Synthroid Side Effects
cutie2b
Posts: 194 Member
Did anyone else experience unpleasant side effects when they started synthroid - even at very low doses? Or am I the only one?
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I haven't, but I've heard other people say the symptoms are so bad they stop taking it. I'm sure a few will reply, or try searching under community.0
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What kind of side effects? I have never had any.0
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When I started synthroid, my hypo symptoms went into over drive. I went from having a normal periods to erratic, heavy periods that lasted for almost the entirety of the month. I had sleep problems. I had terrible mood swings. I gained even more weight. It was like I became more hypo on the medicine then not on it. After 6 months I stopped taking it. I tried again, but started having the same issues, and stopped again. My doctor doesn't think I should have side effects, but once I stop the medicine everything returns to normal, so I am pretty sure that it is the medicine. She also doesn't believe in natural medicines like Armor (sp?). Anyway, I wanted to know if anyone else had side effects and if so if they knew what the cause was or if they did better on a different type of medicine.0
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Personally, the synthroid doesn't have any side effects. Either it works, or it doesn't, but it's never made things worse.
If you are feeling a decline after starting it, and your doctor doesn't want you on anything else, get a second opinion. Also, are you being tested for Free T3 and Free T4 in addition to the traditional TSH test? Those numbers are very important for the way you feel, and they can be good negotiation tools for getting on some T3 meds.0 -
I'm on levothyroxine, but something interesting.... I was diagnosed hypo from a physical and was started on 25 mcg of levo. Within the next few months i felt terrible! My wrists and ankles hurt, hair loss was insane, developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot and had awful fatigue. I felt more hypo on medicine then before I even knew I was hypo. I stuck with it though, and eventually (6 months) the sypmtoms went away. I'm now up to 100 mcg and have seemed to hit my groove. I'm full of energy and am even losing weight. If you feel that synthroid isn't right for you and your doctor won't prescribe anything else, it may be time for a new doctor. She's not the one who has to live with the symptoms.0
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Thank you everyone for your responses. I am bit frustrated. My doctor won't test for Free T3 - says it's too expensive, that insurance doesn't like it, and it's unnecessary. My free T4 was 1 (which is low or right on the verge of low). She also only recently would test me for Hashimoto antibodies. She told me that it didn't matter why I was hypo, because treatment was all the same. I am looking for a new doctor. Most won't take me without a referral, and my GP is the one treating me right now. I have a follow-up with her in a week or so, so I'll try again to talk her into Armour to see if that works better. I can't do 6 months of an almost straight heavy, heavy period again. I was so exhausted and drained and probably anemic that I can't suffer through that again.0
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Talk to her about Cytomel. It, like Armour, is a T3 replacement but it's synthetic and some doctors feel it is more regulated. You might have better luck getting her to let you try that one. Still, like everyone has mentioned, get a second opinion.0
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I am on Synthroid, and have not experienced any side effects whatsoever.0
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I'm on levothyroxine, but something interesting.... I was diagnosed hypo from a physical and was started on 25 mcg of levo. Within the next few months i felt terrible! My wrists and ankles hurt, hair loss was insane, developed plantar fasciitis in my right foot and had awful fatigue.
wow, I have all these problems too, I never knew thyroid meds could cause these issues?0 -
Talk to her about Cytomel. It, like Armour, is a T3 replacement but it's synthetic and some doctors feel it is more regulated. You might have better luck getting her to let you try that one. Still, like everyone has mentioned, get a second opinion.
I had very negative side effects from Cytomel, which I mentioned in another thread - mostly cardiac problems (elevated bp, arrhythmia). It all completely went away once I stopped Cytomel, but it leaves me without any T3 support.0 -
Thank you everyone for your responses. I am bit frustrated. My doctor won't test for Free T3 - says it's too expensive, that insurance doesn't like it, and it's unnecessary. My free T4 was 1 (which is low or right on the verge of low). She also only recently would test me for Hashimoto antibodies. She told me that it didn't matter why I was hypo, because treatment was all the same. I am looking for a new doctor. Most won't take me without a referral, and my GP is the one treating me right now. I have a follow-up with her in a week or so, so I'll try again to talk her into Armour to see if that works better. I can't do 6 months of an almost straight heavy, heavy period again. I was so exhausted and drained and probably anemic that I can't suffer through that again.
Try to find a naturopath in your area. I find since dealing with my wife's thyroid issues that most conventional doctors are complete and total morons and won't test for some of the most basic stuff because of some policy of a clinic or because they are just incompetent at their jobs.
After over a year of fighting with doctors for tests that always came back "normal" and being told she was just "fat and lazy" by an endocrinologist, I found a naturopath that looked at previous blood work and diagnosed her with hypothyroid on the spot.
SInce that time we have discovered that she is also gluten intolerant, insulin resistant, and likely has adrenal fatigue.0
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