joint pains - could it be a different autoimmune disease?

[Dagaz66]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroid last year with a TSH of 87 and the typical hypo symptoms. After starting on 50mcg Synthroid, I improved greatly. It was increased to 100mcg after 6 weeks and I felt even better. Recently my doctor noticed my TSH had slipped from 2.3 to 5.4 and he put me on Synthroid 125mcg. About 10 days after taking the higher dose I started getting all sorts of weird symptoms such as, muscle weakness, joint pain, feeling sluggish. Then after another week or two I began having elevated temps of 99 to 100.1., sweating more, feeling shaky. It became so bad that I felt faint and had heart racing. Went to the ER and they checked my level again. It was down to TSH 0.7. So within five weeks my TSH level went from 5.4 to 0.7. The ER doctor told me to go back to my old dosage of 100mcg and follow up with my doctor to increase my dose in less increments. But the joint pain is persisting, sometimes more sometimes less. I have pain in the smallest joint of my right middle finger, pain in my left thumb, pain in my left middle toes, left knee, hips, pressure points as if there is something on my ribs below the breasts. I also had a swelling, which went away, at my right upper abdomen. My joints crack much more than normal even my neck. I was tested a couple of weeks ago for ANA and RA factor, both came back negative and normal.
Could this all be thyroid related or should I look out for another autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid athritis?
I forgot to mention I also have a pressure (like a balloon) behind the upper sternum at times, first I thought it was indigestions, but I don't have any acid coming up and no burning. Whenever this happens I have more bumps down my tongue as if it was thrush, but it comes and goes. I was tested for celiacs, due to the awful noises my stomach makes and the gastro said it's IBS.
I've been to so many doctors and nobody can tell me what all these symptoms mean, but I've been feeling awful and extremely down.I didn't have them before I was diagnosed and neither inbetween when my levels were ok. I'm desperate for some answer, because I'm suffering for 8 weeks now and have a hard time working full time. I'm afraid my performance at work has gone down as well. Please help.

[k2626]

I have your same symptoms-moving joint/bone pain-sometimes it stabs, other times pulsates in one area for hours. My joints are cracking everywhere none stop too. Now I am getting little muscle twitches--still doing testing have no clue what is wrong yet

[stella5349]

You may be having a magnesium defiency problem. Hypo do commonly get that .

You could call you doctor and order a test - or you could try taking some mag citrate to see if it reliefs the joint pain

I did that without testing and daily now take 400mg of magnesium - no more problems for me.

The IBS issues I had too but found increasing yorgurt and taking a probiotic helped a ton.

I have minimal issues now with that.

You could be having inflammation issues - I am comparing your symptoms to what mine were.

I am happy I got over that joint pain and upper chest inflammation. It hurt even for someone to shake my hand at times.

I found adding supplements helped me alot.

[helen1207]

sorry you are in such pain. wish i know more and i hope some other patients here will respond you soon.  i wonder if it's your calcium level and vit D level. did you Dr check those? a lot of hashi patients have Vit D deficiency and that can cause calcium deficiency.  are you taking calcium and vit? perhaps you can try vit D 400IU 2 or 3 pills a day see if that makes any difference?