Synthroid and muscle cramps

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'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 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 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?

Hi all, i live in NY and have been on synthroid. since i was 34 i am 50 now. Because of the huge normal range it is very easy to take too much synthroid. Doctors also do not know how to prescribe it...It is better to take a little bit less then move the dose up. Mohammed Ali( the prize fighter) thought that taking synthroid would make him a better fighter ,stronger etc... he took synthroid, though he didn't have thyroid issues, and became tired and sick.

So from my experience too synthroid much causes constipation, muscle cramps in the calves first , then everywhere, like your butt and then your pelvic floor which in turn can cause frequency. Your feet swell, you get much more tired and irritable then depressed. Your heart races then you have episodes of shortness of breath and horrible crushing anxiety. Also your hair falls out..

Also as you go into menopause with less estrogen you need less synthroid , (pregnant women need to take more)but NONE will tell you this so you just get sick all over and think that its just menopause!

I truly believe that there are millions of women out there with "fibromyalgia" who are just simply just taking too much synthroid... if 1.25 is the full replacement dose why would anyone be taking 1.65?

I am not a dr but i have come to see that they never suspect this medicine for the harm it can do.Part of this is that it is the most prescribed medicine in the country and the company who makes it is very powerful. And if you think that drug companies care if their meds make you sick than you should read about the Delcon shield and how the makers knew that the string wicked germs up into the uterus and they sold it and hid the results! I was not able to have children thanks to the good makers of this product.

so back to synthroid, I was taking .1 of synthroid with my numbers in the normal range and i had constipation frequency , muslce spasm in my calves,hair falling out , fatigue irritability , shortness of breath with anxiety... over a few weeks i moved my dose down( with email to dr) to a spilt dose of .025 in the am then 12 hours later .025 in the evening and ALL of the symptoms WENT AWAY! my advice to anyone who has the symptoms above is to tell their dr that they want to on a trail basis see if their symptoms are alleviated by less medication.If your dr says no ,FIND A NEW DR. , these are quilty of life issues and many drs are to busy to elp you titrate your dose , dont give up , you are only here once and you can get rid of the symptoms!!!

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.