concerns about levothyroxin

[exhausted207]

I started taking Levothyroxin 25 mcg January 15th 2010.  I am very very tired and want to go back to bed all the time.  I am very lathargetic ( I don't want to do anything)  I feel easily irratated.  I am a 67 year old female in good health.I take vitamins and an anti-depressant which I have been on for 4 years (lexapro 40 mgs. and I am on hormone replacements  Patches and Provera.  Are these normal side effects of this medication??

[stella5349]

That is true - speak to the pharmacist and so you can read about the interactions with the Levothyroxine  and so you can speak to the pharmacist on a semi - educated level on the effects of the medication- please see the medication link below for some helpful information and can prepare you for that discussion.

http://drugs.medsort.com/Drugs/DrugSpecificProfile.aspx?MedID=4270&uo=pt&mmp=1&mcp=2

and here is an article ( one of many) on the effects of hormonal changes with women with thyroid disorders and the meds used for both... I have talked to these ladies in quite depth on this issue and they are very complete in their research.

http://www.womentowomen.com/hypothyroidism/thyroidandmenopause.aspx

Curious to know what supplements you are on? and a deeper look at what your history is prior to your thyroid issues...

These things pretty much start from something that was around for a while.   I have a feeling there are more things unbalanced than thyroid and your meds you were taking prior to thyroixine may be slowing the thyroid hormone meds/ hormones down - or working against it completely.

[blsdnsvd]

If your thyroid is underactive, that is more than likely the reason for taking the levo...however, a symptom of being underactive is "fatigue" and "exhaustion" and that can explain why you are feeling that way. Do you have a copy of your lastest thyroid bloodwork, if so...you can post your results here to get better responses.



There are lots of people who are on antidepressants and thyroid hormone med's however be sure to speak w/ your pharmacist in regard to drug interactions.

[stella5349]

why are you on estrogen patches?

from what I see without even seeing labs.. the antidepressants and estrogen is not helping your thyroid medication..

You are in a circle of being medicated without really knowing whats off and what should be fixed..

Have you got a second opinion from an Intergrative medical doctor.. I suggest you seek one.

[chel 81]

No two people are alike when it comes to thyroid meds and how our bodies react to them. Some people do fine on one drug while others do not. You are also on a low dose which may or may not have any effect on you.

The first thing you should do is make sure your doc runs a full thyroid blood work up on you including Free T4, Free T3, TSH, Reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies. If you have a doc who won't run these tests find one that will and when they get the results in get a copy for yourself. So many docs run off old outdated ranges and so even if you show you are "in range" you may not be in optimum range. It's like getting a D in school- just because it means you passed doesn't mean you did well.

If your results show you need to up your dose than it may make all the difference for you. If they look good you may want to try other meds available. I'm allergic to Synthetic thyroid meds so I take Armour thyroid or Nature-throid. Many people do fine on synthetic thyroid meds like Levothyroxin and many do not. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that Levothryoxin is a T4 only drug- meaning it only supplies one of the two main thyroid hormones that your body needs. The other is T3 which is contained in Armour & Nature-throid (these also have T4). The thing you're going to find with thyroid problems is that it's all trial and error and unfortunately finding the right dose can take a little time and a lot of patience.

I hope you'll find some answers!

Chel