Synthroid/Levothyroxine Side Effects

[soccermom2002]

Has anyone had high blood pressure while taking Synthroid and Levothyroxine?

I am hypo and I was given .50 Levothyroxine and I started filling shaky and light headed, I had trouble breathing and felt pressure in my chest, stomach cramps, headaches, and high blood pressure so my doctor told me to stop taking them and referred me to an endo who put me on .50 Synthroid because he thought I was having reactions to the fillers in Levothyroxine so I've been taking Synthroid for 2 weeks and starting to have some of the same reactions, stomach cramps, headaches, fatigue, light headed, and high blood pressure. I've never had a blood pressure problem in my life, my endo said Synthroid and Levothyroxine can't cause high blood pressure but when I stop taking it my blood pressure goes back to normal. I want to hurry up and find something that will work for me because I don't like putting up with my thyroid symptoms. I hate feeling weak and tired all the time, stomach issues, scaly dry skin, my hands and my fingers swell.

My Results
10/26/11 my TSH was 6.9 and I was given Levothyroxine .50 and had almost every side effect of it and high blood pressure so I quit taking it and went back to the doctor on 12/06/11 and my TSH was 5.3, FT4 was 10.8, FT3 Uptake was 23, and FThyroxine Index was 2.5 so my doctor referred me to my endo and I went to see him on 1/30/12 so I wasn't taking any thyroid medication since November and my results on 1/30/12 was TSH 5.65, FT4 1.0, Thyroid Microsomal was >1000 (reference <35).

[fricky]

Ya know I said I had thinning hair on my scalp but I might add that I have lost all hair also on the rest of my body. Legs, armpits, nothing. I've been blaming everything On old age & diabetes.Thank God I had enough super thick hair on my head that the thinning over the last few years hasn't made me bald yet but I can't afford anymore thinning.

[fricky]

I'll also request the test for Hashimotos.

[fricky]

I'm going to email my endo & request a new set of lab orders to include the FT3 & FT4 before I even start any meds.  And then If I start any meds at a later date I will have it all rechecked in 6 weeks. Does that sound about right?

[Barb135]

Autoimmune diseases run in families... but not all family members will get the same autoimmune disease.  Both Graves and Hashimoto's are autoimmune.  There's a good bet you have Hashimoto's.  Ask to be tested for it.

You don't necessarily need an endo to treat thyroid.  Even a knowledgeable primary care doctor can do it as long as they are willing to test/treat adequately.

Your symptoms all run the hypo gamut. Unfortunate that you can't get labs until you've been on med for 6 weeks; I'd sure like to see an FT3.  

[fricky]

Hi Barb. I've had basically fatigue, hair thinning, worsening of my already dry skin, and the inability to loose weight. I sure can gain tho. My sister has Graves disease & my oldest daughter has Hasimotos so I guess it is a hereditary thing. Oh yeah, and a cousin also had thyroid problem. My endo is the only one in my area. We live  outside of  a small town. But, I'm gonna make sure he gets the correct testing done before I go on any meds. I appreciate your knowledge & help. I don't know much about thyroid. I love that I can connect to the internet & learn from others that have the same experience. I won't get my labs again until I've ben on meds for 6 weeks.

[Barb135]

Oh, I think you're okay starting meds, you just may not need to start on that high a dose - depending on your symptoms, which I've been remiss in not asking about.  You mentioned weight; what others?

I've been through this (bad doctor/inadequate testing/poor treatment) and have seen a lot of others go through the same thing, here on the forum.  I've been on the forum for 6 yrs and was helped here; I've continued to do a lot of research, along with others, in order to help myself and others get through it and back on the road to recovery.  It's not easy, especially, when you add other conditions and/or inadequate care to the mix.