Synthroid side effects

[dpleiman]

I am confused about something... The website says for Synthroid: Adverse reactions associated with levothyroxine therapy are primarily those of hyperthyroidism due to therapeutic overdosage.

How can you have "therapeutic overdosage" if your thyroid levels are in hypo range? This confuses me.. Is it too much at once? I don't understand that if my "blood range levels" are way out of range to the hypo side then how can i experience therapeutic overdosage "hyper" symptoms from the synthroid?

[dpleiman]

I guess i just need some clarification, my disease was never really explained to me very well, it was something like oh your thyroid levels are off take levoxyl and i'll see ya in 6 weeks.. haha..

Ok, so let me see if i got this...

Because of the antibodies my thyroid swings hypo to hyper and sideways and back again so my "blood levels fluctuate from hyper to hypo as the wind blows"? and until i reach a level of senthroid to "put my thyroid to sleep" or until it completely dies out then i will continue to swing hyper to hypo in blood levels AND symptoms? And these symptoms will be worse one way or the other depending on the day and the level of synthroid i have taken for that day or the previous few days "i read synthroid has a 1/2 life of a few days" meaning the symptoms of hyper might not occur for a few days if my levels were to be in range and the meds make me hyper..
So just for argument sake would that mean that my last labs could be different now even if i wasn't taking any meds at all? meaning more towards "in range"? because I was waaay hypo last time... I think in general overall i have been more hypo then hyper and i know that is the more dominant one, so maybe if i just suffer thru the hyper since i know it will come back down then i might be ok...

[TamraW]

Here's a situation that I face. Because my Synthroid is only at .75, and I probably need to have mine bumped again a few times, and maybe some T3 Cytomel added, my thyroid has not been told my my pituitary to go to sleep. Therefore, my thryoid is still awake, and the Hashi antibodies still attack it.

With Hashimoto's, as we go through those swings to hyper mode - Mine only lasts a few days now instead of weeks, once we are in hyper mode, .75 mcg Synthroid might be too much, therefore, during those few days a month I'm hyper, I am probably overmedicated on .75.

Still, I take my Synthroid and withstand a few days of mild palpatations, frequent bathroom, and little sleep. It isn't that bad for me. Not like it was last spring before I was on Synthroid.  But for others who still may have bad swings, that is something they need to discuss with their endos. Maybe cutting the pill in half for those few hyper days.

:) Tamra