Synthroid....

Well, hallelujah, my doctor finally decided to take a big step and put me on Synthroid 50 mg to see if do or not
have any thyroid problems, since my lab tests are showing slightly elevated anti- TPO levels and my TSH is on borderline,
wavering up and down. Granted, never below the norm but gravitating toward the low.

so combining with my lousy state of health - feeling always very cold, extremely fatigued, my hair are falling out
(although this one could be due to Topamax?), and even I continued to gain weight last year without eating that much more-

she decided whattahey, could be Hashi, could be hyperthyroid (did I get that right? low TSH = hyper?) - let's try it.

I took the first 50 mg this morning. I am very nervous because truth be told I noticed
even with these hellish hot flashes at night (she insists these are due to menopause, not thyroid, hmm)
and lack of sleep, and general exhaustion the last month I had very few truly severe M.
Overall, this was surprisingly good month M-wise, come to think of it and yet one of the s/e of the Synthroid is.. headache!!

Also, if my symptoms are indeed due to thyroid, how soon will I see the difference, please?

Risa

I don't know how quick to tell you, since it made no difference to me, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's your magic cure all! It did however help the no energy issue, so even if my head is hurting (usually postdome days), I can get more done than I could without it. If the hypothyroid is what's causing the hair issues, be patient with the Synthroid...it took me nearly two years to notice my hair filling back in.

Thank you Sarah.

yeah, the biggest struggle for me currently is lack of energy. everything else is now secondary. And being cold, so cold all the time.
If I could compare myself to anything these days, it's this;
- a rag doll filled with lead.


I can barely force myself out of bed, and from then it's struggle uphill. I've given up on everything I used to love -
going out with or to friends, going for walks with the dog, because it's too cold
for me to be out of comfort of my own house.

It's either too cold outside, or everybody else's house is too cold for me.
And after two years or more, I get pissed by the same people STILL commenting "what are you, cold!?"

I can't even do any shopping because I find the stores too cold!

And even if I do have a better day when I feel not that cold or force myself to go anyway, I am always so damn tired.

No more gardening, no more fun shopping, no more putting out Halloween decorations, no more pumpkin carving
and the likes...

Risa

Risa-

Then the synthroid could be just what you need. I had always had a low 'normal' temperature, around 97.6. Now I run around the true normal of 98.6. I still tend to layer clothes, but DH and I keep the house cool in the winter, to keep our gas bill lower. I will take layers off down to my base clothes, a single layer over my underthings, when I'm out in a public location, like the store or a restaurant. Last winter at my job in a mall, I would wear capri pants or shorts under my layers, because I'd get to sweating during my shift.

As an example of the energy, yesterday I had a short college exit exam, rather than my usual 12 hour shift at the hospital. After getting home from the test, I ran four loads of laundry, and my husband surprised both of us with a 10 day trip for his work. I knew he planned to fly out Sunday, work changed things at 1:30 PM, and he had to be at the airport at 3:30PM. We got him packed, I got all his clothes together and then drove out to the airport and home again, which took an hour and a half for the trip. I still got dishes out of the dishwasher and put away, and a new load of dirty dishes loaded and washed.

And I did all this while hovering around a 4, and then took my Maxalt, since I could tell I was just going to get worse. There's no way all that would have gotten done before I went on the synthroid.

I feel so bad for you Risa, and really hope the Synthroid helps. I remember many years ago my mother was so ill one day that I called the doctor who actually came to the house in those days (back in England). After examining her at the hospital, she was told she had gross thyroid deficiency and they took photos of her for a medical book. They wanted photos of her after so many months of treatment so they could show the difference in appearance.

I do remember her one symptom was being cold all the time, also extreme lethargy, her legs felt like lead weights just walking up stairs, another one was very dry skin. She also had a real craving for dry crackers, not sure if that had anything to do with the illness.

I'm not exactly sure but I think it can take a few weeks to really notice any difference, wish it was sooner than that for your sake.

Take care and keep us posted, I sure hope you start to feel better soon.
(hugs)

yeah, heavy legs, too! and always low body temperature, yes barely above 36'C ever, oh yea...
and also always low BP. although that one creeps up lately, hmm. perhaps due to my elevated cholesterol?

Thank you guys!

Well its' been day two of Synthroid, and day two of constant mild M - level oscillating between 5-6-7. Not too bad,
but not very good either because I need to keep it under with Maxalt & Percs, but even more than that I need to save my Percs!

Well I will see what happens for an entire week, if I will be having more energy and feel less cold then perhaps it's worth
the fight. If not, I'll ask my dr if I should stop the med and try HRT instead.

After all, the most pressing issue I have now is inability to sleep as these hot flashes wake me up two three times at night.,
every single night for at least 3-4 months now.
But if I am to chose between extreme exhaustion, feeling severely cold and Migraine, I chose the first.

So, we'll see...

Risa

Risa.I have hypothroid..I take the same medication..I need to go have my labs checked to see how my thyroid is functioning now. I was hoping that I would feel better..for me it hasn't changed anything..but, maybe it's because I have fibromyalgia as well.

Hope that this makes you feel a lot better..love you greeneyes

Since it's been about two weeks, how's is going? Have you noticed any changes? I've had you included in the voodoo chicken shaking along with Milo's nephew.

Oh, thanks for remembering me.
I honestly don't know whether it is working or not?!

I have a gnawing suspicion I am feeling even more cold than ever, if it is at all possible?
I had to put two more comforters on top of the one I already had to finally stop shaking from cold in my bed!
And during the daytime I am constantly cranking up the thermometer and adding to the stove.
I loathe leaving a house thinking how cold it feels in the car! and outside anyway.

Maybe I am calmer a little, as in less emotional is all, but I am not sure whether it is because my family life became
less emotional lately as well, or indeed it can be contributed to the medication?

In one word, I am confused, lololol

Risa

Well, so it's been almost three weeks.

Yesterday I saw my fam dr and since the first script I had was for only 30 tablets -so now only 7 left,
she handed me another one and this time I saw it's for 25 mg only.
I was surprised and asked if I am supposed to reduce the dosage already, and that's how it turned out there was a mistake
last time because I was supposed to take 25mg from the very beginning, lolol
so, since there was a screw up I started with 50mg, and now we are reducing to 25mg.

Also, since the hot flashes I have from at least June, July are so unbearable I decided to go on the estrogen patch.
it will be interesting to see how this whole thing will play out.

I put the patch on yesterday and pretty soon I got pounding M, distinctly hormonal - less in the temple, mostly at the top of the head
and in the back close to the neck.

Since the end of August I became to loathe going to bed because of the flashes, back pain and shivers,
so I kept delaying going to bed and started staying up late, then later and later, and later,
and last night I went about 5 am (I know!!) with pounding M.

and that's how I can say when I put the patch at about ..ohh.. 7pm-8pm -something like that, by 5 am I think I had to take
my Maxalt and two P at least twice

For the whole past week I hardly had any M, hardly HAs even, so this making me sad.
If this will continue then I won't be able to have the patch, and it will be disaster for me,
as last night was the first night when I wasn't sweating so much and actually had a reasonably restful night (not counting M).

The M however persisted all day, and even now at 11 pm I can tell it is still lurking in there :[

I have a hope though, maybe it will be enough to just reduce a dosage, as my dr mentioned something about starting high
and going down later on.... so, fingers crossed...

Risa

So sorry to hear this Risa. I was on the Estrogen/Progesterone patch for about five years and I never found it caused more migraines. Perhaps it will only do that initially. I sure hope so because the patch was amazing, no hot flushes on that! I have been tempted to go back on it but the flashes are much more mild now and I don't get them as often. They were dreadful soon after having my total hysterectomy about 8 years ago, having no ovaries will do that!

Good luck, hope you can get this all sorted out, it sounds quite miserable.

{{{{Hugs}}}}

Thanks, Ruth,
thanks, that's makes me really hopeful as after that initial headbanger (lol) I haven't had anymore serious M just a very minor ones
so there is hope I, too will tolerate this HRT.

The way I understand it, the Estradiol patch I have contains only estrogen so I will be asking for e/progesterone combo
as my hot flashes are not competely gone, just improved.

maybe I just need stronger does, I dunno, still I've heard the ones with also progesterone are safer than estrogen alone,
so gotta discuss this stuff anyway.

Risa

It's been six weeks of Synthroid, and since I can't say I've experienced any significant difference
my dr insisted (she did from the very beginning anyway) that for sure whatever makes me feel so lousy, it's not thyroid,
so I am off it for good as of yesterday.

Oh well, I tried. Wonder if I will feel any differently now, hmmm...

Risa