Synthroid and bloating

I have been on Synthroid for about a year. I had high blood pressure and the doctor did a number of tests and found a thyroid deficiency. I started with 75 mcg and was moved up to 100 mcg.

I have gained weight in the last year - at least 15-20 lbs. It is all in the stomach. I look like I'm pregnant. It is very hard to get rid of! I am exercising my tail off, and giving up snacks, sweets, etc, and it's not going away.

I also never had problems sleeping but I do now. I'm glad I found this discussion group, because I see many others have had weight gain problems.

I thought I was crazy until I read some of your entries. I recently started taking Synthroid 50 mcg a day (about 5 weeks ago). My husband is a nurse, so thankfully he is understanding. I had a blood test after taking Synthroid for 4 weeks and contacted my doctor to complain about some changes I had noticed: I am losing more hair than before. I have abdominal pain and bloating. I am constantly hungry. I feel like I am over-caffienated (even when I don't drink coffee or soda). I have trouble staying asleep and often wake up several times a night (something I didn't do before). I feel anxious. Have lots of energy in the morning but start fading around 2 pm. I have to take my multivitamin at night so that it doesn't counteract with the Synthroid.

Even after reviewing the above my primary care doctor, he wants to keep me on the Synthroid at the same dose all because my blood test indicated that I was at a safe thyroid level. I wish that there were another drug to try or explanations for my new symptoms.

Kelly

Hi everyone
I've been on Levothyroxine since August 2006. Eversince being on them I actually feel worse. I've always weighed 7 and 1/2 stones and I've actually put on half a stone since last August. I watch what I eat and I exercise regularly. Recently I had an increase in my thyroxine to 75mcg and my tummy bloated so badly I looked pregnant. GP has dismissed all this and said he didn't know what it was! I spoke to a rude woman on the phone at British Thyroid Foundation who was extremely rude and unhelpful. She said it wasn't the medication and blamed it on my thyroid! How can it be me when my weight has always been the same? I've never had problems like this before and the more sites I've visited on the net, I've actually found that so many people are unhappy on thyroxine and a lot of them experience bloating and weight gain. so something definately is taking place inside us and the Doctors are ignoring it. Its this medication thats making us worse and we are their guinea pigs and in the years to come they will admit they are in the wrong. There are so many thyroid sufferers and it's all about fobbing us off on cheap stuff. Well all those who don't care about us may it happen to them so they realize how and what we have to go through every single day. I am looking into alternative natural medications and am trying to also change my diet to help. We are stuck cos thyroxine is for life. We are all in the same boat and we have to raise this issue. A good website is thyroiduk.com
The good thing is we are all doing our research into this matter and more we are knowledgeable in this matter the better it is for us. I know Armour works for a lot of people but I can't take Armour.
From an unhappy hypothyroid sufferer.

I also suffer from puffy, irritated, dry eyes and when my dosage was too high, I also had bloating. Hair was falling out but I think it is slowing down some. Most of all I'd like to know what to do about my eyes, I can't seem to get any help from doctor.

I have began Levo .1 and started having heart palpitations , chronic anxiety, and diarrhea, bloating miserable. I lowered the dose to 0.50 and still continue to experience the palps. I went to the doctor at urgent care yesterday and we decide to lower the levo to 0.025 in the am and 0.025 in the pm to see if that helps for a while. Hears hoping that it works. The side effects on here are terrible. I hope that mine go away after I get adjusted to the dose or quit it all together. It is harad denoughg to deal with a total thyroidectomy then a RAI 131 treatment now this crap! It makes you wonder if you are ever gonna feel normal again?
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