Question re: Levoxyl

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-16-2004
Question re: Levoxyl
8
Sun, 12-19-2004 - 9:30pm

Does anyone know how long it takes Levoxyl to get out of your system? My FNP took me off of it because I went from hypo to hyper and she wants a reading with me not taking it. She told me to wait a week before bloodwork. Well, I want to make sure it is completly out of my system before redoing all this bloodwork. So how long do you think it should take?

If it is a matter of me feeling a difference, that happened within 2 days of not taking it. WAY more tired and more achy feeling. BUT if this is going to make a difference in the readings, the more sleep I ge the better I feel. My son is out of school for Christmas break and I will be able to sleep at least 9-10 hours a day. Do you know if that makes a difference in lab results or just with my body? Sounds crazy maybe, but when i went on vacation to film a tv reality show, I got to sleep at least 9 hours a day and I felt pretty good. Better than here at home. As soon as I got back home, I was back to maybe 6-7 hours a day, house work, etc...and I felt worse again.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Sandy

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Mon, 12-20-2004 - 9:43am
Hi Sandy - I'll check for you and let you know on the Levoxyl. About the sleep, perhaps you're one of those people that needs more sleep than others. I sleep about 6 hours a night, maybe 7 and I'm fine. My husband needs 8 to 9 hours. So it may not have anything to do with your thyroid. BUT ... there is also that thyroid-related fatigue to be aware of and that may be the reason you're sleeping so much. If you feel better with more sleep, and you can get more sleep, than that's great!! :) I'll let you know later this afternoon on the hormone question. Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-16-2004
Mon, 12-20-2004 - 6:29pm

Cathy,

Before I got sick with the thyroid thing, I was working well and feeling very energenic (sp) on just 6 hours a night. I would sleep from 11:00-5:00 or 5:30 am every night. Like a alarm clock I was awake that early in the morning. And then I got sick and can not get enough sleep for anything. Seems that even 10 hours isn't enough now. So I know it is from that. But my FNP also asked me the same thing. I will look forward to your answer for me on the Levoxyl question. So nice to have other people to ask questions of and be able to get answers to them. :-)

Sandy

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-25-2004
Tue, 12-21-2004 - 3:26pm

Hi Sandy,
When the doctor ordered the Radioactive Scan on my thyroid, I was told by the radialogist that I had to have been off Levothroid for four weeks to get an accurate scan, some of the medications even required six weeks. Now, this may not be necessary for blood work though, but I bet if you call the lab, they could tell you.

As for the sleeping and stuff, could it be that being on vacation relaxed you enough that you felt a lot better, while coming back home to the bump and grind of daily life stresses you out?

I hope you feel better soon!
Carole

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-16-2004
Tue, 12-21-2004 - 10:00pm

Carole,

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. I will call the lab tomorrow. My FNP and I explored the whole stress thing and the sleep thing. But the thing is, when I was in L.A, I was filming a reality TV show. That was stressful. I was sleeping longer (9-10 hours a day) and drinking LOTS and LOTS of cafinated soda. When I got home, I stopped drinking the caffine soda and my sleep schedule went back to only 6-6 1/2 hours a night. I absolutly live for the weekends as I can sleeep longer. Did I also mention that I am a stay at home mom? Makes a difference in the grand scheme of all this as I don't have the energenic work level other people do. My son is 13 and can pretty much take care of himself.

But I can tell you that I can mow the lawn and be through for the day. Or I can clean the house, or I can do laundry but I can not do all these things at the same day now because I just simply do not have the energy for it. Before I got sick 8 months ago, I could do all this and more. In fact, I was going to start my own yard service. I was mowing 3 lawns a day for the neighbors and doing my house stuff AND being a yard duty at my kids school, besides walking 5 miles a day 5 times a week. GEEZ! I am tired from typing all that. So you can maybe get a better picture of why the low energy level is a problem.

The FNP was all fired up about me taking a perscription medicine for energy. Basically legalized methanphetamine. I don't remember the name of the drug at this moment. I said no to that. Perhaps there was less stress while filming the tv show than there is at home, but I drank on average 4-5 sodas a day. Something I don't usually do at home. When I got home and quit the soda intake, I fell right back into having no energy and needing lots of sleep. So maybe the answer is to drink lots and lots of caffine to feel normal.

Don't know, but thanks for your reply.
Sandy

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-25-2004
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 9:02am
A person shouldn't have to drink lots of caffeine to be able to feel "normal"! I'm sorry you're feeling the way you are. I know that I was once a very energetic person and over the last few years, with an early perimenopause (but as I read this board, I begin to wonder if it wasn't signs of thyroid problems, who can really know, you know?), I would say I've been going through a lot of loss of energy, BAD mood swings, and just a basic complete personality change since about this time of the year of my 37th year. I'll be 53 in March, so I tell you, if I can get back to anything near what my norm was, I'll be one happy camper!
By the way, not trying to throw any diagnosis at you, but have you ever been checked for A.D.H.D? My son is and caffeine calms him down. Not sugar though!
Good luck!
Carole
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 11:17pm

Hi Sandy - I'm so sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. I couldn't get on the board. It wouldn't recognize my name and password!! And now my computer is acting up!! Geeesh!! Did you call your lab? I can't find anything on it so far. I'll look some more tomorrow and let you know if I find something.

About the fatigue - it's just a very commone symptoms of hypothyroidism. I just thought you might be someone who needed a lot of sleep! I went through the same thing before I was diagnosed. I would do one thing and be wiped out for the day! I would sit and watch tv with my husbanc at night and having nothing, not a single thing to say. And not a thought in my head!! It was awful. I would sit there and wonder at how strange that was - to be thinking of nothing and to have nothing to say. That couldn't be farther from who I am. LOL!! And I only need about 6 hours of sleep, too, when I'm healthy, but when i was undiagnosed, I couldn't get enough sleep. It's because all your systems just slow down. Your thyroid controls your metabolism, which, in turn, controls how most of your majoy bodily systems functions. It's amazing to think that your thyroid could have such far reaching effects, but it does. I really think it's a bad idea for you to be off medication entirely. When do you go in for your new blood test?? You need to be back on meds asap. Are you looking for a new doctor in the meantime?? Cathy

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-16-2004
Thu, 12-23-2004 - 11:25pm

Cathy,

I just posted a different letter. I am just sitting here crying at how tired I am and how cranky I am about nothing and I can't stand it cause that isn't who I am.

I called the lab and they said they had no idea about such things. I did write to a lab site online who had written me before to a question I asked. So maybe within the next few days or so they can answer my question about being off the meds and getting them out of your system. I have been without them for 2 weeks today and I sure do feel a GIGANTIC difference. I have no idea when to go and re0do the lab tests. But I want them to be highly accurate for the FNP so I am waiting as long as possible to do so. But I don't know how much longer to wait. Sometimes I feeel like I have a lump in my throat...sorta like when you want to cry but don't. I have that now. But I really am crying now. But even when I don't cry, I can feel that lump sometimes. It feels like when this all started last April.

As far as your description of your day/night, I can relate to that. Sometimes I just want quiet. The idea of having to try to put thoughts together to speak is just too much effort. That isn't who I am!!!! I swear it's not.

Sandy

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Sun, 12-26-2004 - 4:02pm
I know this isn't who you are. It's just a temporary state until you get your whole thyroid issue taken care of! One day, it will all be behind you, thank goodness. it is for me. You just have to hang in there. When are you going to be re-tested? Cathy