Synthroid and heart palpitations

When I was first put on this we started at the lowest level and worked up from there, after having labs every 6 weeks for the first few months. I did feel better and had a little more energy, but I had to pee all the time and it smelled god awful, went to my GYN she said it came back fine.....then a G/F who had thyroid cancer told me she takes Armour (a natural ,made from pig liver)...OMG what a difference, I can take less meds, it is cheaper and my urine no longer smells.My energy level is back too!! Armour has T3 and T4 and Synthroid does not. I suggest to those not happy with Synthroid to try Armour thyroid, again it takes about 6-8 weeks to notice but what a great change, and better for your kidneys (which is how synthroid is excreted)

After a year and a half of synthroid because of removal of my thyroid for cancer, I feel worse than I have ever felt in my life. Many tests have shown that there is no recurrence of the cancer. I would think I had fibromyalgia if it weren't that I read the blogs from other sufferers like me. I now take 150 mcg on most days. Some days I have to cut it down or skip it because I just cannot bear the body pain, weakness, brain fog, constant awakening in the night, severe cramping knee and leg pain, and muscle aches (there's no word strong enough to describe this pain -- 'aches' just doesn't do it). On the days I don't take synthroid I begin to feel like my old self. But my old self was 40 pounds thinner and losing. My old self walked three miles a day and hiked into the back country with my son. And my old self felt energetic and woke up every day with happy plans. Now I feel like an invalid. Some days I can barely walk. I cannot stand for longer than 5 minutes. I have tried cytomel, unithroid, and armour with varying problems. Synthroid is all that is left. Those of us who are dependent on this drug really need some good research on its effects. And we also need compassionate physicians who do not dismiss our pain and, it is not overdramatic to say, suffering.

I was on synthroid for 10 years after getting treated with Radio Active Iodine. As the years went by my period was all all over the place. They were heavy the first three days and lasted 9 days or more days. I spotted all the way through the month. Other times I was so late that I thought I was pregnant. I had PMS two weeks before I started and was irritable. I had low grade depression. I had anxiety and heart palpitations. My skin was dry and rough. I went to the doctor and had my blood test. He checked for TSH and T4 and T3 levels. He insisted they were normal and that something else is wrong wth me (he wanted to give me sleeping pills, anxiety pills, depression pills) and that it had nothing to do with my thyroid. He sent me to an endo to get a second opinion and he said my levels were normal too. I ended up going to a holistic doctor (paid over 1000 dollars for two visits plus meds) that checked under my feet (yellow) and my reflexes. She checked my reverse T3 and my free T3 and T4. It turns out that my body was not converting T4 to T3 the way they said synthroid (T4 only med) should. My diagnosis was hypothyroid. I was put on Armour and felt the difference in my skin. It was softer and moist! My teeth felt strong compared to before I felt like my teeth were getting loose. My stamina last longer and can run on the treadmil 45 min at six miles per hour. I am less nervous and my low grade depression seems to be lifting. My days are brighter and less anxious. My hair is falling less. I know I have a long way to recovery because my Adrenal glands need some healing and I am still being optimized. I might still need to be raised on the dose that I am in. I will never go back to synthroid! My period has improved drastically as soon as I started on Armour! I am down to 4 days of period and less heavy. I still spot on day 5 and 7 but it is nothing compared to what I went through when I was on synthroid (T4 med only). My gynecologist wanted to burn my uterus to control the menstrual flow. He said that he could also pull it out. It seems like main stream doctors are more interested in treating the symptoms than looking to see what is the problem that is causing the symptoms.

I have been on Synthroid since 1983--varying dosages. Side effects have included: weight gain, heart palpitations,adrenalin misfires, extreme reaction to heat (sun burns) and body feels hot all the time, fingers go numb in cold weather. Just recently have not been able to regulate dosage--fluctuating between hyper/hypo. I would like to try a new medication with few side effects. Anyone had any luck finding a different med that works?

I have been on synthroid for about 6 months now. Some of the side effects I have been experiencing are numerous.I have hair loss, sometimes I get so ill that no one can stand to be around me, my weight has gone up about 30 pounds, my cholesterol levels went sky high so now I'm taking Crestor, I'm bloated most times, I have episodes where my face flushes and gets so red that it feels like its on fire, and now I've just started experiencing burning and aching of the legs, I'm tired a lot too! My doctor said I would lose the weight but every time I go for check ups and get on the scale it just keeps going up. I would like to know if anyone else out there is experiencing the burning and achy legs because I have been tested for everything and they can't find out what is going on. They of course say it's not the medication.It seems to never be. Does anyone feel me??

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 wouldn't give anyone ant medical advice if I thought it did not work for me. For anyone who has the side affects that follow from taking thyroid meds:itching all over, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, extreme fatigue, joint pain especially in the lower back, clicking in the knee joints when walking, feeling like you are staring(in a trance), mood swings, etc... Please talk with your doctor about APO-NABUMETONE. It is for inflammation/pain. Since two months I was prescribed it , I have no symptoms. If I stop it the symptoms come back in two to three days. I am aggressively pursuing answers to why these symptoms happen, and I have tried every thyroid drug, just recently natural Thyroid. They all produce the same symptoms. My question is whether or not any endocronologists read these forums and if so do they think that our symptoms are just in our head as my doctors do. Thank you everyone for posting because now I don't feel so alone, I am not the only one.

I have been a low dose of synthroid for 6 months now. My symptoms before syntrhoid were dizzy feeling - almost passing out - very light headed all the time - forgetful - heart palpitations - extreme foot pain - fatigue - moodiness - wanting to jump out of my skin. Finally, after 2 years found a Dr that wanted to check my thyroid. It's changed my life. Now the only feelings I'm having after starting synthroid - extreme hair loss and a terrible cough. That's really my question - has anybody developed a cough after taking this medicine. It only will last a little bit in the morning after taking it.

Heart beats hard, nervousness, leg pain, shakiness, tightness of chest, heart palpitations

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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I have been taking synthroid for 20 years due to a nodule. It shrunk the nodule almost imediately but my eye, ear, nose and throat dr. insisted I continue to take sythroid. Today I had an regular appointment to check levels and he said that we are going to take me off synthroid. That a recent school of thought is that Synthroid doesn't need to be continued after the nodule is reduced!! I inquired several times about going off synthroid thru the years because I had alot of side effects. Hair loss, anxiety, heart palpitations, chest pain, sweating constantly, insomnia....all of the symptoms described by others on this page. I am kinda pissed but relieved to finally get to STOP TAKING IT!! Ask your Drs. about this if you just had a nodule and take synthroid for shrinking the nodule!!

I have been taking synthroid for 13 years. Had heart palpitations and irregular heart beat - ER dr put me on heart medication. I am seeing psycholgist for anxiety. He suggested that medication can contribute / cause my anxiety. Was doing research on-line for side effects and found this website. Good to know others have had similar side effects. I doubt I need to be on the heart medication since it seems that the synthroid may be the reason for the heart problems. Is there another thryoid med out there for hypothyroidism? All the dr told me was that it is a synthetic form of what my body normally produces - I had no idea it could have side effects or even contribute to other problems!

I have been taking synthroid for 10 years and for 9 of those years everytime I get a dosage the doctor thinks will get my readings to a safe level, I begin to have heart palpitations to an extent that I pass out. At first I was rushed to hospital several times from passing out in public places. I also have leg cramps, coroited artery aches and the inevitable weight gains. Finally my doctor sent me to an Endro this week and he claims he has never heard of side effects and tells me to increase me dosage slowly. My readings are suppose to be between 4 and 5 and they are 26! He treated me like I was a hysteric and told me not to breath so hard when I am having palpitations. Someone mentions a balance between T3 and T4 can someone explain. I am so happy to know there are others like me out there. Sally

Man, I really messed myself up, I guess. I have been taking the 1.50 for a few years now. I am now 55, ...and lately, for the last twenty days or so, I started having daily, all day long palpitations. So I walk four miles a day, or whenever they start up..but the first thing I thought, was it was time to lower my thyroid..so I broke them in half..BIG MISTAKE...caused my heart to go faster, leg cramps. cold feet, then hot feet, hands, etc....so when I put it back after one week, I started feeling a little better..but still have the heart palpitations...so I figure time to buy some insurance and get it all in order...WOW...how terrifying...

Not sure if this is side effect. Had Thyroid Cancer, Had radiation. became hypoparathroid. Taking large doses of calcium 7200 mg. daily. Taking 200 mcq Synthroid daily. Still hypocalcemic, just increased calcium to 9000 mg. daily. Having heart palpatations so severely, my head feels full. It lasts approximately 1 minute with each episode, skin is really dry, even peeling, leg and feet cramping, finger, hand and arms have episodes of tingling, and hair texture has changed.Doctor has tried to regulate calcium and synthroid for almost 2 years now. Is this normal??