Synthroid and tsh

Sometimes the symptoms of depression, anxiety, headaches, short temper and hot flashes are due to out-of-balance TSH and your medication may need to be adjusted. That's been the case with me in the past and it has worked. Usually the doctor increases the dosage and things go back to normal. However, my last increase has produced opposite results. I am on 0.137 now and I feel very, very anxious, fearful, and get easily upset. I feel hot flashes as I get angry and generally feel quite depressed. I've also gained about 6 pounds in the last two months, which should is bizarre, as higher dosage usually means higher metabolism rate and weight loss. I am confused. Should I go back to my old dosage where I felt better, except for the onset of weight gain.

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 always had and currently have the side of effect of extreme fatigue associated with the use of synthroid and now Armour thyroid replacement as well.
Whenever my tsh reaches normal levels I become increasingly fatigued. Now I an hardly stay out of the bed and yet my levels are normal.
I have Hashimoto's Disease and am menopausal with severe insomnia to cloud the issue. But the fatigue associated with thyroid replacement is longstanding and has occurred for about 15 yrs. For many years, I would stop taking the medication because of it. My doctors do not believe that the fatigue is related to Synthroid which I find utterly frustrating. Will be looking for another endocrinologist soon. Has anyone out there experienced this side effect of extreme fatigue?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

As most of you, my TSH always came back normal/border line as well. However, due to all of my symptoms - every single one for Hypothyroid - they went ahead and did an ultrasound. I had a nodule 15mm x 5mm on the left lobe and 5mm x 4mm on the right. Because I had the constant "turtleneck" feeling around my throat, it was getting hard to swallow and sounded like I was an 11 year old boy gowing through puberty again, because of the hoarseness, I had Total Thyroidectomy last week. My surgeon put me on 150mg of Synthroid. So far so good with the side effects, granted it's only been 6 days. I actually have more energy, and a decrease in appetite. I've already lost 5 lbs. Not real sure if my energy level has gone up because I no longer have a thyroid to bring it down or if it is from the medication. Either way I hope my side effects stay as they are, I could stand to lose another 50 lbs - haha

Hello, I have been on synthroid since 1999. I am hypothyroid with hashimotos. Endr. docs couldn't seem to get any levels right so I went to my Intergretted doctor . and he put me on 1/4 grain armour so I took anywhere from 50mcg to 100mcg of synthroid in the AM and 1 armour at night. It worked but after a short while I felt terrible. Then I had to start taking high blood pressure presc., it was about 170/116 after I had some shots in my back for pain, never had hp. before these shots. In Sept. of this year I stopped the Topralxl because I felt my heart was pounding out of my chest which I was in hospital for they said I was having a heart attack, had anigram, but I didn't have a heart attack and and angigram came out good. Then this summer they put me on 2 Topralxl. My heart was pounding with 4 extra beats so with a ultra sound{echo]of my heart and 24 hour halter it was all good, so I figured it had to be something I am taking. So that lead up to the stop of Topralxl which I researched and took a few things from Health Food store and got my pressure down to 140/80. My heart quit racing and beating so hard, but still felt depressed, puffed up, confused, teeth felt loose, urinated a lot, gained weight, rashy on my neck, tired all day, did not sleep good, eyes were always red and watery, skin and hair dry, blemishes on my face{ I am'56 yrs. old] just didn't feel good and the list goes on. Came across this site and read them all. Realized so much from you all. Sythroid only has T4 which your cells should be able to covert T3 out of that. T4 stores in your body and T3 is used up as the day goes on. But some peoples bodies don't convert the T3. Several people have talked about TSH which is your thyroid stimulating hormone which comes from your Pituitary Gland. When you thyroid or your meds. don't give you enough thyroid of what you need the Pituitary kicks in there to tell your thyroid gland to to produce more. It's not good for your TSH to be high so Docs. put you on a higher dose of Sythroid or whatever you take for the pituitary to stop producing TSH. So I want to say I am not a doc. but have felt so terrible and researching what I could I quit my Synthroid on the 29 of Dec. and started taking my armour thyroid 1 AM, 1 late afternoon and 1 PM on my own cause I figured I am still getting my T4 and T3. I went to my Endr. Doc. yesterday and told him I went off my Synthroid and just taking Armour. and told him I felt so terrible, after stopping the Topral heart felt great but the rest of me felt drugged, I just felt desperate and horrible. So again it had to be something I was taking. Well I have to say that I feel 100% better than I was. I am much more alert with my surroundings and whatever i am doing, sleep so good, teeth feel good, no rash, urinate normal, not confused, face cleared up, eyes not red or watery, pretty much I already feel normal again. Working at my job is not exhausting, my neck, which I didn't mention before quit hurting. In a whole it was the right thing for me but maybe not for everyone. I just felt that it was slowing taking me out. Blood Pressure, Thyroid issues are to be concerned about but seems like a person should feel better not worse with the meds. So this is the information I have learned and I'm sure there is much more. So good luck to you all and listen to your body and talk to your doc.about how you feel. It can be very scary when you are diagnosed with something but we are all different in what our body needs and our side effects.

Here' what it says..

10/28/2008 7/1/2008 2007 2006
TSH 1.41 1.71 4.08 4.28

TUP 36.1

FTI 9.96

T4 11.02

Am I still low enough to have the dry brittel hair and al the hair loss and wieght gain?

I have hypothyroid. Have been taking Synthroid for about a year, 0.075MG a day. Had my levels checked 3 times since on the meds and still have never gotten to normal, but a lot closer. I have gained 20 pounds that I can't get rid of, which for me, is crazy. I have never had a problem dropping weight, and for the past month or so, I have started losing my hair. Not just losing it, but the texture and everything has changed. No matter what I do it looks dry and flat, and even when I condition it and also use a leave in conditioner, it still knots up and tangles. I have NEVER had a problem with tangles. It's coming out in handfuls. Im not taking any other meds, so I imagine it has to be the Synthroid. My problem is..What else can I take? I mean, I have Hypothyroid, so I can,t just leave it untreated, But I have no wish to be fat and bald either. Please...anyone know of others meds without these side effects?

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.

Hello Ladies....I am 56 and diaged Hashimotos disease 3 years ago.At the moment on 112mcg of synthroid....dosage started off low and have gradually worked up....So angry with drs...was seeing endo, but moved and using family practice...so frustrated with weight gain approx 25lbs since diag. Also does the word sweat ....mmmm perspire for all us ladies, mean anything? I can't even wash dishes without breaking out in to a sweat...mmm beads of perspiration....Dry skin, I own stock in Aveeno....Also....does anyone get "boil type" skin eruptions in the nether region...butt, inner thighs etc? Does anyone or has anyone done any serious research on Iodine? I try to eat as well as I can, was doing Weight Watchers and gained weight do ya hear me? I am questioning my idodine intake or lack of....Presently take mulit vit with 150mcg. Considering uping it and dc ing my synthroid...cuz docs have been useless....eat less, (how much more less?) exercise more...I swim so much I look like a freaking prune....Any comments?

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 since 1982 after RAI to treat Graves. I had 1 child since then and was early 20's but around 30's started having weight gain and fatigue etc. I stopped the meds in 1992 on my own for several months then dr was very scolding and said never do that again. Ever since I went back on I have been gradually worse and worse. Went from 105 in 1982 to 192lbs now. I feel so helpless and lack of care from doctors in trwating me. 1996 had hysterectomy and both ovaries removed which has caused even greater imbalance of the estrogen and thyroid. I pray that I can find a cure that does not require medication like synthroid. Tried Armour in 2005 but did not get better. Lost a little weight but now I found it again and more. The only doctors in MN that I believe can help do not take insurance and I am single parent of 2 children and cannot afford to pay out of pocket expenses. I have already spent close to $1000 to the naturopaths but they sold me way too many supplements, I cannot even take all them its too much plus they both said lose weight. I have no energy or mind skills to implement a structured diet and exercise plan. Anyone know a doctor in twin cities, MN that takes insurance Preferred one that can help me with bio-hormones? Tmaya

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 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've been on synthroid now for about a year. My dosage is VERY little (0.075). My doctor keeps running blood tests every 3 months and assures me I am within the "lower-end" of the norm, but I still feel tired, sleep deprived, wake up with night-sweats and I keep gaining weight...

I am only 24 and have just been told that I need to take this medication for the rest of my life, it\s pretty depressing. I keep asking if there are other ways to lose weight and feel more energized. He tells me that I need to keep taking this medication and has put me on a "sleep hygeine" routine where I go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Does this "disease" mean I will always be overweight and tired for the rest of my life? I would like to know if someone else with more experience with this medication can give any sort of advice? Feeling a little hopeless about it and not really interested in complaining to my doctor anymore.

Thanks:)

I have been on synthyroid for the past 4 months and my doses have been increased from .75 to .112 which I am currently on. I weigh 92 pounds, which is my normal weight, but it seems this new increased dose has increased my appetite (I always had a fast metabolism) given my palpitations, flushing, sweating, high and low blood pressure and generally feeling overstimulated. It's been two weeks since my dose was increased and I felt better with the lower doses. My endocrinologist keeps increasing my dose since my TSH levels are still not in the right numbers, but this new dose is making me sicker than I was before. Could this new dose be too high for me.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

hello everyone
i am a full time college student and I believe that i have some side effects from synthroid. As i was reading everyones blog i notice that some people feel the same way that i do. At times i feel that i'm normal but if something upsetting happens i get really tired, depress, and I have a never time concentrating at school and home. My body hurts all the time. especially my joints and i feel that i don't want to do anything. I have about a year left until i graduate and its the going to be hard. I cry sometimes for no reason. help! i'm going to talk to my doctor but if any body else feels the same way please reply.

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'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 have been taking Synthroid since Jan. 2006, am on 100mcg per day and all test results have been 'normal', I have been told to take this medication in the morning an hour before eating anything, if I do this...I have headache all day, I can't eat after an hour because I am so sick at my stomach there's no way. I feel hungry, but feel like if I eat it's coming right back up. Am having serious joint pain in hips, knees, elbows and wrists, my neck hurts really bad as well. I wake up to arms asleep anymore and just feel like I haven't slept in months...am very weak and very tired all of the time.

I have found that if I take my pill at night this gets a little better, but holy cow, don't tell your Dr. your taking it before bed...no, take it of a day. (don't know why this is a major thing?)

Anymore I feel like I am walking around with flu symptoms constantly, and the Synthroid hasn't done anything weight wise with me, because I was so HYPERthyroid before the RAI, I was very thin and looked like a bag of bones, have been waiting and excited about putting on weight...at one point I stopped taking the Synthroid and let myself go HYPO just so I could gain weight, it worked and I got up to about 130 pounds, was very HYPO so they told me critical that I get back on meds...I lost it again because it makes me so sick I can't eat.

NO-ONE can tell me the Synthroid is not the cause of this problem, if I stop taking it I feel WONDERFUL, but my test reults are bad. After a while of course my feet become numb and I end up having some bad hypo symptoms, have tried breaking pills in half....oh Lord no, need it all...

Have been told they are thinking about raising my dosage again anyway, I can't do this, I will break down in the office if they try to raise it. Right now my TSH is fine but my T4 is 'a tad bit' off. I am already an emotional wreck, if they raise my dosage I am going to try and go a different route with this, am on my 3rd Dr. at this point anyway...

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 have been on synthroid for years, my stool turned yellow and my doctor half the dose and my stool returned to nornal (brown) but I just had a Free T4, and TSH and the TSH is high. My doctor raised my synthroid 12mgs more, will this happen again if my synthroid is raised to high? My doctor is checking some every three months.

I was taking sythroid for enlarge thyroid. I begin to feel irritable, and experinced extreme hair loss. I'm drinking tahitian Noni juice and it has been great for me. My doctor can't believe how my tsh and t3 levels has changed for the better.

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.

just started taking it today. .05mcg synthroid. TSH was 135 very hypothyroid. I have 5 children, one only 4 months old. Can this stuff work quickly to restore my metabolism. I am literally pulling myself throught the day, and begging God for sleep at night. I was normal and healthy all my life, until now. I want to know if I'll ever feel normal again. The things I read on here have scared me. I hate anxiety attacks, weight gain, oh and do not want to lose my hair....Really concerned

I've taken Synthroid since 1969. The only time I had side affects was when the drug was reformulated (without my knowledge) and the dosage I was taking became Toxic to my liver. My hair started falling out, my leg muscles became enflamed and I didn't feel well.

Most of the symptoms I've read here indicate incorrect dosages. Today's doctors treat lab tests more than patients' symptoms and the lab tests most doctors use don't reveal whether T4 properly converts to T3. Typically, they run a TSH and if you're lucky, they might throw in a T4. There are many other drugs on the market that block T4-T3 conversion (i.e. birth control and anti depressentants type medications are two of the big ones) as well as other environmental factors. Clinical studies have proven that soy protein blocks thyroid hormone production/obsorption at the cellular level. It's hard to find food products today that aren't loaded with soy. Don't take my word for it though. Research for yourselves. Hair loss can be caused by too much, too little or Synthroid not actually working at all due to other factors.

Good Luck! At least everyone here was diagnosed as having a problem. There are millions out there that go undiagnosed who are suffering from much worse symptoms than us.

Has anyone out there experienced leg cramps or a feeling like weak muscles in your legs?

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.