Starting levothyroxine

[Pannalash]

I'd be grateful for some advice. I have been given 25mg levothyroxine for an underactive thyroid and am really anxious about starting it. I suffer from really bad anxiety at the best of times and I understand that in some cases it can cause palpitations which I get sometimes anyway and always freak me out. I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know how you felt initially on levothyroxine. Also quite dizzy at the minute with intermittent vertigo which is worse when I'm anxious could levothyroxine make this worse? Thankyou

I have autoimmune thyroiditis and my TSH IS 0.31 which is still a bit high as my thyroid hormone levels are too low.
With a TSH of 2.2, you must need a higher dose. Are they tested your FT4 and Ft3 levels as everyone is diferent.

debska yes I had, and I'm on 100/125 alternative days. My TSH I think was around 1.5 or 2 last time it was checked, but it does not need to be suppressed in my case

I am on 125mcg and i have never had any side effects

I have been taking 75+ since 1997

Interested to read all this. 32 years old and a year post partum. Was feeki mg utterly exhausted and low, broke down to GP. Tests showed hypothyroid. Been on v low thyroxin (25) for 10 days and not seeing a difference yet. Have more tests in 2 weeks as doctor said I would need a higher dose. My TSH was 22.4 and T4 9.4?

Have others felt v low/shaky/dry eyes/just utterly exhausted with hypothyroid? Also have two raised lymph nodes on my neck and suffer with health anxiety so I'm terrified I have something horrendous too.

How soon does thyroxin usually kick in?

TiA

I'm not a doctor, just a fellow sufferer. But yes for such TSH I would certainly expect a higher dose. I know some doctors prefer to raise the dose gradually though.

Yes, being hypo would make you totally exhausted, that's quite normal. Thyroxine would kick in in a matter of days, but 25 is likely still too low for you to feel better.

RC000 sorry you feel so rough hope you start feeling better very soon. You're results are very similar to mine. Do you mind me asking if you have felt any side effects from the medication?
I too suffer from health anxiety so I really sympathise and this is one if the reasons I started this thread as the thought of taking the tablets has irrationally terrified me.
I wonder if my constant anxiety and panic attacks can be related to my underactive thyroid. Take care.

I really would start the medication OP - i think it can (from my limited research) be quite comment for those with UAT to suffer from anxiety and panic attacks.
I am following with interest as my GP won't medicate me at the moment and I am feeling rough (classed as borderline underactive) - though a bit better since my ferritin levels have gone from 8-24
my TSH was 2.54 and T4 was 10.7 - I am not sure what that means but the doctor said my body was adequately compensating (depsite my symptoms)

pannalash thank you. No side effects at all yet tbh. Dose is low though. I think anxiety and feeling low are definitely symptoms of hypothyroid too. I too would suggest starting the medication. It is scary but so many people take them and they will have been thoroughly tested. If your bloods are similar to mine my GP's words were 'No wonder you have been feeling so tired and low'. Could you go back to GP and discuss worries with her/him?

Thanks Changed I am going to start the medication and hope it will make a difference to the anxiety do you mind me asking when you say 'rough' what do you mean? I've been thinking that I have been relatively symptom free and attributing things to my age and the menopause. On reflection I think probably it could be down to my Thyroid.

changedjustforthis That is frustrating - will they check your bloods again in a few weeks?

Thanks RC000 I think I have probably been coping with the symptoms for so long that I have forgotten what it feels like to feel properly well as this has become my 'normal'. So when I've said up thread that I feel ok I realise that I really don't but it's so long since I felt truly well that I've almost forgotten what it feels like not to be tired and exhausted and low.

Debska .I am 5 years post thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer. Initially I was on a high dose to keep my TSH totally suppressed. After a while I dropped to 125 micrograms, then 112 micrograms . After 5 years all clear with good thyroglobulin results that don't show any recurrence they like to drop your dose so that your TSH starts rising to minimise heart problems, so now I am on 100micrograms. I feel fine. No adverse effects.

Pannalash. 25 micrograms is such a low dose as to hardly make any difference but they always start you off low and work upwards according to what your blood results show.

I've been taking levothyroxine for hypothyroidism for nearly three years. I started off on 50mcg and am now on 100 mcg. Apart from a headache when I first went up to 100 mcg, I haven't had any problems - and I do feel so much better. I found that weird symptoms that had crept up on me, disappeared once I was on Levo, although it took about a year to feel completely better.

My granny was on levothyroxine for about forty years without trouble and died aged 93.

I started taking mine at night before bed because I need to take other meds in the morning, plus I found it hard to take an hour before breakfast. The first few days did interfere with my sleep but that settled.

I found that it helped me and that i seemed to be able to loose weight easier when taking it at night. I probably have the worst patient compliance ever and forget for a couple of days and wonder why I feel like shite! Generally thought I think taking at night has helped me.

Just googled and found this: www.verywell.com/should-i-take-my-thyroid-medication-at-night-3233260