Would you expect bloating as a result of taking Levothroxine to be improved by reducing or increasing the doseage. 100mg feel water logged, all glugging gurgling and tightness thanks
Hi Lucy
I am sorry but I do not know the answer to this.
Please let me know when you find out because I may be started on this drug myself.
Many thanks
Jean
Hi Lucy, Yes you can have Edema or swelling from medication. It is not common, but some people can have adverse side effects. Please call for an appt. to have the doctor check you. Maybe you are having too high of a dosage, and in some people they take a diuretic "water pill" to reduce edema. Best to let the doctor know your symptoms so they can check your heart also. I hope this helps.
Hi Lucy, it could be me writing same question. Have been taking 50 mg since last October and feel really bloated, can only describe it like something is blocked. Have joined a gym, swimming for over an hour 4 times a week, doing classes.......cannot shift it! Did have a weekend where my ankles swelled up and I passed very little urine. Felt ok and scan was normal, just feel like I could burst!
hi Lucy I'm new here but have never considered that it could be the thyroxine that causes this "bloating" Sometimes I just feel like I'm going to explode. I have been taking 0.075 mcg synthroid foraround 8 yrs-post menopause at 43 yrs. i've never felt like this med has done anything helpful. I recently found a lump on the rght side of my thyroid and am awaiting an u/s I have gained almost 30 lbs in the past 2 months with no change in diet but a slightincrease in activity-it is Spring after all cCould u explain the significance of Vit D, Calcium and the Vit B's I do take B12 by injection every month But I have never been tested for other vit or mineral deficiency Also my gp told me there was no test for your adrenals Good luck getting away from the bloating!!
Dear Krissytina
The test is called cortisol and can be checked by a saliva test. Jean
Hi Lucy, Stomach problems, allergies, and intolerances, are common in people with thyroid conditions. Try cutting out wheat and google IBS - irritable bowel syndrome.
Hi Barbara
I have just found out that I have multinodular goitre. No tests or diagnosis has been made as of yet but I have been urgently referred to an endocrine surgeon and a physician who work in conjunction .
Despite being a retired registered Nurse I had no idea whatsoever that the signs and symptoms were due to a thyroid disorder.
During nurse training we were only taught the bare minimum on the subject.
Since being told jut over one week ago that a multinodular goitre was an incidental finding on a CTPA scan I have been researching like mad. I know from friends that the NHS only does the basic number of thyroid screening and that diagnosis can be missed due to inadequate screening.
I therefore wanted to know what tests should be done in order to habe a thorough screening because I have felt acutely ill now since December 2013 and felt unable to tolerate these weird feeligs which are present all k and tired of feeling ill all the time .I am heartily sick and tired of being told that these multiple signs and symptoms were due to anxiety. Yes dr I would say I know I am anxious but it is caused by these unexplained signs and symptoms and not the other way round.
Anyway since researching and especially since joining this forum I have come to realise that there are very good reasons indeed for the way I feel and am affected by this thyroid disorder. I also have peripheral neuropathy and fibromyalgia. I have spent a fortune on physio and a cbt counsellor. However I could have saved my money because now a scan has identified the problem Sorry to keep going on and on about it. I have been unable to sit down comfortably for well over a year. I detest going to bed because I am unable to get comfortable.
I have neck and shoulder pain, Myalgia, fibromyalgia, feel like I am sitting on rocks, unable to walk far,spasming and burning sensations down my buttocks,backs of thighs, over each knee and dowwn the front,sides of each leg into both feet. I aa;so have the signs ans smptoms of plantar faciitis and feeI am being pushed upwards and unable to balance due to these sensations in my feet.
I also have stiiffness of both knees and ankles with saddle numbness. I am told that all of this is normal in thyroid disorders.
I also have the signs and symptoms of plantar faciitis. Now I am concerned that the diagnosis has come too late for me to be helped with treatment.
Sorry if I have repeated nyself just feel tired but do not want to go to bed.
Jean
Barbara
Why is this?
Is this a permanent thing?
Jean
Hi Jean
Sorry, if this isn't a definitive answer.
In this reply I'm going to identify what is fact and what is my thoughts, so that everyone can question whether I've come to the right conclusions.
In my case the underactive thyroid is caused by my immune system attacking my thyroid (fact: confirmed by blood tests for anti-bodies against thyroid). Once a person has one auto immune disease, they are more likely to get another (fact: confirmed by research).
Allergies and interolerances are the immune system identifying the wrong thing (the allergen) as a problem and attacking it, causing all sorts of allergy symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, swelling, muscle pains, hives, excema etc (fact) - look up 'allergy uk' website.
I'm not medically qualified, but here is what I have worked out. I'm hoping that by cutting out the things that are a problem for say 6 months, I will be able to get my immune system to settle down. The problem I've got is that there are rather a lot of things I'm reacting to. I have a histamine intolerance, wheat inolerance and milk intolerance, so I keep accidently eating something that makes me react. Fact: there are no reliable tests for intolerances. So it's a matter of excluding a suspected allergen (i.e. food) and seeing if the symptoms abate. I discussed this with an allergy consultant and he advised me to exclude the allergens. Since I saw him 3 years ago, the number of foods I'm reacting to has increased and the reactions I get worsened. What do you think about my conclusions?
I think there may be value in starting a new discussion on this topic, so I'll do so. Barbara
The way that thyroid presents itself for me, is that I lose muscle tone and my knees become wobbly and bend backwards. Physiotherapy exercises to strengthen my thigh muscles help. The inside of my kneecap felt like I'd grazed it. Gluco samine helps here, but as I'm allergic to shellfish, I have to get the one that's of vegetable origin.
Oh, by the way, the good news is that many of these symptoms will go away when you start thyroxine. Don't be put off by the number of people who have problems with it, we are in a minority (albeit a sizeable minority). I feel an awful lot better on thyroxine than I would without. It just doesn't solve the hypothyroidism completely. Luckily I have a GP who listens and treats to my symptoms not to the blood tests. Technically I'm being over treated, so I mitigate the potential oesteoporosis as best I can by taking calcium tablets - at least 4 hours after thyroxine as it interfers with the absorption of thyroxine. I also have low blood pressure, so the doctors aren't too worried yet about the atrial fibriliation.
Anxiety is also a symptom of hypothyroidism!
Regarding the neck and shoulder pain, I'm going to start a new discussion on this. Look out for its title: Hypothyroidism and Muscular Skeletal problems
Hi Barbara
Why are anxiety and panic attacks signs and symptoms?
Why do we get spasms and muscular pain?
I have had two panic attacks this morning. I have long qt and take cardicor 1.25 mgms daily for this.
Does anyone know why these horrible signs and symptoms vary from day to day?
I must arrange some blood tests and know I have asked this question before but does anyone have a comprehensive list of blood tests that should be done to do a thorough thyroid screening and bearing in mind the finding of a multinodular goitre on a ctpa sccan? Many thanks and feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Jean
Jean
Can you buy throxine anywhere?
Is it safe to take it without benefit of blood tests and just with a diagnosis of multinodular goitre seen on a ctpa scan. Jean
I think you have a very sensible plan of action. I saw a nutritionist in March and paid ninety five mpounds for allergy testinf. She told me that I am allergic to wheat, gluten, yeast aand milk. I have not been back yet to discuss this in detail. What am I supposed to eat. I also had a bad reaction to amaranth which is a food colourant used in gravies, sweets and some medications.
I regard food as my enemy due to all of this. I just want to be 'normal' again. whatever normal is!!!!!
I do not know enough about allergies and intolerances but from my own personal experienc have found the same as yourself. I think that the immune system has been damaged by antibiotics and a drug called perampanel albeit I only took 2 mgms on four successive nights as instructed by the neurologist.According to info in the Public Domain this drug has been banned in Japan and the USA so why is it used in Britain?
Meanwhile I will researc the allergies and intolerances websites. This thyroid business is just too awful for words.
Jean.
Why is muscle tone lost and will it ever come back?
Just what is going onin this horrid condition?
Jeanx
Hi Jean
Here are some practical things you can do to help the symptoms you've listed.
For the plantar fasciitis try wearing training shoes.
For the getting comfortable in bed - a different mattress may help (test this out by going bed shopping and lie on them to see if you can find one that is comfortable - expensive isn't necessarily best).
Stiffness in knees, muscle pains, anxiety etc. should go away if you get treated for goitre (may cause under or over active thyroid).
Gluco samine may help with knees and joints. Be cautious if you have a problem with shellfish, in which case get ones from health span that are vegetable based.
For blood tests, look at the discussion started by Remotheboss as ShelleyC (from memory so may be wrong person) has given a comprehensive list of relevant blood tests. (I know I wrote this on a different discussion, but thought it might help people in this discussion).
Try ringing the hospital consultant you've been referred to, to see if you can fast track the appointment, you may be able to take a cancellation, or be able to ensure you get an appointment at a time you can make.
Above all, don't give up, some of these things will go with time (I still don't know why my plantar fasciitis went, but wearing training shoes definitely helped).
Other symptoms are likely to improve once you are being treated for the goitre problems. Pick off each symptom and address it.
There are other things you can do (e.g. kelp), but they may mess up any blood tests you have done so are not a good idea at the moment.
If the consultant recommends blood tests (likely) ask him how long it takes before the results are back. Then before you have the blood tests done, copy the blood test form (as you have to give in the form when you have the tests done) - the hospital reception did this for me so I could go and get the test done straight away. When the results are back, ask your GP for a copy of the test results (this is helpful as it shows the ranges that each test should be within - the ranges vary between hospitals and type of machine used).
All the best, Barbara
Hi Lucy
Try sticking to simple unprocessed foods, e.g. fresh fish (not smoked or tinned), roast chicken and vegetables. You will need to roast the chicken yourself as you may have a problem with the preservatives in the ready cooked version. I roast lots of chicken joints together then freeze them in single portion sizes so I can just get one out and microwave it until it's hot (takes 1 minute in my 850W microwave). Packs of ready prepared vegetables have preservatives in them (usually sulphur dioxide) so it's best to cook your own vegetables from raw until you know what you are reacting to. I use the bones and juices from the chicken I cook, and boil it up with water for a couple of hours to make chicken stock as it makes a great base for soups (homemade). I can't even eat tinned vegetables as the tinning process causes a problem with histamine). Jacket potaotes are good. Pasta either re-heated or eaten cold can cause a problem with some people as the make-up of the pasta changes. Same for potatoes cooked in re-used cooking oil, or re-cooked (e.g. ready cooked roast potatoes or chips). Google allergy uk for ideas for what may be causing you a problem.