Please could someone help me deal with how I,m feeling. I started to take levothyroxine 3 weeks ago and I take it each morning with water. same time every day. I feel as though I am very low, even though a fog has lifted in my head, however my hair is thinning my joints ache so bad, I have a swollen knee thats appeared from nowhere and I am truly exhausted. I live in the UK and my doctor says I have to wait to see what effect the medication will have, they will check my levels after one month. I am so low, crying writing this as my throat feels as though its I have something stuck and it tastes like i,m swllowing iron. What is happening to me? I feel as though I am loosing myself. I have no energy and days pass by with no motivation and its not that I refuse to do these things its that I am truly shattered, could anyone advise me what I can do as my doctor has refused to send me to see an endocrinologist.
you don't say why you are on levothyroxine, I am on 100/75 because I had my thyroid removed and have found that taking the medication in the morning with water and then wait at least an hour befor eating and taking vit D which helps me with aches and pains but we are all different and this site and others will help keep reading and learning.
My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA. I also have hypothryroidism.
When you start taking the medication (LEVO) it takes the body about 6 to 8 weeks , or 2 months to feel better. It takes that long before a proper level is obtained. The body is slow and in our fast paced world we want it now!
Also you must take the LEVO on an empty tummy, no food! It is a good idea to take a multivitamin with iron as we need our vitamins and minerals to be good so the Levo will work better. Please buy a good vitamin and take it when you eat.
After a few months on it, your doctor will order more blood work and then they may increase the dose. This is all normal and we all had to go through this when we started on thyroid replacement meds.
You should be seen by an Endocrinologist since that is a special doctor who knows about the thyroid gland in depth.
Keep taking your med, and get a good multivtamin, as many of us with thyroid problems get low in Vitamin D.
I am using an over the counter Vit D, will find out product name and amount and post later.
I have found taking Vit D has helped me but it is trial and error I have had so many problems with levothyroxine so trying to sort one thing at a time. You will feel better if you read the others on this site, I have found the information helpful and just knowing other have these problems and it is not ALL IN YOUR HEAD is an even greater help.
Dawn it's worth getting your other vitamin and mineral levels checked. Specifically ferritin, iron, vit B12, calcium, potasium, magnesium and vit D. All of which can make you feel poorly if they are low. Ask for a printout of the results so you can see for yourself where you are in the range. In my experience being at the low end of normal can also cause symptoms in some people (both me & my daughter). Ferritin needs to be 90+ to be able to process thyroxine properly. Too much vit D can be harmful, though the amount of vit D in a multivitamin is unlikely to be toxic. B12 is also very important. From an NHS uk website:
"A deficiency in either of these vitamins (B12 and B9) can cause a wide range of problems, including: extreme tiredness, a lack of energy, pins and needles (paraesthesia), a sore and red tongue, muscle weaknessn depression, problems with memory, understanding and judgement". So we hypothyroid patients would, understandably, just put these symptoms down to thyroid meds being too low!