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Nervous To Increase My Medication!
I know this probably sounds stupid, but I'm due to increase synthroid Monday from 75mcg to 100mcg...probably due to my fear of meds and side effects, as I am very med sensitive. Had TT mid December and Dr started me out at 50mcg due to anxiety and sensitivity to meds. Didn't up dose until mid Feb (as TSH was 66!) to 75mcg. Had bloodwork done beginning of May (I thought it was a bit soon for bloodwork as it should be every 4-6weeks)..maybe he wanted to make sure TSH was coming down. Anyway, it came down to 36 and I know that's still high so he wants me to up dose to 100mcg, as it's been 4 weeks, he says it's ok. When he asked me how I was feeling, I told him I feel anxious on inside and body aches on outside. You don't think I'll go hyper, do you?? I hope not..I already get the racing heart thing...Ugh. He said he sees my optimal dose as being around 112 to 125mcg. PLEASE...I haven't had the FREES tested yet. He said he would at my next appt end of April, at my request. He's concerned about the TSH being high and is first trying to bring it down. PLEASE don't say that you need those numbers, because I don't have them yet. What I do have is T Uptake 1.01 (range is 0.66-1.27) and TOTAL T4 6.9 (range is 4.5-12.0). My initial bloodwork showed T Uptake of 1.08 and TOTAL T4 5.6.....that was the one where the TSH was 66! .....Question is, from the little information I have, do you think I'm heading in the right direction??? And also, do you think it's safe to go to 100mcg after 4weeks??? PS>>> I will have the FREE numbers soon. Thank you for letting me know how important it is to have proper and ACCURATE testing!!! Without this site, I would know nothing!!! Lynda xo.
I can tell you all that it makes me feel better to read all your postings. It is good to know that I am not alone in feeling like I am on a rollercoaster for the last five years. I was hyperthyroid and they decides to kill the gland with radiation. They assured me that they would medicate me with synthroid and after finding the right dose everything would be controlled and I would feel better. After five years, they can not find the right dose for me. I keep going up and down. I even tried going to 112 one day and 125 the next. Went well for about a year and then find out after thinking I was going Krazy that my gland shot down. Now I am on 125 again and it's up to high again. It is hard cause although I try to be positive when your body and mind feels out of control it is hard to make any sense of anything. I have a few questions for all of you. When your gland is high does it affect your boold presure? As any of you had any success finally controling it?
Just to let you all know..I haven't noticed anything yet with my increase to 100mcg. It's just been one week today that i've been on it. I feel the same as being on the 75mcg. At least I don't have any extra crazy heart palps or anything of that nature! I'm due to have bw checked mid April and see endo end of April. Also, the Sleepytime tea is GREAT and so is the Chamomile.Both help settle your nerves and stomach! Best wishes to all of us going through this craziness :-).....Lynda xo
It sure is crazy all of us have to go through all this crap. I hear ya, heaven will be good when we get there. i dont remember whwn the last time I fely good was....truly good. I try to stay positive and speak friutful words and tell mtself i am ok and this too shall pass.
Do you ever get dizzy or feel zoned out at all. Are you hypo now or hyper. Ive been both and it seems the cure is worse than the disease. But, I believe it will all get better soon. I get so much anxiey really easy, like i have uncontrollable nervousness in my stomach and it becomes a snowball effect, heat races jitery...terrible. i find that drinking a cuo of "Celestial Seasoning" EXTRA sleepy tea helps so much!!! I take a cup with me when I will be away from home. It has valerian in it( a small) amount that is an herb that is a slight sedative used forever to get to sleep. the only thing is that it relaxes me not put me to sleep...AT ALL. So, do ou get hot flashes too? Renee
Do you ever get dizzy or feel zoned out at all. Are you hypo now or hyper. Ive been both and it seems the cure is worse than the disease. But, I believe it will all get better soon. I get so much anxiey really easy, like i have uncontrollable nervousness in my stomach and it becomes a snowball effect, heat races jitery...terrible. i find that drinking a cuo of "Celestial Seasoning" EXTRA sleepy tea helps so much!!! I take a cup with me when I will be away from home. It has valerian in it( a small) amount that is an herb that is a slight sedative used forever to get to sleep. the only thing is that it relaxes me not put me to sleep...AT ALL. So, do ou get hot flashes too? Renee
I hope and pray they take a great concern for you and do their best to make you feel better. I live in a military town and apathy is all over the place here. My doc seems nice, the whole 5 to10 min I see him each time. I feel like I have to talk really fast to get my concerns in - when I'm hypo, I have to write them down (lol). I wish my doc would consider T3. Mine has never been checked. I asked about nodules, he said everyone has them - no need to check.
I know what you are talking about when you say Anxiety! I have terrible anxiety when I am hyper - almost unbearable. I have never had anxiety - I mean NEVER. - When I'm hyper I constantly have to keep my thoughts in check. Seems everything can go off the deep end. The things going on in my head make me worry about everyone and everything to the point I can't bear it. I am usually ok during the day, it is manageable, but in the afternoon when I am winding down it begins and when I lay down, my heart speeds up, and my anxiety goes wild. Crazy. So.... I get up and sit for a while and do something. My BP also goes up - they say that is anxiety. My BP is also low, but I take 20 mg of propranalol and it stays a low but tolerable range (96/57) and helps with the anxiety too.
I am so glad this vessel is temporary and our imortal body in heaven will have no more sickness or worry. This thyroid stuff has has made me more thankful for that atribute.
I know what you are talking about when you say Anxiety! I have terrible anxiety when I am hyper - almost unbearable. I have never had anxiety - I mean NEVER. - When I'm hyper I constantly have to keep my thoughts in check. Seems everything can go off the deep end. The things going on in my head make me worry about everyone and everything to the point I can't bear it. I am usually ok during the day, it is manageable, but in the afternoon when I am winding down it begins and when I lay down, my heart speeds up, and my anxiety goes wild. Crazy. So.... I get up and sit for a while and do something. My BP also goes up - they say that is anxiety. My BP is also low, but I take 20 mg of propranalol and it stays a low but tolerable range (96/57) and helps with the anxiety too.
I am so glad this vessel is temporary and our imortal body in heaven will have no more sickness or worry. This thyroid stuff has has made me more thankful for that atribute.
After 2 and half years of playing ping pong with my doses I can tell you I know all about being Hyper and Hypo and sometimes in the same day! Like Smilerdeb, I was convinced I was HYPO just recently, and I was HYPER! Weird! BUT the heart racing thing and the anxiety seem to go hand in hand I find. I get all jittery and wired when my heart is racing, then I get the ker-thump, ker-BANG as a palpitation takes over. Of course, sitting in a doctor's office it never happens! I find it difficult to do my work sometimes as the racing is most annoying.
Thing is though, often just a tiny amount higher or lower is the better way to go. I seem to be supersensitive to any change in dose, and you might be too.
Cheers
Thing is though, often just a tiny amount higher or lower is the better way to go. I seem to be supersensitive to any change in dose, and you might be too.
Cheers
I feel for you, as this "getting to the right dose crap" is just that...crap! I've come to realize it's alot of trial and error and patience..and i'm running thin in that department, but what choice do we have? BB's aren't an option for me because my BP falls on the low side. Isn't it funny though how so many dr's just chalk everything up to anxiety? Some of us truly do have it, myself included...but I have found you have to be your own advocate...as noone knows your body better than you. I'll be posting what's going on and how I am feeling with the med increase! Take care and thanks for answering! Lynda xo.
oh, its me again. I forgot to tell you my symptoms now are being dizzy, bp goes from up to down. I feel woosy and heavy headed all at the same time, and its hard to even hold up my head at times. I feel anxiety all the time and I dont know if its from still being hypo (last levels were tsh 15), or what, but it *****. I know heart problems can cause some of our symptoms too. well, get back.
omg, i am 29, had tt exactly a year ago because of being hyper SIX years ago and no doc thought anything was wrong with me. They said "Oh, you are stressed and have anxiety". So after finding a third endo,and after 2 more years on tapazole for being hyper, they decided to do a tt. I thought hey, finally i wont feel crappy anymore. BUT NO. Its been a year and still uping slowley because they gave me 100 mcg right after surgury. And I am just like you, I am sooooo sensitive to all meds, especially this crap. They took me off my betablockers cold turkey the day of surgery!!!!!! But with in a couple weeks, I knew I needed them again. Plus cutting them off with out tapering them slowley, my mitral valve regurgitation got tremedously worse!!!! I now am on toporal betablocker 75 mg to counter act the damn levoxyl(88mcg) I'm on now after going back down to 50 for three months. There is no way in hell I will let them (endo) tell me to up so quickly. I usually go every other day for a couple weeks and then every day. hang in there!!
I did see that post! It's insane to think that these are the people running our medical offices, etc! I always feel sorry for the elderly, the uninformed, etc..who really have no idea about anything and just simply say "yes" to the dr. and "ok..see you in 6months!" After my kidney mishap, I will never be "blind" again!
Here's a new paragraph for you...LOL. Someday, I will get used to using a pc. I mean, it is 2010 for goodness sakes! Thank you for all of your answers and advice! :-] xoxo.
Here's a new paragraph for you...LOL. Someday, I will get used to using a pc. I mean, it is 2010 for goodness sakes! Thank you for all of your answers and advice! :-] xoxo.
As I said, I've had it since I was about eight, so as long as nothing "unusual" (in the sense of "different for ME") is going on, I at least know that it's probably not going to kill me this time, either! I do a little "maneuver" that usually stops it in its tracks. However, when I was on my initial, too-high dose of levo, I got my tachy, and it went on for over twelve hours (very, very unusual). I was on my way to the ER to see if there was anything they could do for me, when it stopped! My maneuver didn't work for me that time. Of course, my PCP said it had nothing to do with the levo...raised the eyebrow and said that I'd had it all my life, so it was unrelated. Yes, I have had it all my life...episodes usually last seconds to minutes...sorry, twelve hours was NOT the same.
Actually, even if you do get hyper due to ovemedication, if you don't let it go on for too long, the symptoms go away fairly quickly. My endo had me stop all meds for three days, during which the hyper symptoms mostly went away, and then resume at my former dose. Mild hyper hung around for a couple of weeks, but definitely at a more "tolerable" level.
I don't know if you saw my post on another thread? I was recently writing to one of our members. His PCP had told him that FT3 didn't exist! She even called her endo consult, and he backed her up and said it didn't exist!! The guy only got his FT3 after asking the phlebotomist, who called the PCP and clued her in. Yes, frightening! The problem is that after going through all that to get it, you have to figure the doctor isn't going to have a clue what she's looking at when she gets the results (or how to interpret them).
Oh, BTW, I did like your idea about paragraphs!!! It makes it so much easier to glance away and glance back and easily find your place. Some of us have old eyes...you have to humor your elders sometimes! LOL
Actually, even if you do get hyper due to ovemedication, if you don't let it go on for too long, the symptoms go away fairly quickly. My endo had me stop all meds for three days, during which the hyper symptoms mostly went away, and then resume at my former dose. Mild hyper hung around for a couple of weeks, but definitely at a more "tolerable" level.
I don't know if you saw my post on another thread? I was recently writing to one of our members. His PCP had told him that FT3 didn't exist! She even called her endo consult, and he backed her up and said it didn't exist!! The guy only got his FT3 after asking the phlebotomist, who called the PCP and clued her in. Yes, frightening! The problem is that after going through all that to get it, you have to figure the doctor isn't going to have a clue what she's looking at when she gets the results (or how to interpret them).
Oh, BTW, I did like your idea about paragraphs!!! It makes it so much easier to glance away and glance back and easily find your place. Some of us have old eyes...you have to humor your elders sometimes! LOL
Thank you both for responding! I am just going to take the 100mcg tomorrow and see how it goes. If it's one thing about my endo, he remembers I have anxiety.....sometimes I think it's about all he remembers! Lol. I always speak to him personally, instead of his PA because to me she is useless. When I first starting questioning about having the FT3, etc tested...she had no idea what I was talking about!!!!! Can you imagine? So, from now on, I only speak to endo. So, he is well aware of my anxiety issue and I know that's why he started me out so low after TT..50mcg. I personally feel he left me on that dose for too long and I ended up so hypo. As I said before, he always reminds me that when I increase, I might feel more anxious for a couple of weeks...but I am going to call him tomorrow just for my own peace of mind. ...OMG..200 BPM?? I don't know how you could ever get used to that? It has to be an AWFUL feeling! I often wonder what people do when they are hyper and sitting there feeling like they are going to jump out of their skin?? I mean, is there anything to counteract those terrible symptoms that go along with it or do you just have to sit there and suffer and wait until your med is adjusted correctly?? UGH! ...Wouldn't it be nice if we all had an easier disease where things don't keep fluctuating all the time?? Thanks again! :-]
Well, if your heart isn't REALLY racing, just feels like it is, I think I'd interpret that a little differently. I don't know about mitral valve stuff (my heart arrythmia is due to an electrical problem in my heart...my heart is a bit "miswired"). However, I do know a number of people who report a "flutter" and have had heart studies indicating no problems. No, BBs will lower BP, so that won't work for you.
One day on 100 mcg isn't going to affect your levels much at all. I think it's a good idea to call your doctor for reassurance, and maybe to just remind him that you're the patient with anxiety and meds sensitivity. Last time I saw my endo (my TSH stays around 20 due to a pituitary issue) he said that every time he sees my labs, he has his hand on the phone to call me to tell me to increase, then he remembers who I am. He said that if he called me I was to just remind him...no worries there!!!
I wish I had an answer for figuring out where the anxiety is coming from...very difficult. Actually, probably impossible.
I'd feel better about the 25 mcg increase knowing that my heart wasn't really racing. I know it's a frightening feeling, but you do get used to it. My heart gets over 200 BPM (and it really IS racing). It's been doing that since I was seven or eight. Pretty used to it, but still don't like it!
One day on 100 mcg isn't going to affect your levels much at all. I think it's a good idea to call your doctor for reassurance, and maybe to just remind him that you're the patient with anxiety and meds sensitivity. Last time I saw my endo (my TSH stays around 20 due to a pituitary issue) he said that every time he sees my labs, he has his hand on the phone to call me to tell me to increase, then he remembers who I am. He said that if he called me I was to just remind him...no worries there!!!
I wish I had an answer for figuring out where the anxiety is coming from...very difficult. Actually, probably impossible.
I'd feel better about the 25 mcg increase knowing that my heart wasn't really racing. I know it's a frightening feeling, but you do get used to it. My heart gets over 200 BPM (and it really IS racing). It's been doing that since I was seven or eight. Pretty used to it, but still don't like it!
Anxiety comes from both ends of the scale..both hyper and hypo.
Prior to RAI for Hyperthyroidism and Graves, I felt like I was sitting on a razor blade with my anxiety....even noises made me edgy.
The anxiety was unreal, depression was debilitating and I felt a big feeling of hopelessness.
Then RAI happened and TT and for a few weeks I was great!
Then Bnag!...anxiety came back with a vengeance.
I kept thinking...I'm hyper!
I was in fact..Hypo.
I was so 'used' to being HYPER and having anxiety with Hyper that I never stopped to think that Hypo could also cause it.
I am surprised that your Doc has increased you to 100mcg instead of 88mcg though.
Usually baby steps is the way to success.
But if after 2 weeks you still feel anxiety...see the Doc again and discuss the 88mcg dose.
Good Luck :o)
Prior to RAI for Hyperthyroidism and Graves, I felt like I was sitting on a razor blade with my anxiety....even noises made me edgy.
The anxiety was unreal, depression was debilitating and I felt a big feeling of hopelessness.
Then RAI happened and TT and for a few weeks I was great!
Then Bnag!...anxiety came back with a vengeance.
I kept thinking...I'm hyper!
I was in fact..Hypo.
I was so 'used' to being HYPER and having anxiety with Hyper that I never stopped to think that Hypo could also cause it.
I am surprised that your Doc has increased you to 100mcg instead of 88mcg though.
Usually baby steps is the way to success.
But if after 2 weeks you still feel anxiety...see the Doc again and discuss the 88mcg dose.
Good Luck :o)
I also wanted to ask your opinion on the fact that I have anxiety, being hypo or hyper can make you feel like you have anxiety, and so can an increase in meds...........so UGH!!! How in the world can you decipher anxiety that I am causing myself of if it's something else?? I always have this fear that something really might be wrong one day and I'll say Oh it's just anxiety...in the middle of a heart attack, etc!!! I don't wish those "anxiety feelings" on anyone because when you're having them...it feels like so much worse and sometimes it's hard to tell if something more is going on. At least for me! I do take a bit of klonopin, but I'm not on a "theraputic dose" because those Benzo's make me too darn tired. I do take the klonopin daily so it stays in my system. I take it an hour or so before bed. Least I sleep good! Lol. With being hypo now, I could never take it in the day...I'd fall over!! Lol. Thanks as always, for listening to me ramble!...I better start making new paragraphs instead of a big blob :-) xo.
I was hoping to hear from you :).....It's a weird thing. Just a bit ago, it will feel as though my heart is racing, but my pulse is 75 (not high). That feeling comes and goes. I even remember after TT when I was in recovery it felt that way and I asked the nurse and she said BP and HR were normal. I forgot to mention that I have a slight case of Mitral Valve Regurgitation (...what's the difference between that and prolapse?) Have seen a cardiologist, holter monitor, ultrasound and ekg of heart, etc and everything else is ok. I also have low BP and cardiologist says no to the BB's as they lower BP even more. Maybe it's just anxiety that comes and goes? You know I have a problem with that. I don't know. Being it's the weekend and I'm to start the 100mcg Monday (I don't have anything else to take)..I guess I'm stuck taking it that day and I'll give endo a call for some reassurance and to make sure that's what I should do. Hard not for me to second guess everything being that I was misdiagnosed for 2years and ended up having kidney cancer. Thank God I kept "doctor hopping" and being insistent that something was wrong with me!! ...Thanks for the advice and hope you are doing well!......Lynda xo.
It doesn't sound stupid at all! Having been through many meds increases and being sensitive to meds, I understand completely how you feel. I dreaded every one.
Okay, labs aside for a moment (okay, no, I don't believe I'm saying that, either...but, just for a moment - we've been through the FT3/FT4 discussion on another post, and I know you realize how important it is!), take a look at your symptoms. If you are already having heart issues from the last increase that have not subsided, you are probably going to have a hard time tolerating an increase at this point. Yes, the point is to get you back in range ASAP. But, if you move too fast and have to back off, you will ultimately be increasing the time it takes to get into range. Perhaps you could ask your doctor about going to 88 mcg for a couple of weeks to see how that goes before increasing to 100? Explain to him the heart issues...very specifically (your heart races...get HR numbers for him - lots of them throughout the day). Tell him your concerns, and see what he thinks about moving to 88 first.
I understand that you have already increased by 25 mcg once, from 50 to 75. But, you are not quite adjusted to that yet, either, or your heart would not be racing. Do you have a BP monitor? Doctors have a tendency to only listen to very concrete symptoms (numbers). They can be unbelievably insensitive to comments like "...I feel anxious on inside and body aches on outside." They often don't read between the lines.
Also, the doctor might consider giving you a beta blocker to help with the HR until you adjust to the increases??? I hate taking something to counter the efects of something else I'm taking, but sometimes there's just no way around it.
Okay, labs aside for a moment (okay, no, I don't believe I'm saying that, either...but, just for a moment - we've been through the FT3/FT4 discussion on another post, and I know you realize how important it is!), take a look at your symptoms. If you are already having heart issues from the last increase that have not subsided, you are probably going to have a hard time tolerating an increase at this point. Yes, the point is to get you back in range ASAP. But, if you move too fast and have to back off, you will ultimately be increasing the time it takes to get into range. Perhaps you could ask your doctor about going to 88 mcg for a couple of weeks to see how that goes before increasing to 100? Explain to him the heart issues...very specifically (your heart races...get HR numbers for him - lots of them throughout the day). Tell him your concerns, and see what he thinks about moving to 88 first.
I understand that you have already increased by 25 mcg once, from 50 to 75. But, you are not quite adjusted to that yet, either, or your heart would not be racing. Do you have a BP monitor? Doctors have a tendency to only listen to very concrete symptoms (numbers). They can be unbelievably insensitive to comments like "...I feel anxious on inside and body aches on outside." They often don't read between the lines.
Also, the doctor might consider giving you a beta blocker to help with the HR until you adjust to the increases??? I hate taking something to counter the efects of something else I'm taking, but sometimes there's just no way around it.
Believe me, I know there could be much worse things...but this all stinks. Lol. Also, my pulse has always been anywhere from 70 to in the 90's...so we will see. Thank you!
can you get your resting heart rate when you wake up before you get up> just take your pulse with a clock with a second hand and see what it is. mine is usually 55 because i run but when i was over medicated with levo and t3 it was 90 and also i dropped 3 pounds from 115 to 112 over night and i knew i was feeling hyper. when i had my labs i was at .02 and my ft3 was over the top. ive calmed down alot. if you are feeling really hyper the dr will have to go slower. they get very freaked out over tsh numbers. try and be calm, you will be ok. its a journey..
I wanted to mention also, that it's when I'm resting that i seem to notice my heart feels like it's racing. Not when I'm sleeping or anything like that...but more so, in the evening when it's time to relax and I'm just watching tv or something?? Weird..I know!
Thank you. I just hear so many horror stories of being hyper..you know? Course, being hypo isn't much fun, either! I have read on this site how important the "free" testing is and I definately will have it done when I get my next set of labs (mid April)..whether I have to write it in myself or get my pcp to order it. I am under an endo's care now and he and a whole lot of other endo's that i've contacted seem so reluctant to test them...but I have a better repore with my pcp and I know if I ask him, he will do it. In the meantime..I was wondering why endo didn't bump me to 88mcg. I guess his thinking is that I handled going from 50mcg to 75 without much problem. He always says when increasing meds, it's normal to feel some "extra flutters and cardiac symptoms" in the first couple of weeks, as your body adjusts. Being that I know 75mcg is not going to be my final stop..guess I have to keep going! Lol. Thanks for your advice! I hope you are well!
try and calm down a little for your own sake- i would just do what my doctor says at this time. if you start losing wt and your RESTING heart rate is racing and pounding then you may be in the hyper zone. i know you don t want to hear frees but when you see those numbers they will be so valuable. i don t like to take any pills either but i feel more control at this time and you will too. try and be calm and just tell yourself that you will do whatever you need to do at every turn and that you will be well informed and ok.
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