My husband takes 125 mgs of levothyroxine also. He has an underactive thyroid as does his mother..I think it is hereditary. My husband gets sluggish and tired abut has no RA type symptoms and he has had thyroid issues for years. I don't think one has to do with the other but of course I am no doctor. I do know that an untreated under active thyroid will make you VERY tired and sluggish. It is hard to know what symptoms cause what problems. I guess that is why doctors go to med school for so many years. And I still believe they are often baffled by patients and don't always know the correct daignosis. I am glad you switched doctors if you were not satisfied with the first one. Just ask a lot of questions and do your research on the web. RA does not always show up as positive in bloodtests. That is just one indictor of many that a doctor tries to use to determine if you have RA. I guess my next question is are you seeing a rhuematologist? They are much better equipped to make an auto immune disease diagnosis because that is there specialty. I hope this helps..and feel better soon. Just listen to your body and REST if it is telling you to do do!

Well, I know from first hand experience what having a low thyroid is like. It was my gynecologist that caught it. I was having slight milk production of all things, which made me think I was pregnant! I didn't know what my problem was. I was struggling to remember things and I was a waitress which meant I started to make more and more mistakes with orders. I was working and going to school full time. I remember putting Bengay all over my legs, I was in so much pain. So yes, the pain and symptoms are very similar. I too am on 125mcgs of levothyroxine. My hypothyroidism started a few years ago. I inherited this from both sides of my family and no one on either side has RA. It is quite possible this is all you have. I believe you should treat one symptom at at time. Hypothyroidism can cause many terrible things including brain damage if it gets too low. Your thyroid gland helps to filter your blood and controls so many things in your body, it's severely important to get it under control. There are many diseases that mimic RA, including Hoshimoto's disease. If it's possible for you, you should see a thyroid specialist. They can keep better track of your thyroid gland, as well as consider all the tests. If all you have is low thyroid, consider yourself lucky. Soon you will feel more than o.k. and once under control, hypothyroidism is easy to keep steady. Don't jump to conclusions yet, but do your research because it can't hurt, and learn about all the tests and procedures as well as what things mean on your blood tests. There are lots of things you can do to be proactive. You can request for specific tests to give yourself peace of mind. And so you know, depression goes hand in hand when your thyroid gets too low. Cheer up, feeling normal again is just around the corner! Good luck and I truly wish you the best!

see a rheumy for sure. FM sufferers have the tingles and the numbies and painfull skin and sometimes myofacial pain etc etc etc fibro is hard to diagnose and when you do get a dx most healthcare professionals treat you like you have a mental condition good luck

Thanks for answering. I dont see a rheumatologist as the doc is just concentrating on the thyroid thing at the mo, I do feel a bit better in myself but probably around 80% of the initial symptoms are still there. I can see your point of treating one symptom at a time, its a way of eliminating them out. Ill be honest and say that I hadnt got a clue what a thyroid was a couple of years ago and when someone said they had an underactive thyroid I thought was like being anemic, I sure got that wrong. Your answers have been helpful and have put my mind at rest some so thanks again xxx

Make sure as well, that you are taking your hormone correctly. For me, that means I don't eat for at least an hour in the morning on an empty stomach, drink plenty of water and not juice, and don't take anything else with it like antacids, or vitamins.