Hi
I’m sorry I don’t have my Hormone levels to post (had bloods done Monday) and told were fine. My problem is my blood pressure is becoming raised & cholesterol and I didn’t have these problems over a year or so ago. I don’t want to have to take bp or statins so can anyone help in my quest to address this issue. I keep reading hypothyroidism goes hand in hand with these issues. I have a healthy lifestyle & regular exercise. I’m at my wits end. Please help!
Hi Stel, you’re correct that these symptoms often come with hypothyroidism. Thyroid medication can increase your bp.
As for the elevated cholesterol, I’ve found this to be a very good indicator of my thyroid condition, and in fact, when my thyroid is really wonky, my cholesterol goes through the roof, before things show in my thyroid tests.
Some things to consider- standards for BP and cholesterol are guidelines. A number on a piece of paper means nothing unless it supports clinical observation and symptoms in some way. Are the high cholesterol and BP causing you difficulties? Consider this when considering medications, as the side effects of the medications may outweigh benefits depending on your situation.
I’ve found that with hypothyroid disease, comes a sluggish liver... as metabolism slows, so does the liver. This wreaks havoc with the fluid dynamics of your blood flow, and since the liver produces cholesterol, you hit it, yes, your cholesterol goes nuts.
Anyone taking Lovothyroxine will go from a healthy BP to an elevated BP don't believe me check out the Mayo Clinic site. If you follow the hypothyroid trail you will soon be waking around with a bag full of pills feeling like crap. Do your own thinking and listen to Catherine she knows and understands the human body and its chemistry. She has no agenda.
YES Dave everyone is different & your reply is a little abrupt. You are lucky that your Levothyroxine is working for you but for a hell of a lot of people it obviously isn’t! If you haven’t got anything to contribute to help, please refrain from replying
The fact is that the majority do very well on Levothyroxine. We never hear from them here of course, why would we? My concern is posts that assert categorically that Levothyroxine will make you sick, not cure you. This is false and does no service to anybody.
Dave, Levothyrozine does not cure you either, so we could argue that post is a false service to people. For some people it helps manage the disease, and for others it's extremely damaging and debilitating. It is not a cure in any way! People who read these posts are adults, and able to do their own research and come to their own conclusions. Your posts that make offensive remarks about other people's very valid experiences and personal research does not give service to anybody either. Most people are here to learn and gather information and support. Most of us are open to that. We are not here to just take one opinion and roll with it because it matches our doctor's outdated attitudes to healing.
I made the point in an earlier post we are all different. Everyone’s experience is valid input to this forum. But it’s a very big and disappointing step from there to “go on Levothyroxine and you will soon be walking around with a bag of pills and feeling like crap”. Most people who post here make responsible recommendations that are unlikely to do harm. That is a standard I urge you to follow.
Well put! Dave is purely abusive. Reading this thread and some class action sites it is very clear there are many people suffering needlessly. As far as the BP thing I researched it myself because of my painful and needless experience and if you ask at the Mayo Clinic site if Levothyroxine can cause hypertension the answer is yes. The most reliable sites for side effects of drugs are the class action sites cause they have collected evidence and won awards - that is factual and not hysteria. Sites like this one flourish mostly because doctors have not been doing their jobs. The art of diagnosis is long gone . In healthcare these days people are treated symptom by symptom using a protocol book, that is why so many people are SICK and there are so many pharmacy chemical sold and tests, worhtless tests ordered.. Doctors have become nothing more than drug peddlers struggling to stay employed. It is a living breathing HELL for doctors earnestly trying to be real doctors. Again well said and thank you for all those who need the support of other people and not abuse.
Well said and thank you on behalf of all people who need information and support. It is really hell when the people who should be supporting the people they are treating don't. It is lonely when you are following your doctors orders and continue to be sick or sicker. Abusive people like Dave and another if they are so well should find another hobby rather than talking disrespectfully to people
Its very important that people are well informed about their medications so that they know when they’re having side effects that outweigh the benefits and can stop before the side effects become permanent and debilitating.
It’s unfortunate that doctors do not monitor for whether the medication is truly effective.
Thank you Cathy. You are completely right in everything you’ve put.
I just posted about my cholesterol being super high and off the charts. My last TSH was a month ago and it was 0.045. I've been over medicated since November and about every 6 weeks they've reduced my dosage but I'm not seeing any improvement.
The cholesterol really scared me, tho I did read that it can take 48 weeks on Levo for things like cholesterol to begin to return to normal.
All these years I've heard people say that thyroid was no big deal. 'Just take a little pill once a day'. Boy they either never had thyroid problems or were lying! It's a full time job!
Hi Diane, I found that my increase in cholesterol has been a more reliable barometer of my thyroid condition than any other test. So cholesterol definitely goes high when the thyroid is low.
I don’t recall whether my cholesterol eventually improved while on the Levo. I don’t think it did. The Levo never really worked right for me, all it did was suppress my pituitary and TSH production with minimal improvement of symptoms and many side effects. So I eventually went off the Levo altogether. I use amino acid therapy now- it isn’t perfect, but better than the prescriptions for sure.
I got fed up with my medical care network. They don’t ever do anything. I realized it wasn’t just me when one of the doctors sued because the parent company refuses to let doctors treat patients.
Diane, that is what I heard too and I was in a position that I should have known better, but I was sure fooled. I got burned badly. Catherine's comment on cholesterol is interesting. Mine was never high, but interpretation of labs and symptoms I have come to believe is a lost art.
Levothyroxine caused me gas cramps for a few weeks when I first began taking it. I saw that you are to avoid calcium products so sent an email asking my internal medicine nutjob what I could do for painful gas and he said I needed to see a gastro! Duh...... Called the pharmacy and they said Gas-X as long as it's four hours before or after. In 2 days the pain was gone. I HATE taking medication!
For the record, my bp has remained stable at 124/ 76 ish even with way too much levo since November.