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).

[Barb135]

In answer to your questions.... your TSH at 5.69 was definitely over range.  Even your TSH of 3.19 is over range, if you use the ranges that AACE recommended about 10 yrs ago, which is 0.3-3.0.  Your lab, hence your doctor is using an old range.

It takes 4-6 weeks for the synthroid/levo to reach full potential in your body and it's not unusual for symptoms to worsen or for new ones to appear once medication is started; that's why you gained weight and felt like a bus ran over you when you first started.  

I'm glad you didn't just let your doctor leave you with a TSH of 3.19; I'm also glad you're feeling better.  Since it can take up to 6 weeks before the med reaches full potential, you should continue to feel better as you go along.  

I don't think the more frequent urination would be due to the med; maybe you're drinking more, or eating foods with more water in them.. many fruits and veggies have a lot of water, which, by the way, does count as part of your fluid intake.

I don't have a warm, fuzzy feeling about your doctor, at this point.  How can she possibly think that a positive ANA has nothing to do with thyroid?  ANA indicates an autoimmune disease (doesn't have to be thyroid, but can be); have you been tested for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which, by the way, is the most prevalent cause of hypo in the developed world? Did she run thyroid antibodies?  Those would be Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAB).  If she hasn't she needs to.  You also need a thyroid ultrasound to determine whether or not you have nodules on your thyroid.

Also, apparently, she's only testing TSH, which is a pituitary hormone and does not correlate well with either symptoms or actual thyroid levels.  You need to be getting Free T3 and Free T4, which are the actual thyroid hormones, every time you get tested for TSH.  Insist on getting those tests and if she refuses, find another doctor ASAP.  

Yes, your "happy place" can be at the lower end of the TSH spectrum; my TSH lives at 0.01 - < 0.01... But TSH should not be your main concern.

We're willing to answer any questions; you have only to ask them.

[Tdz]

Hey Barb... You sound incredibly educated in thyroid issues... Can I run a few things by you?  I'm not part of this forum, so I don't know if I will be able to find it again - so, I'm going to add my email address... ***@****.   Anyhow... I'm 45 and for the past few years I have been losing hair, gaining weight (which I haven't been able to lose - no matter what I do) constantly feel like I got hit by a bus - no energy... Blah blah blah - SO... I had myself tested for diabetes (neg) but the TSH value was 5.69... I don't know anything else... That is the only reference number my dr showed me... So, I was put on levothyroxine 25mcg for 3 months - it kicked my ***.  I was even more lethargic, gained 14 pounds, couldn't do anything... Ok... So my next lab TSH was 3.19... My doctor said that was within normal range and was going to leave me at that point.... I told her ABSOLUTELY NOT... So she upped my dose to 50mcg... Ok... So now we get to the point... I have begun taking it... And have experienced an increase in urination... That's about the only negative - so far and I am a week in.  I have decreased my caloric intake to 1200 or so calories (with a diet specified by my MD) and haven't really changed my liquid intake... What is your take on this?  And... I'm feeling better as well.  The only other health issues I have are ANAs.  The Md says that has nothing to do with it.     Another thing is... I am usually at my best when I am at the extreme end of things . Could my happy place be at the lower end of the TSH SPECTRUM?     Oh... I have so many other questions!!!!

[DawnB67]

I was started on Levothyroxine 25 mcg when my TSH level was just slightly high.  I ended up having neck, jaw, and ear pain along with headaches.  I got re-tested and I had become hyperthyroid so I stopped taking my medication. I felt great while on no medication.   I couldn't get in to see my doctor for almost a month and by the time I did my TSH has gone up to 99.73 and a week later was 88.91.  I was started on Synthroid 50 mcg and three weeks in I am suffering from dizziness, ringing in my ears, and headaches.  I am so frustrated!  My doctor says that "most of my patients feel better when I put them on the medication, you are the complete opposite".  I just want to feel "normal" again.  

[verykerry]

Go to a good health food store and buy a thyroid supplement. For $11 I bought ThyroSense and it has helped me. The Armour may not be the answer either because I have no thyroid and take Armour thyroid and my body rejected it. I too have trouble with levothyroxin and synthroid. Same symptoms of heart problems and trouble breathing. There are also supplements for adrenal help.

[soccermom2002]

How high does you BP get up to? When I took the Levo and Synthroid I had stomach cramps, and my BP got high within the first week taking it but on the Tirosint it was high within 30 minutes so my endo said I should wait til I get worse so I could tolerate it and I thought that don't even sound right I agree with Barb135 about if I can't take it now I'm not going to be able to take it later but anyway I told him I didn't want to wait to get worse and asked if I should try something natural and he said I could try it so I'm going to start the Armour 15 MG tomorrow and just see what happens.

[soccermom2002]

My BP got up to 175/108 and my Dr told me to stop taking it and referred me to my endo for treatment and my endo wanted me to try levo again and try half so I did and it did the same thing and then he tried me on the Synthroid and I tried half on it to and I took it for 3 weeks and so on. My adrenal and cortisol results were normal I just got the results today, and I asked him if he thought I should try something natural just to see if I could take it without getting high blood pressure and he said we could try and see so he called in Armour 15 MG and I was going to start it tomorrow. I hope it doesn't make it worse since my endo said my T3 was normal.