Madness symptoms and conditions

I am taking 800 mg three times a day and have been for a little over a month now. It is an excellent mood stabilizer however I have gained over 30lbs since I have been on it and extremely bloated. I am not a fat girl so I think its time for me to end the madness. This medicine would be perfect if it didn't make me want to stuff my face 24/7 and lay around all day.

All I can say is WOW! I did a search for Levoxyl side effects because in the 2 weeks since my dosage has gone up (200 mcg) I have had a constant headache and my entire body just aches, especially my hips, legs and knees. I have a hard time sleeping because I can't get my knees in a comfortable position. I do have arthritis which has not really bothered me in over a couple of years and this is not the same as my arthritis pain. It is more of an overall achiness and it feels like my bones are sore. I am also having eye twitching occasionally, but I am not sure if that has anything to do with it. What should I do?

1990 - 2003 synthroid
Major bone loss
Complete hair loss

extremely depressed after a week of taking levoxyl. Also face is swollen, eye swollen and red and face and eyes burn. These were the same symptoms after taking synthroid after a week. What's next? I am close to being suicidal after having survived lung cancer, surgery, chemo and radiation. To get another primary cancer and have things slide downhill after such a remarkable recovery, I can do nothing but cry after making the decision to have a cancerous thyroid removed that could have served me for years and years since it was such a slow growing cancer. I should have followed my instincts and just left it alone. Now all I want to do is lie on the couch and cry.

I am was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism about 2 years ago. I took the radiation treatment and was placed on Synthroid. Every 4 weeks the dosage was adjusted until my Dr doc determined 0.125mcg worked best for me. Well, at the time I was diagnosed I weighted about 150 pounds. Two years later I am at 180. I'm 5'8 so my doctor(s) tell me my weight is in portion to my height. Well, the extra weight is centered around my stomach and hips, I am extremely fatigued and lethargic, I have brain fog and would like to exercise but I'm just too tired. I heard about Armour but from reading some of the other experiences, it doesn't appear to be the 'cure all' solution either.

I started taking thyroxine about 6 weeks ago - i went to the doc with tingling fingers, bloods showed tsh 34 so doc gave me 50mg thyroxine. Felt awful within a few days i was getting palpitations and felt like my skin was crawling. I couldn't bear even the slightest noise. I had diarrhea (cant spell) fast heart rate, the shakes and couldn't handle lots of people in a room. I am a teacher so it became difficult for me to work. I went up to 100 it got worse, until in the end I decided to stop them.
I am going to wait and see but I would rather be hypo than have these symptoms, my doc said you will feel great soon, pah what a load of c%%%

Why is it OK with the DR. if synthroid makes us gain weight?!!! I've been hyperthroid before and lost weight...why does the med make us GAIN weight...I've tried EVERYTHING....We must demand they do more research..something just isn't right..but what do they care as long as our blood work LOOKS right! We should have the same rights to meds that work as the rest of the population.

I too was a picture of health even with my TSH being off. My old doctor retired and a new one prescribed the levothyroxine.
I never have felt so rotten in my life. Extreme fatigue to the point I am given up many activities I've been involved in for years. Headaches and joint and body pain. I feel like I was hit by a truck!
I stopped the meds and felt fine..cept my cholesterol went up to 262 and my tsh 7 something.
The doctor scared me back on to the levothyroxine.
I am desperate. I wish I knew what to do.

I had my thyroid removed 16 months ago. I had nodules and biopsies, but the biopsies couldn't tell if the nodules were cancerous or not---so I had the whole thyroid removed at my doctor's advice. I have been taking Synthroid and increasing the dosage---now up to 200---and I have gained 37 pounds!! I can't stand myself any more, none of my clothes fit,and I am so unhappy. I had gastric bypass surgery 9 years ago and lost 123 lbs. I had gained 20 lbs, but was stable for 7 years. Then I had the tyroidectomy and -boom- I'm fat again. I am really panicked. I don't want to gain all my weight back. It seems like I get fatter every day. My endo doesn't take me seriously, he says my thryoid is at the right level. I don't know what to do!!!!

I have been on Synthroid since 1983--varying dosages. Side effects have included: weight gain, heart palpitations,adrenalin misfires, extreme reaction to heat (sun burns) and body feels hot all the time, fingers go numb in cold weather. Just recently have not been able to regulate dosage--fluctuating between hyper/hypo. I would like to try a new medication with few side effects. Anyone had any luck finding a different med that works?

I have been on synthroid since 1982 after RAI to treat Graves. I had 1 child since then and was early 20's but around 30's started having weight gain and fatigue etc. I stopped the meds in 1992 on my own for several months then dr was very scolding and said never do that again. Ever since I went back on I have been gradually worse and worse. Went from 105 in 1982 to 192lbs now. I feel so helpless and lack of care from doctors in trwating me. 1996 had hysterectomy and both ovaries removed which has caused even greater imbalance of the estrogen and thyroid. I pray that I can find a cure that does not require medication like synthroid. Tried Armour in 2005 but did not get better. Lost a little weight but now I found it again and more. The only doctors in MN that I believe can help do not take insurance and I am single parent of 2 children and cannot afford to pay out of pocket expenses. I have already spent close to $1000 to the naturopaths but they sold me way too many supplements, I cannot even take all them its too much plus they both said lose weight. I have no energy or mind skills to implement a structured diet and exercise plan. Anyone know a doctor in twin cities, MN that takes insurance Preferred one that can help me with bio-hormones? Tmaya

I am a female and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's three years ago (looking at old childhood photos I've probably had this all my life) and have taken Levoxyl and Synthroid in escalating doses over time. Initially 25mcg for about a year and that was the endo plan until bloodwork indicated a need for more. I quit taking it after a year as it seemed I was gaining weight. After a few months went to a different endo and he started the treatment again with 25 (I weighed 160 at the time) and now has worked it to 100mcg (I now weigh 178!!!). I thought that with the higher dose I would have more of a weight loss effect (definitely not weight gain) and thought I'd have more energy, better brain function and happier outlook. I am experiencing the complete opposite. The last time I visited the endo and he looked at my weight gain he just said to "stop it". I work out almost every day for 45 minutes to 2 hours, have a job that at times requires arduous work, I eat a very healthy diet full of fiber, low in fat, low in carbs. I'm always hungry and feel like eating to make up for a lack of energy. I come home from work exhausted. This isn't living. I've had it with the Synthroid and any form of T-4 alone. I'm going to see a natural healthcare professional to try Armour because none of the medical doctors I've seen will prescribe it or synthetic T-3.

Ive been on synthroid since Saturday august 23rd and I noticed Im more nervous like I want to climb the walls and im sweating profusly. I have lost over 100 lbs since February and I had blood work done on tues august 19th and the doctor put me on 25 mg. Im suppose to go back in 6 weeks and get my level checked again but Im going to call the doctors office tomorrow and tell them what is happening. If this is what is going to happen Im not staying on it. Im only 42 and I am battling deg.disc disease which hurts enough and sciatia.

Im only 16 years old and ive been on levaquin for about 3 days now. My doctor told me off the bat that the only thing wrong with the drug were some "theories" on cartilidge damage, how ever, now i see for myself, and for many other people that is not the only side effect. He told me that no one under 18 is supposed to have it but i caught a severe case of sinutitus, and a uti which ive had for 2 months and nothing was working, so he put me on levaquin, once a day for 7 days. Ive now been having the following symptoms and im extremely scared!!
1. Constant fatigue
2. Extreme Migraines
3. Nausea, vomiting
4. Rapid heart beat (and chest pain)
5. Stiffness in joints and horrible pain...
6. Constant anxiousness, to where i cant get to sleep
7. Dizziness

Is there anyone i can talk to who's had these same problems? please email me or something im scared and i don't know what to do my mother doesn't believe me and she says its just a head cold....

******

Please help me!!

I have no personal experience of Levaquin or the other quinolone antibiotics (Cipro etc.)

A very dear friend was prescribed Ciprofloxacin during the summer of 2004. I am sure that was the reason for his sudden confusion among other things.

His suffering made me look for information on the Internet and I read a lot of books by Peter R. Breggin and Stephen Fried.

Today I just received another one - Medicine Madness ( Peter R. Breggin) and I am happy to say that he has also included a chapter about ordinary prescribed drugs that can cause psychiatric symptoms.

He, for instance, writes about "Antibiotic Madness".

It`s about this very group of antibiotics.

Here are some lines from his text:

"Hardly anyone thinks of antibiotics as potentially dangerous psychoactive drugs but many of them are".

"Levaquin is a member of the quinolones family of antibiotics, a group that is known to cause severe emotional reactions".

The best thing you can do for yourself and the people around you is to inform your self!

It took 3 years for me to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism and for a year I tried levethyroxine. This was a total waste of time. I was so exhausted the kids kept missing school, I kept walking into things, couldn't remember anything so I asked my doctor to let me try armour thyroid. This has apparently T4 T3 T2 and T1 and the T2 is the one that helps your metabolism (weight).
The change is nothing short of miraculous...I know it may not work for everyone but it is worth trying. I also had very extreme mood swings and the doctors were considering manic depression, but the latest thinking with that is to take your TSH levels higher before considering drugs such as lithium. I have just moved to Reading and my new doctor thought my T3 levels too high so reduced my armour dosage by half .....BIG mistake. Ended up in bed for days, couldn't remember which day it was, and the mood swings
!!!!!!! screaming, tearing my hair in frustration, punching my boyfriend. I staggered, literally, in tears back to the doctor who reinstated my original dosage of 2 grains one day 3 the next etc. For me my TSH has to be 0.1,
T4 around 14 and T3 around 8 to 9; basically on the high side but my blood pressure stays low as does my body temp and I feel alive again. It is worth trying different variations synthetic T4 AND T3, and don't rule out armour thyroid if nothing else is working after 6 months of use.

I have been on Yasmin for about a year now and am finally convinced by my horrible side effects that it needs to stop. For the past few months my PMS has been so severe that I'm surprised my boyfriend still speaks to me. The worst time is the week leading up to and during my period. Now that I've decided to stop taking Yasmin, my question is what possible alternatives are there for birth control that don't involve hormonal madness? I've tried several other pills in the past, which just weren't right, and I'm definitely not comfortable with using the coil. Are condoms really the only solution?

Hello my name is Tony.This so called Yasmin took my wife life last week June 27.2008..She is gone because of it..It must stop where is the Corporate world and stop the Madness My wife is dead because of this drug.And here is the sad news she was only 35 years old.. 36 on 08/10/08 and our 13years anniversary on 08/11/08 ..Please is there any class action lawsuits happening .please let me know ******

I was diagnosed with graves disease last year, I had a really acute case that turned me into a total nut job.
In October after going through several thyroid storms and the doctors not being able to keep me stable with medications, I had a full thyroidectomy in October.
I started on .100 mcg of levothyroxine and then the dosage was gradually decreased, I started having a lot of random body aches, mood swings, lots of muscular pains and no energy.
They ended up raising my dosage and detected that I had a large vitamin D deficiency, after several treatments of taking 50,000 units of vitamin D, and also adding my levothyroxine dosage I started feeling better. I still have mood swings here and there, and feel sad periodically, but the last month or so I've been feeling more fine than I have in a long time. They have me on .170 mcg of levothyroxine for two months now. Last week I started getting headaches more frequently, and one of the times I got this nose bleed.
This past weekend I got a headache, and then later that night I had another nose bleed.
I don't usually get nose bleeds or this many headaches so I'm a little concerned.
Also the last time I was getting headaches and constant nosebleeds was when I was really hyperthyroid.
As far as the doctors go, I'm in between insurances and quite honestly I've been frustrated with both my pcp and endocrinologist...

I've been on synthroid now for about a year. My dosage is VERY little (0.075). My doctor keeps running blood tests every 3 months and assures me I am within the "lower-end" of the norm, but I still feel tired, sleep deprived, wake up with night-sweats and I keep gaining weight...

I am only 24 and have just been told that I need to take this medication for the rest of my life, it\s pretty depressing. I keep asking if there are other ways to lose weight and feel more energized. He tells me that I need to keep taking this medication and has put me on a "sleep hygeine" routine where I go to bed and wake up at the same time every day.

Does this "disease" mean I will always be overweight and tired for the rest of my life? I would like to know if someone else with more experience with this medication can give any sort of advice? Feeling a little hopeless about it and not really interested in complaining to my doctor anymore.

Thanks:)

I have just been switched to Synthroid (by my Endocrinologist) after being on Armour for 4 years. I have to tell all you out there that think "Armour" is the save all drug..and believe me I am not an advocate of Synthroid either because I have not been on it long enough to know what possible side effects I might have..however when I first started on Armour I felt like I did before I had been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism ..then about 1 yr ago I started to gain rate rapidly like 40lbs in 6 months feeling sluggish, off and on skin problems, puffy hands, face, feet,hives, pimples in the back of my head almost hive like,some hair loss that is noticeable to me as I have had very thick curly hair all my life now it is getting noticeably thin and It is making me very nervous...My Endo put me on .75 mcg Synthroid and .5mcg Cytomel which she calls a "controlled Armour"..Armour does not stay consistent with your T4's and T3 levels and that is what cause my thyroid to become suppressed and these are the symptoms I was experiencing...she also put me on Spironolactone which is a mild diuretic to lose the puffiness in my face,hands,and feet and so far so good...Like I stated earlier, I am not an advocate of Synthroid or Armour our any drug for that matter, I just want to find what is right for me and stick with it..and if Synthroid doesn't work for me, then I will try something else...Just remember one very important thing.."You" are the only one who knows how you feel and Dr's are not God they can't fix everyone that is why its very important to read about your disease and find out what things might work for you..I suggest getting this book I bought that was recommended to me by my Endocrinologist called "Screaming to be Heard" Hormone connections women suspect and doctors still ignore written by Elizabeth Lee Vliet, MD...its a fabulous book and I am sure all you women can relate to this book...its all about us....Most important thing is to stay healthy eat a well balance diet and exercise..also find out about the foods that only worsen thyroid problems...

Sorry I did not finish my last sentence!
Further more I am going to pass this information along to all my friends and family and hope and pray that it makes it to everyone so this madness with this perscription medication causes STOPS!

My son is three and a half and has been taking singulair for a little over two years. But only when his seasonal asthma flares up or when I know it is that time of year that he has problems. While taking singulair he has always complained of headaches, stomach and leg pains, and of course it never occured to me that it could be a perscribed medication. However after hearing the affect it had on another little girl and that leading me to research it to find all of these postings from other parents. What really brought on the investigation is the last week. My sweet little boy turned into a monster. He kicked, hit, screamed, pinched, bit, scratched or anything he could do to physically hurt you. We were all freaked out by this because he is such a sweet, gentle little boy, one of his teachers made every excuse she could think of. Because this was not in his character at all, then of he did it to her. She described it as a switch going off inside him. I believe he was also hallucinating, he told me someone told him to do it. This is by far the most scary thing I have ever been through and will never give my son singulair again. Further more I am going to pass this information along to all my friends and family and hope and pray that it makes is to everyone so this madness this perscription medication causes.

I have been on Synthroid since about 1995. I had a thyroidectomy and do not have a thyroid anymore. I have been on 0.175 mcg for about 10 years and did not have any side effects except for fatigue and a little depression.Everything else was pretty good. My TSH is registering low so my doctor moved me to 0.1 mcg of Synthroid and 5 micrograms of Cytomel. I took this for about three weeks and for the last 1.5 weeks have had awful headaches and the dryest eyes ever. Something, I have not experienced before. My doctor keeps saying he wants to help me but does not listen to
any of my symptoms. I actually pulled off the symptoms from the list online of hypothyroidism and have 15 out of about 20. I am wondering why I felt so much better on the higher dose than this low dose. Can anyone releate. I am starting to think maybe my body is not processing this right. The funny thing is is that my lab work came back with normal results today, which means my doc is probably going to keep me where I am and I feel the worst I have felt in ten years.

I'd like to say that I think the Old version of Synthroid that existed
before 1982-83 was MUCH better than what is produced today,
I'd done quite well on Old Synthroid from 1975 to 1982 after
RAI treatment for a bad case of Grave's disease when I was
eleven years old....but when Synthroid was changed to be
more "cost-effective" for its manufacturer, my life was basically
destroyed--and I haven't recovered since then, despite trying many
different doses of various thyroid drugs.

Symptoms I've gotten since Synthroid changed in '82 include:
Severe breathing trouble that really limits what I can do every
single day; extremely dry skin in certain places--like legs and
feet; much poorer memory and thinking ability; much drier hair
and too much hair falling out; tendency to get chest pains whether
dose is too low, too high, or "normal," have had a lot of trouble with
blood pressure at times; getting red in face; too much weight gain
for what I eat; lymphedema (much swelling in legs and feet),
inability to sleep well; always feel congested or blocked up;
vision problems like black spots floating before eyes; sensitivity
to light; double or triple vision at times; involuntary eye-twitching
at times. I'm sure I've forgotten some things, too....

A very odd thing about Synthroid since 1982 (and the other drugs
that've copied it, since that time) is that it tends to give me
symptoms of both high and low thyroid trouble at the same
time, while also causing new symptoms that I'd never had in
the first place. Old Synthroid was much more clear-cut for me.
If the dose was too low, I'd have typical low thyroid symptoms
only (too tired, dry skin, etc), and if too high, I'd get only typical
high thyroid symptoms (too nervous, insomnia, racing heart, etc),
Much easier to adjust and work with than today's Synthroid.

At any rate, I was left with little working thyroid gland after my
intitial Grave's treatment, so I am (unfortunately) very dependent
on GOOD thyroid medicine to help me. In my opinion, I haven't
had any good stuff to take since Old Synthroid left the market
in 1982-83. Haven't been well to accomplish much since that
time--feel like I'm getting punished for being a thyroid patient,
which is ridiculous, really--because I know better medicine once
existed, and I want it again!

Have tried many avenues to get someone to produce Old Synthroid
again, but no luck--I'm not rich, famous, or politically connected,
so no one listens to me. But if anyone out there reading this can
help in some way, please feel free to contact me--maybe we can
work together to bring back a better treatment that would help at
least some folks out there who are really suffering. S.D.