Not taking my medicine

[Jennifer184]

I just read an artical about adrenal insufficiency and what startled me was how the symptoms mimmic that of hypothyroid. I just read, on another medical websight, that the medication Synthroid clearly states:
PRECAUTIONS: Before taking levothyroxine, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This medication should not be used if you have certain medical conditions. Before using this medicine, consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have: overactive thyroid conditions (e.g., thyrotoxicosis), a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction), adrenal gland problems (e.g., uncorrected adrenal insufficiency).

What angers me is that I have NEVER been tested for adrenal insufficiency. I was just told to start taking Synthroid and then I was put on IVIG for nearly 2 years after being diagnosed with Lichen Planus, and was told I had selective immune difficency, all due to the birth of my son!  Come on! I was healthy before having my son. I understand that pregnancy brought this on, but no one ever gave me the option or my body the chance to try and correct itself, which does happen by the way.
In June of this year, I quit taking the IVIG as I felt worse after every infusion and I didn't see any benefits of it really. I was constantly sick with Chronic Sinusitus and this was supposed to prevent me from being sick!
I am happy to report that I have not been sick once since I quit.
In addition to that, as of this October I have quit taking my Synthroid after being given the run around from my two doctors just to get a refill!  Ive' had enough of being their Guina Pig! So far I'm just tired, but my headaches were far worse when I did take Synthroid than what I have now.
My sister in law was put on synthroid and developed a goiter and was told she would have to have a thyroidectomy! She too quit taking Synthroid and has felt fine ever since and that was over 2 years ago, and her goiter went away.  

What are the implications long term, both good and bad since I quit taking this medicine.

Oh, and by the way...all the symptoms that the Synthroid was supposed to correct, I had the entire 4 years I was on it. Nothing has ever improved nor went away. Is it possible I was just misdiagnosed or something else was overlooked?

[redheadaussie]

Oh I forgot to mention, many adrenal insufficiency cases also have hypothyroid, they seem to go hand in hand. So you might as to be tested for that. I am in the throes of getting mine checked too, not an easy task to convince doctors, but we as patients need to insure our own health is well mantained.
Cheers again!

[redheadaussie]

Quite possibly something was overlooked or incorrectly diagnosed. For the majority of people their Synthroid works well. For others it is a matter of finding the right brand of medication for that person's body. Often this is the case.
You will find that nearly all medications will have some warning or recommendation about what not to use it for. Unfortunately (and I am not supporting the medical profession in this, just that I understand the bigger picture) doctors cannot always treat every patient for a 'maybe' It becomes too expensive and also here in Australia doctors are not allowed to test for a particular disorder unless it is apparent, like you collapse in the street from adrenal insufficiency, rather than the symptoms you describe to the doctor.
  Your sister-in-law's goitre may just be a coincidence in the fact that it may well have already started to grow well and truly before taking the Synthroid. They are usually slow growing. Her dose may not have been enough to supress the goitre either.
It is never a good idea to just stop taking medication because you feel better. We cannot see what is happening inside our bodies and you would be very surprised to see how things can change!
  It is only about 4 weeks since you stopped taking you medication. You will no doubt soon start to notice symptoms again. Depending on what you were taking it for in the first place, you may end up feeling worse as the thyroid tries desperately to adjust to the lack of support from the medication.
It is good you felt better after stopping the other medication and that does sometimes happen, but not normally in thyroid cases sadly.
You ought to be able to find another doctor, providing your town is not too small, and ask for a different type of thyroid replacement medication. Many people feel much better on a different type.
   I still believe your dose was incorrect, and honestly the long term affects of not taking it are far worse than believing it didn't work. If you are hyper that can lead to horrendous anxiety, racing heart, wight loss. (Believe me, I have been there!) If hypo you will become letahrgic, irritable, your heart will certainly not cope and seriously you can go into a coma and die...that's worse case scenario. Best case is you will continue having symptoms as you did for 4 years and feel miserable!
Cheers
Cheers