with it at first- no period- no fuss. but when you have a new baby you are just exhausted and your body does weird stuff anyway. Most of the symptoms I noticed started in the last 2 months. I did not contribute them to the IUD because I have hypothyroidism and I thought my meds needed adjusted. I have not been able to lose weight despite trying- VERY FRUSTRATING! I was exhausted a lot of the time- sleeping 9 or 10 hours a night and still tired. My hair was falling out but not an extreme amount- I started having dizzy spells- No Sex drive- yuck! and I had spotting for over 2 weeks. So I had my thyroid checked and all was well and all I could think was " what the heck is wrong with me?!?!?!" and I found this site. Luckily I had the IUD removed 2 days ago because we are going to try again for a baby- I have felt ok- the first day I was still tired and I had an extreme nosebleed which I have never had before?!?!?! You know I think it is just safest to use natural methods of birth control cause all this medication can really mess you up!

I have no bad side effects on Synthroid, unless I am overmedicated. I get burning feelings on my shoulders, back, arms, and nape. I can't sleep, or wake for no reason during the night. I get very nervous, and have a jittery feeling all through my body. Has this ever happened to anyone?

I have been reading all the entries for this website and thought I would pass along some useful information. I have been on Levoxyl for 8 years now and have had lots of the symptoms that all these people have had. I then had an appointment with a great Endo doctor at the *** and discovered some interesting things. There is a number "range" they put all people into when checking your TSH levels, only problem is each person is different and even though the doctor may say your in the range, it may not by the right dosage for you. Unfortunately the only way to determine the correct range for you is to experiment with the dosages and it takes 3 months or more for your body to adjust. Also, thyroid hormones are accumulated in the body and depending how active you are is how you may feel. The hormone pill you take today will not be used by your body for up to 10 days, so if you feel good for a few days at rest, then exercise the next day you may feel drained. It will take a few days for your body to replenish the stockpile of hormones to feel "normal" again. A working thyroid makes hormones as needed, yours now does not so this is why so many people feel fatigued, or racing heart beat if they don't get enough exercise. I also had leg and muscle pain. The medication depletes your body of Calcium and B complex especially B12. My leg and muscle pain have disappeared. I still get headaches, but much less with the B12, and some days I still feel tired but I say again, your body cant regulate its needed thyroid hormone and a synthetic pill is only a substitute.. You will always have some side effects. Hope these tips help someone.

I had my MIRENA put in 2 months ago. Since then, even with the holidays, I have lost 11 lbs. (bringing me to 15lbs underwt.) I have had no appetite, acid reflux, extreme nausea, esophageal spasms, diarrhea, stomach cramps, headaches, and weakness. I am also still breastfeeding, so my once fatty milk now looks like water. My husband's starting thinking it was the MIRENA, because my body must think I'm pregnant again. I am going to the MD tomorrow to talk about have it taken out.

hello everyone
i am a full time college student and I believe that i have some side effects from synthroid. As i was reading everyones blog i notice that some people feel the same way that i do. At times i feel that i'm normal but if something upsetting happens i get really tired, depress, and I have a never time concentrating at school and home. My body hurts all the time. especially my joints and i feel that i don't want to do anything. I have about a year left until i graduate and its the going to be hard. I cry sometimes for no reason. help! i'm going to talk to my doctor but if any body else feels the same way please reply.

Yasmin gave me IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrom for those of you who don't know.) I was on the pill for eight months. My pre-symptoms were I had 5 yeast infections in a row, in the second and third months of taking it...this didn't ring any bells, even though I had never had a yeast infection before in my life, and my doctor just said I had a yeast imbalance. So a month after those stopped the IBS started. I was in the bathroom about 8 times a day, I thought maybe it was a flu, so i didn't go to the doc right away. I eventually gave up on that thought and went to see my doc, who even he, thought that it was IBS, so he sent me to a specialist right away. I had a colonoscopy and nothing, so the specialist told me that I needed to stop searching and just accept that I had IBS (I told him that I had been trying to figure it all out, because you literally don't wake up one day, go to the bathroom and your life changes forever, I KNEW something else was going on.) Anyways, I had a dumb specialist, he said that I had to accept this, I asked if it could possibly be my birth control and he said no and prescribed my a whole bunch of other drugs. Well I still just couldn't believe my life just all of a sudden changed, so I went to my family doc, lied, told him i was getting moody off Yasmin, and he switched me onto another. IT WORKED no more IBS, the results were immediate, it took a while for my poor damaged bowls to fix themselves, a few months actually, but now things are getting back to normal. Oh, and I've stopped birth control pills, back to condoms for me...my doc put me on Alesse, which didn't work either - moody! and then he put me on Marvelon, which inflamed my gallbladder (had to go for an ultrasound to see if i had gallstones) I figured at this rate, in two years i'd be dead from taking b/c so I was done, I would recommend the same to anyone!!

I was born without a thyroid gland so I can't compare the way I feel now to the way I would've felt with a thyroid. I've been on Synthroid my entire life (22 years), and I'm up to 112 mcg now. I am very skinny (5'5", 104 lbs) and feel constantly fatigued no matter how many hours I sleep, what I eat, and how much exercise I get. I periodically get pain in my hip joints, heart palpitations, and intense mood swings. My thoughts race but I have very little physical energy. I feel restless and gloomy almost all the time for absolutely no good reason. My doctor tells me I'm depressed but I honestly have no reason to be depressed and I wish she would see it as a symptom instead of a diagnosis. I graduated from a good college, I've got a job I like, I have friends, I enjoy life and my hobbies, yet I feel overwhelmingly sad. This does not seem like depression to me.

I find that after I do aerobics I get a tightness in my chest, which makes me worry about my heart, but again my doctor doesn't seem to think this is cause for concern. I have been irritable/fatigued for YEARS and I suspect I'll feel this way for the rest of my life. The worst of it started when I hit 16 years old and started the 112 mcg. My tests are always normal and it frustrates me that my doctor disregards my symptoms. I've tried other doctors, but they always send me away with my 'normal' test results. Can anybody help?

I've been on synthroid since October 1996. My ankles are always swollen. That didn't start til I started the medication. My Endocrinologist keeps telling me that it has nothing to do with the meds. My TSH levels are constantly being taken. He says to cut down on salt. I don't eat much salt and besides, I know people that practically eat whole pigs and they don't have swollen ankles. Has anyone experienced this? Any suggestions, I'm desperate!!!

I've been on Yasmin for about a year now and over the last 6 months I noticed small brown patches forming on my face. I though they were age spots cause I'll be 30 in a few weeks. I always wear makeup and it has SPF in it so I know it's not from the sun. I just spent a week at the shore and though maybe when I get tan the spots will belnd in. To my suprise my face is destroyed. I look as if I had a very dark tan and now my face haswhere the spots are and nothing on the rest of my face. I am so upset cause I take really good care of my skin and Yasmin has stopped my face from breaking out completely. I do have 4 children that are 10 years, 8 years (twins) and 5 my mom though my hormones were messed up from having them so close at a young age. I also have experience severe headaches but they have been something I had before the Yasmin. I just don't know what to do or what to change to.