Levoxyl and joint pain

I am 34 years old. Back in 1985 I had most of my thyroid removed, due to a tumor attached to it. Since I was 10 until my late 20s, I was on Synthroid. By age 19 I had 3 knee surgeries to remove arthritis. I have suffered most of my life with joint pains, dry skin, weight that is like a roller coaster, and being tired most of the time. In my 20s I was put on Levoxyl. I has been on Levoxyl for several years now. Since being on Levoxyl I have been fighting anxiety, racing heart, joint pain in fingers and ankles, sudden dizziness to the point where i have to sit or pass-out. I feel like I'm 80 and not 34. After reading this site I am printing all this out and taking it to my doctor. No telling how much damage has been done after all these years.

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 have been on Levoxyl for about 9 years and have felt awful. I have had weight loss, dry hair, thinning hair,dry skin, muscle aches, migraines and the list goes on. I just got out of the hospital Monday after 4 days of testing of my heart and lungs. I was admitted for racing heart. The doctor's conclusion was anxiety! They said that Levoxyl has nothing to do with my rapid heart rate. The endocrinologist prescribed taking levoxyl .050 on day and .075 the next also a beta blocker, Xanax and Zoloft. I can not take any of these meds b/c they make it almost worse. I KNOW it is not Anxiety and it from the Levoxyl but what do I do?? I am a mess right now can not be in this condition with four young kids and a husband. None of the doctors would say it was the Levoxyl and instead prescribed more and told me to check up with blood work in 6 weeks. I took the .050 yesterday around noon and by 7:30pm my heart rate picked up again and continued until 4:30 this morning. I can not sleep more then 2 hours at a time and wakeup feeling like I am crawling out of my skin. PLEASE let me know of any solutions.

I have been on Levoxyl for about 13 years now I am 26. Last year I started experiencing joint pain and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Lately I have been having dizzy spells where I get hot and feel like I need to sit down before I pass out. Also experiencing extreme fatigue off and on for about 5 years. Now after reading this I am wondering if all this is related to the Levoxyl. I am wondering if people who have been on the med awhile started noticing side effects years into their treatment as I don't remember these symptoms when I first started the med. Also what are other options prescription wise. After seeing this site I am going to go see an endocrinologist and discuss all this with them.

I have been taking Levoxyl for 1 1/2 yrs, I had my thyroid removed due to severe hyperthyroid. In the past year, I have been getting pains and weakness in my hands. It is so bad now, I can't open a jar or lift a frying pan. It hurts sooo bad. My legs hurt and my knees have real bad joint pain.
The funny thing is, it's not every day and not always both knees. It is however all the time in my hands. Last week I went to an Arthritis specialist in San Antonio. He ran every blood test avail. Tested for Rhum. arthritis, Lyme disease, AA, and all kinds of stuff. He x-rayed my knees and injected cortisone in my knees and hands. - that hurt -
He found nothing wrong!
I searched on line tonight for "Levoxyl and joint pain" and this site came up. Boy am I glad I am not the only one who is questioning this horribly possible side effect. Oh, I also have memory loss. I feel like I am 80 yrs old. Just to make sure you know what type of person I am, here goes: I am fit, active, 37 yrs old and 115 lbs, I eat well and take vitamins, non smoker, non drinker.
On Monday, I am calling my doctor. I am printing this web site and all of the postings like mine. There must be something I can be put on that will fix this. Can anyone tell me if they have no Thyroid and have gotten off this stuff; does the hand pain stop? Does it get better or is this permanent damage?

Kerrville TX

I have been taking Levoxyl for 15 years . About 10 years ago I developed fatigue, unexplained joint pain , leg pain and excesses heart burn. After lots of testing and specialist who could never find anything to cause these problems I was told fibromyalgia. Don't believe it. I never believed it for one minute. This is nothing more than Levoxly posioning. I am strong healthy weight and food concious and always have been. Why do all the people that are diagnosed with fibromyalgia have thyroid? Their all taking Levoxyl.

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"?

This is for a friend of mine diagnosed with Parkinson's and dystonia. All her big problems began shortly after hypothyroid diagnosis and her starting on Synthroid. Is it coincidence? Or has anyone heard of synthroid or thyroid meds promoting or mimicing Parkinson symptoms,or involuntary muscle spasms? Am I just imagining a connection?

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.

Wow am I glad I found this site! I had my thyroid destroyed in May and started taking Levoxyl at the beginning of August of this year. At first things were going well but after the dosage was increased I started to notice leg pain, numbness in my hands and feet as well as joint pain. I spoke with the doc and he said that it could be related to not having enough hormone and after blood tests revealed very high TSH levels, he increased. Since then the pain has worsened and I even went to my primary doctor who tested for Lupus and RA. I had none of these symptoms until I started the Levoxyl, not one! I feel relieved that others are having this experience too and plan to speak with the doctor about it.

My biggest complaint on the 25mg dosage of Levoxyl is joint pain in my hands. It even hurts to shake someone's hand. I called my doc. to get my prescription changed to something else. (I'm hypothyroid), and he said the Levoxyl was not causing my problems. Are there any other drugs available to treat hypothryroidism, and what are they? Thanx!

I've been taking Levoxyl for about a year. My biggest complaint is joint pain. First my hip and then my ankle. That pain has since passed but now I have a burning sensation in my right foot. It is so severe that I have trouble walking. It is that painful. I have lost no weight and have also experienced numbness in my hands and feet

I love this site. I have been on Levoxyl for five years and it seems to be like a two edged sword. I had enlarged thyroid that now is practically gone, so are my heart flutterings which is a good thing....however, they have been replaced by joint pain, depression, huge appitite, and anxiety. I tried to switch to Synthriod but for me it had a Jeckle and Hyde effect and I was filled with a rage that would sweep over me. In fighting the rage I started having stomache cramps that seemed to be ulcer-like and I could find no food that didn't have me on the couch praying to God to just go ahead and take me..Switched back to Levoxyl simply because I had to have some quality of life and needed medical help...I have tried the health food route and my goiter returned. I appreciate everyone's stories because for the first time in years I see I am not alone,but I agree with those who say to keep trying and take responcibility for your own care, some doctors really do care and have every intent on our wellfare, however it has been my experience that most GP's lack the information on the diease to understand that this type of medication can do harm so they "ho, hum," us while they just keep writing out our prescriptions.

hi, i take levoxyl, and was just upped to 50mgs. i am thirsty all the time, i have joint pain and was diagnosed with RA. my fingers are dried out and look like a 400 year old mummy. i've been on it for about a year now. my son is on it too but takes 25mgs. with no problems. he lost about 22 pounds the first two months. will he ever be able to come off this med, hes been on for about 2 years.

I have recently started on Levythyroxine and upt my dose to 50mcg. Since doing this I am experiencing terrible joint pain. I get tingling in my hands and feet and am exhausted. This has all started since commencing on the drug.

I started this drug 2.5 months ago feeling pretty good have lots of energy, a little trouble sleeping. The hair loss I had is slowing a lot and my hair is growing back and getting longer. I do have a complaint about joint pain especially in my elbow, but it moves around. Im taking vitamins and glucosamine msm. Its helping. Funny how the manufacturer doesnt list joint pain but so many people on this site complain of it.

I WAA DIAGNOSED WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM 3 MONTHS AGO AND WAS PLACED ON LEVOXYL. PRIOR TO TREATMENT I WAS EXPERIENCEING MUSCLE FATIGUE, OVERALL FATIGUE, WEIGHT GAIN, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, JOINT PAIN AND LOSS OF MENTAL ACUITY. SINCE TAKING THE DRUG, I FEEL MY MY MENTAL CAPACITY IS BACK AND A LOT OF MY FATIGUE IS GONE, HOWEVER, I AM RETAINING HUGE AMOUNTS OF FLUID EVEN WITH A DIURETIC, DRY SKIN, HAIR LOSS AND MOST RECENTLY A RASH WHICH STARTED ON THE FRONT OF MY CALVES AND IS NOW ON MY NECK, ABDOMEN.

34 year old male: Went on .025 mg 8 weeks ago. Constant fatigue for 1st 3 weeks, which subsided. Then pain in kidney area upon waking in the moring, but only about once a week. Also experiencing weight gain at waistline and aching joints in my hands. Some minor short term memory loss/lack of concentration. DR increased dosage to .05 mg last week-no changes beside less joint pain in hands.

I had most of my thyroid removed in 1997 due to a tumor attached to the thyroid. My thyroid was working fine but following surgery I became hypothroid. I started with synthroid and then quickly was switched to levoxyl. I have been suffering with arthritis symptoms for the past 5 years to the point of last spring being put on methotrexate. I Have pain in my feet and have difficulty walking most of the day...especially in the morning. I have joint pain and swelling in one knee, one wrist, and a couple of joints in one hand. Methotrexate is a chemotherapy drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. I have been diagnosed with RA but it does not show up in any blood tests. In addition, if you look at the signs and symptoms of RA I really only have around 50% of them. I just found this website and I am shocked to find so many people sufferning from the same arthritis symptoms while using levoxyl. I stopped taking the drug (levoxyl) two days ago after insisting my doctor remove me from this drug and switch to Amour thyroid. I took several of the emails listed on this website to help convince my doctor that there is a problem with this drug. I will post an email in a couple of weeks with any improvements in my condition. By the way, the methotrexate was not working!!