disturbing thought on ear ringing

Thought i would share this with the gang.   talked to a friend of mine today who has hashi's.  pretty much same boat as me.  Ear ringing, weird dizziness during the day etc.  Ear ringing mainly on one side (left)

Says her kids teacher at daycare had the same thing.  Ear ringing on left side, nausea, dizzyness etc.  Went through a battery of tests but of course no one tested her thyroid.  Told her she had horrible vertigo and left ear drum must be fractured.  They ask her if she wants to "disconnect" the left ear drum.  She says yes and basically pays to go deaf in the left ear.

For about 2 weeks the ringing is gone, she cant hear anything.  Now she is deaf in her left ear...   BUT THE RINGING IS BACK.    She cant hear anything out of the left ear now but it rings.  Which means the ringing is not in the ear, must be somewhere else...  nervous system?  brain?    Its disturbing and sad.

Bruce

[coldthyroid]

I'd like to comment on this.  I too have a weird sensation going on in my head.  I know what ear ringing is, but this is more like locusts buzzing at times.  I have diagnosed Hashi's and low thyroid.  I typically sit around 3.5 to 4.67 on my TSH but have been told TSH no longer is a valid measurement once you have Hashi's.  My head is in a fog.  My left ear feels full and even the doc just a couple weeks ago put me on anti-biotics because I had a lot of fluid in both ears.  Fast heart rate at time and high blood pressure at times.  Then at other times, low BP.  I'm a 44 year old male.  On .88 dosage.  I keep getting told by you readers that I'm undermedicated on my synthroid.  But when I dose up, I feel like I'm going to crawl right out of my skin.  Shaky, eyes wide open, light sensativity, nausea, no appetite.  I'm 6'1" and 206 pounds.  I work out hard.  My weight can flucuate 3-4 pounds on days when I'm "out of it" and then on a good day which is very rare these days, I eat like I've never eaten before.  My symptoms started very slow.  I'd have spells of this dizzyness and ear ringing for short 20 minute bursts and then it would go away.  Last November I got really sick.  Diarehha, foggy, massive headaches, no appetite and went from 210 down to 191 in a matter of about 3 weeks.  I've obviously gained it back.  Thats not normal though.  Have had pints of blood drawn only to show that my T4, T3, TSH are all in range although I seem to be in the low end of the ranges on T3 and T4, and my TSH is always on the upper end of the range.  June 2011, I had it bad, and so demanded my blood be worked up on the Thyroid.  TSH came back 0.02!  At that time I was taking .175, prescribed by Mayo Clinic out of Phoenix.  This doc here in Alaska told me too much Synthroid with the 0.02 reading and to start breaking pills in half to .88 dose.  So I did.  Don't know I noticed any improvement.  Maybe some.  Then in early November I got really sick.  I came out of it somewhat but have never been the same since.  I know I can feel better.  This isn't the normal me....I KNOW this folks.  Is it Gluten?  I've heard both sides to that story.  I developed GERD about 3 years ago, had to go on Protonix which fixed that problem absolutely immediately which I was happy about,  That was October 2010.  Around Dec. 15th 2010 is when I first experienced my first dizzyness symptom.  I will say that when I was originally diagnosed with hypo, it was only through a routine physical.  I felt normal.  They put me on .25 Synthroid and bumped me up.  Then went to Mayo months later to be double checked and they are the ones which confirmed Hashi's.  Plugged sinuses, mainly on left side.  I do have a deviated septum although I don't know when that happened.  I have been hit fairly hard in the nose a few times.  Last TSH was 3.67.  I feel like I could drop this Synthroid altogether but read everywhere not to do that.  My doc said I could for a few weeks and that I would start to get really tired.  The Mayo doc said "Don't Do That" or you'll get really sick.  I mean ****, which is it?  Can I or can't I? I want to believe I'm getting to much Synthroid, but I've been all over the place as far as doses go.  I'm really wondering if when my reading was 0.02 and was told to take .88 moving forward, if I was just experiencing my thyroid jumping back online so to say for just a bit and then sputtered out again, and taking .88 was too low of a dose and has been all along.  I'm wondering if I should try the .175 for 4 weeks?  I'm just petrified of doing that for the symptoms I believe I get from too much Synthroid.  I can say that I even went to a completely different doc, and told him I read about Armour and I wanted to try.  He prescibed it for me, I took one pill and had my most severe symptoms ever!  I quite that **** after one day!  That had to be the worst experience I ever had.  Right now as I type this, I'm shaky.  Its like I'm all amped up.  I've got no reason to be though.  I already worked out today, felt good during the workout, and then when I am out of the gym for about 20 minutes, here it comes again.  I've had MRI's on my head, my ears, seen ENT's, seen general docs, internists, etc.  I know one thing though, I'm not normal.  Is this it?  I'm stronger or feel stronger than I ever have.  Is that hypothyroid?  You tell me?  I get up at 4:45 daily, go workout, go to work, come home, work around the house, make dinner (yes, I'm the cook in the house), golf, etc.  I'm living my life, but merely through a fog.  Irritable, cranky at times, get a short cough at times for a couple hours then it goes away, a wierd dizzyness, blurry eyes all the time.  My sight issues are very odd.  I get one eye (again on my left eye) that got halfway bloodshot from the bottom going up.  On the other eye, I've got what eye doctors call a tiridium bump on the white part of my eye.  That started to develop right around the time I got the 0.02 reading.  Now, I'm starting to get one in the exact same place on my left eye!  If this isn't thyroid related, then what is it?  I want to believe and try everything everyone says out here but there are no true answers on the other end.  It won't beat me, I can tell you that.....but dam, someone give me something.  I recently turned down a really good job because of all this crap.  I have a great job and a great situation now, so I wasn't too disappointed, but the mere fact is that I'm fairly afraid to do much out of my normal comfort zone because of this crap.  I live in Alaska and love the outdoors.  However, since this stuff, I've been fairly sketchy on heading out to remote locations where no fairly quick medical help is available because of this crap.....if it isn't thyroid, then something which causes all these symptoms must be fairly serious, wouldn't you say?  But doctors can't find nothing.  I'm not a hypochondriac....I just don't feel well.  Do I have fungus in my sinuses the docs are missiing?  I seem to be able snort and clear quite a bit of mucous throughout the day.  I know that sounds gross, but it's there.  WBC count and all other bacterial infection tests are right in line, normal.  I could go on and on.  I know Bruce...I chat with him daily.  He isn't making this crap up....I would agree to level out on one dose though, but I can understand his torment.  This is ridiculous.  More money and study needs to go into this.  Synthroid may work for some people and not for others.  When I first started taking it, I noticed nothing, absolutely nothing.  No reaction to it, nothing.  All of this just sort of crept up on me.  I would really, really like to know what I would be without SynCity, as I call it, for about 12 weeks.  I'd rather be tired and sluggish for a bit than this crap.  

[kl42]

i was told by an ear doc it the brain. it's from the imbalances of the thyroid hormones and the damage it has  done on your nervous sytem. they don't understand it fully thats why they'll say there is no cure. but  its like fired connections in the brain that have to reboot or reroute.  but the good thing is that if its not your ear then it can and does heal. !!

[Brucergoldberg]

That's debatable.

[Barb135]

I've had ringing in my ears all my life and I've only been dx'd hypo, since 2008; I'm sure my ear ringing is not thyroid related, at all.

[toworryornottoworry]

Ear ringing has NOTHING to do with the thyroid, once again the typical thyroid patient relating every symptom to their thyroid. Everyone gets the ringing sensation in their ear from time to time, very common.

[Brucergoldberg]

I think each person is different.   We can go on and on and debate this til the cows come home.    My ear ringing did not start until i had the joint pain, the cold intolerance, the throat pain, the anxiety, it all came on at the same time.

My left ear only, and I happen to know about 6 people that are in the same boat.   YOUR ear ringing may not be related to the thyroid, but MY ear ringing is.  

My ear ringing is not time to time.  My ear ringing is so intense sometimes that i have to take xanex and sleep it off.   My ear ringing happens to come on mainly when im fatigued, and comes on with brain fog, poor memory, shaky, elevated anxiety etc.

[toworryornottoworry]

Your ear ringing came on at the same time as the anxiety? Well that's funny because that is a very common and medically accepted sign of anxiety. Your ear ringing is a side affect from your anxiety and your anxiety was brought on by your thyroid, that is the only way you can relate them. What I am saying is that your ear ringing is a symptom of a symptom and not actually directly affected by the thyroid, perhaps if you learnt ways to calm the anxiety you would do better with the ear ringing. Have you made any attempts either than thyroid medication to take care of the problem?

[kl42]

no IT definitely is!! (ear Ringing) i had never had any problems with my ears til the thyroid went bad and the ear ringing hyper=sensativity came on full blast. after the tt and regulated thyroid levels it went away 90 percent very common ask othe thyroid people  ear ringing is definitely  a thyroid symptom!!! not from your ears from thyroid imbalance causing brain  connection problems!!!  many docs have told me this.

[kl42]

bruce get your numbers right and let your body heal you'llsee how alot of that will go away. stop bouncing doses .and drugs!!!

[Red_Star]

I read a story a few years ago of a man who had brain surgery (deep brain stimulation) for Parkinson's disease. Not only did his tremors vanish but his decades of tinnitus vanished as well.  

There is a new therapy called Acoustic Coordinated Reset and trials have shown that it reduces the loudness and annoyance caused by tinnitus in 7 out of 10 patients. Scientists found that playing the same tone to match the sound frequency of the tinnitus reduces the overactivity of auditory nerve cells in the part of the brain responsible for hearing.

***

"For a long time it was reasoned that the sounds of tinnitus arose from ear structures since they transmit important hearing information to the brain and can be damaged by triggers of the condition, such as a booming noise. However completely severing the auditory nerve, which passes sound information from the ear to the brain, failed to stop the ringing of tinnitus in some patients.

This shows that the sounds can also originate in the brain. Imaging studies that detail brain activity highlight a variety of suspect areas. Results indicate that tinnitus is linked to abnormal activity in the inferior colliculus, the auditory cortex and other related parts of the sound processing pathway, termed auditory association areas.

Additional areas, including those that process emotion and may underlie a person´s annoyance with the ringing, also appear to be involved. These findings prompt new therapeutic options, since all these structures represent potential targets for treatment."

Tinnitus Research - "Tinnitus And The Brain"

[Red_Star]

"Metabolic causes also play an important role in tinnitus etiology. Hyperthyroidism may cause tinnitus by increasing cardiac debit, and hypothyroidism may cause tinnitus by increasing inner-ear pressure. Reports in the literature cite the use of otoneurological evaluation in cases of tinnitus related to metabolic disorders, mainly hypothyroidism [21,22]."

21. Bhatia PL, Gupta OP, Agrawal MK, Mishr SK. Audiological and vestibular function tests in hypothyroidism. Laryngoscope 87(12):2082-2089,1977.

22. Pulec JL, Pulec MB, Mendoza I. Progressive sensorineural hearing loss, subjective tinnitus and vertigo caused by elevated blood lipids. Ear Nose Throat J 76(10):716-720,1997.

Excerpt from: The International Tinnitus Journal - Vol. 10 no 1 - Jan 2004 - "The Contribution of Otoneurological Evaluation to Tinnitus Diagnosis"

[Brucergoldberg]

THANK YOU.   AMEN.

[coldthyroid]

I'd like to comment on this.  I too have a weird sensation going on in my head.  I know what ear ringing is, but this is more like locusts buzzing at times.  I have diagnosed Hashi's and low thyroid.  I typically sit around 3.5 to 4.67 on my TSH but have been told TSH no longer is a valid measurement once you have Hashi's.  My head is in a fog.  My left ear feels full and even the doc just a couple weeks ago put me on anti-biotics because I had a lot of fluid in both ears.  Fast heart rate at time and high blood pressure at times.  Then at other times, low BP.  I'm a 44 year old male.  On .88 dosage.  I keep getting told by you readers that I'm undermedicated on my synthroid.  But when I dose up, I feel like I'm going to crawl right out of my skin.  Shaky, eyes wide open, light sensativity, nausea, no appetite.  I'm 6'1" and 206 pounds.  I work out hard.  My weight can flucuate 3-4 pounds on days when I'm "out of it" and then on a good day which is very rare these days, I eat like I've never eaten before.  My symptoms started very slow.  I'd have spells of this dizzyness and ear ringing for short 20 minute bursts and then it would go away.  Last November I got really sick.  Diarehha, foggy, massive headaches, no appetite and went from 210 down to 191 in a matter of about 3 weeks.  I've obviously gained it back.  Thats not normal though.  Have had pints of blood drawn only to show that my T4, T3, TSH are all in range although I seem to be in the low end of the ranges on T3 and T4, and my TSH is always on the upper end of the range.  June 2011, I had it bad, and so demanded my blood be worked up on the Thyroid.  TSH came back 0.02!  At that time I was taking .175, prescribed by Mayo Clinic out of Phoenix.  This doc here in Alaska told me too much Synthroid with the 0.02 reading and to start breaking pills in half to .88 dose.  So I did.  Don't know I noticed any improvement.  Maybe some.  Then in early November I got really sick.  I came out of it somewhat but have never been the same since.  I know I can feel better.  This isn't the normal me....I KNOW this folks.  Is it Gluten?  I've heard both sides to that story.  I developed GERD about 3 years ago, had to go on Protonix which fixed that problem absolutely immediately which I was happy about,  That was October 2010.  Around Dec. 15th 2010 is when I first experienced my first dizzyness symptom.  I will say that when I was originally diagnosed with hypo, it was only through a routine physical.  I felt normal.  They put me on .25 Synthroid and bumped me up.  Then went to Mayo months later to be double checked and they are the ones which confirmed Hashi's.  Plugged sinuses, mainly on left side.  I do have a deviated septum although I don't know when that happened.  I have been hit fairly hard in the nose a few times.  Last TSH was 3.67.  I feel like I could drop this Synthroid altogether but read everywhere not to do that.  My doc said I could for a few weeks and that I would start to get really tired.  The Mayo doc said "Don't Do That" or you'll get really sick.  I mean ****, which is it?  Can I or can't I? I want to believe I'm getting to much Synthroid, but I've been all over the place as far as doses go.  I'm really wondering if when my reading was 0.02 and was told to take .88 moving forward, if I was just experiencing my thyroid jumping back online so to say for just a bit and then sputtered out again, and taking .88 was too low of a dose and has been all along.  I'm wondering if I should try the .175 for 4 weeks?  I'm just petrified of doing that for the symptoms I believe I get from too much Synthroid.  I can say that I even went to a completely different doc, and told him I read about Armour and I wanted to try.  He prescibed it for me, I took one pill and had my most severe symptoms ever!  I quite that **** after one day!  That had to be the worst experience I ever had.  Right now as I type this, I'm shaky.  Its like I'm all amped up.  I've got no reason to be though.  I already worked out today, felt good during the workout, and then when I am out of the gym for about 20 minutes, here it comes again.  I've had MRI's on my head, my ears, seen ENT's, seen general docs, internists, etc.  I know one thing though, I'm not normal.  Is this it?  I'm stronger or feel stronger than I ever have.  Is that hypothyroid?  You tell me?  I get up at 4:45 daily, go workout, go to work, come home, work around the house, make dinner (yes, I'm the cook in the house), golf, etc.  I'm living my life, but merely through a fog.  Irritable, cranky at times, get a short cough at times for a couple hours then it goes away, a wierd dizzyness, blurry eyes all the time.  My sight issues are very odd.  I get one eye (again on my left eye) that got halfway bloodshot from the bottom going up.  On the other eye, I've got what eye doctors call a tiridium bump on the white part of my eye.  That started to develop right around the time I got the 0.02 reading.  Now, I'm starting to get one in the exact same place on my left eye!  If this isn't thyroid related, then what is it?  I want to believe and try everything everyone says out here but there are no true answers on the other end.  It won't beat me, I can tell you that.....but dam, someone give me something.  I recently turned down a really good job because of all this crap.  I have a great job and a great situation now, so I wasn't too disappointed, but the mere fact is that I'm fairly afraid to do much out of my normal comfort zone because of this crap.  I live in Alaska and love the outdoors.  However, since this stuff, I've been fairly sketchy on heading out to remote locations where no fairly quick medical help is available because of this crap.....if it isn't thyroid, then something which causes all these symptoms must be fairly serious, wouldn't you say?  But doctors can't find nothing.  I'm not a hypochondriac....I just don't feel well.  Do I have fungus in my sinuses the docs are missiing?  I seem to be able snort and clear quite a bit of mucous throughout the day.  I know that sounds gross, but it's there.  WBC count and all other bacterial infection tests are right in line, normal.  I could go on and on.  I know Bruce...I chat with him daily.  He isn't making this crap up....I would agree to level out on one dose though, but I can understand his torment.  This is ridiculous.  More money and study needs to go into this.  Synthroid may work for some people and not for others.  When I first started taking it, I noticed nothing, absolutely nothing.  No reaction to it, nothing.  All of this just sort of crept up on me.  I would really, really like to know what I would be without SynCity, as I call it, for about 12 weeks.  I'd rather be tired and sluggish for a bit than this crap.  

[Brucergoldberg]

Anthony is very frustrated as I.  He has been through the ringer on this thing just like I have.   Its very frustrating when other members say things like  "one dose doesnt cause any difference"    or   "the ringing cant be from the thyroid or the meds"   or  "maybe its just anxiety".

Do your homework.  There are tons of articles all over the internet of people who were perfectly fine before thyroid issues and taking meds, and now are fighting anxiety, have the ear ringing, and even depression (from low t3).

I wanted to reiterate that anthony has played with his meds.  On the days he doesnt take anything (experimenting) he gets very little ear ringing.   Anthony is lucky enough he still has his thyroid so he can play around if he wants to.

I was just talking to him at 6 pm tonight and was telling him how now its 18 hours since my last dose (i took my meds last night before bed) I I finally feel like the dose has worn off enough that i can head out of the house to enjoy my day.  

The ringing isnt just a ringing.   The following things occur at the same time:

ringing
buzzing in head
anxiety
fatigue
and when i had a thyroid, i also got horrible pain in my neck.  

This all happened in concert.  It all hit at the same time.  It all went away at the same time.   If the ringing was from the anxiety, then why would i get such horrible pain in my trachea at the same time?  Pain so bad that a cotton t-shirt touching my neck would cause me to be uncomfortable?

[Barb135]

It really sounds to me like you might have more than one thing going on, but to address the medication part of your issue........... don't just stop the synthroid unless you are going to start something else or you will get extremely ill.  

Not everyone does well on synthroid.  I actually did better on generic levo than I did on synthroid.  You could be reacting to fillers/binders in the pills. You might want to do some research and talk to your doctor about Tirosint, which is a gel cap and is virtually hypoallergenic. All it contains is water, levothyroxine (active ingredient), gelatin and glycerin.  

As for the dosage -- I can't imagine jumping from 175 mcg to 88 mcg all at once...... that's cutting your dose in 1/2 all at one time. There's very possibly a dosage between 88 mcg and 175 mcg, that will help you. You should always increase/decrease by the smallest increment you can, stay at a level for a few weeks, then retest prior to increasing again.  ALWAYS make sure you get both Free T3 and Free T4 tested every time you test and keep in mind that simply being in range, isn't good enough; you have to find a level that's right for you.

"I want to believe and try everything everyone says out here but there are no true answers on the other end."  No, that doesn't work.  If you talk to 10 different people, you're going to get 10 different ideas and if you try them all, you're going to have your body so messed up, you won't know whether you're coming or going.

I might ask if you've been tested for vitamin B12, D, iron, calcium, magnesium........ deficiency in these vitamins, often goes hand in hand with hypo and many of them can cause hypo-like symptoms.  

[blsdnsvvd]

You know that i agree with you. Every illness that i have came after the TT and i know for a fact that not having a thyroid will surely cause problems in other areas. I also have ringing in one ear but not all the time and it only lasts for a little while. I have anxiety and began taking med's a year after my surgery because it became uncontrollable. It's bothersome when your doctor tells you that these illnesses aren't related to a thyroid condition but what they fail to realize is that, we have not thyroid, therefore every organ in the body will become affected, especially if the thyroid med's aren't doing the job that the thyroid gland once did. I certainly believe that no pill in anyway shape or form can replace the fuction of a thyroid gland.

[Brucergoldberg]

My favorite is when they tell me its not from the thyroid but no one can tell me what it is from....  

[blsdnsvvd]

In my experience, if i tell them that i'm always tired or having pains, i am told to talk to my gp and a neurologist, which i did, however the issues stemmed from somewhere. I'm praying that patients in the far future will have doctors who are more opened to listen and treat accordingly because we are all left on a limb.

[LazyMoose]

Doctors today back medical "proof" by repeatable data - test results. On another note many Drs don't have time to think out or diagnose today, they relie on test data to do this for them.

If there is no specific test (none exist for symptoms of many diseases), they should just say we have no studies on that instead of saying your symptoms are not related. Yet many chose to say your symptoms are not related.

Cross data related similarities should be enough in some cases of medical studies where specific tests do not exist. This is how many puzzles of science and engineering are solved in labs. Medicine want to be exact, but we are not built that way.

As somewhat of a data geek myself, I have shown and PROVEN to doctors how some of my symptoms are related to my thyroid health. Funny when you show them show related patterns, how thyroid data can correlate and  with other organ data and symptoms, they sometimes get the picture. As one example in my case, all lipid cholesterol results were obviously related to thyroid levels, yet I had to show them this with their own data! We all know the related health patterns and thyroid body symptoms are somewhat different for everyone, but there are also some that are to common for modern medical doctors to continually miss or ignore.

On the subject of ears and thyroid. When my thyroid hormone levels were way low back in 09 during the Armour med shortage my ears didn't ring but did "buzz", accompanied by a more dominant pulsing , beating sound in my left ear. The ear Dr would not throw out my thyroid as a cause but did say the pulsing sound was greater in my left ear since it was closer tied to the heart arteries. So yes, when my thyroid is "off", I can hear my heart beat though the left artery up into my ear, its very annoying and cant lay on my left side. The Dr could not explain the buzzing. My hearing test was excellent. When my thyroid is optimally health, all this becomes minimal and usually non-existent.

[Brucergoldberg]

Moosie,

Yes that exactly what i have.   And my hearing tests have been excellent despite the fact that i have to tell me 11 year old all the time "speak louder please I cannot understand what you are trying to say".

Moosie,  coach me on this and tell me how you got the ear ringing to settle down.  How long did it take?   How is it now?  Im on 220 t4 and its still horrible.   Been on t4 now for about 4 months and have had 3 increases thus far.  Blood work tomorrow and results will be on tuesday.  Its like waiting for the second coming..

[LazyMoose]

Ear ringing , buzzing and pulses are all different things. I didnt have constant ringing. Just buzzing and the pulses  were in time with my heart beat. I had no trouble hearing. As with many of my symptoms, ear issues mostly diminished after 3 months with Erfa natural thyroid at correct levels for me - FT 3 in the upper third of the range.

I respond really well to T3 in the upper third, and specifically to Erfa. This is not the case with everyone. We need to find out by trial and error what our bodies like. Took me 10 years to figure out thyroid med is not all the same for everyone, Drs were of no help at all. Did I dis the medical community again? Shame on me.

[coldthyroid]

Yes, I have been tested for all the vitmin and mineral deficiciencs.  Everything comes up normal.  I do have a simple question though.  I haven't stopped taking my thyroid.  I"m taking a .88, and then another half of a .88 each night at 10:00PM on an emtpy stomach, having last eaten between 5:30 and 7:00.  My question is, when you say that I'm going to get extremely ill if I stop taking my synthroid, what do you exactly mean?  Because there are times, that I feel like I'm already there!  What can happen?  Why wouldn't I want to bump back up to the .175 the Mayo docs originally had me on back in late 2010, early 2011?  Remember, it was my doc here, not Mayo, who tested me when I first started having these symptoms and my TSH was 0.02, and therefore had me start taking half a dose.  Is it possible this one outlier event of low TSH was a mere blip, and I should have stayed on .175 all along and rode it out?  I'm beginning to feel that way a lot.  As I write this, my left ear is ringing something fierce (no pain though), both ears feel full, sinuses feel mostly clear.  And I'm a bit anxious.  Not unbearable.  I do have Xanax, which I just don't like to take, but will if needed.  I'm really wondering if I may just be under-medicated and have been for some time.  I have no swelling in my neck area, no pain, have had it physically examined on more than one occasion, etc.  

[Barb135]

"Remember, it was my doc here, not Mayo, who tested me when I first started having these symptoms and my TSH was 0.02, and therefore had me start taking half a dose.  Is it possible this one outlier event of low TSH was a mere blip, and I should have stayed on .175 all along and rode it out?"

Absolutely, that 0.02 TSH could have been an isolated event, since TSH is very volatile and fluctuates greatly, even intraday.  In my opinion, it was rather irresponsible of your doctor to 1/2 your dosage based on one TSH result.

I could see maybe decreasing your dosage a little bit, but it's never wise to make drastic changes with thyroid medication.  That only keeps you on a roller coaster.  Changes, should only ever be made by the smallest increment possible. That goes for both increasing and decreasing.

What, if any, symptoms were you having when your TSH was 0.02?  While TSH does not cause or alleviate symptoms, or even correlate with them, that's all we have to go by, which is most unfortunate. Many doctors don't realize (or care) that once a person is on replacement medication, TSH stops being an indicator of actual thyroid hormone status.

In my opinion, jumping all the way from your current 88 mcg to 175, would be a mistake, because you would once again be flooding your body with hormones, which would put you right back on the roller coaster.  You might not need to go that high.  You could try going from 88 mcg to 100, stay there for a few weeks, then move on up to 125 mcg; or even alternate some dosages for a while to get even smaller increases, in order to allow your body to get used to each one.

I've been all the way from 25 mcg to 125 mcg over the course of a few years, and finally, within the past year, I've settled in at 88 mcg Tirosint, with 7.5 generic T3. I've alternated various dosages to get as little as 5-6 mcg change.  It doesn't come easy and it doesn't come fast.

One problem you have is that without regular FT3 tests, you don't know if you are converting adequately, and without adequate conversion you'll never feel like yourself.

If you're taking your medication at 10 PM every night, but eating as late as 7:00, you can't be sure your stomach is empty enough.  I've read different opinions on how long it takes for the stomach to empty, but it does depend on what you ate.  High fiber inhibits absorption of thyroid med.

Some vitamins/minerals are like thyroid hormones - simply being "normal" isn't good enough.  B12 is an easy one for me to use as an example, because I have to take weekly shots in order to keep my levels high enough to feel good.  The range my lab uses is 200-1100; I have to keep my levels at the very top (or over).

"My question is, when you say that I'm going to get extremely ill if I stop taking my synthroid, what do you exactly mean?"  All of your hypo symptoms would return with a vengeance; dropping down to the 88 mcg proves that.  The fact that you still have some of them, indicates that your levels aren't high enough yet. GERD is a classic symptom of being hypo.  I had it horribly bad when I was hypo and was on very strong medication for it, which often didn't touch it.  Once my thyroid levels got high enough, the GERD stopped and I no longer take medication for it, except an occasional Gaviscon when I eat something I shouldn't.

I've read that zinc can, sometimes, help alleviate ear ringing.  Anything is worth a try.  

Selenium has been linked to better conversion of FT4 to FT3; you could try that and see if it helps.

[coldthyroid]

Well, my true problem is that when I was originally diagnosed with low thyroid, I wasn't having any symptoms.  It only came up in a routine physical and so they put me on .25.  I wasn't tired, sore, brittle nails, hair falling out, etc.  I was normal.  It does truly seem that once I had been on the thyroid for about 2 years or so, maybe three, that I started noticing issues.  I've never had what I would refer to as the obvious signs of a thyroid problem.  Basically my head feels like it is clogged....pressure......ear ringing, and at times, I've got some blurry vision.  Today, I don't seem to have any vision issues.  But it goes from day to day.....but I always do seem to have a nice headache going on....

[sassyonesotrue]

hello my name is leanne ive had ringing in the ear for years and still have it i had a total tyroidectomy in december 2011  and thought it would subside  after the operation was over ahhh wrong!!!!!!!!!  i still have it andf it hasnt gone away im on a fifty and a 25 of L tthyroxine i take a 25 microgram and a 50 microgram together b/c i found the 75 microgram was what i was allergic to my hands felt like they were on fire and my blood pressure went sky high so yeah i got  very sick for this medicine but what i was saying i thought it was  my throid and it still is happening i get it every day ringing in the ears and dizziness

[Eveningsun]

NO DO NOT STOP YOUR MEDS WITHOUT DOCTORS ADVISE!!!

I just checked my last test from June 19th and my TSH if 0.411 and that was cosidered low  Reference interval on top of page then on same line as the 0.411 shows the range 0.450-4.500.  I have not gotten the newest blood test results.  I was taking 50mg of Levothyroxine and since this test I have been bumped down to 25mg and I will have to take them for the rest of my life.
Another thing using Medhelp has helped my doctor to look at symptoms and how random my pain is, that she just might have found what I have...that's the next test.
If you do not feel like your doctor is working on your behalf or not really listening to you.....No hard feelings left....CHANGE THE DOCTOR!

Good Luck
Debbie

[Barb135]

Do you happen to have lab results from back when you were first put on thyroid med?  Seems that's where the problem began.  Maybe you got bumped up too quickly, or not quickly enough.  For some people, there can be a real fine line.  I guess TSH was the only thing your doctor was going by, then?

[coldthyroid]

No, I do not but am working to get them.  Problem is, my doc is no longer practicing and actually lives right across the street from me.  He had a stroke and although he is fine now, he can no longer practice.  He's older, former Stanford medical student.....I'm working on finding out who he transferred his clients to and to find out if my records are still somewhere.

[kl42]

its the truth!

[Brucergoldberg]

I feel much better on the compound.  Syn throid ( sin city as Anthony and I call it) gave me horrible side effects.

[polarbear76]

I, too, am Hashi, however, my thyroid has been surgically removed. I suffered with what I called, "tinnitus on steroids" for 7 years until I got on armour. Dizziness, tremors, buzzing in my head. One thing I must say...when I initially took armour, my symptoms got worse for a couple of weeks, and then, dramatically better. You have to stick with it...remember...synthroid's half life is much longer than armour. So when you first take armour, you may feel hyperthyroid for a couple of weeks. This is what worked for me...just hang in there with trying the armour if you can.

[polarbear76]

I, too, am Hashi, however, my thyroid has been surgically removed. I suffered with what I called, "tinnitus on steroids" for 7 years until I got on armour. One thing I must say...when I initially took armour, my symptoms got worse for a couple of weeks, and then, dramatically better. You have to stick with it...remember...synthroid's half life is much longer than armour. So when you first take armour, you may feel hyperthyroid for a couple of weeks. This is what worked for me...just hang in there with trying the armour if you can.

[courtney48]

Wow, what an interesting thread.  While I do agree with the reply that every time a person has an issue to address, it seems far-fetched to pin the malady on a thyroid issue.  Then again, our thyroid does have a huge role in the smooth functioning of our bodies.  That said, when I had all my routine lab work done in December it was done because a) it was time for my annual lab work and b) to have extra lab testing for allergies.  My allergies have been crazy bad the past 10 months.  Along with nasal irritation and lung response, my head sometimes feel congested and I too can hear my heartbeat via thumping in my ears.  It is especially worse when I'm lying down.  I've not given a thought that it could be related, even remotely.  I've been on levothyroxine for about eight weeks now and coincidentally the thumping has been less noticeable.  

[Brucergoldberg]

I tried armour and felt worse.   I am now on synthroid.  My dose was way too high on the compound.   Im still alive and the ringing is still around.   Syn- city!

[kl42]

keep positive!

[Brucergoldberg]

I have heard of people switching meds and the ringing does go away or get better.   Just trying to find your proper sweet spot.  for me, Its not there yet, but im still alive, able to work somewhat, and give kevin a hard time.

[kl42]

my ears are ringing right now but real low a thousand percent and i mean a thousand percent better.  it's a healing thing . my guess

[Brucergoldberg]

great.  well my ears still ring like mad.  My favorite part is the part that feels like there is an electric current going through my body and head.  THats especially comforting.

[kl42]

Try taking a Zumba Fitness class and change your diet. please post your latest numbers. including Free T3

[Brucergoldberg]

Kevin,  will you be in a leotard in there if i take one?

next test for me is april 20.  I switched to synthroid 150, i got off that ridiculous compound.  waiting 7 weeks this time before testing.  DEATH

[kl42]

Zumba is both physical and emotional just look at the commercials i think it can help you Bruce.  also meditation  and test for lead poisoning

[kl42]

I forgot also please post your latest labs including Free t3

[Brucergoldberg]

I mediate every day and listen to slayer and exodus.  Its very relaxing.   I just changed meds so my tests arent accurate.  however on my last tests they were:

TSH    1.8   rage .4  to 4.5
t4 free   1.7   0.8 -1.8
t3 free    3.3     2.3-4.2

RT3   45     11-32

Doctor said i was on too high of a dose and since i was on the compound,  I would be chasing my numbers for a long time so on March 7 I decided to change from the compound to synthroid.    He started me at 150 mcg but if you went by my weight I would need 125 mcg.  (yes i know that its just a guideline)

I still feel horrid, but maybe i still have too much hormone.  I have not had a solid bowel movement since Moses parted the red sea and my ears are still blaring.  I also have that "diet pill" feeling  like im on speed.

I am convinced this is where i will be.  I cant imagine that suddenly im going to start feeling better.      THere is either something else wrong, or im just one of those people that were not cut out for thyroid disease.

[kl42]

Slayer is very relaxing i listen to it  on the way to church . your number look pretty good  this thyroid stuff ***** but if your like me it could make a big difference in a slight adjustment. i felt way worse or better with a change of a 15 20 in dose so only way is to try it out and tweek from there . it ***** but that really the only way that i know.  i know the feeling . walked around for a year like i was on methamphetamines and i tell the docs that every time they suggest trying synthetics again. its all what works for you. hang in there. Kevin