Levoxyl and thyroid hormone

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!!

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.

My serious hell started at age 43 and I am 49 now. Diagnosis was hormonal changes. My doctor put me on Zoloft, klonopin, xanax, flexril, pain killers, and prescribed many other meds to control my very frightening panic attacks, depression, fibromyalgia, migraine, arthritis type pains, knee pains, insomnia, restless legs, tingling, numbness, hot flashes, and many other indescribable symptoms.
Nothing helped. I stopped going to work and stayed in bed most of the year and a year later stopped taking all of the prescription meds because of the serious side effects etc. I continued the Zoloft though. Zoloft helped with my panic attacks but all other symptoms are intact and some new symptoms have joined the list.
New development is that about 6 months ago I started feeling very tired, drained, exhausted, thinking became slow; weight won’t come off (put on 40 lbs last couple of years). My depression and other symptoms listed above worsened.
Now in Dec. of 2008 I got my annual physical done and the blood test showed that my thyroid hormone was low (hypothyroidism) so my doctor put me on Levoxyl which drove me even more crazy (manic depressive type symptom, restlessness, blurry vision, and vomiting. Ear infections, sore throat, cough that won’t go away for weeks. But there were moments here and there when I found myself feeling good and happy but the moments didn't last longer than half hour. There was one week when I didn't get any migraines and my appetite reduced but then there were times when I felt very very hungry and ended up eating a lot.
Fed up with my indescribable hell and the doctors I decided to check into some alternative medicines, home remedies, and herbs. A friend who is a nurse and has been going through worse hell recommended that I start taking Thyroidinum 30cc, a homeopathic tincture, and slowly stop the Levoxyl. So I ordered it online. Then I researched on Black kohosh and bought it in liquid form from whole foods. I also bought chamomile liquid form and progesterone cream. I looked for bioidentical hormonal creams but didn't find any so decided that I will try progesterone cream.
OnDec. 26, 2009 I started taking Thyroidinum 30cc 10 drops in 1 ounce of water three times a day and at night before going to bed I started taking black kohosh only 10 drops in water. Recommended dose of black kohosh is 30 drops in water three times a day (total 90 drops a day). I was little afraid to take that much because I read some reports which said that it can cause liver damage. I tried it couple of times during the day but it made me feel funny so I stopped taking it during the day time.
Now I don’t know what’s making me feel good whether it’s Levoxyl adjusting to my body or Thyroidinum 30cc or black kohosh. Believe it or not I have never slept like this in my whole life before as I have in the past one week. I go to bed at 10 PM and wake up at 9 AM. I have no idea what happens in between. I am happy. Energy is great. I go out to do things I had lost interest in in the past 6 years. No migraines. No joint pains. No body pains. It almost feels like I am woken up from a very long sleep. I don't know what’s making me feel good. It’s too early to tell but I will keep you all posted if anything changes. Please give me feedback regarding my condition and the meds I am on. I will also be posting this message for the greatest and the best homeopathic doctor Pankaj Varma /Max Varma and see if I can get some help in that forum. I started Thyroidinum without consulting a homeopathic doctor and I want to quit Levoxyl and Zoloft in the next week or two. I am afraid to do so but I am really fed up with the doctors heavily medicating me for the past 6 years and all I have felt is minute help in couple of symptoms and gotten twenty additional side effects from the prescriptions. I have not had a normal life since I turned 43 and I will be turning 49 in Feb this year.

ive been on levothyroxine for about 6 years...... for an underactive thyroid gland and i am stunned reading all these side effects as for about 4 years ive suffered from severe joint paint, fatigue ,very low moods , foggy brain, mood swings hair loss, all i want to do is sleep and even then im still tired.
I am 35 and feel about 80 as my back hips legs calfs and feet all hurt so bad.
I have been to the doctors so many times and got no where.
ive been told your in pain because your depressed( who would not be depressed ) but i said i am depressed cause im in such pain.
i remember asking once if it was due to the thyroid or the drug and the doctor said your levels are fine and the drug gives no side effects.
I feel like stopping it right now to be honest.
I only got it after my third pregnancy and i remember reading once it can correct itself as it could be caused by pregnancy ????? any ideas.
ive copied and pasted a lot of these comments and i will be making a trip to doctors to be fobbed off again im sure ....but its worth a try

Hello, told my doctor today of leg cramps, facial rashes and numbness in feet....and specifically asked if they were related to Synthroid? He said no, I have been on it for 2months...and just upped script to .50mcg....and cramps are worse....I am going off the meds. I am in excellent health @ 64 and only went to this Doctor because of back pain.....was tested for a myriad of things...I had none of the symptoms for hypothyroidism.....what natural remedies are there for this . E.

I have been on Levoxyl 125 mcg for about two months after my thyroid was "killed" with the radioactive pill. Ever since I have been on this medication, I have constant headaches and feel sick on my stomach all the time. I had to go to the ER the past week because of the intense vomiting. The doctors tell me it's not related to my thyroid or the medication. How can this be? I didn't feel this bad when I was hyperactive thyroid. My wife has had to take care of our 18 month old all by herself ever since I have been taking this medicine. I feel like I am missing out on my life! This is terrible!!

5-12-08 Was put on 25mcg in Mar. 08. because of Hashimoto Disease &
Hypothyroidism. At first had more energy & no symptoms. After a month
severe pain in joints especially in hands & left wrist. Muscle spasms in
thighs, calves & shoulders. Neck & back pain. Also headaches. Am
bloated all the time and can't seem to lose weight. Force myself to stay
active, but difficult to do. Irritable because of pain. Oh yes, on l-7-08 my
TSH was 4.270 & 4-29-08 my TSH was 4.430 & Dr. doubled my Levothyroxine to 50mcg & after that above symptoms doubled to
excruciating. After reading this web site no one mentioned extreme dry
mouth, throat & nose with a metallic taste in their mouth as I have. Let
me know if anyone has had this problem. Thank God for this site & thank
all of you that confirmed my problems was not in my head like doctors
want you to think. Thanks M.

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 HAVE BEEN TAKING LEVOXYL FOR 22YRS AND I FEEL LIKE I CAN NEVER GET SLEEP,I TAKE MY PILL IN THE MORNING AND CAN'T SLEEP ALL NITE AND AM TIRED OF IT,I WISH THEY HAD AN ALTERNATIVE.THAT WAY I CAN SLEEP AND NOT BE DEPRESSED ALL THE TIME

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"?