... and I was immediately put on 50mcg of levothyroxine about 4 weeks ago. IMO symptoms before starting medication was extreme tiredness, depression, memory loss, confusion and feeling like life was all together empty. After starting my med I felt better for the first 2 weeks but within the 3 week I started getting all the symptoms back. My doctor won't test me again until I hit the 6 week mark but at this point I feel like I can't wait for 2 more weeks. I guess my question is if this is normal. I can't seem to get out of bed most of the time and when I finally do it as if I am a night owl. I have a hard time sleeping at night because I a, sleeping so much during the day. I appreciate any advice on how anyone felt when they first started this medication. Will I ever feel like myself again? I also experience emotional outburst like right now I am crying as I type this. My muscle constantly ache as if I have been working out for days at end and my body temp reads normal but my skin feels hot. I also have noticed my constipation hasn't changed as well. Should I be taking any other supplements to aid with any of this? Or requesting any other tests?
I am a 28 year old female who was recently diagnosed with underactive thyroid. My tsh level was 9.75
Question posted by Latalis on 22 Sep 2012
Last updated on 26 November 2014
12 Answers
Hello all! I am sorry for my delay in responding. Good news is that i have cleared up most of my bowel issues! I never imagined i would be so excited to share that :-) after my last post i finally said enough is enough and decided to take matters into my own hands. I also used the power of prayer and asked for guidance and direction. My frustration turned to anger and that anger quickly turned to drive. I decided i would detox my body of all gluten and see if that would help. I also began to have colon cleanses to help my body with any back up i could have had as well as completely get the gluten out of my system. I have a feeling that i have hashimoto's and im sure you all are aware of gluten intolerances going hand and hand with hashimoto's. So now 3 weeks and 2 cleanses later i am grateful to say i feel like a whole new person. I also can report that during the holidays i had a horrible reaction to gluten which snuck into something i ate at a family party.
The fact that i had detoxed my body for 2 weeks prior and consumed a tiny amount which left me in horrible pain, with a swollen and sore throat, and a instant sinus infection only provided to me how much gluten and i are not on friendly terms. I will not lie it has been a huge change which at times is difficult but i can not believe how much of a difference it has made. I no longer feel bloated after i eat (which i always thought was normal) and the mucus/blood has completely disappeared. I am eager to get into a therapist which hopefully can help with the high/low feelings i have but i do think its because i am having a hard time with not having family support as well as all my friends believing i am over reacting and it couldbt possibly be as bad as i say. It stresses me out and to be honest i have never had good stress coping skills. I tend to take a lot of things personal because im the kind of person who puts herself in others shoes to understand how they are feeling which sadly is not how the people around me are. I do believw therapy would benefit me a great deal and if any of you are in san diego and know of a good clinic i would love the referal. I will admit the bi polar comments worry me. Thank you all for being so caring and leaving such helpful comments it has been the most support i have had in this battle. I appreciate it much more than words can express. To the people who left comments about having similar issues and still dealin with them the only advice i can give is dont stop educating yourself. Research, read, reread, listen to pod cast, stay up to date with everything that is going on because the sad fact is not every doctor has the answer and the one thing i have come to realize is that you want a doctor who vaules the fact you have educated yourself on your health issues not the doctor who is annoyied by your questions and research. I have an appointment with a new endo next friday and i have my fingers crosses that this one will test for everything all the other doctors failed to test (like my t3 anti bodies abd so on) HOWEVER i am also prepared that she may not and in that case i will not give up my fight. I have made a vow to myself and god that if i find a doctor who can help me i will pay it forward and be helpful to others struggling to deal with this frustrating condition. Would love to hear what you all think about the dirextion im taking and any advice is always appreciated.
I'm so happy for you. I hope that you are satisfied with with your new endo. Now I won't worry about your stool-Who would ever think that I'd say that !!! Let us know what's going on--- I'm really interested in what's going on. I'm so glad that you shared- usually when somebody posts, it's because things are worse-so this is a delightful post--- It looks like you're on way to a good year--- Happy New Year
Hi, I know it's been 2 years since you last posted, but I wanted to know how you are doing now. I was recently diagnosed myself and any information will help. Also, have you noticed any differences in your weight?
Hi you might need cytomel. If your t3 levels are low, you may not be converting your t 4 meds to t3. This really causes emotional swings. Be sure to have them test for t3. I cried for almost 3 months before I was told I needed cytomel.
Hello
I feel the same way. I felt great for about two weeks, then bam, my head feels like it weighs 100 pounds and the depression is not to bad but not good. I'm on about 50 mcg of levoxyl and 15 of cytomel. The cytomel really helps with the headaches and depression but I don't think it's enough. I'm just curious, when you increase your dosage, do you feel low again? That is what I'm wondering.
im 34 and ive been taking levothyroxine 75 for 10 years,i was very tired,but i dont know if it was because i was pregnant,or from the pill,but after i had my child i was ok. you should get tested again and take vitamin B. Good luck
Try vitamin B 6 and B 12. You sound more like you have bi-polar-Another option is when you feel good, you over do it. That's not bi-polar but over doing it- You might not have been absorbing vitamins very well- Vitamin B are water soluble. If you take more than needed- they don't stay in the body but leave in the urine. Vitamin Bs are energy makers. U aren't saying anything about the mucous and blood with your bowel movement. I worry about you. If your stool has cleared up-let us know-so we won't worry so much.
Hello Latalis. I read your most recent email. Your TSH down to 1 something is fine. Excellent spot to be. So the thyroid medicine is doing its job. If you stop the medication you will shoot back up and depression will be part of the symptoms. Your body and mind will interpret the higher level as depression. You may well become depressed because of the effects of dealing with an illness, getting mixed messages and so forth.
Being depressed is pretty normal in our society. I just heard on the news this past week that one in four people in our country will deal with at least one clinical depression in their life. So it is real. It is treatable and don't take it as a failing. When the body is messed up, especially hormones like thyroid, it is quite predictable to be depressed. Thinking is difficult, energy shot. Seeing the therapist makes you able to be treated and get out of this mess.
Not only to get you through the lows but if they are any good and connected to a clinic, not private, they do contact your physicians and check things out if you wish.
From what you are saying, you are getting a run around. There are good doctors and less effective doctors. You need a good internal medicine or a new endocrinologist . See the therapist so they view you as compliant and get an advocate to sort this out. I don't recall if you have gone through this with your family doctor, if you have one, but that would also be a sounding board. If that doc is the problem, switch that one out.
Main idea here is be your own advocate, stay on your meds until you have a good doc to review. And read, read, read so you can spot what is wrong and counter it. Write any time with new questions. Write me privately if you wish, or anyone here that makes sense to you. Hang in there. You can do this. Karen
Hi all! I must confess I actually forgot I had this support group (darn fog brain) but im thrilled I received a response which triggered an email and lead me back to the board. After the last few weeks I have had it really could use some more advice from anyone who has experience with this frustrating disease. My TSH went down to 1.07 but I continue to feel as if something is just not right. One day I'll feel slow and sluggish and the next I feel like im wearing a jet pack and worst of all my vision gets blurry. Let me not forget the constipation which is severe one day and diarrhea the next. I also have discovered mucus in my stool along with bright red blood. My doctor insisted my moods are now because I'm depresses and should consider going on antidepressants.
I feel like im a giant band aid from the thyroid meds, the anti seizure meds he gave to me lose weight, the sleeping pills when needed, pain pills for the agonizing muscle and joint pain im still getting and the muscle relaxers for the tmj I've suddenly began having what else does my doctor what to dope me up with. So I decided to ask him to test me for a gluten intolerance thinking that the mucus could be related but I was denied and the dairy intolerance that has suddenly hit everytime I eat cheese apparently can not be a dairy intolerance because cheese is a powder milk and not diary according to my internal medicine doctor. I finally said enough is enough and decided to go to an endocrinologist well let me tell you what a mistake this was. The endocrinologist insist I am a clinical hypothyroidism patient and that although my tsh had once been 9.76 I did not have. Thyroid problem and my problem was depression and anxiety anxiety disorder. Do you know how frustrating it is to sit and explain that I thought he was misunderstanding me and the endocrinologist just kept shaking his head. He told me to stop my medication all together and to go see a psychiatrist. What do you all think any advice is appreciated. Because as of right now I feel as if I have been brutally beat and kicked when I was already down. My concerns are with what is going on with my stools as well as the tightness in my neck and if I sleep on my side now I have developed sleep apnea and find myself waking up to the sound of me moaning as if I'm in pain. Now I understand what others are taking about when they say it is hard to find someone who knows what they are doing and have the compassion to understand. I feel like I am aging more and more everyday and at 28 If I I feel this bad what can I expect in my future?
I'm not happy reading this at all. Have you gone to a gastrointestinalist about your stomach problems? The bloody stool might be from a big hard stool. It can tear around the anus, and that causes the fresh blood. Been there done that. I worry about the mucus, because it can be the sign of several stomach disorders-that also go with food allergies as you just described-Irritable Bowel Syndrome for one- Crohn's is another. With the IBS, your stomach could be cramping up and holding the food in, then as the food gets heavy, it pushes through the stomach and takes mucous with it. The hard stool from constipation then turns into mushy stool with mucous. IBS and other stomach problems can have food triggers--cheese might be setting you off because of the fat in it.
The food triggers that a person can have with IBS are: spicey, caffiene, roughage-peels on fruit-green peas, sugar, grease, alcohol, carbonation, also eating hot food and drinking ice water confuses the poor stomach. I've called it the "No C Diet" No colas, no coleslaw or cauliflower, no cheese, no cervaza-spanish for beer, no coffee, no chili, no cake, no Cuba Libre, no chocolate, no canoli, no cottage fries. Keep a food diary and see what upsets your stomach.
The symptoms of an under-active and over-active thyroid are almost the same. That can cause depression too. You could be bi-polar, if you aren't all that medication could be affecting you like that.
I'd try a stomach doctor that understands thyroid. Some times I think that specialists are over rated--- If any of this rings a bell with you- you can get back to me . I'll friend you so you can talk privately if you want--Good luck---
The experience of blood in stools is important to watch. If bleeding continues, not just a little with the movement, you may have an anal fissure. Continuing to release red or dark blood needs to be checked out if it stops as soon as you can see your doctor. If it bleeds more or there are big clots go to an ER immediately. One can bleed out from this. It may be a fissure or it may be ischemic colitis. Both serious and even dangerous. If all it is is some red on the tissue, it may just be hemorrhoids. This condition should be checked soon so you know what you are dealing with.
Hi Latalis,
Yes, it can take a long time to get your Tsh levels normal again. Don't despair. Every 6-8 weeks your doctor should be testing your blood and change your Synthroid amounts until your levels are good. It took me a long time to feel well. I had a lot of hypothyroid symptoms but when I finally got to a certain level that was good for me I really noticed the difference in how I felt. It just takes time. I was really tired as well until my levels were better.
wow latalis, I have just been diagnosed and you are describing my own experience, i too am at the four week stage of taking my treatment and feel terrible, but i think there is a back lash of the fact i have been running on no metabolism for a long while and now realise what it is, I too cant wait till i can get my bloods done but am told to wait for 4 more weeks, arghh, best of luck hun, hope you feel better soon,
This might sound stupid, but are you taking any over-the-counter, OTC, cough syrup, flu or cold med, decongestant, etc? Those can mess up your thyroid, and make you feel the way you're feeling. But I really suspect that you had some physical relief because your system is improving, but you also had an emotional high in being happy that you aren't crazy-that you'll be less forgetful-you'll be less emotional-more balanced, healthier. It's called the placebo effect. It's very common-that's why it has a name. I've been on thyroid since about 1987-about every 10-15 years my thyroid makes an adjustment. Several years ago my TSH was about 0.1-which as stupid as it sounds- I had 2 much thyroid in my system. My thyroid dosage was reduced, but it took me a few months to feel better. Your body has been out of whack for awhile- your complete system was slowed down.
You don't have the physical stamina right now to do much. Your muscles will have to become strong again. Believe me, as you get stronger, you system will work better, physical activity will help your bowels to move better. Having a good TSH will make your hair and skin better, and you'll be happier. I waited 6 weeks and my TSH was 1.5. I prefer it to be at 2. I wanted another TSH, but he talked me into waiting another 6 weeks. I was OK by then. If anything is wrong-the doctor will make an adjustment in your thyroid meds-then retest you in another 6 weeks. Thyroid slowly affects your body and mind-I couldn't do simple arithmetic, but after my TSH became normal I taught high school math. Now isn't that an irony? Please keep us updated on how you do- Just don't worry about the ' T ' things, as it's the TSH that controls your health. For many years the patient was shown only the TSH, as that was the 'issue' then some wanted to know about the other- It's better to focus on the TSH, which shows exactly how your body is doing. Don't let the other worry you.
Hello. Your symptoms are normal for a TSH reading like yours. They wait for 6 weeks to test because it takes that long for the med to adjust your TSH.
However, since your symptoms are increasing, I was wondering if your have contacted the doctor to let him know how it is going. When there are continued symptoms like yours they sometimes do additional testing or earlier adjustments. Have you called?
Will you always be like this? No it will change. The doctor will be looking for the reason your thyroid is not producing properly. And that will help in the future. Stay in touch and hang in there a bit longer. Let me know wht the doctor says.
I have not.called.the doctor,but will on monday. What additional test? what are the reason a thyroid would just stop working?
Good questions. The tests are blood tests or possibly ultrasound to look at the thyroid if it has nodules, enlarged or other changes.
The reason for a thyroid not working is disease, cancer, chronic stress, exposure to radiation, all kinds of things. It can run in families, so a genetic factor is involved. What makes it stop working is complex and sometimes we just don't know. I suggest you do some reading from the national thyroid association, mayo clinic or other authoritative source. There are no natural remedies to cure it. Medicine must be taken exactly as prescribed, every morning half an hour before any food or beverage with a large glass of water. Food messes up the absorption and you won't feel well.
the medicine is there to counter the demands of the pituitary in the brain which sends a hormone that tells the thyroid how much TSH to make. Since the thyroid isnt working right, the feedback isn't there and the brain sends more messages. The medicine you take puts what you need and the brain stops sending messages. When in balance you feel great. When not, well, you already know how you feel.
Glad you will talk with the doctor. If you haven't done so, write all your questions down and ask the doc one by one. They appreciate you doing this and you will get answers. It is important to learn all you can to protect your health. Thyroid issues are for a life time and once adjusted, you will be much better. From time to time you will readjust the meds. My doc says they have no idea why. It happens to everyone. You will get the feel of it once you are back to normal. Anything else? Karen
Usually a doctor will just touch your throat and see if anything seems enlarged or shrunken. If anything seems odd, then do a scan. There are several different types of scans for thyroid gland and hyoid. If you are taking any OTC meds for flu-sleeping-whatever-let your doctor know-some give false TSH readings because they have iodine in them and others can depress thyroid activity or over-stimulate your thyroid. They don't just affect the thyroid but cause all of your other glands to be suppressed or put in over drive. And that is an excellent question -have U talked to your doctor. I have another question--why do these things seem to happen on the week-end, when only the ER is open? keep in touch with us.
Get you a good multi vit that contains Iron,
A TSH level of 9.75 isn't extremely high although it is higher than the upper end of normal which is 4.6. The doctor should have had your T3 and T4 levels checked to determine how your thyroid is working. You may need to increase the levothyroxin, but not until the doctor says. I suspect once you are on the correct dosage you will be fine. Gonna take a few more weeks, so hang in there.
I am new to all of this but is a tsh test different than a t3 t4 test?
The TSH has additional pasrts measuring the other components. They are for the doctor and are only a snap shot of that day. Doctors use them for trends. Don't worry about those unless you have a very good understanding of the biology. The TSH is the most important and you want your medicine adjusted so that you feel better, rather than some target number. current range for normal has been changed recently. Your TSH should be between .5 and 3.0. I feel best around 1.0. A friend is fine at 4. You will get yours figured out. It takes time.
Related topics
underactive thyroid, depression, thyroid disease, tsh suppression, levothyroxine, hypothyroidism, confusion, medication, thyroid
Further information
- Levothyroxine uses and safety info
- Levothyroxine prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Levothyroxine (detailed)
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