PLEASE HELP!!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
PLEASE HELP!!!!
12
Mon, 09-06-2004 - 10:08pm
Hi I am Amy and I am 25 years old, just newly diagnosed with Hashimotos thyroiditis and I am on levothyroxine 125mcg and I have tried taking this every different way possible. I work in the health care field and I ask my nurse co workers all kinds of different questions, but none of them could quite answer me, and my question is what is the difference between the med that I am taking verses this Armour drug? I feel really cloudy in my head and I am unsure about my TSH level, I go to the dr on the 10th of Sept, cause I feel anxious and can't sit still, but I have no energy to get up and move. Does that make sense? I can't concentrate on anything, and I get real sleep towards the afternoon, but when I feel sleepy and grogy in the afternoon its like another person has taken over my body, I get real mean and grouchy, I hate feeling this way cause my kids are the ones that I am mean and grouchy with. I yell alot at them and anything sets me off. I take my med at night before bed cause it makes me nauseated. I can't eat during the day if I take it in the morning. I have tried taking it with food and first thing in the morning. I don't know what to do, or the questions to ask my doc. Please help me for the sake of my 4year old and 1 1/2 year old!!!!

With much thanks!!

Amy


Edited 9/6/2004 10:38 pm ET ET by sweetexan

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Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
In reply to: sweetexan
Mon, 09-06-2004 - 11:01pm

Hi Amy,


I think the first thing I would check would be the med to see if there is another one that you could take that wouldn't make you feel sick.

 

Calley7

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
In reply to: sweetexan
Tue, 09-07-2004 - 7:24am
Hi Amy - it sounds as if your dose is too high. Are you seeing an endo or a regular GP? Most people don't start off at 125 MCG. Was your TSH level evry high? It sounds liek you're eperienceing symptoms of hyperthyroid from the medication and hypothyroid, because that is what your real condition is. The sleepiness, fogginess, groggy feeling, irritability - all hypo symptoms. The restlessness, anxiety - hyper and my guess is that it is due to your meds.

Armour thyroid is a natural dessicated thyroid hormone made from pig's thyroid. It contains both T4 - what all synthetic thyroid hormone meds contain, plus T3, the other thyroid hormone your body naturally produces. Most people do quite well on T4 alone but some need the T3,as well. Cytomel is a brand name of T3 that you can take in addition to Synthroid without switching over to Armour. But some people really need to make that switch. But it really sounds to me as if you're overmedicated.

How long have you been taking it? Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
In reply to: sweetexan
Tue, 09-07-2004 - 10:06am
I have been taking this since february, I started out at .1 and they raised it cause I wasn't feeling any better. now I get real groggy in the afternoon and it last most of the day after that, do you think I should talk to my gp about a t3 sub? I have heard that does wonders for people that only take the t4 supp. I can't concentrate and get groggy like I said, is that something I am going to have to deal with for the rest of my life, or is it in my head???
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
In reply to: sweetexan
Tue, 09-07-2004 - 10:50am
No - it's not in your head!! Trust the way you're feeling because that's always the best guide for you, even if no one else understands!! But we do here. Because we've all been through it. :) Why not talk with your doctor about it. Tell them how you're feeling now and that this medication just doesn't seem to be doing it for you. You really would be feeling better by now if you were taking the right dose of medication. Or if the medication were right for you! So maybe the addition of T3 or a switch to Armour might make the difference for you. What do you think? Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
In reply to: sweetexan
Tue, 09-07-2004 - 8:17pm
I can't understand while I feel brain fogged in the afternoon, should I recommend that my pcp should put me on a t3 supp? What questions should I ask him and how should I explain the way I feel , just that my brain is fogged and I get real tired in the afternoons? The last couple of days I get up in the mornings feeling real dizzy sodo speak. Maybe its anxiety, I don't know
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
In reply to: sweetexan
Tue, 09-07-2004 - 11:08pm
Well, the afternoon is the classic time to feel tired anyway. Especially if you have a big lunch or a lunch with too many carbs and too little protein. So try to eat a good healthy lunch with plenty of protein to keep you going and balance out the carbs. if you eat a sandwich for lunch, it's not going to hold you through the afternoon and you'll feel a "crash" from the carbs. That's why most people get so tired around 3:00 in the afternoon. And they aren't dealing with being hypothyroid!

I would talk to your doctor about it, yes. The brain fog is just a classic symptom. As you get your tsh level to normal range, it should feel better. Mine did. I still feel it every now and then, though, but it's much better. The way your body uses thyroid hormone is that it takes it as it needs it. It's not a steady thing throughout the day and night. A normal thyroid makes more than enough hormone so that when you need it, it's always there. Since we don't make enough, our medication has to do the trick. But sometimes, it's not there when you need it. Perhaps you've had a stressful day and needed more. Perhaps there has just been a big demand for it. Even though there is always thyroid hormone is your system, sometimes there just isn't enough. And you have to wait until you get more into your system. That's why you can sometimes be going along just fine for a few days, and then suddenly crash. It can happen when you are getting your medication adjusted up, or when you're just diagnosed and getting it into your system. So, that's the long answer! Sorry!! yes, talk to your doctor.

The best way to ake your medication is first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Dn't eat anything for an hour after and don't take any medication or supplements with it or for an hour after,as well. You can take it at bedtime if you want, as long as you *always* take it at bedtime but that doesn't seem to be working for you so I would switch to morning when you wake up. Most doctors recommend first thing in the AM. If you're drinking tea, you need to think about stopping. Tea containes floride which blocks the absorption of iodine, which your thyroid needs. Soy is also not good for your thyroid so think about stopping any soy milk you might drink, tofu etc. If you take iodine in a multivitamin supplement, you might want to consider stopping that also. While our thyroid needs iodine to convert T3 to T4, which is how our body uses the hormone, we get more than enough in our salt throughout the day and too much iodine can cause an energy fatigue or crash, as well. Some people don't feel it but others are very sensitive to it. Do you know what your TSH level was when you were diagnosed? Cathy :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
In reply to: sweetexan
Wed, 09-08-2004 - 10:10am
i go to the dr friday and I will get all that information from him, he just says that my levels are in normal range. Should he refer me to an endo? I will let you know more friday when I talk to my pcp. Thanks for all the GREAT advice, I have been trying to find out this information for the longest time and finally found someone to talk that knows what they are saying. Also, do you think I should ask pcp for a t3 supp? I have read all these articles and they say if you are on just a t4 supp and still don't feel well then taking a t3 supp will make you feel better?
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-20-2004
In reply to: sweetexan
Wed, 09-08-2004 - 8:26pm
I will read the other posts to see if some more info is in there but here are some questions. Did the doc start you on 125 or did you work up to it and am now having problems? Did you have andrenal checked? Med might be too much...possibly be hyper.


Eric

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
In reply to: sweetexan
Thu, 09-09-2004 - 10:51am
I started off at 100 mcgs and then was diagnosed with Hashimotos. My lab work is in normal range says pcp. My main concern is the brain fog in the afternoons. No not that I know of did I get my adrenal checked, I go to the dr tomorrow, which is friday, so I will get all the detailed information, like the exact tsh level and the t3 levels. Thanks so much!!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
In reply to: sweetexan
Thu, 09-09-2004 - 12:53pm
Yes, talk to him about the T3 supplement and see what he says. There are a few people on this board taking it and it has made a big difference for them. I'm going to post an article on "normal" TSH levels but still not feeling good. I just found it last night. I'll post it up above (Or wherever it end up!) because so many people are in the same boat! Hope this helps. Let us know how your appointment goes, too. Cathy :)

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