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Heart can't take thyroid meds
Has anyone had trouble with their heart acting up taking Synthroid? I was just DX with hypothyroidism after being sick for over a year and no doctor could figue it out.. I also have Prinzmetals angina which the doctor thinks was triggered by the Hypo condition. Doc put me on 25mcg of Syn throid and after the 2nd day I had an angina attack. Then, he said to take one Synthroid once a week for a month, then 2 once a week the next month and so on. I tried that and after taking it on the 2nd week, I got still another angina attack. Now he has split the dose in half telling me to only take 12,5 mcg once a week for a month. I have yet to take the 12.5 dose, will take it Tuesday. Don't know what I will do if I still get angina after tthe 12.5 dose. What will happen if I can't taake ANY thyroid meds? Afraid and scared I will die if I can't take any thyroid meds. If anyone has had this problem, please advise. Thanks, Terri
There are several brands of levothyroxine...Synthroid, Levoxyl., Tirosint, plus more whose names I don't recall at the moment. Also, you can go to a compounding pharmacy and have specialized preparations made up. All of these contain the exact same hormones. The only difference is the fillers which sometimes cause people problems. That's why it's often suggested to try a different brand.
Don't forget to ask your doctor about getting a very low dose and taking it every day as opposed to once a week. Day-to-day consistency is so important.
Good luck with your doctor, and please keep us posted on how you're doing.
Don't forget to ask your doctor about getting a very low dose and taking it every day as opposed to once a week. Day-to-day consistency is so important.
Good luck with your doctor, and please keep us posted on how you're doing.
Yes, if only my heart would let me take the T4 medicine without going into angina mode.
I finally got an answer from Dr. Mark Lupo on this forum and he said lowering the dose usually works as does going slow---just what the Endo doctor in California did. He also said to change brands if that doesn't work. How many brands of Syntroid are there? I already tried the generic kind and my heart still didn't like it. These are things I need to ask the doctor on Wednesday. Just wish I had an Endo doc here, even though the doctor I'm going to Wednesday was the first doctor who thought it could be thyroid. Just hope the lowered dose of 12.5 mcg will work. Will be taking it Tuesday.
Thanks for the info on Carpal tunnel. My hands are mostly numb in the hand itself---not so much the fingers, although I do notice the numbness in my fingers sometimes. I will need to see which fingers are numb when it happens again.
Again, thanks for all your info on this. I really appreciate it.
I finally got an answer from Dr. Mark Lupo on this forum and he said lowering the dose usually works as does going slow---just what the Endo doctor in California did. He also said to change brands if that doesn't work. How many brands of Syntroid are there? I already tried the generic kind and my heart still didn't like it. These are things I need to ask the doctor on Wednesday. Just wish I had an Endo doc here, even though the doctor I'm going to Wednesday was the first doctor who thought it could be thyroid. Just hope the lowered dose of 12.5 mcg will work. Will be taking it Tuesday.
Thanks for the info on Carpal tunnel. My hands are mostly numb in the hand itself---not so much the fingers, although I do notice the numbness in my fingers sometimes. I will need to see which fingers are numb when it happens again.
Again, thanks for all your info on this. I really appreciate it.
I should also have mentioned that at the moment, although your FT3 and FT4 are both quite low, they are in a good balance relative to each other. This could change once on meds, so you should continure to monitor FT3/4 every time you have blood work. However, right now, it looks like you don't have a conversion problem and might do just fine on T4-only meds.
I have a couple of bad habits as far as CTS is concerned...the keyboard and knitting. My CTS also went away after I started thyroid meds. You might get wrist braces (available at your local Walgreens or whatever you have). They keep your wrist slightly extended and stop the numbness. You can usually tell if it's CTS because your thumb, index and middle fingers are numb. The ring finger can just be numb down the middle finger side, or it can be the whole finger. The little finger is seldom involved.
Well, guess armour is out then if T3 is a no no for heart issues. I do not have arrhythmias, just angina issues where my chest is very heavy like someone is sitting on me, and I have shortness of breath as well as dizziness. But guess T3 would be bad for my problems as well. I will ask the doctor about this anyway and see what she says. I just called my cardio the other day asking about my CCB, so don't want to call him again so soon---most doctors hate that, so I will ask the doctor I'm seeing this week if she thinks I could split my CCB. Or, I may just call the cardio I saw at Stanford this last Nov ember as she is an excellent doctor and ask her. I have to shake my hands in the morning to get them going because they are so numb. Don't know if its carpal tunnel---could be as I spend alot of time on the computer.
Thanks for the info on Armour as I was unaware that T3 was bad for heart issues and is more potent. All the stuff I read about it seemed to say it was better than the synthetic kind like Synthroid, but guess most people that had good success with it obviously didn't have heart issues. I will keep you posted and let you know what the doctor says after Wednesday.
Thanks for the info on Armour as I was unaware that T3 was bad for heart issues and is more potent. All the stuff I read about it seemed to say it was better than the synthetic kind like Synthroid, but guess most people that had good success with it obviously didn't have heart issues. I will keep you posted and let you know what the doctor says after Wednesday.
Have you tried magnesium for the constipation? Some of us find that really helps.
Ask your cardio about splitting the CCB. Even if there isn't a line, you can usually split any tablet with a pill splitter (the kind with a little razor blade inside).
We are all very different. I'm pretty happy low in the "free" ranges. Other people would be horribly hypo. Also, I think you're right...some people are more sensitive to slight changes.
Is it carpal tunnel syndrome? My hands used to go terribly numb at night...so bad that I'd get up and shake them like a swimmer getting ready for a race, and it would take ages (sometimes close to an hour) for them to come back.
Armour contains both T3 and T4. Synthroid is just T4. Ask your doctor her thoughts, by all means, but T3 meds are considered pretty much a no-no for anyone with heart issues, especially arrhythmias. T3 is much more potent than T4, harder to stabilize and often causes peaks and valleys in hormone levels...all things your heart would prefer you avoid.
Good luck, and keep me posted on how it goes...
Ask your cardio about splitting the CCB. Even if there isn't a line, you can usually split any tablet with a pill splitter (the kind with a little razor blade inside).
We are all very different. I'm pretty happy low in the "free" ranges. Other people would be horribly hypo. Also, I think you're right...some people are more sensitive to slight changes.
Is it carpal tunnel syndrome? My hands used to go terribly numb at night...so bad that I'd get up and shake them like a swimmer getting ready for a race, and it would take ages (sometimes close to an hour) for them to come back.
Armour contains both T3 and T4. Synthroid is just T4. Ask your doctor her thoughts, by all means, but T3 meds are considered pretty much a no-no for anyone with heart issues, especially arrhythmias. T3 is much more potent than T4, harder to stabilize and often causes peaks and valleys in hormone levels...all things your heart would prefer you avoid.
Good luck, and keep me posted on how it goes...
I too have joint pain but am taking Neurontin for that and it helps some. My biggest problem is stomach issues as my stomach is nausated alot and I have bad constipation and can't eat alot of solid food, so I'm miserable most of the time.
I don't think i can halve the CCB tablet as there are not lines on the pill for that. I will ask my cardio if there is another brand I can take that can be halved. The CCB I'm on only has two doses--- 30mg and 60mg, so there is not much room for gradually upping the dose.
A TPO test and TGab were taken and they were normal, but because my ANA was slightly positive, the Endo thinks I still have Hashimotos. What I can't figure out is why I have such bad symptoms when my TSH is borderline at 2.89 and my FreeT4 is low, but nowhere near as low as yours was---in fact, my TSH is nothing compared to yours was at 67. Maybe some people are more sensitive to any slight changes in the thyroid than others.
I also notice my hands are numb in the mornings before I get out of bed, did you have this too? I see my doctor Wednesday and will ask her if there is a pediatric dose of Synthroid.
Also will ask if taking armour the natural thyroid would be better.
I really appreciate your imput and suggestions. It really helps talking to people who have been there. Thanks so much, Terri
I don't think i can halve the CCB tablet as there are not lines on the pill for that. I will ask my cardio if there is another brand I can take that can be halved. The CCB I'm on only has two doses--- 30mg and 60mg, so there is not much room for gradually upping the dose.
A TPO test and TGab were taken and they were normal, but because my ANA was slightly positive, the Endo thinks I still have Hashimotos. What I can't figure out is why I have such bad symptoms when my TSH is borderline at 2.89 and my FreeT4 is low, but nowhere near as low as yours was---in fact, my TSH is nothing compared to yours was at 67. Maybe some people are more sensitive to any slight changes in the thyroid than others.
I also notice my hands are numb in the mornings before I get out of bed, did you have this too? I see my doctor Wednesday and will ask her if there is a pediatric dose of Synthroid.
Also will ask if taking armour the natural thyroid would be better.
I really appreciate your imput and suggestions. It really helps talking to people who have been there. Thanks so much, Terri
You might try just an extra half of the CCB if you're worried about your BP. Many people have lowered BP when they're hypo. It regulates when their meds are adjusted properly. So, you might find that your BP is not as much of a problem as you increase.
Let me reassure you that you are in no danger of dying from your thyroid with your labs. Yes, your FT4 is too low, I agree with your doctor, and you need to be on meds. However, you are not in any dnager zone. When I was diagnosed, my TSH was 67.0, and my FT4 was 0.4, and I was not an extreme case. Your doctor's right about changing the range on TSH...that was seven or eight years ago...many labs and doctors are yet to catch up.
Antibody tests will confirm Hashi's. Ask for both TPOab (thyroid peroxidase) and TGab (thyroglobulin), since some of us are positive for one, some the other and some both.
Taking thyroid meds just once a week is really torture to your body, especially if you have any sensitivity to them or to meds in general. As I said, I don't know where you'd find a very small dose (Synthroid and Levoxyl's smallest tablet is 25 mcg, I believe). They're so small, that it's hard to break them more than once. I'm wondering if there'd be a pediatric alternative.
My main complaint was probably joint pain. My back was so bad that there were mornings I doubted I'd make it to the coffee pot. I wasn't fatigured so much as almost narcoleptic. As long as I kept moving, I was okay, but sit down for more than about 10 minutes, and I was asleep. I wasn't really what I'd call dizzy, but felt a little "off" (lack of equilibrium). All your symptoms could be from hypo.
Almost all my symptoms went away. I still have joint pain, but in my travels with doctors before being diagnosed, and when I thought that there was just something wrong with my back, I did learn that I have a lot of arthritis. That doesn't go away. However, it is so much better...it's one thing to have a little pain, quite another to think your back isn't going to hold you up.
I know you're impatient to be well, but I can't tell you how much more efficient it is to start out low, increase slowly, but keep moving in the right direction. When you hurry it too much, you usually end up having to back off meds, which costs more time in the long run.
Let me reassure you that you are in no danger of dying from your thyroid with your labs. Yes, your FT4 is too low, I agree with your doctor, and you need to be on meds. However, you are not in any dnager zone. When I was diagnosed, my TSH was 67.0, and my FT4 was 0.4, and I was not an extreme case. Your doctor's right about changing the range on TSH...that was seven or eight years ago...many labs and doctors are yet to catch up.
Antibody tests will confirm Hashi's. Ask for both TPOab (thyroid peroxidase) and TGab (thyroglobulin), since some of us are positive for one, some the other and some both.
Taking thyroid meds just once a week is really torture to your body, especially if you have any sensitivity to them or to meds in general. As I said, I don't know where you'd find a very small dose (Synthroid and Levoxyl's smallest tablet is 25 mcg, I believe). They're so small, that it's hard to break them more than once. I'm wondering if there'd be a pediatric alternative.
My main complaint was probably joint pain. My back was so bad that there were mornings I doubted I'd make it to the coffee pot. I wasn't fatigured so much as almost narcoleptic. As long as I kept moving, I was okay, but sit down for more than about 10 minutes, and I was asleep. I wasn't really what I'd call dizzy, but felt a little "off" (lack of equilibrium). All your symptoms could be from hypo.
Almost all my symptoms went away. I still have joint pain, but in my travels with doctors before being diagnosed, and when I thought that there was just something wrong with my back, I did learn that I have a lot of arthritis. That doesn't go away. However, it is so much better...it's one thing to have a little pain, quite another to think your back isn't going to hold you up.
I know you're impatient to be well, but I can't tell you how much more efficient it is to start out low, increase slowly, but keep moving in the right direction. When you hurry it too much, you usually end up having to back off meds, which costs more time in the long run.
Thanks so much for answering my post. It is comforting to know someone else has this problem. I called my cardio about this yesterday and he said to take an extra CCB pill if the lowered 12.5 mcg dose still causes angina. However, he said that he was afraid the extra CCB may drop my BP too low. You see, my BP is normally on the low side, but when I have an angina attack, it goes way up. So not sure if I could take an extra one as my normal BP is around 110/60 to 120/70.
As for my thyroid lab tests they are as follows.
TSH 2.89 (0.34-5.00)
Free T3 2.5 (2.1-3.6)
Free T4 0.8 (0.7-1.6)
My doctor says the ranges on this lab are not right. She says my Free T4 is especially way low, and would show that if this was done with a different lab company, also she says that they just recently changed the range on the TSH and it is now 0.3-3.0 instead of 0.3-5.00. I also saw an Endo Doc in California last week as I was there due to my sisters funeral, and he DX me with Hashimotos just by looking at my labs and feeling a nodule on my thyroid. I also have a slightly positive ANA of 80. He is the one that suggested I lower the Synthroid to 12.5mcg. I see my Doctor here where I live on Wednesday. I will ask her about what you suggested with the dose and see what she says. Again thank you so much for your suggestions.
By the way, what were your symptoms? Mine are extreme fatigue,burping ,gas, choking sensation, pressure in upper abdomen, hair loss, joint aches, nausea, dry, red and irritated eyes, constipation, dry flakey skin on face, and dry snake like skin on legs, and dizziness . Endo in California says my gastric symptoms are gastroparisis caused by the disease affecting my vegas nerve in the stomach that controls digestion. Did you have alot of these symptoms, and did they all go away after you took Synthroid? I really need to get going on this fast, because I feel I'm getting worse every day.
Again, thanks for your suggestions. Terri
As for my thyroid lab tests they are as follows.
TSH 2.89 (0.34-5.00)
Free T3 2.5 (2.1-3.6)
Free T4 0.8 (0.7-1.6)
My doctor says the ranges on this lab are not right. She says my Free T4 is especially way low, and would show that if this was done with a different lab company, also she says that they just recently changed the range on the TSH and it is now 0.3-3.0 instead of 0.3-5.00. I also saw an Endo Doc in California last week as I was there due to my sisters funeral, and he DX me with Hashimotos just by looking at my labs and feeling a nodule on my thyroid. I also have a slightly positive ANA of 80. He is the one that suggested I lower the Synthroid to 12.5mcg. I see my Doctor here where I live on Wednesday. I will ask her about what you suggested with the dose and see what she says. Again thank you so much for your suggestions.
By the way, what were your symptoms? Mine are extreme fatigue,burping ,gas, choking sensation, pressure in upper abdomen, hair loss, joint aches, nausea, dry, red and irritated eyes, constipation, dry flakey skin on face, and dry snake like skin on legs, and dizziness . Endo in California says my gastric symptoms are gastroparisis caused by the disease affecting my vegas nerve in the stomach that controls digestion. Did you have alot of these symptoms, and did they all go away after you took Synthroid? I really need to get going on this fast, because I feel I'm getting worse every day.
Again, thanks for your suggestions. Terri
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I read your other thread from a couple of days ago (sorry, I hadn't seen that before) and see that you are 60 (me, too) and are taking a CCB to prevent the angina.
To make a long story short, I was started on way too high a dose of levo and had to back off until I was down to 25 mcg a day, and still the tachy was going wild. I ended up having to take a beta blocker to control the tachy (beta blockers are also given for angina). Then, I increased VERY slowly.
If there's one thing I've learrned about levo and my heart, it's that consistency is very important (it's important for your thyroid and important for how your levo affects your heart). I'm a fanatic about taking exactly the same dose every day. I'd suggest that, rather than taking 25 mcg one day a week, you find a way to take say 5 mcg every day. I don't know how you'd get this small a dose...perhaps a compounding pharmacy. Then, increase very slowly...maybe to 7.5 mcg. But, keep it the same every day. You said you'd been sick for over a year. Once we've been hypo for a long time, it takes our bodies time to re-adjust to have the hormones available again. Some of this usually settles down once we adjust.
Also, don't be surprised if your CCBs or other angina meds have to be increased as Synthroid is increased. After a while, I had to increase my BB dose because the original dose wan't high enough to control the tachy any more.
Do you have the results of your thyroid labs? If so, please post them along with reference ranges that vary lab to lab and have to come from your own lab report. Those will give us an idea how bad your thyroid dysfunction is.