Thyroid Problem

[kimmie1981]

Hello,

I had my whole thyroid out years ago.  I am suppose to take medication, and have for quite some time, but have recently stopped because I am sick and tired of not feeling good.  It seems that everytime I take my medicine I get a headache and it makes me feel horrible.  I have noticed not taking it that I feel better, than when I do take it.  Is it possible that something in my body is making the stuff I need from my throid and when I take the medicine it then is to much?  Also, what will happen if I continue to not take my medication? (like a time frame of what will happen).  Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks

[kimmie1981]

Hi, thanks for all the input.  I had blood work done a couple days ago, and I'm gonna actually get the print out of the results today or tomorrow, then I will be able to post it. I called her and she said my level was low and started me back on Levoxyl 50MCG.  She also did a few other tests for inflammation etc. because I have been having severe muscle/joint pain in my heels/ankles and shoulders/back.  She said everything else was normal.  I don't excatly believe that with the pain I am experiencing.  I have also got a very long history of severe depression, OCD, ADD.  Which in turn doesn't help sorting out the thyroid problem and basically the doc never looks any further because they can blame everything on my depression and thyroid.  I also get a lot of migraines and headaches.  I wish there was a machine that you could plug into your body and if tells, what is wrong and what needs to be done to fix it.  Maybe in the next 100 years.  Where I live, the docs are not that good and they all do the same thing to everyone.  My mom had a bad pain in her back and still does, she went to the docs, they didn't examine it or do anything else and told her she pulled a muyscle and to take advil, and sent her home.  She is looking for a different doc as it's been well over a month and she still has the pain in her back, not to mention she has had back problems all her life and has had back surgery due to hurniated discs and so.  That apparently didn't mean a thing to the doc.  We have to drive atleast an 1 1/2 to go to someone actually worth going to, which gets quite costly.  I will post my levels when I get the printout.

[goolarra]

I don't believe it's possible that thyroid hormones can be made by anything but the thyroid (I'm not a doctor, but I've never heard of it).

It sounds to me like your meds have never been properly adjusted so that your hypo symptoms are alleviated, but you're not on so much that you start having hyper symptoms.  Another possibility is that some people report having problems with one brand of levo or generic levo, but then do fine on one of the other brands.  If seems to be the fillers in the different types that affect people adversely.

It takes somewhere around six weeks for levo to be removed from your system (this is a generalization, of course, we're all different).  It depends on how sensitive you are to meds changes.  I usually start to feel some difference within a couple of weeks whenever my dose is changed.

Have you been having your thyroid levels monitored regularly?  Do you know the results of your last labs?  Your doctor should be testing free T3, free T4 along with TSH.   It's then best to adjust medication according to FT3 first and FT4 second.  TSH correlates very badly with symptoms.

What meds are you on and wha't the dose?

I don't think you should stop taking your meds.  It won't be long before you start feeling hypo again if you do.  If you have recent labs, post them along with their reference ranges and members can comment.  If not, ask your doctor to order some so that you can get the dosage adjusted properly, and you can start to feel better again.  You shouldn't have to choose between feeling horrible and taking your meds.  If you do, your meds need adjusting and/or changing.