Hypothyroidism Support Group
Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...
have had hypothyroidism for years.
Doctors have upped and lowered my thyroid medine dose and changed me from synthroid to levothyroxine.
The endocrinologist I was seeing saiid it makes no difference between synthroid and levothyroxine.
My family dr swears by synthroid.
I was on it but changed because levothyroxine was cheaper.
Meanwhile, I have hot/cold spells at night and am also being balanced for estrogen.
Can thyroid problems cause this?
Anybody had the same symptoms?
Thanks
Doctors have upped and lowered my thyroid medine dose and changed me from synthroid to levothyroxine.
The endocrinologist I was seeing saiid it makes no difference between synthroid and levothyroxine.
My family dr swears by synthroid.
I was on it but changed because levothyroxine was cheaper.
Meanwhile, I have hot/cold spells at night and am also being balanced for estrogen.
Can thyroid problems cause this?
Anybody had the same symptoms?
Thanks
Each brand of levothyroxine contains different fillers. Different fillers mean different rates of absorption. Different rates of absorption mean different levels of effectiveness,.
So, the key to doing well with any brand of levo is to make sure you get the same brand each time your prescription is filled.
If a person changes brands for whatever reason, it's a good idea to check the thyroid levels to make sure they weren't affected by the change.
Your issues could very well be related to your current thyroid levels so, getting labs would probably be a good idea.
Here's a list of symptoms as noted in the thyroid textbook "The Thyroid and Its Diseases":
Fatigue
Swelling of eyelids
Emotional instability
Lethargy
Dry skin
Choking sensation
Low endurance
Dry mucous membranes
Fineness of hair
Slow speech
Constipation
Hair loss
Slow thinking
Weight gain unexplainably
Blueness of skin
Poor memory
Paleness of lips
Dry, thick, scaling skin
Poor concentration
Shortness of breath
Dry, coarse, brittle hair
Depression
Swelling
Paleness of skin
Nervousness
Hoarseness
Puffy skin
Anxiety
Loss of appetite
Puffy face or eyelids
Worrying
Prolonged menstrual bleeding
Swelling of ankles
Easy emotional upset
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Coarse skin
Obsessive thinking
Painful menstruation
Brittle or thin nails
Low motivation
Low sex drive
Dry ridges down nails
Dizziness
Difficulty in swallowing
Sensation of cold
Hearing loss
Weakness
Cold skin
Rapid heart rate
Vague body aches & pains
Decreased sweating
Pounding heart beat
Muscle pain
Heat intolerance
Slow pulse rate
Joint pain
Non-restful sleep/interrupted sleep
Pain at front of chest
Numbness or tingling
Insomnia
Poor vision
Protrusion of one or both eyeballs
Thick tongue
Weight loss or gain
Sparse eyebrows/loss of outer third of eyebrows
Swelling of face
Wasting of tongue
If you are dealing with any of these symptoms, it would be to your benefit to take a hard look at your thyroid levels. And, quite honestly, TSH isn't enough.
TSH is a pituitary hormone and, once we have thyroid disease, it really doesn't give accurate information about thyroid function. Doctors that haven't kept up with things still only use this test and many patients suffer needlessly because of this.
A thyroid-savvy doctor will look at the actual thyroid hormone levels - FreeT4 and FreeT3.
If you have some labs to share (including ranges since they vary from lab to lab), we can help you interpret them. You might also want to share what levo dose you're taking.