Levothyroxine Sodium :: Weight Shoots Up
Mar 6, 2007
I started to take levothyroxine last August for hypothyroidism. I have always been slim, no problems with weight UNTIL NOW. Since I started taking the medication my weight started to creep up. In six months I have put on a stone and my tummy is sticking out as if I'm pregnant. I have been on various internet sites to find out why this is happening and I can't find the answers. I believe it is the medication. I spoke to someone from British Thyroid Foundation and she was very rude and unhelpful. She insisted that it wasn't the medication. Well, I had no problems with weight for 35 years and all of a sudden when taking Levothyroxine my weight shoots up, there is something going wrong and I'm not at all happy.
This is very depressing. I feel are we all being tried out as guinea pigs and then in years to come they will admit to it.
Has anyone else had the same problem cos I'm at my wits end. I want to come off this medication its made me feel a lot worse than before.
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I think I have come to the conclusion that my pills levothyroxine is causing me to break out everywhere like my shoulders and face here is why I think it was them I was sick for three weeks stopped taking my pills and guess what everywhere I cleared up
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I have been taking Levothyroxine for about 8 months now and since then I seem to be suffering from increasing allergies. I already suffered with Hay Fever during the months of May and June but suddenly I started being allergic to my rabbits. I knew I was allergic to their hay but not the rabbits themselves. The doctor gave me an inhaler for when I needed to use it if I inhaled some of the rabbit fur as I found I was struggling to breath. I then started to be very sneezy at night and in the mornings sometimes sneezing up to about 15 times which is quite wearing. Then my skin started to start feeling really itchy all the time. I went to the doctor and he said that it should not be down to the levothyroxine and prescribed me some antihistamines to take to see if that settled the allergies. I am now getting a heat rash which seems to appear when I exert some energy. I am not talking about a great deal of energy though just a brisk walk or so and the rash starts on my chest and raises up past my ears. Today the rash was even on my legs and my fingers swelled so much that I had to quickly remove my jewellery. Has anyone else experienced this?
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I have many negative side effects from this drug. I recognise that some may be down to my having Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism but I think I am allergic to some of the medicine's contents. The medicine contains lactose and acacia. I know little about the latter but know that I have become lactose (as well as wheat) intolerant since being diagnosed (9 months ago) and given levo. Some side effects are - hot and then cold 'flushes', burning ears and lips, dizziness, continual headache. I have altered my diet and lifestyle to manage the condition as best as possible but cannot manage these side effects. Any help - or just sharing - very much welcomed. I wonder if there is an alternative drug on the NHS in the UK.
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What could be causing pain on the right side of my chest that is quite severe and sharp. I also am developing strong pain down my right arm. It radiates around my upper arm and shoots pain all the way down to my finger tips. My right chest, upper right arm and right hand are where most of the sharp pain seems to be. Causes?
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Had my hip replacement in June last year, then had a second fall and broke my right wrist, seriously damaged knee ligaments and damaged my ankle all on the right side, spent until December in a wheelchair, I can now walk with crutches. Saw the specialist this morning and he has prescribed 4 weeks I'd hyaluronic sodium injections for the knee, has anyone had these into the knee joint and do they hurt
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Curious if anyone knows what it means to have high sodium levels and Addison's disease? My sodium levels came back at 238 I've had more testing done but this one was the more extreme in numbers.
Anyone else have high sodium results?
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I suffered severe depression and anxiety and began to get bad tremors around 6 months ago, this was a first for me. My psychiatrist and GP thought it was because I was taking Sodium Valproate which is a mood stabiliser, however I have now come off that (still taking antidepressants, 80mg Lovan daily) but I still have the tremors.
My GP suggested Parkinson's but that I shouldn't have the brain scan now because medicare are not covering them.
Could anyone give me their thoughts on what I should look for in Parkinson's other than the tremors?
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I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 14, and since then i have been taking Levothyroxine to help with it. I am wondering, will I need to take levothyroxine forever? Or is there a fix for thyroid problems? I don't see my weight going down at all, or my thyroid level. My doctor has been increasing the dosage of my levothyroxine, and has three times now. I recently got Levothyroxine in 0.137mg dosage, and it smells terrible. My old ones were 0.125mg. Is this a very small change, and will it even do anything?
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I've had mild acne for a few years now but it never used to bother me as using dermalogica would clear up outbreaks. Since I started taking Levothyroxine and Carbimazole my spots just don't seem to go away. They're just small red bumps with no pus and it's driving me crazy.
It's killing my confidence. I have a noticeable goitre and now these constant spots on my face. Has anyone else had this problem with thyroid medication?
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I have just been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism & Diabetes have been prescribed with Levothyroxine 50mcg also Simvastatin 40 mg for Cholesterol
has anybody had experience with these 2 drugs as the doctor has not explained much at all ?
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how do I control hypothyroidism when I can't tolerate the meds?
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I've made an appt with a naturopath next week as I'm having an increase in bad symptoms since starting levothyroxine 4mths ago and cannot stand it any longer.
I'm expecting to be told to go gluten free. However there's corn/maize starch (contains gluten) in the meds so I'm wondering about those of you who are gluten free - what type of meds are you on?
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Anyone stopped taking this drug, I feel like I am being poisoned, I feel yuk constantly, I was fine before I started to take this drug, I had a blood test to do with menopause and it came back I had under active thyroid, I had no symptoms of uat at all! I would love to go back to how I originally felt, but I'm desperate to know if anyone has stopped taking this, I was on 150mg.
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During a routine blood test in August I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid. I wasn't feeling ill so was quite surprised when I read the symptoms. I've been on Levothyroxine for 3 months now and I feel terrible. I'm so drained and exhausted, angry and frustrated, bloated, fat, stomach pains and unhappy, I keep going back to the doctor but she just pops me more pills and I don't feel she is very understanding or sympathetic. I didn't feel this bad before I started the medication so I'm going to stop it. I was placed on 50mg and two weeks later my blood tests were normal and have been since so for such a small dose does it really matter? I'm so low, sometimes it's all too much I want to have a paddy and a tantrum and smash the place up and if anyone gets in my way then they'll get it too.
The doctor wants me to try CBT self help courses to understand what troubles me. When I'm not having some kind of flip out I know what troubles me - things are a struggle and I hate being ill and I want to be better.
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I have been on levothyroxine for 19 years and have suffered with many of these side effects mentioned, high Bp, high cholesterol, palpitations, but never connected them with this drug until reading this website. Just in the last three months I have been suffering from terrible hot flashes night and day. My GP prescribed anxiety pills which are making me feel quite sick but have improved the flashes slightly. Has this happened to anyone else out there who are on this, or can anyone shed me some light?
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After many years struggling with ongoing Hypothyroid symptoms, despite continuous treatment with Levothyroxine (125 mg daily) I came up the plethora of information, mainly from the USA challenging the efficacy of the current tendency of GPs to test only T4 and TSH Levels and to prescribe only Synthetic Thyroid Medications (like Levothyroxine) despite evidence that people so treated continued to suffer from many Hypothyroid symptoms. I asked my own Doctor- apparently, tests for T£ levels are "very expensive" and so won't be offered on the NHS, and even if I had private blood tests done, he wouldn't be able to prescribe additional T3 (Cytomel) or Natural Thyroid Extract for my condition. So, I'm left with a choice- self medicate, buying these products from possibly "dodgy" online sources, or continue to take my Levothyroxine and suffer from ongoing symptoms in silence. Not a great choice, is it? I'd be interested to hear about fellow sufferers experiences and advice, please, on what I should do.
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Diagnosed hypothyroid >10 years. I have struggled all of this time to feel 'normal'. Drs have continually increased Levothyroxine to attempt to normalise TSH. Six months ago they prescribed 300mcg. The pharmacist queried this! I take it regularly, without food etc. I am still symptomatic and free T4 & T3 still low. Anyone else on this dose without effect?
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Hi everyone! I am totally new to this group and excited to get input from everyone! I'll try and give you a quick synopsis of the past year and a half for me when I gave birth to my first child....
Initially I felt fine, until about 4 months after I gave birth. I had initially lost all the baby weight and then I started gaining again, had major brain fog, dry skin, cold, crazy water retention and bloated face, unmotivated, etc. all the usual symptoms. In February I was diagnosed with Hashimotos by my regular doctor and here are my levothyroxine dosages and blood results since...
Feb 2015 Tsh 269. T4. <0.11. T3. <20. (No meds yet...initial blood work)
Apr 2015. Tsh 156. T4. 0.45. T3. 42. (25 mcg)
May 2015. Tsh 6.69. T4. 1.83. T3. 96. (75 mcg)
Sept 2015. Tsh 2.89. T4. 1.59. (100 mcg)
Oct 2015. Tsh 8.61. (75 mcg)
Nov 2015. Tsh 1.21. (100 mcg)
Feb 2016. Tsh 2.36. (100 mcg)
So my original Doctor began my levothyroxine regimen at 25 mcg for 6 weeks. I immediately felt much better even though my numbers were still going crazy. He upped my dosage twice then sent me to an endocrinologist. Both agreed that my numbers were so bad it could not be postpartum hypothyroidism and I had probably had this for a long time undiagnosed and the pregnancy made it officially just turn off. In October we lowered the dosage to double check this theory and I felt terrible and my numbers changed right away so my endo put my meds right back up.
Now, hair loss was actually never one of my initial symptoms and I am convinced that it began when i started my medication, but both doctors insist that it's my body getting used to the meds and my levels getting better and better. My endo thought perhaps it's was especially bad because I was also experiencing postpartum hair loss. But at this point it is now a full year since I have been diagnosed and on medication. Coupled with the hair loss I also started getting serious joint pain, but again my endo said I was adjusting and this was a common symptom of hypothyroidism.
So basically, I am wondering how after a year of medication I would still be experiencing symptoms with levels that are now perfectly fine? Unless it was related to the medication??....I feel very guilty bringing it up all the time to my doctor because I know I should be glad that the huge issues of brain fog, concentration and mood are generally good (I still say I am not exactly myself yet). I feel silly bringing up something cosmetic but it is so depressing to look in the mirror. I hate doing my hair, washing it, sometimes just running my fingers through my hair I get five more. Even though now I can say it's less, it's definitely still happening and I don't see any new growth. But, on the flip side, hair loss is associated with adjusting to armour and I am terrified to lose any more.
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So my latest blood work revealed that I need a dose change and that I'm insulin resistant. I am now taking 200mg of levothyroxine for hypothyroidism and 40mg of atorvastatin for cholesterol and fatty liver. I also take fish oil, multivitamin, D3, allegra, and baby aspirin. My medical provider is focusing on my thyroid before tackling everything else. I should also mention that my mother has non alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes, dementia, diverticulitis, and myopathy. I'm considering taking coQ10. I'm just wondering what is the safest otc pain medicine for me to use(ibuprofen, goodies), and is there anything else I should know?
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Hello I am 30 years old and a smoker for about 14 years my results came back for my ct spine scan and an incidental finding of a 9mm cyst in my upper lung should I be concerned that this maybe cancer? Will they remove the cyst if at all anyways thanks for any information I appreciate it.
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