Levoxyl and armour thyroid

I started taking Levoxyl for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis several years ago and got a headache at the exact same time every day, exactly 9 hours after taking the pill. They switched me to Synthroid (which in the end didn't work so I went on Armour Thyroid and have been great since.)

Hello... I started taking Levothyroxine last July for slight hypothyroidism. I felt great for the first 6-7 months, but then in January the problems started for me. I was getting severe anxiety which the doctor said was stress and he also thought I was depressed. I knew I wasn't, but he put me on Ativan and Prozac. The week I took prozac was the worst week of my life. I thought the effects I had were from the prozac, but now I know now it was my thyroid spiking, which the doctor never checked my levels during this period. My heart rate doubled, I had insomnia, was gagging, sick, felt like my body was on speed and wanted to die. I was prescribed a beta blocker for my anxiety previously which I had never taken, but decided to take when my heart was racing, which helped me feel a bit better for the week, but I knew something was wrong. I had this happen again recently for about a week (and I was on nothing but levothyroxine). I know what anxiety is and I have never had anxiety or depression my whole life until these episodes that happen when taking this medication. By the time I went to the doctor to get labs done, I had been feeling a bit better and he said my levels were fine. I am now wondering if it's side effects from the meds or if it is spikes in my levels making me hyperthyroid instead. All I know is that I cannot live like this!! I have a 3 yr old and I need to be happy and healthy like I used to be before this medication... no more heart racing, racing thoughts, anxiety, and insomnia. Please help!!

Boy, this could take a while. Have been on generic Levoxyl for more than 7 yrs(can't say exactly how long since I stay "fuzzy headed" all the time). Anyway, about a yr ago I became so depressed I went off all my meds -- I'm a diabetic on insulin and also have high blood pressure. I felt good!To try and make this story a little shorter, I went on a diet and lost 70 lbs -- went from 310 down to 240. Then I went back on meds. In less than a yr, have regained all the weight I lost. Also, my legs swell and ache so badly it makes walking painful. Hands, wrists and knees throb constantly. Intermittent headaches so bad I have to wear sunglasses just to tolerate indoor lighting. Hair loss is so severe I'm considering a wig. Skin is dry and itchy and lotions help not at all. Any work I have to do I must accomplish before noon because by early afternoon the fatigue is debilitating. I'm currently on 300mcg of Levothyroxine (up from 250mcg 2 months ago) and doctor wants to increase dosage even more. Had no idea there were other people suffering the same problems until I stumbled upon this site. I take the medication as prescribed (with perhaps less than the recommended full glass of water) but plenty of coffee. Discovered on another site that the coffee may be inhibiting the drug's absorption. I feel so helpless/hopeless. Am considering going back off the Levothyroxine but am seriously worried about high T3/T4 levels. Thanks for listening; guess I just needed to vent.

extremely depressed after a week of taking levoxyl. Also face is swollen, eye swollen and red and face and eyes burn. These were the same symptoms after taking synthroid after a week. What's next? I am close to being suicidal after having survived lung cancer, surgery, chemo and radiation. To get another primary cancer and have things slide downhill after such a remarkable recovery, I can do nothing but cry after making the decision to have a cancerous thyroid removed that could have served me for years and years since it was such a slow growing cancer. I should have followed my instincts and just left it alone. Now all I want to do is lie on the couch and cry.

I have been on Levoxyl for years. Have experienced all the side affects this medication has and then some more! My hair loss and thinning, depression, bone aches, headaches, fatigue, and much more...finally I asked the doctor is there was anything else out there in the market which had less side effects....there is a natural product which has been in the market for many years called Armour Thyroid (*******). All I know is that if I continued to take Levoxyl, I will most likely end up in bed for life...I am only 43 yrs old and would like to have at least "normal" energy for my age. There is NO reason I should feel a lot older and I know for a fact it is the medication. I have only been taking Armour Thyroid for just a few days but will report my well being in about the next 30 days. Since I was on 100mg of Levoxyl a day, am taking two grains of 30 mg a day for a total of 60 mg of Armour a day. In about 25 days I go for blood work to check levels, so far I experience a bit of nausea right after I take the "new" medication but it does not last all day. Hopefully, this new med will give me my LIFE back! Thanks for reading.

I love this page! I have been taking Levoxyl for about 6 months now and my joints are killing me. Especially my wrists and ankles. It hurts to even pick up a half gallon of milk or hold my kids. I am also so exhausted all the time. I was put on 50mcg when I started the medicine but I was not having any symptoms before I started taking the medicine. I am trying to wean myself off of the pills and am down to 25mcg. I am taking b12 and b6 to help fight the fatigue. I also am having a huge problem with my periods, I get them every 2 weeks, and they last a week. This is not fun at all. I am also getting cold sores like crazy. Before I started taking this medicine I would maybe get 1 a year, if that. Now I get at least 1 a month, sometimes 2. It is really frustrating. My skin has changed, so dry and I look like I have aged 10 years. My hair is brittle. I am looking into a more natural route to take, maybe the Armour thyroid would work.I have been to the Doctor who just tells me that it is not my medicine and could be something else. I know it is not something else. All of these symptoms started right after I started to take the medicine. I am going off of it to hopefully feel better. Thanks so much for all your posts out there!!!

I have been on Levothyroxine 50 mcg
for six months I have really bad leg cramps
and in the morning when I wake up I can
barely bend my ankles to walk I am 45 years old I have also gained 10 pounds since
I have been on this medicine. My Doctor is sending me for more blood test, she says
it may be hormonal.
A.R Chicago

I was prescribed 25 MCG tabs of levothyroxine (generic for Levoxyl) by my MD for my hypothyroid. (I was tested at a 4.5 reading -- just below a normal 5 reading). After 60 days of taking levothyroxine EXACTLY as prescribed (i.e.; on an empty stomach, 1st thing in the morning with a glass of water; no vitamins for at least 4 hrs afterward), I started to have symptoms that I've never experienced before: my hands began hurting so bad with joint pain; my lips felt numb; and I was sweating more than I ever had in my life. I decided to stop taking the medication due to these symptoms, and in about 7-10 days from stopping, ALL these symptoms had disappeared and have not returned to date. I relayed this information to my MD who told me that my symptoms had nothing to do with Levothyroxine and that I needed to continue taking the drug. It's more than strange to me how some MDs will not listen to his/her patient -- even more so now that I've read other info on the internet where many other people have had these same side effects taking levothyroxine!! On my own, I am now looking into taking an all natural alternative that I found on wellness resources called "Thyroid helper". I will not take Levothyroxine again if I can avoid it by taking an alternative. Has anyone else out there had success taking "Thyroid Helper"?

I started on Levoxyl about 3 months ago. I noticed my hot flashes (I'm menopausal) get worse, then I started getting horrible irritable bowel, nervousness, tingling, headaches, and mood lability. I have been off it a week. The symptoms are a little better but still persist. Anyone know how long these might last? I will not use it again, for sure. If anything, I will use Armour Thyroid or something more natural. Any suggestions.

I have been on Levoxyl for 14 years, over time I have had increasing problems with leg pain, joint pain, memory loss, cold hands and feet, bouts of being very tired. Until I discovered Armour Thyroid, I feel so much better since going on the natural thyroid instead of the synthetics.

I've been on Levothyroxine for years, and recently my fingers on my left hand tingle,are numb, I can't FEEL with them. So after complaining to my doctor, he shoots some cortisone in my wrist telling me it's carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel, my butt!! I don't know what made me do it, but somehow I got to this site. I've been on antideppressants for years cause I'm tired, fatigued, then on valium so I can sleep,
I can't concentrate at all, my memory is GONE....
I called him this afternoon and said I wanted to go on Armour
Thyroid. His nurse tells me that he says " We'll address that when he sees me in April". %#@* that, I'll be 400 lbs by April!! My sex drive is nonexistant, and I'm a freakin' couch potato when I used to go to the gym, go out with friends, DO THINGS!! Now I'm lucky if I make it through work. ENOUGH DRUGS... I'm goin' off everything and starting over. I'll get up the money and see an endocrinologist. I'm through being a drug reps dream....

i typ in "what happen if levoxyl does not work" to goo and i was presented with this site. wow! it seems that this does not work for a lot of people. i sleep all the time. i panic and anxiety. my muscles are stiff. i cannot concentrate and when i cried all the time i told my psychiatrist and he called my dr and the dr upped the med then the crying stopped but i am still tired and unmotivated and hurt all over now it is hard to breath in my chest and yesterday my body temp was 35.222 celsius (which is just above what they call hypothermia) my cat meowed into my ear until i gained consciousness and started to move. i cannot go to the er because they are mad when i ask them to check my thyroid. and they do not care. my thyroid was 47 (or 74) las year when i wnt to the hosp and they drugged me with benedryl and kicked me out. i went home and they were on the phone yelling at me "you are critical!!!!" but i didn't understand what they meant.
for me i think the levoxyl is poison.
i think i will go back to armour if you ask your pharmacist they might order it for you. mine did. and be final when i say , "I WILL NOT TAKE THIS LEVOXYL ANYMORE" if my dr won't give me armour thyroid i will find one that will. i am sick and tired of being sick and tired my skin has lost that youthful look and it is one of the side effects of this horrible thing that i am going through.

Hello everyone I've been on levoxyl for 3 days now.Im having rapid heart rates and eternal shakes inside.I have tried levothroid , synthroid,armour thyroid and they all make me sick..Does anyone know of a thryoid pill that is out there that is very gentle to the system..If so email me please
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I was required to switch to Levothyroxine, after 15 years on synthroid,because my insurance co. would no longer cover synthroid. I started Levothyroxine Oct 1/04 and within about 2 weeks my knee, elbows, arms, hands, legs, ankles and feet started to ache constantly. The knee was so bad for 6 weeks, that I couldn't walk - it felt like a broken, achy bone. Sometimes the pain feels like a burn. The muscles feel weak too. The pain moves around. This all seemed to happen suddenly. I also can't sleep well and feel very tired through the day. I had blood tests, MRI, xrays, etc which showed no rheumatoid arthritis, only very mild cartilage wear in the sore knee. Nothing so far has explained the pain in the muscles. I have very good health in every area, low sugar, low cholesterol, good weight, take lots of vitamins, etc. I don't drink, and I avoid any drugs, even pain killers. I eat a healthy diet, mostly organic and no artificial sweeteners, lots of fresh and raw veggies, no fatty meat, etc. Levothyroxine is the only change in my lifestyle recenly that I can think of. I think I should ask my doctor to switch me back to synthroid. Has anyone tried Armour thyroid and do you like it and why?

hello all: Here i am again, I was trying to go off levothyroxine, but let me tell you the truth. I don't have money to buy Armour thyroid and they don't sell armour thyroid med. I tried to go down to 0.025 Milligrams of levothyroxine but I had to increase it to 0.1 Milligrams (My initial, original dose) to combat depressive moods. So again i am using 0.1 milligrams to keep motivated. But now i feel HUNGER, HUNGER, well it must be the metabolism higher

Juan ***

After reading everyones comments, I was so relieved to see that it wasn't "just me". I have been on levoxyl 100 for about 2 months now. For the past month I have been very nauseated, have sore joints and muscles, severe headaches, dizziness, rapid pulse, I am tired, but I feel like My head and heart are going to burst. My legs are weak too. It was just last night that I woke up gasping, and my heart was hammering so hard I could feel it in my head and neck. My arms and legs were so numb like pins and needles. I thought i would pass out. I was so scared, I've never been so scared and I even woke my husband up and told him I thought I needed to go to the ER. I did'nt know what to do. I felt like I was having a heart attack, and I even got dressed and did not sleep the whole night cause I was too scared to sleep. Today I went into the doctor and they said it was probly too high a dose and cut me down to 50. they said I cant take it for 2 days, to let the high amounts out of my system, but I don't know if I want to take it anymore. I am only 25 and I feel horrible: older. I don't want to do anything anymore, I'm tired and ill, and I have gained 5 pounds. I usually take herbs for every kind of illness, but I don't know if there is any alternative to this horrible pill. I saw some of you mention ARMOUR thyroid. Is this a natural alternative? Can anyone give me more information?? I am really tired right now, cause I have only had about an hour of sleep since 12:30am this morning, But im scared to sleep, lest I have a repeat of last night. I thought I would have a stroke or heart attack. Im glad I found this page. It is nice to know it isnt just me.

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I only took Levoxyl for 2 1/2 months recently. I had strange sensations in my ankles, feet and hands plus a frequent pounding, rapid pulse. My hair fell out and is quite thin. My doctor insisted I remain on it. I logged on to www.safetyalerts.com today and was shocked to find that for many of the past few months, various dosages of Levoxyl has been recalled for contamination with an animal drug plus some other chemical. I refused to continue with the Levoxyl a month ago and sucessfully prevailed upon a new doctor to prescribe Armour Thyroid. I have been entirely side effct free and do feel so much better! It's too bad that patients have to be their own protectors of their health when doctors should be better informed!

I have taken Levoxyl for over 2 years and am still having big problems with hair loss. I have complained to my doctor numerous times, but she always says that it is the thyroid condition not the drug (I had no problems wtih hair loss until I started taking Levoxyl). I can't believe there are so many people with this problem. I thought I was just sensitive.

Has anyone found a solution? I hate going off it, because before taking Levoxyl, I was always tired.

I have experienced SEVERE stomach problems taking levoxyl. Since i stopped taking it, my stomach is back to normal. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience.I am NOW on ARMOUR THYROID...a natural product and feel NORMAL for the first time in three years. I hope the three years on levoxyl has not caused irrepairable damage to my digestive system!!