Severe muscle cramping and spasms

[JR97]

37 year old male here.  Last autumn I was diagnosed with Graves Disease and an enlarged thyroid.  After some months of trying various holistic and natural approaches I finally got fed up with living with the symptoms and had the RAI treatment this past June.  It has now been about 3 months and the most recent tests showed I'm now hypo and I just barely started taking levothyroxine as of yesterday.

I'm a very active person.... commute to work by bike 30 miles rt daily and play ice hockey 2-3 times a week.  Over the last few weeks I've been developing increased muscle twinges, spasms, and cramps in every muscle of my body depending on what I'm doing. This past week at hockey the cramps and spasms were so severe I had to take myself out of the game after 30 minutes.  I wasn't aware there was a connection to hypothyroidism until today.

On average, how long does it typically take the thyroid meds to alleviate the muscle spasms and cramps? Is there anything else I can do do alleviate the spasms and cramps such anti-inflammatories or other treatments? Does activity level effect the amount of medication needed?  For example, with winter coming on my bike time will dramatically increase but I'll probably start hitting the weights. (With the Graves Disease, I could barely even lift my hockey stick let alone weights.)  Will I have to have the dosage adjusted every time I have changes in my activity level?

This whole muscle thing is very un-nerving.  Just typing this post I've had spasms in the neck, lower back, abs, and numbing/tingling in the leg.  

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

It usually is 6-12 weeks after RAI that thyroxine is started and then it may take 2-3 months to stabilize the dose.  Muscle can be affected by thyroid dysfunction, but it should settle out and you would not need to change your dose when your activity levels change.

[JR97]

How soon after RAI were you on Thyroxin?  I was a bit surprised when my first appointment after RAI was not until 3 months later and first round of hormone replacement was 2 weeks after that.  

[Smilerdeb]

As soon as your TSH starts to go DOWN and your FT3, FT4 ..UP then you will have these cramps and aches and pains.
I had RAI in June 2008 and my levels are now 'normal' but still not normal enough for me just yet so my Doctor is slowly increasing my Thyroxin bit by bit.
I started on 25mcg every 2nd day then 50mcg every day then 62.5mcg every day.
I am due to increase up to 75mcg daily as the aches and pains are back and the 'coldness' feeling.
There is basically nothing that I know of other than paracetomol to take for the aches and pains.
They start to dwindle as soon as levels become into the 'reference ranges'.
Hope that helps.

[Smilerdeb]

My Doctor tested me for vitamin deficiency and found I was dificient in:
Zinc
B12
Vitamin D
I am now on those supplements but he also told me to take Magnesium for the aches and cramps in the legs.
I am doing this and seeing an enormous difference.
I also found that getting the TSH down after RAI stopped a lot of the aches.
Some days were so bad, I could hardly stand when I got out of bed.
I take 2 Magnesium tablets a day and 5 months after RAI, am able to get back on a treadmill...woohooo!
See what your Doctor says about Magnesium..it helped me immensely.
I hope that helps.

[amandakreece]

I was very glad to hear I wasn't the only one experiencing these painful muscle cramps.  It's about 3 months since my RAI.  I was VERY hyperthyroid.  My TSH levels were less than  -0.01! Anyways, at my 6 week checkup they'd only risen to .005.  At least it was a positive number =).  Well, about a week ago, I reached behind me, slightly twisting my body to pick up a glass and I got the worst charlie horse feeling in my arm - like I'd been punched in the arm.  It eventually faded after about a minute.  But every day these are getting worse and always in different parts of my body.  Last night i was afraid to even move for fear that it would happen again.  Are there any other symptoms you've been feeling?  Let me know if they go away soon!

[Smilerdeb]

I was on Thyroxin 3 weeks after RAI when my TSH was 6.3
My Doctor didnt want me to 'crash' so to pseak so started on a dose of 25mcg every 2nd day then 25mcg every day (week later) then 50mcg 2 weeks adter that.
I stayed on the 50mcg for nearly 3 weeks then went up to 75mcg and am currently within normal levels and doing ok on it.
But I had weekly and fortnightly blood tests done too as I had fibrillations before RAI so had to be monitored very closely.
Everyone is different.
I am also VERY SUPER drug sensitive.
I had only 8mlc RAI and my thyroid was dead by the 3rd week.
See what I mean?

Hope that helps