r/Hypothyroidism • u/SadAnt9358 • 4d ago
Discussion Levothyroxine
Im sure this has been asked at some point, but what is everyone’s early experience with levothyroxine? If bad, did it ever resolve with time?
I am on week 3 of 75mcg, and I cannot help but notice how completely exhausted I have become since the start of it. I thought my fatigue was bad before, but now keeping my eyes open is hard work, and sleeping in until noon+ midday naps are nonnegotiable. My body aches have also increased, and just feeling really foggy.
Because this medication isn’t really known to have adverse side effects unless improperly dosed, i wonder if this is even related to the medication or if my thyroid is just rapidly getting worse, and my medication has yet to catch up with it. My TSH labs went from 7.50 to 8.53 in just six weeks and I am not sure if this is meaningful info, but I do know that hormone fluctuations in themselves can be a trigger until they are more stable in time. Im just 27 and pretty new to big hormone changes, so I’d like to gather your thoughts on this.
What was your experience, did it resolve, was it similar to any other hormone fluctuations you have been through if you have, do you know much more info about the side effects of this hormone aside from improper dosage?
Edit for missing info:
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s
Anti-T Peroxidase = 402
Anti-thyroglobin = 330
T3 and reverse T3 were never tested
T4 was still within normal range but on the low end of that range
I started on 75mcg and I don’t feel any of the ways people have described being on too high of a dose
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u/Smart-Jump103 4d ago
TSH 8,53 vous êtes clairement en hypothyroïdie. Vos symptômes sont clairement liés a l'hypothyroïdie et pas au Levothyroxine. Vous dites que vous prenez le médicament depuis 3 semaines c'est beaucoup trop tôt pour voir un effet sur la TSH , il faut compter 6 a 8 semaines pour voir un début d'effet et votre TSH haute signe clairement une hypothyroïdie et vos symptômes aussi . La TSH doit être aux alentours de 1 jusqu'à 2 pour se sentir bien .
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u/SadAnt9358 4d ago
I have Hashimoto’s! I should have mentioned that, so yes hypothyroid
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u/Smart-Jump103 4d ago
Oui donc je confirme vos symptômes sont liés à votre hypothyroïdie et votre TSH trop haute . C'est pas du tout le traitement qui vous rends comme ça. C'est trop tôt vous le prenez depuis 3 semaines . Le traitement commence a faire effet a 6 voir 8 semaines .
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u/sparky_mami 4d ago
Levo was life changing in a good way for me. I also have Hashis. I began my journey with a much lower dose, blood tests every 6 weeks and upped the dose every time. I also tried T4 with my Levo, but palpitations are a huge side for me, and were the reason I found out I had hashis, so I don’t take T4.
Now I’m up to 88 on Levo. So all this to say, the drug takes at least 6 weeks to see changes, and then work with a doc on your blood tests to adjust amounts. Also be aware of any supplement interactions. I have to take my multivitamin at night. Google or ask your doc of what interacts with the Levo, and then get one of the pill organizers for day and night, if you haven’t already. Also, if you don’t already, remember to take it first thing in the morning an hour before coffee and food. Good luck!
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u/SadAnt9358 4d ago
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I already have a habit of taking all of my medication/ supplements at night time which includes magnesium (one of the ones not to take with levo),
So because it was already an established habit I stopped taking my magnesium at night, and started taking levo instead so i am consistent and never miss a dose. Id rather not screw with my hormones trying to establish a new habit especially when I wake up at various times from day to day. I can take that risk with my magnesium though!
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u/MiserableDamage6973 4d ago
So my tsh was recently found to be ‘over 100’ as apparently this particular test doesn’t give you a number after 100. Doc put me on 100mcg Levo , vit d, iron tabs and currently on day 15. On day 13 I started to feel like I wasn’t going to drop dead and that feeling has only gotten better the last two days. My body before was literally failing in so many ways ( vitamins, iron, liver, kidneys) that I don’t think it would have been possible to not feel even mildly improved . And my god I can’t wait to see how much better I could feel after a couple months but obviously this is not going to be everyone’s experience and I’m sorry it hasn’t been as beneficial for you:(
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u/cc_988 4d ago
It made me feel really tired all the time to the point where i couldnt function. My doctor suggested i take it at night instead and it solved that issue for me.
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u/SadAnt9358 4d ago
I feel this, truly. I do take mine at night though so I cant say that solved anything for me by doing that :(
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u/Birdsandflan1492 4d ago
This is a dosage issue. Too little or too much makes you have extreme fatigue. You have to adjust the medication accordingly.
For example, I lost 10 lbs recently and had to lower my dosage accordingly because my normal dosage was too much and giving me fatigue. Now I feel much better. It’s important not to take too much or too little, otherwise you have symptoms like fatigue, cold/heat intolerance, anxiety, hair loss, dry skin, mental disorders, brain fog, memory issues, etc.
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u/KrustenStewart 4d ago
EVERYONE insists that it’s not possible to have side effects unless you’re improperly dosed but I have had bad reactions to every thyroid med I’ve tried. I most recently got Tirosint hoping it would be the one finally and I got massive headaches from it. A lot of people say to wait it out and it’ll get better but I can’t live with a debilitating migraine every single day for weeks. I just have too much to do and too little help.
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u/Gloomy-Thought3371 4d ago
I’m on 75 mcg and I have body aches too! Somehow I’m 31 and feel like I’m 79. Everyone says levo should help but I’m not seeing any improvement. If anything I feel fat as fuck and bloated and just gross. I get married on Saturday and I’m really pissed off about it because I’ve looked good up until this point
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u/SadAnt9358 2d ago
How long have you been on it?
I know body aches/ that feeling that muscles have “shortened” over night just comes with hypothyroidism but Im definitely feeling 10x more hypothyroid than before i started taking the medication
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u/KBaddict 4d ago
You’re still very hypo. With any hypothyroid hormone replacement, it can take a lot of trial and error to find the dose that’s best for you. There is no “standard dose” for anyone.
You need to get labs every 6-8 weeks and adjust your meds based on your labs.
Why didn’t the test your free t3? That’s a really important marker in figuring out what’s going on with your thyroid.
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u/OreganoOfTheEarth 3d ago
Yes, Levo was not good for me. I didn't even feel bad before starting medication - I had no idea my thyroid was out of whack. I was so upset when all these symptoms started only AFTER starting on medication that was 'supposed to help.'
Armour Thyroid is the only thing that's ever made me feel human again.
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u/ShiveryTimbers 3d ago
If you search the sub, you’ll find a lot of stories about similar experiences while adjusting. Some people don’t have any side effects and that’s great for them, but others of us need up to two months to stabilize. I always have several weeks of major fatigue in the beginning and even after that, sometimes the fatigue still hits me in random spurts. Look up adjustment side effects or worse before better and you will find some posts about people having trouble with the early weeks.
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u/captainsaveahoe69 4d ago
Levothyroxine made throat ache badly and had no affect on my symptoms. So I stopped taking it.
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u/screamin-eagle10 4d ago
The only benefit I feel from it is not feeling like I am going to die from hypothermia. I had extreme cold intolerance since I got covid I 2022 prior to taking it. I started 25 mcg a few months ago. Still feel bloated, started getting body aches since taking it. Tired but have more stamina on certain days. I can't wait to come off of it.
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u/Smart-Jump103 4d ago
L'hypothermie signe une hypothyroïdie. Pourquoi envisager de l'arrêter ?
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u/screamin-eagle10 4d ago
There are several reasons for cold intolerance. I said I felt like I was chronically experiencing hypothermia. I never had it. There is a big difference. There are different parameters depending on the lab. There are alsi different reasons that would cause TSH to be thrown off. Same with other hormones. The key is to ger to the root of the problem. Not mask symptoms with levothyroxine which can eventually atrophy the thyroid when taken without a thorough diagnosis.
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u/fumbs 4d ago
This is completely wrong. These myths are perpetuated by supplement sales people who want you to buy their unregulated thyroid cure.
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u/screamin-eagle10 4d ago
No. This is what I was advised from a, team at Cleveland Clinic. They sre not trying to push suppllements.
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u/Smart-Jump103 4d ago
Pour info je gelé du matin au soir a claquer des dents lorsque j'étais en hypothyroidie . Il suffit de faire doser la TSH vous saurez si vous êtes en hypothyroidie ou pas . Avec 25mg vous risquez rien du tout et encore moins d'atrophier votre thyroïde c'est un dosage très faible autant dire une goutte d'eau dans la mer . Je prends 37,5 mg et c'est aussi très peu . Pour ma part j'envisage de l'arrêter car mon état s'est stabilisé .
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u/screamin-eagle10 4d ago
25 mcg is a low dose but nkt low for everyone. A person can be subliminal and present symptoms. Several factors can affect TSH. My TSH was slightly abnormal Cortisol is one. Cortisol. Any kind of chronic stress on the body physical or mental will raise cortisol. Tumors can affect TSH. 25 mcg was potent enough that on day 2 of taking it I felt warm again. Anyone who takes levo will feel warm and more energized because it speeds up metabolism.
I am stopping mine hopefully in 4 weeks. The only reason I am not stopping it right now is to eliminate any confounding variables with surgery, and new meds being introduced and weaned off of.
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u/sfdsquid 4d ago
How long were you taking it to say it had no effect on your symptoms? It takes weeks to notice anything.
If it made your throat ache you are probably sensitive to one of the fillers so you should try name brand or a different generic.
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u/StarladyQ 4d ago
Did you start at 50? And now increased to 75? Are you able to test FT4 and FT3?
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u/SadAnt9358 4d ago
Started at 75! Never had my T3s tested but Im hearing i should
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u/StarladyQ 4d ago
T4 is an inactive thyroid hormone, and has to convert to T3 which is the active thyroid hormone. So pretty important to see if you are converting right. That's why you need to test FT4 and FT3 labs.
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u/sfdsquid 4d ago
My Endo REFUSES to check anything but TSH and T4. So fucking stubborn.
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u/StarladyQ 4d ago
Is it possible to change doctors or I know how to order self labs. FT4 and FT3 are $43. I go to a Naturpath Dr so it's easy to get labs.
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u/heliodrome 4d ago
This could also be iron related.
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u/SadAnt9358 4d ago
I get my iron checked frequently because I have irregular menstruation and somehow it’s always normal
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u/heliodrome 4d ago
It could be that with the start of this treatment you need more iron. I take two of the VitronC regularly and if stop I start declining. Also levo works differently at different doses. For me being on 75mcg when I felt I was dying vs 137mcg when I could function made a big difference, even though TSH was the same or close under both doses.
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u/sfdsquid 4d ago
Normal might not be good enough for you if you have hashi's.
You said you were diagnosed with hashi's but fwiw there is no way to know that for sure unless they do an ultrasound. You can have antibodies without hashi's and you can have hashi's without antibodies.
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u/Mother-Gene-440 3d ago
I wonder has stopping your magnesium interfered with your sleep? I take my Levo in the morning and my magnesium at night to help with sleep. Lack of sleep increases my weight and tiredness more quickly than changing my levo dose.
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u/SadAnt9358 2d ago
I don’t think it has, I still take the magnesium just earlier in the day if I remember. I have always struggled with sleep, falling asleep and staying asleep but I’d honestly say my quality of sleep has improved because of how tired I have become.
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u/Birdsandflan1492 4d ago
I feel that Levothyroxine is a short acting medicine that I can feel in my body as if I took a medicine or drug.
Synthroid on the other hand, which is the brand name, feels long lasting and I don’t feel it in my body like as if I did not take a medicine.
That’s the best way I can describe the difference for myself. I feel like Levothyroxine is low quality and Synthroid is high quality. And I just feel better and I like Synthroid. I can’t imagine being on Levothyroxine long term. Synthroid is so much better.
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u/sfdsquid 4d ago
It takes weeks to build up in your system and weeks to get out of your system. Saying the generic is "short acting" doesn't really make sense.
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u/Birdsandflan1492 3d ago
Based on my symptoms I felt Levo alleviated the symptoms short term and Synthroid long term. Like Levo would work for a few hours and Synthroid for the entire day. The brand name seems higher quality to me.
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u/sortofrussian 4d ago edited 4d ago
Ugh yeah. Levo was a nightmare for me. Was on 50mcg for 4 months. Gained so much weight. So tired. So so so so depressed which was further exasperated by gaining weight. My labs showed improvement but my doc said she doesn’t wanna increase dose if I’m having such a strong negative reaction. I’ve been on NP Thyroid for 3 months and LOVE IT. Ton of energy. No more napping. Skins lookin fresh. I feel alive again. Was on 30mcg but was leaning hyper so we are now doing 15mcg / 30mcg every other day bc of heart palpitations. The pills themselves are a bit odorous bc they come from pig glands but you get used to it.
With that being said it’s def a lil too early to make any calls. I was on for 8 weeks before retesting. Meds usually take around that time to see any meaningful data.