Synthroid and hypothyroidism

Reading this has been really comforting. I am extremely sensitive to medication. I went in to see my doctor and even though my blood tests were normal, he believed I had hypothyroidism and put me on 25 mcg of the generic version of Synthroid. In the first 5 days I developed feelings of "dread" and I was afraid to go to sleep at night. Right afterward I got hit with some really stressful stuff and I went into full anxiety attacks (something I hadn't experienced in 15 years). Now, after about a week I'm a little better than I was before but I still cannot eat much and scary thoughts race through my mind...I also feel detached from everyone, like I'm in a bubble or something. I emailed a therapist yesterday, but now that I know the synthroid is probably still in my system, I feel a lot better. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

I am extremely sensitive to medications. That being said, even though my thyroid levels were normal, my doctor believed I had hypothyroidism. He put me on .25 mcg of the generic brand of synthroid. I could only take it for 5 days because during that time I developed feelings of "dread" and I was afraid to go to sleep at night. When I stopped the pills, I started to feel better but I believe the stuff was still in my system. Some stressful things happened right after, and it threw me into panic attacks with scary, racing thoughts, trembling, insomnia, etc. I'm slowly getting better. But after reading this, I feel even better now knowing that I'm not losing it and chances are great that it's the synthroid that's causing it.

this is insane! I have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have been taking the synthroid for four years; starting at sixteen after gaining weight and losing energy- which probably resulted in teenage move- and introduction to alcohol and reefer for social acceptance. I noticed the synthroid helped with my sleepiness, but now im crying bc ive realized ive been slowly killing myself by doing what ive been told and keeping my mouth shut. I used to be more outgoing, and embraced my creativity when alone, now to find myself in a never ending cycle of anxiety, and depression triggered when solo and am def. more of a sociophobic hermit with drunk friends i see once every 2 weeks. I have noticed the hair loss, and have been getting progressively worse over the years and feel ancient. After reading this i am willing to sacrifice my energy for any extra feeling i can get out of this numb lifeless being ive digressed into to- i need to find a more natural solution for this hypothyroidism- any suggestions- we need a revolution on this, fuck synthroid!

I'm fed up. About 4 years ago I had a complete thyroidectomy and OMG my life has been a mess ever since, Yes, I needed the gland removed (it was a goiter pressing on my air way and esophagus), it needed to come out but OMG what a nightmare. Synthroid is a drug I can't figure out. I am convinced that this has ruined my life. I have developed chronic/non-stop head pain and pressure. My B.P. has gone up and now I'm on B.P. medicine. (still have severe head pain). It just never leaves me. E.R. visits/hospital stays and on and on. They treat me like I'm a complete lunatic because they can't seem to find anything organically wrong with me. Ummm-it hurts(my head). I am starting with a new Doctor who is a D.O. rather than an M.D. and I am praying that he finds what the **** is causing my pain. I feel like crap. The T.S.H. is in normal range but I have learned that the T.S.H. is not everything (even though my thyroid is gone). The isiots for lack od better description, are just too lazy to go the extra minute to find out what is wrong here. I just want to be able to function and this head pain will not let me do that. It is a nightmare and I have nothing but sympathy and empathy for anyone who suffers with pain on a daily basis.

The only constant is the Synthroid. Maybe I can't take this stuff. It has to be that my body just can't tolerate it and need something else or T3 added (I don't know). I just pray that this new doc can figure it out because I feel so helpless with this. My pain is always there squeezing and pressing. It is horrible. Maybe Synthroid is the culprit. Good luck to everyone.

I have only been on Synthroid for 2 months, but my appetite is out of control. I read that gaining weight might be a side effect of Synthroid. You would think that you would lose weight with it since it makes your thyroid run more efficiently. My TSH is 4.3, still normal, so I don't guess I really need it yet. I am going off of it and going to the health food store and take Thyroid support.

I have been on synthyroid for at least 7 years, and I still constantly battle fatigue and mood swings. All the doctors thought it was in my head and the last one suggested anti-depressants which I wouldn't go for. I feel depressed because I wake up tired almost every day or at least after 2 hours of being awake I can still just lie down and sleep! It's awful when just the thought of having to walk a block takes huge effort. I used to go to the gym every day but now it takes so much effort to do the smallest thing. I finally have a new doctor who has started to additionally give me Liothyronine (T3) which has given me new hope. I seem to feel better. We are still tweaking the dosage, first it was too low, now too high, but I am hopeful with the right "combo" we can get it right, if not I am considering going to a homeopathic doctor or just going off the stuff entirely, except I am not sure whether that will be worse.....If anyone has any advice or comments, please reply!!!!

Oh My Gosh....I cannot believe I just stumbled across this site. Feeling so NOT LIKE MYSELF for quite sometime now made me decide to google Snythroid side effects, wondering if this medication I am on could possibly be the reason I am feeling so badly. I am 50-years old and started taking synthroid (Levythyroxine) about a year ago for hypothyroidism. I have been struggling tremendously with anxiety, mood swings, fatigue, more hot flashes, emotional instability, and sudden weight gain (about 10 lbs) since I started taking it. I never had any weight issues. I have just assumed this was all related to being "menopausal" (and I'm sure some of it is) and stress-related.....but here's the thing....BEFORE I started taking it, I felt "normal" emotionally, I never had a problem with my weight, and never really had any major "pre-menopausal" symptoms....in fact, I think I had A LOT LESS hot flashes and emotional turmoil, BRAIN FOG, etc., BEFORE I went on this stuff. I was technically POST MENOPAUSE two months ago. Okay, so symptoms should be subsiding now. Any menopausal symptoms would/should have been worse during pre-menopause. Again, I never remember having any major symptoms going through "the change" and felt blessed in that respect......so could it be possible that this hell I have been going through COULD be related to this fricken Snythroid????!?!? I want to just stop taking it to see if I feel normal again, but don't know if it's SAFE to go off all of a sudden. What is this Armour?? I cannot believe how many others out there are feeling like me. I hope this is the reason, so I can feel some hope. But now what do I do? I'm sure I still have to get my TSH levels or whatever regulated. Any suggestions out there? I'll try and make a doctor's appt and check levels again and see what my options are...I was told I probably had to stay on this stuff for the rest of my life. Thanks, everyone.

I had excruciating muscle spasms in the legs when taking synthroid. My physicians argued that Synthroid or T4 was all that was needed because my body would produce T3. This simply is not accurate information for everyone. The muscle spasms became so severe that I went to the Cleveland Clinic in hopes of resolving this issue. This was a waste of time; the docs could only confirm the presence of muscle spasms in my legs and offered no other options. Finally, while reviewing all my lab reports and the related symptoms, I discovered that the muscle spasms only occurred when I was taking synthroid for hypothyroidism. I switched to Armour thyroid and the muscle spasms ceased. I urge everyone with hypothyroidism to find a doctor that can think outside the box.

I have been on Synthroid now about a year, and have had absolutely no side effects! In fact, it has assisted in diminishing the side effects I was experiencing from hypothyroidism. My doctor started me on a low dose, monitored me closely, and raised the dose. I think some people with so many side effects are not having their levels checked, so they are on too high a dose.

I have been taking levothyroxine for 25 years, my hypothyroidism was discovered when I was 2 weeks old. As soon as I hit puberty, I get fat (I was about 5 feet tall and 180 lbs). I have since had 2 kids, I am 5 foot 2 inches tall and about 197 lbs. I can't stand being fat and I can't do anything about it.

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 had always been 160 lbs since 8th grade, which was a fine weight for me bacause I'm tall and muscular. When I was 25 I gained 20 lbs over 3 months with no change in diet or activity. So I went to the doctor because hypothyroidism is very prevelent in my family. The blood work showed I was borderline hypothyroid, so the dr didn't suggest starting any medication. So I started working out 4-5 times a week for at least 1-1 1/2 hours per day. I also got on phentermine to help jump start my diet. After doing this for 2 months, I had gained 5 lbs. Which is crazy because anytime I needed to lose weight, I had no problem dropping 10 lbs in 2 weeks. I was frustrated but ignored it for a while because I got pregnant shortly after that. During the pregnancy, my throid was checked again and was normal. I weighed 248 lbs the day I went in to give birth. 2 weeks later, I weighed 210lbs and a month after that I was 200lbs. Then I went back to work,(where I walk continuously all day) and I could not budge my weight below 200 lbs no matter what I did. So I went back to the dr and I was slightly hypothyroid again. I opted to go on generic Synthroid 25mcg. I then gained 37 lbs over 4-5 months. So I went to another dr. to get on phentermine. I started the phentermine and lost about 27 lbs. I have been off phentermine for a while, but have been working out vigorously working out and watching my diet and couldn't lose another pound. So, I thought the synthroid might be making it harder to lose weight. I stopped taking it and have lost about 10lbs in the last month. I think there is definitely a connection in synthroid and my inability to lose weight. But I still can't get below 200lbs and I still feel sluggish. I am only 28 and don't think I should attribute this to age. I can understand age causing weight gain of 5-10 lbs per year but not 155lbs in May '05 to 183lbs in Nov '05 then to 200lbs in Jul '07. Please give me any suggestions you might have. Diet, medication, activities???

I was put on synthroid a year ago, due to a tsh level of 87. I pretty much felt better right away after taking it. First I took 50mcg and then it was upped to 100mcg. Everything went well until I had my latest tsh test. The level was going up again (tsh 5.4) so the doctor decided to put me on 125mcg. After about a week I began feeling like crap. Slugglishness, tiredness, muscle pain, joint pain, and it became progressively worse. I have an appointment coming up thank god. In the mean time I read 3 books on thyroid and it was mentioned that most people don't benefit from just taking T4 (ie. synthroid), despite the fact that the pharmac. and some docs say that body breaks t4 down into t3.
Some people's body cannot successfully break it down enough, some are cellular resistant to thyroid hormones, and those people absolutely need t3 in order to not develop Hypometablolism. The cell need the T3 to function. But unfortunately one can be hypo and still have good TSH levels, because this particular test only tests if there is enough T4 in the body.
Unfortunately, it's so hard to explain that to mainstream doctors.
One doctor I read about said it right: Don't just treat the test results but also the bodily symptoms, for everybody is different anyways. Just like our finger prints are unique, so is our hormonal metabolism.
I'm going to try to talk to my doc about this, but if he doesn't listen I will look for another doc until I found one that will. Good luck to all in this hormone jungle.

I been on Synthroid now for 10 years. Almost right after I started the medication i started to have headaches. I had / have headaches every single day , all day long. Before the Syntthroid i NEVER had headaches, EVER. It has been 10 years and i still complain. I have spent so much money and wasted time on exams and doctors. All the doctors tell me is that i am stressed or its sinus or something else . Which i don't think i am . I have CT scans a few times. I am not crazy, i know what i am saying. Doctors don't listen. I looked on online and saw that headaches are a side effect. I went back to my doctor and explained. The doctor(s) insist that the Synthroid is not a cause of my headaches. With headaches every single day a person can not function normally.

I ran across this website and in a way i felt better knowing that this symptom is real and other people are experiencing the same thing. On the other hand it upset me that all these people are complaining and no one is listening.

Is there no solution?

It took 3 years for me to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism and for a year I tried levethyroxine. This was a total waste of time. I was so exhausted the kids kept missing school, I kept walking into things, couldn't remember anything so I asked my doctor to let me try armour thyroid. This has apparently T4 T3 T2 and T1 and the T2 is the one that helps your metabolism (weight).
The change is nothing short of miraculous...I know it may not work for everyone but it is worth trying. I also had very extreme mood swings and the doctors were considering manic depression, but the latest thinking with that is to take your TSH levels higher before considering drugs such as lithium. I have just moved to Reading and my new doctor thought my T3 levels too high so reduced my armour dosage by half .....BIG mistake. Ended up in bed for days, couldn't remember which day it was, and the mood swings
!!!!!!! screaming, tearing my hair in frustration, punching my boyfriend. I staggered, literally, in tears back to the doctor who reinstated my original dosage of 2 grains one day 3 the next etc. For me my TSH has to be 0.1,
T4 around 14 and T3 around 8 to 9; basically on the high side but my blood pressure stays low as does my body temp and I feel alive again. It is worth trying different variations synthetic T4 AND T3, and don't rule out armour thyroid if nothing else is working after 6 months of use.

I have just been switched to Synthroid (by my Endocrinologist) after being on Armour for 4 years. I have to tell all you out there that think "Armour" is the save all drug..and believe me I am not an advocate of Synthroid either because I have not been on it long enough to know what possible side effects I might have..however when I first started on Armour I felt like I did before I had been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism ..then about 1 yr ago I started to gain rate rapidly like 40lbs in 6 months feeling sluggish, off and on skin problems, puffy hands, face, feet,hives, pimples in the back of my head almost hive like,some hair loss that is noticeable to me as I have had very thick curly hair all my life now it is getting noticeably thin and It is making me very nervous...My Endo put me on .75 mcg Synthroid and .5mcg Cytomel which she calls a "controlled Armour"..Armour does not stay consistent with your T4's and T3 levels and that is what cause my thyroid to become suppressed and these are the symptoms I was experiencing...she also put me on Spironolactone which is a mild diuretic to lose the puffiness in my face,hands,and feet and so far so good...Like I stated earlier, I am not an advocate of Synthroid or Armour our any drug for that matter, I just want to find what is right for me and stick with it..and if Synthroid doesn't work for me, then I will try something else...Just remember one very important thing.."You" are the only one who knows how you feel and Dr's are not God they can't fix everyone that is why its very important to read about your disease and find out what things might work for you..I suggest getting this book I bought that was recommended to me by my Endocrinologist called "Screaming to be Heard" Hormone connections women suspect and doctors still ignore written by Elizabeth Lee Vliet, MD...its a fabulous book and I am sure all you women can relate to this book...its all about us....Most important thing is to stay healthy eat a well balance diet and exercise..also find out about the foods that only worsen thyroid problems...

Wow! So glad and sad to find other sufferers. I wish our doctors would listen to us and take us seriously! Why are they stuck on forcing Synthroid on us? At this point, I think I'd rather not take any Synthroid. I stumbled upon this site while looking for something I might take to counteract the effects of Synthroid. I had to halve my 112 mg pills because of the side effects: frequents headaches, bloating, weight gain, irritability and anxiety, dry mucus membranes (eyes, nose, throat, etc.), allergies, muscle fatigue, achy joints. Of course, my doctor is slowly upping the dosage again, because my TSH is chronically high, but I feel like sh*t, physically and mentally. I used to feel so much more normal and like myself before I was diagnosed and "forced" to take Synthroid.

I was diagnosed as having Hypothyroidism in 1-07. My TSH was 83 and I was sleepy all the time, moody and anxious, hair falling out, gaining weight, heavy clotting peiods, etc. I was 51 and it was all blamed for a while in perimenopause. I have been on Synthroid .50 since then and some things are better like hair loss and sleepiness. My last check a few months ago was 1.3. What I hate most of all is waking up after a few hours of sleep and I feeing like I am on some kind of speed. My mind is wide awake and jumping from one thought to another, sometimes sweating heavily with my heart racing. I was diagnosed 10 years ago with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia and was on Beta blockers for a while. I have a new doctor now and never discussed this with her. The anxiety is awful sometimes too . I start to get fears of not being able to swallow or breathe but can keep it under control. An average night of sleep is five broken up hours of sleep and every now and then from exhaustion I will get close to seven hours. I am foggy headed a lot but I never hardly yawn or feel sleepy in the daytime.

I suggest to anyone that has Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (type of Hypothyroidism) to have a blood test done for Celiac Disease. There has been research done linking Celiac Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Celiac Disease can be controlled by a gluten-free diet (wheat, rye, and barley free). In the US, not many doctors recognize/know of this link. I have been hypothyroid for 20 years (had Hodgkin's Disease (cancer) - radiation/chemo at age 16) I have 2 sisters with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and were iron and B12 deficient. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis 3 months ago with iron and B12 deficiency. I have been on a gluten-free diet for 2 months now. My dosage of synthroid (levothyroxine) was 175 mcg and now is down to 137 mcg. I hope that I am one of the lucky ones that will have their antibodies to their thyroid normalized (no more synthroid!) I have a couple of days left before my next blood test and I hope that it goes down more. I am feeling better now than I have in a very long time. I have attached a link for those of you interested. It is an endocrine article from Finland outling the link between Celiac Disease and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (among other things). I hope that this helps some of you. http://edrv.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/23/4/464

I just took synthroid for the first time last night, and had some intensely weird nightmare dreams, which is why I am here, googling "synthroid" and "nightmares" - has anyone had this experience and had it subside? Please respond if that's the case, I certainly don't want my sleep to be like this every night.

I have been on Synthroid since about 1995. I had a thyroidectomy and do not have a thyroid anymore. I have been on 0.175 mcg for about 10 years and did not have any side effects except for fatigue and a little depression.Everything else was pretty good. My TSH is registering low so my doctor moved me to 0.1 mcg of Synthroid and 5 micrograms of Cytomel. I took this for about three weeks and for the last 1.5 weeks have had awful headaches and the dryest eyes ever. Something, I have not experienced before. My doctor keeps saying he wants to help me but does not listen to
any of my symptoms. I actually pulled off the symptoms from the list online of hypothyroidism and have 15 out of about 20. I am wondering why I felt so much better on the higher dose than this low dose. Can anyone releate. I am starting to think maybe my body is not processing this right. The funny thing is is that my lab work came back with normal results today, which means my doc is probably going to keep me where I am and I feel the worst I have felt in ten years.

I was prescribed Synthroid for Hypothyroidism about 6-months ago. I was told my thyroid is covered w/ nodules caused by Hoshimotos(?) Thyroiditis. Prior to that I suffered with severe anxiety attacks. Since my first dose of Synthroid I have felt much calmer. I realize Synthroid isn't prescribed for that, but I definitely feel much better. However, now it is early spring, and I ventured out for some light gardening and thought I was going to die from heat stroke and a pounding heart - it is only 68 degrees! Could this be a side effect or perimenopause?

My thyroid troubles started in 1993. I am not sure how long before the discovery I had the problem. Mine started as a nodule on one side. I was immediately put on Synthroid and had to go see the Endo every 6 months for a biopsy. In 1995 I became pregnant. I had one more biopsy until after the birth of my daughter. The Endo told me he wanted to see me right away after she was born to do another biopsy. I had my suspisions, but didn't think anyhing until after she was born and went for my biopsy. Well, I had cancer. I went through the whole thyroidectomy, the 3 days isolation with radio-iodine, and every year to every few years after I had to go back and get the radio-iodine treatment, while not the high dose as the first time, it went with the complete body scan. In fact, I am due now, but don't have health insurance. My dose has been switched a lot, I have probably been on every dose from the lowest up to .200mcg, which has been the highest for myself.

Symptoms: pre-thyroid disease, I am 5'2. I was always 110-115 lbs, I was 22 yrs old and 120 lbs. when I married in 1993. I did notice gradual weight gain, probably because of my thyroid problems. I am sad to say that now I am around 180 lbs. I cannot seem to lose the weight unless I go on a total starvation diet. I managed to lose 10-15 lbs over the past summer, but unfortunately for me it has come back over the winter. I tried to stay as active as possible by going to stores and malls to walk around. I do for a fact notice that when my dosage for Synthroid goes higher, so does my weight gain. I was on .137mcg over the summer, and I think that was a good dose for me, that was through the regular dr. The Endo is the one who put me back up to .150mcg. My Endo told me the thyroid is a regenerative organ, so it CAN grow back. I guess they don't want that in case of cancer again, and I guess that is why he keeps me on higher doses.

I personally cannot stand it. I feel it is a horrible curse. I feel very robbed of my previous active life. I have been dealing with this now for 12 years not having a thyroid and being on this medication. I feel angry that I do not have the energy to do things with my 12 yr old and 3 yr old. I miss the way I was before having thyroid disease. I feel very sad when they come up to me asking to do certain things and they (nor anyone else I know for that fact) can understand that I just feel so whooped, and no energy. All I ever seem to want to do is take a nap. I have migraine headaches constantly, I am constantly tired. I cannot concentrate, I have some memory loss. My ex-husband, and my current husband too for that fact think I am just being lazy. Well, that is not so. There are moments when I do feel a burst of energy, but then, I have to use that burst to do the things I need to do around the house.

Pre thyroid disease I was always active, never tired, could do anything. After: TIRED, I was 24 in 1996 and felt like an old lady, dry skin, no matter how much lotion I put on. The tub is full of hair, while it doesn't come out in clumps and I still have thick hair, I have hair all over the place. Irritable, mood swings, happy to angry and the snap of a finger. I can have insomnia some nights, constipation, lots of the same stuff others have listed on this forum. Those side affects are the same no matter what dose I am on. And like I said the higher the dose for me, the more weight I pack on. It is instantanious. Over Christmas, and no, it wasn't from eating all the goodies, I gained a lot of the weight I had lost over summer back, and that was because a few weeks before, the Endo had put me on the .150 mcg.

I have been on Synthroid for about 15 years for hypothyroidism. A few months after starting on it, I became sluggish with just no energy and my once thick hair was getting thinner and thinner. I told my doctor but she shrugged it off saying it was just my age (which at the time I was 45). She being the doctor, I assumed she was right. But awhile ago I started doing research and found in The New England Journal of Medicine that they were finding that Synthroid caused hair loss "in some people". It suggested using a thyroid hormone that used both T3 and T4 rather than the single one that Synthroid is. I went back to the doctor and she put me on Armour Thyroid. I have been on it now for 3 months, and my energy levels are way up, no longer sleeping my life away. My hair has not started growing back in yet, maybe it never will after all this time, but just feeling better is such a plus! (Of course I would feel a LOT better if my hair would thicken up again).

I a 49 year old male. A little while ago I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. My TSH was at 43. I have been taken Synthroid for a little over 3 months. I started with 25mcg and was recently increased to 50mcg since my TSH was still at a high 15. I also thought it prudent, since I had gained a lot of weight over the last year and a half, to also diet and exercise a little. In the last 5 weeks I have lost 32 pounds. (I was about 80 pounds more than I liked). I have more energy, have not lost anymore hair than normal, and my hair is not brittle. I have episodes of Atrial Fibrillation since I was 30 and occasional "heart flips" ever since. Since taking the Synthroid I have not experienced these "flips" at all. I sleep well. My blood pressure was High in the past and was taking two meds for it. Since taking the Synthroid (I'm also guessing the weight loss, diet and exercise has also helped) I am down to one med and I now have a BP of 110/65 with a resting heart rate of 64. By the way..I am taking the generic form of Synthroid.

I switched from a generic levothyroxine to Synthroid. After four days I awoke with extreme pain in one heel and the opposite knee. Both were caused by inflammations with no known cause in exercise or joint trauma. I switched back to the generic and both problems improved rapidly. Was Synthroid the cause? I don't know.

Hey, First off I would like to say thank you all for posting, I was just diagnosed with hypo. I was placed on 50mg then increased to 125, I felt terrible so I cut it in half. I take the pill at night, but I still feel all the symptoms you guys feel, I woke up this morning with no voice, hoarse. My tsh level was 13, I am going back to the doctor for more blood work this week. I think I my ask to be switched to another brand. I hope all of you will soon feel better.

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 have been on synthroid for about 3 yrs. I am considered subclinical (can't find hypothyroidism with blood test- normal range).
Grant it, the medicine took away the almost angina pain and loss of breath. However, my body seems to have deteriated structurally. I have tremendous lower back pain, that worsened. I have been in pain every day since. I starve, (veggies - then dinner). It's been very, very difficult. Always looking for help.I'm hoping that a natural hormone will change this, I know my husband will be glad; he won't have to hear me cry anymore.

Does anyone with hypothyroidism have also been diagnosed with Granuloma annulare?
DDTT

I have read a lot of these blogs and I am seeing that many other people have the same side effects. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was in 6th or 7th grade I think and I am now a high school senior so about 5 years taking Synthroid. the doctors said that my antibodies had completely destroyed my thyroid gland so I wasn't getting any of the hormones I needed which became very noticeable when I started gaining weight and loosing energy in 5th grade. I haven't really seen any weight gain in a while but I still look like I am overweight. I am 5'6 and 130 lbs so I am about average. Side effects that are also occurring are rapid mood changes, one minute I am happy and something sad happens or I think about something and ill be tearing up. I feel depressed a lot. I am currently on 150 mcg. also during 9th and 10th grade I was put on this drug to stop my puberty so that I could grow more while on the Synthroid I guess it helped a little with height but I still look like a freshman. I don't know if I should stop taking it or keep taking it because I stopped for about a month once and started getting really sick, I would get really bad nose bleeds at random, had constant migraines and felt sick to my stomach. I started taking the Synthroid again and felt fine. I really don't know what to do.

I must say that I HATE this medicine. I have been on it for about 30 years. Constantly like playing a game. Too much then too little. It is driving me crazy. I swear that I have tremors from it. I also have gain lots of weight and my hair falls out everyday. Surprised I am not bald yet. I use to be able to go to the gym for 5-6 days a week and now it is soooo hard to get out of bed in the morning.

I truly wish that there was something that I could do. I have had one side of my thyroid taken out and now have to go and get a ultra sound of the other side. Still cant figure out why the doctor took one side and not the other when the other side had nodules too.

I am so tired of it and just don't know what to do.

I do know that I will be definitely speaking with my endo and even if my levels are okay she has to do something to help me.

I am only 18 and recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism, after gaining around 12 lbs over 3 months. At first they just put me on a diet, but after some blood work, I was put on Synthroid to even out my hormone levels. I feel mostly depressed, moody, lethargic... REALLY LETHARGIC! and I haven't had my period in 3 months now! it's starting to worry me... I do have cramps, but no period!!

No one really explained me the disease, though. The nurse just gave me the medication and dismissed me. I wasn't aware of the effects of the disease, or the side-effects of the medication. After how long should I expect my period? The doctor just keeps recommending pregnancy tests. It's time for them to take some time, and pay more attention to their patients' needs and concerns!

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.

my eyes are puffy all the times no matter what a do they are the same please let me now if any one have that problem and when you started the treatment Synthroid did that when away all what would be better for me to do so I can get back the way my eyes was. i talk to my doctor and never have a answer. Thank You

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 was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in April of this year (2007) kind of by accident through a routine checkup. I had gained a bit of weight over the past two years, but that was really my only symptom. I was begun on 75 mcg of a generic brand of Synthroid, levothyroxine. Since I began this medication, I have rapidly gained another 15 pounds despite a 1,000 calorie per day diet. I retain fluid horribly. My ankles, wrists, hands and face swell daily. My muscles ache, especially my legs, upon walking across a room. I'm fatigued, short of breath. My LDL cholesterol level has skyrocketed in only three months and now I'm being told I need to be on a statin drug. I cry frequently and feel uncharacteristically anxious and irritable, but this could be due to the frustration I am experiencing with the loss of my sense of well-being. In essence, I felt much better before being placed on the medication. I may, in fact, discontinue the medication totally and see if over time I begin to feel better. Like so many other stories I'm hearing, my doctor seems totally unconcerned.

I started on 50 MCG of Levothyroxine last late May, due to a slightly underactive thyroid. The sides effect I am experiencing that is troubling me the most is that my hair is thinning dramatically. No bald patches, just thinning, and I had thin hair to begin with, so that makes it even more bothersome. I've also noticed that hair has completely stopped growing on my lower legs and upper thighs, and my eyebrows have thinned also. According to my doctor, my latest blood tests indicated that my thyroid levels were in ideal range now, and thinning hair isn't a side effect of the levothyroxine. I've read that it is, unless my thyroid levels still aren't ideal..and the levothyroxine is making my hair thin more than usual when in conjunction with the hypothyroidism. I'm also taking 25 mg of toprol to control tachycardia. If anyone could give me some advice, I'd really appreciate it! I'm at my wit's end as it my hair.

Hi everyone,
I have been on synthroid for eight years, it has not right for me. I started a combined T3 T4 medication a year ago and that made a great difference. I have now stopped all T4 and am taking T3 only in the form of Cytome, this leaves me feeling more alert, clear head, more energy and I am only on this for a week! You have to introduce the medication gradually, suddenly changing and taking the full dose all at once is a shock on the system, I break the tablets and take them over the day. I have to day taken a full tablet for the first time. I intend to take the medication spread over the day as T3 needs to be taken this way, unless you get a slow release form and this I have not come across, as yet. To be honest to ask the Dr for htis might just push him toot far!! I am grateful to have had the co operation of the Dr to try this T3 on its own, other Drs might have resisted. The body needs T3 to make T4, so it makes sense that we supply what we are deficient in, as opposed to giving the body the end product. I have read that there is a chance that the body will adjust with the T3 and start producing its own and then we can cut back on our medication and eventually stop. Thyroid medication has an effect on the heart, just as hypothyroidism has a negative effect on the heart. Taking too much synthroid can case severe heart trouble, the aim should be to take as little as possible but to take enoght to feel well. I personally will not take synthroid again. I found armour which is the combined tablet a much improvement and now I feel the popsitive effects of having no T4. I will keep monitoring andif I feel it necessary I will take some T4 again but to be honest I know I need to regularily monitor my blood test having tests for T$ and T3 and also free T3s. Take your body temperature every two or three hours a day and if your are consistenty below normal then this is a sign that your need T3. My body temperature is never normal always very low and no amount of T4 affects this. T3 is gradually increasing the temperature.
Hope this helps some folk.

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!

No side effects. I just wanted to reassure all these people that are unsure about taking Synthroid, that it is the best medicine I've ever had to take. Two years ago, my hair was falling out in big clumps, I had all the symptoms of menopause-night sweats, mood swings, sleeplessness, etc. and my doctor tested my thyroid and found that I have hypothyroidism. It took a few months to get the dosage correct, but I have felt wonderful ever since and I also have all my hair back!

About six years ago, I had half my thyroid removed due to a cold nodule. Recently, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The dr. wants to put me on synthroid. In addition to having only part of a thyroid, I was also diagnosed with Hep C many years ago. I only have one kidney. I'm very concerned about what Synthroid might do to my body. What would you do? Can you suggest any alternatives? Has anyone just decided to live with their hypothyroidism?

Hi everyone,
Just some info concerning Levothyroxine:
1/ Starting doses vary depending on your doctor's method,
I give 150ug then bring it down if necessary
2/ Anxiety problems are due to pre-existing psychological problems and not the molecule; if you're feeling over anxious you need to consult a therapist, the fact that the drug increases basal rate brings this out more manifestly
3/Hair loss is a symptom uniqueley of Hypothyroidism and not of the drug, as is weight gain

Take Care all

Docteur Jones

I'm wondering if synthroid is the answer for hypothyroid? I mean, pretty much all our guts give out over time... How many people actually go into a coma and die from hypothyroidism? I took synthroid and had to get off it after just one week! I was slamming doors around here, screaming, out of control, miserable. I've talked to plenty of women at work who have lots of trouble controlling their dosage. I've read some other comments here: BEFORE I took synthroid, I had aching legs and feet, thickness in my throat, weakness, tiredness, can't concentrate. I only take a tranquilizer for eight years, same dosage, for anxiety. I'm thinking there HAS to be another way to treat hypothyroid. What if my kidneys are giving out and synthroid is overloading it, and THAT is the primary disease, with the hypo business secondary. I can see kidneys giving out, what with all the stuff we eat, yearly innoculations for flu, and so on. Anybody have any thoughts on (1) How many folks actually die from hypothyroidism via coma, and (2) Is hypo the primary condition, or is kidney primary, and (3) What is with my feet and legs hurting and aching all the time?!?! Gail

Hi,
I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism, and my doctor started me on .125 mcg of synthroid.
I have been on it for one week, and, pardon my crudeness, but have crapped myself twice during my sleep.
Is this a typical side effect that will go away?
I plan to talk to my doctor this week about it.

I have been taking synthroid for about 6 years...I still dont feel quite like my old self...but better.........Sometimes my coroited artery in my neck hurts....Doc didnt seem too bothered....I didnt notice hair loss when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but other people did...I just felt so tired, and my skin around my eyes was so sensitive to the usual creams I used on my face....

I have been on Synnthroid for 12yrs now. I have not had any side effects directly from the medication. Several people I know have experienced minimal weight loss from first starting it. As for hair loss, my hair loss was from the actual hypothyroidism, not from the medicine.