Synthroid and mcg

IN FEBRUARY MY DOSAGE OF SYNTHROID WAS CHANGED FROM
100 MCG TO 200 MCG ... I AM WONDERING IF THE MAJOR CHANGE COULD HAVE MESSED UP MY MENST. CYCLE BECAUSE IN APRIL
I FOUND OUT I WAS PREG . AND DID NOT HAVE SEX ANY WHERE AROUND THE TIME OF MY USUAL MOST OVULATION CYCLE ... IN FACT BY THE ULTRA SOUND THAT WAS DOWN THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT MY LAST PERIOD WAS ACTUALLY LATER THAT I TOLD THEM
NOW MY HUSBAND IS ACCUSING ME OF CHEATING ON HIM
BECAUSE HE WORKS OUT OF TOWN AND WAS NOT IN TOWN
WHEN I SUPPOSEDLY GOT PREG I KEEP TRY TO TELL
HIM THAT MY MEDS PROBABLY MESSED IT UP

Ive been on synthroid since Saturday august 23rd and I noticed Im more nervous like I want to climb the walls and im sweating profusly. I have lost over 100 lbs since February and I had blood work done on tues august 19th and the doctor put me on 25 mg. Im suppose to go back in 6 weeks and get my level checked again but Im going to call the doctors office tomorrow and tell them what is happening. If this is what is going to happen Im not staying on it. Im only 42 and I am battling deg.disc disease which hurts enough and sciatia.

Just switched to synthroid 88 mcg after 8 yrs on Armour. My doctors found an ugly mass on my right thyroid and rushed me to surgery, certain it was Cancer: it was just an ugly goiter..now I have to take thyroid meds the rest of my life. :(

It took a year to get me regulated on Armour and I gained 30 #. 20:20 hindsite. I thought it was good and natural too... for 8 years

BUT here is an FYI: NOBODY TESTS THE PIGS. THERE IS NO QUALITY CONTROL TO SEE HOW MUCH THYROID WE ARE 'REALLY' GETTING.ANIMALS CAN BE HYPO AND HYPERTHYROID TOO.

Sooo... 7 weeks into a 90 day supply of my Armour and my pharmacy recalls it. I mention it to my doc who promply makes the connection and draws my labs, VOILA I am suddenly hyperthyroid AND now I can understand some of my crappy symptoms of late..

Lesson learned. Hoping to be feeling better soon. Hope you all find what works for you but these are all drugs and be aware.

Hi,
I am 50 years old. I was diagnosed with as hypo at age 39. My doctor prescribed Synthroid at 25mcg and I have (proudly-ha!) worked my way up to 125mcg. I was always one of the "lucky ones" who could eat any and everything and my weight stayed the same. I am a busy mom of two and a first grade teacher, so the 33 lbs. I have gained since age 39 has not been due to diet changes or sitting around with a bag of chips in front of a TV all day. I also questioned my doctor about this and he just brushed it off. Well, I am tired of not feeling good about myself. My life is in good order except for my weight. I want someone to take this seriously. Should I see a specialist rather than my regular internist?
Wow! I think I just lost a little weight telling you great people about this!
jf

I was diagnosed with graves disease last year, I had a really acute case that turned me into a total nut job.
In October after going through several thyroid storms and the doctors not being able to keep me stable with medications, I had a full thyroidectomy in October.
I started on .100 mcg of levothyroxine and then the dosage was gradually decreased, I started having a lot of random body aches, mood swings, lots of muscular pains and no energy.
They ended up raising my dosage and detected that I had a large vitamin D deficiency, after several treatments of taking 50,000 units of vitamin D, and also adding my levothyroxine dosage I started feeling better. I still have mood swings here and there, and feel sad periodically, but the last month or so I've been feeling more fine than I have in a long time. They have me on .170 mcg of levothyroxine for two months now. Last week I started getting headaches more frequently, and one of the times I got this nose bleed.
This past weekend I got a headache, and then later that night I had another nose bleed.
I don't usually get nose bleeds or this many headaches so I'm a little concerned.
Also the last time I was getting headaches and constant nosebleeds was when I was really hyperthyroid.
As far as the doctors go, I'm in between insurances and quite honestly I've been frustrated with both my pcp and endocrinologist...

Re: Dosage Confusion- Synthroid

This simple of communicating dosage became confusioning. To prevent confusion synthroid is always discussed in terms of (mcg). That is, micrograms (mcg) vs. milligram (mg).

This is of tremendous value The conversion factor is 1000, for example a dose of Synthroid represented as 0.025mg, would be converted as
.025mg x 1000=25mcg. To fully understand this blogger’s statement feel comfortable to talk with your pharmacist or physician.

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...

I have Hashi's and have been on Synthroid for about 2 years. I was recently on 75 mcg and was teetering on the brink of being hypo again so my doctor increased my dosage to 88 mcg last week. Ever since I have been on the new dosage, I have had the worst insomnia. I wake up covered in sweat (in air conditioning) and I feel caffeinated all the time ( I don't consume caffeine). I feel strung out! Is my body just getting used to the new dosage or am I being over medicated? I don't want to complain yet to my doctor if this is just my body getting used to the new dosage but this really is terrible.

Hello To All,

I too am on this med, I have been on it for 1 year as of July 2008-

35 pounds, brain fog, headaches, eye sight for reading, chest pain and fluttering heart beat. My doctor who is my friend has told me that he will up my dose... "Dear God" any more and I will go nuts. Does anyone know of any study done in a medical journal that theu could forward to me so I can show my doctor.

Please email me at ****** I would be so very thankful.

Thanks to all and be healthy.

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've been on Synthroid for 8 months after gaining 10 pounds in two months. The symptoms started to appear when my Mom was very ill. Doctor said it was caused by stress and started me on 25 mcg of Synthroid. My reading at that time was 5.56. I had blood work done every 4 weeks,and the numbers are going down (1.8 last reading), but so is the quantity of my hair, which I see all over my white tile. My weight hasn't budged even though I am dieting. My doctor upped me to 100 mcgs. My blood work is not good - low white count, low lymphocytes, borderline anemic. Mom died, and I didn't get any better. I feel sick all the time and it's difficult for my husband to understand how bad I feel. I've tried to get my doctor to prescrive Armour, but he doesn't even return my phone calls. When I see him in the office, he keeps telling me it takes time. I hate living this way and want to stop the pills completely.

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.

We all experience similar problems. I think most of it is from frustration and is affecting us all mentally. You go to the doctor pay your co pays,blood work,and your prescriptions. Then patiently wait for change for the better. Go back and do it all over again every few months. You pay all this money and you still feel miserable.I feel like a lab rat sometimes.My muscles hurt,feel tired,can't lose weight.Don't feel like doing somethings I use to enjoy. I been on this stuff 3 yrs and my doc has me taking 300 mcg now.Wish I have some answers!

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.

Dear all

I am taking Synthroid 200 mcg for the past 3 months and have noticed at least a 10 lb weight gain(from 210 to 220). I am not overweight since I am 6'5, but I am worried that it may be from the Synthroid. Can someone give me some advice?
Thank You, Mihai .

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 have been taking Levothyroxin (Synthroid generic) for about 5 months. I started on a low dosage and have been taking 75 mcg (which turned out to be the right dosage. I turned 59 years old in July and I had been gaining weight.Nothing startling--a few pounds a years that added up to about 50 pounds over time..I am losing weight now. The side effect I am most concerned about is a an inarticulateness I seem to have developed since I started taking the medication.I can't sepak civilly to my son who also turned 20 in July. I just want to scream at him all the time.

Is this a side effect of Synthroid? I don't think I have been losing my hair, fortunately, but it is dry and brittle...

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 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

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've been on synthroid for 9 years. started at some low dose and gradually went up to112 mg. get extreme itching all day everyday if i don't take allegra for that.not a rash just itching. that doesn't bother me as much as the fatique. every joint in my body aches all the time. sure there are better days but fo rthe most part it's bad. tried physical therapy and chiripratic care but no avail. they ended my sessions. my legs get sooo weak and my feet burn lower back really aches. sometimes muscle cramps. i'm very negative towards my loving family and it hurts me to do so. can't seem to keep upbeat. soo tired all the time.
is it the syntroid? i used to be very energenic and a doer. now i have spurts of activity in the morning , but then i just can't get motivated. help me any suggestions?

I've been taking synthroid for several years due to radiation caused thyroid damage. I appear to be quite sensitive to Synthroid. I get a total rush from a 77 mcg, but have no such effect when taking a 50 plus a 25. I've been told it is due to the dye in the 77. If my doses are too low (50 mcg), then I feel great for a week or two, but become foggy mentally and after a few weeks have sharp pains in the joints and muscles. At higher doses, I become irritable, have shortness of breath (77 mcg) and have burning sensations in the kidney area.

I find that regular exercise (walking 1-2 miles/day) moderates these effects greatly and stabilizes the emotional swings. The amount of medication that I need to balance between these two extremes varies depending on the amount of exercise I get.

I have been on Levothyroxene for 14 months now. I have been experiencing nightmares, a "butterfly" feeling between my chest and stomach, itchy skin, dizziness, and am still fatigued. My dose is 50mcg. once a day. that was upped from 25 mcg. a day as my TSH level was not within the normal range. Sometimes I feel like I'm feeling WORSE after being put on Levothyroxene. I also am still gaining weight and am constantly bloated, having bouts of diarrhea, and my blood pressure won't stay regulated. I am currently recuperating from a bad cold and the cough is hanging on. My other meds I take are Atenolol-12.5 mg. once a day and Xanax-.25 mg. two to three times a day. Is there an interaction between all these meds(I take them at different intervals thruout the day to avoid interactions)?

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.

Palpitations, insomnia and shortness of breath and hot flashes and stressed out. Perhaps my levels are too high? I take 100 mcg daily 5x week and 50 mcg 2x week.

Labs last checked about 6 weeks ago and TSH was around 1.0

I haven't taken my Synthroid for a couple of days and then I am going to decrease dosage to about half the prescribed dose until I can get in touch with my M.D.

The palpitations are worrisome so I certainly don't want to aggravate those.

I've been taking Synthroid for around 4 years and am currently on a 125 mcg dosage. I haven't had my period once while one the medicine. I was wondering if this had happened to anyone else??

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.

i have been on synthroid for about 15 yrs still feel tired at times had my dosage decreased from 125 mcg to 100mcg
due to the fact that i had to much synthroid in my system
i will continue taking the medication,the only problem i have
is the occasioal headache and feeling tired.

I have been on synthroid for 11 years. This past year, however, after stopping birthcontrol pill, my dosage has changed. First I was too high on 125-150 mcg and now I am back to 100 mcg. My TSH is 1.72 which is within the normal range of 1-2. My big side effect right now is extreme nausea especially after any activity, not even strenuous, such as doing some errands or grocery shopping or even up-down stairs. I have to sit really quietly before feeling slightly better. Has anyone felt this way? I feel sick all the time. Perhaps a smaller dosage of synthroid would help.

I have been taken 100 mcg of Synthroid for a year now and I have had weight gain, sleepless nights, and hair loss on my left-side of my head. Once, it stopped my menstrual cycle for two months. So, I decided to decrease on my own from 100 mcg to 50 mcg. Afterward, my hair loss started to increase. So, I started taking 100 mcg instead of the 50 mcg. Did I do something wrong? I want to have children.

I have already entered side effects but I forgot to mention that I am taking a pill with two medications in it one is called levothyroxine and I am also taking 50 mcg of this medication.

I was diagnosed with a hypo thyroid and I was on 50 mcg for about 2 months now and I suffered from heart flutters that would wake me up in the night.....My doctor uped my dose for two weeks to 75 mcg and then put me on 100mcg I only took 1 pill of 100mcg and I had heart flutters and skipps, My enternal temperature went up and down, I even lost conciousness in and out, I told the doctor about it but did not go into a clinic or hospital he said take half a pill and Ill see you tomorow, so I did and felt fine for the day then on my birthday October 27 I took 75 mcg and still I was fine for the day.....But yesterday I took 75 mcg again and last night I ended up in the hospital, my girlfriend said I went from my normal coulor to yellow and my heart rate went through the roof and I felt like I was going to through up....I also felt slow. Is all of this realy necisarry....If the doctors were diagnosing us right and giving us the right pills would we not be fine.Im 22 years and have a four year old little boy to live for and my heart rate was 110 when I went in yesterday and they had to give me a pill to slow down my heart rate....I dont find that normal for a 22 year old to have to be going through. I DONT THINK SO!
Thank you all for your stories reading the side effects from all of you has helped me slightly understand this drug a little better.

I have been taking Synthroid for about 10 months. I started on 25 MCG and went back to the doctor about 6 weeks later for a checkup. My thyroid is now normal and I'm having no side effects. I lost 18 pounds and I'm feeling much better.

I have been on synthroid of 50 mcg for 4 months and now 75 mcg for about 3 months. I do forget to take it now and than, but otherwise been pretty good about it. I am 30 yrs old, and also take vicodin and flexorill for my back. Can someone tell me if the synthroid is causing the extreme tiredness and fatigue i am feeling. Note - I dont take vicodin or flexoril until about 11 pm at nite. Only on synthroid during the day. It is so extreme that I almost went to the hospital. Thought I was going to faint.

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 taken 50 MCG of Synthroid for almost 2 years. I have experiences occasional but regular calf, ankle, foot and toe muscle cramps. With only a couple of exceptions these cramps occur in the middle of the night. They are so severe that it takes about 20 minutes of painful walking to work them out. I take my Synthroid in the morning.

I have been on Synthroid for about 10 years. I've been taking dosages between 5 mcg's to my current 137 mcg's. I had my thyroid removed 3.5 years ago, due to an enlargement. Fortuantely, it was not cancerous.The side effects I have noticed have included weight gain, depression, anxiety, dry skin, and lethargy. None of these have been extreme, and my thyroid panals (TSH, Free T4, and T3) all come back within normal range when checked.Because I was at the low end of 'normal' my Endo increased my doasge from 112mcg to 125mcg to my current 137mcg. It's stopped my weight gain, and since i've been working out regularly for years, the weight is finally starting to come off.

i have been taking synthroid for a month now. i`m 32 yrs old and had radio active iodine treatment 9 yrs. ago. i`ve been having chest pains and nervousness especially at night. i take 100 mcg/day.i`m still waiting for my new lab results this week.