Can anyone help me?

[RhondaK]

On April 23 Iwent for my yearly check up and two days later the nurse called and said Ihave hypothyroidism.  My tsh level was 7.something almost 8.  I can;t remember the exact number Ireally didn't know what she was talking about at the time.  On april 27th I started taking levothyroxine 50mcg a day.  Today is May 2nd and I am sooo sooo tired.  I sleep all night and everytime I sit on the couch i dose off.  Is this normal?  How high is my tsh level? is that bad?  I have so many questions.  When will I start feeling better?  Can anyone help me?

[NYNY2020]

Definitely do not stop the med!! Hypo can cause many SERIOUS health issues including cardiocascular and mental/memory problems!! Not to mention make you feel extremely bad!!  And even make you look sick (puffy face, swollen eyelids, hair loss). I too went though a bad time adjusting to the med and it often didn't seem "worth it" as my symptoms were mild! But if you read what hypo will eventually do to your health if left untreated, you'll know that you MUST stay on some brand of thyroxine, and getting your TSH check regularly. If you don't like on brand of med, try switching to another.

[RhondaK]

Thanks to everyone so much for the comments.  I had just about decided that since it was making me feel worse I didn't need it.  Obviously I was wrong.  I really didn't realize how serious the condition could be I guess. I've only been on the meds for about a week and so far it has greatly reduced my appetite I guess because it makes me feel so crummy.  I am only 5'1" and I weighed 160 at my appt on the 23rd of April.  I had gained almost 20 pounds in the past year.  I got a new nice treadmill for christmas and have using it religiously since then and had not dropped a pound.  Eating healthy also.  Now just in the past week I've dropped 4-5 pounds varies daily.  AMAZING!!! Not necessarily crediting it to the medicine boosting my metabolism, because it hasn't had time to domuch I think, but more to the med making me feel bad and not wanting to eat. I am very paranoid about my weight, always have been, so right now I'll take what I can get. lol

Anyway...thanks again for the input it has helped.  I felt very confused and lost about it all.  This forum is extremely helpful.

[thyroid man]

thyroid treatment is something where a lot of people will feel worse after starting treatment and then get better than before once they're adjusted to the higher levels of thyroxine.

FYI-mild hypothyroidism can eventually give severe symptoms of hypo. It just takes longer to get there.  Over the course of years. Your body slowly gets worse when it's a little low. And gets worse at a faster rate when very low.

[genelady]

Welcome to the wacky world of thyroids. I had thyroid surgery 30 years ago, was put on the correct (for me) dose of levothyroxine and for most of that time never even had to think about it. Then in January I felt generally miserable and my TSH was measured at 6.7. My doctor increased my Synthroid from 88 mcg a day to alternate days of 88 and 100. It seemed a very small change in dose, and for 6 weeks I still felt awful - aching joints, falling asleep all the time, muscle aches, always cold etc etc, getting better only gradually. Finally after 6 weeks, I woke up one morning saying "I feel like me again!". I hope you get on the correct dose soon and have the same positive result.

[NYNY2020]

If you think the med might be causing/increasing your fatigue, you could ask your MD to prescribe a different brand to see if you feel any different!! As I stated in my previous post, I had HORRIBLE side effects on the generic, Levothyroxine (which is what you're taking). I had nausea, headache, diarrhea, and warm/burning skin, and also a drugged feeling for about 2 hours after taking it!  I will NEVER take it again!! Now I'm on Synthroid, the brand. Fatigue seems to be one of the more common symptoms of hypo.  You might not feel better until your dose is increased and you're on the med for a a few weeks.  In my opinion, you know your body and how it feels, and what's normal and not normal for you, so I doubt your fatigue is "imaged" or psychological!!  It does seem odd that you are more tired after starting the med. but I read another posts stating same awile ago. Often MDs are of little help or have little advise, and you have to do what you think is right for you. Whatever you do don't stop taking some brand of med. You should also check to make sure the rest of your blood work was ok/normal.

[NYNY2020]

One more point, your MD should tell you the cause of your hypothyroidism, like whether he/she thinks you have hashimoto's or nodules. You should be as informed as possible. Make sure you speak to the MD, not just the nurse.

[NYNY2020]

If you think the med might be causing/increasing your fatigue, you could ask your MD to prescribe a different brand to see if you feel any different!! As I stated in my previous post, I had HORRIBLE side effects on the generic, Levothyroxine (which is what you're taking). I had nausea, headache, diarrhea, and warm/burning skin, and also a drugged feeling for about 2 hours after taking it!  I will NEVER take it again!! Now I'm on Synthroid, the brand. Fatigue seems to be one of the more common symptoms of hypo.  You might not feel better until your dose is increased and you're on the med for a a few weeks.  In my opinion, you know your body and how it feels, and what's normal and not normal for you, so I doubt your fatigue is "imaged" or psychological!!  It does seem odd that you are more tired after starting the med. but I read another posts stating same awile ago. Often MDs are of little help or have little advise, and you have to do what you think is right for you. Whatever you do don't stop taking some brand of med. You should also check to make sure the rest of your blood work was ok/normal.

[RhondaK]

Thank you I just thought it was weird that I feel more tired on the meds than Idid before I ever knew I had a problem.  I kinda wondered if it could somehow be mental. lol  I have gotten a chance to go back and look at other posts and have seen some tsh levels are way higher than mine, so now Iam not so worried.  Thanks again for your imput it's greatly appreciated.

[NYNY2020]

Hi, I'm also newly diagnosed as hypo too. My TSH was 10, which my MD referred to as being "mildly hypo", so if your TSH was 7 or 8 you're also mildly hypo, but still need treatment (thyroid hormone replacement/thyroxine). If you read other posts here you'll see many posters have TSH that are MUCH higher than yours or mine, and have more extreme symptoms. THS, stand for "thyroid stimulating hormore", it's the hormone that tells your thyroid how much it has to work. If your thyroid can't produce enough hormone (its underactive) then the TSH level increases.  I believe the normal range of  TSH is from 1 to 4 (some say 5), anything over 5 and you're thyroid isn't producing  hormones (you're hypo). As for the symptoms, from reading this forum everyone seems to have varying degrees of a long list various symptoms. Mine were very mild: some tingling in my feet, sometimes my hands felt a little numb and then I had a few heart palpitations. Lots of posters complain about fatigue!!! So you're not alone!  I can't really say how long it takes for the med to work its magic. You probably have to be on the right dose and get your TSH back into the normal range to feel "well again".  I've been on a very low dose of Synthroid (25mcg) for one month and basically feel about the same, at least not worse!  I started on Levothyroxine (the generic) like you, BUT I had horrible side effects on it, so I was switched to the BRAND (synthroid). If you read more posts, you'll discover that different people do better/react differently to different brands of the same med. - Also, every 6 weeks or so your MD should check the TSH in your blood to see if you're back in the normal range, if you're not and/or still don't feel well then the dose of levothyroxine will be increased! I'm doing it SLOWLY as I often feel a bit sick or drugged after taking the med, hence, the low dose.  It sounds simple, but if you read the posts on this forum, you'll doscover than it often isn't!!!  Also, lots of posters claim that once you feel "good", don't switch brands of med!!!!!!And, many posters have had to find the right brand for them by switching brands a few time (trial and error). In the best case scenerio, you'll find a brand of the med that works for you and eventually get on the dose that get you in right TSH range. I think most MD shoot for getting you to a TSH of 1.  Read as many posts on this forum as possible. It's very helpful. Good luck!