Fifty Plus (50+) - anyone take thyroxine ?

several years ago I was diagnosed with mild Hypothyroidism The Dr gave me a prescription for thyroxine but the first time I took a tab I felt very ill indeed. I had palpatations and felt extremly anxious as if something awful was going to happen to me . It lasted 2-3 hours bfore wearing off . It scared the life out of me and I never took it since.
I would like hear about others experiences with thyroxine as my health has deteriorated sharply in the past 7 years

Sorry if I posted in the wrong forum but I thought this the most likely place for some advice

several years ago I was diagnosed with mild Hypothyroidism The Dr gave me a prescription for thyroxine but the first time I took a tab I felt very ill indeed. I had palpatations and felt extremly anxious as if something awful was going to happen to me . It lasted 2-3 hours bfore wearing off . It scared the life out of me and I never took it since.
I would like hear about others experiences with thyroxine as my health has deteriorated sharply in the past 7 years

Sorry if I posted in the wrong forum but I thought this the most likely place for some advice

According to the side effects listed for this medication, the reacation you had may be caused by too large a dose. Did you discuss this with your doctor?

Side effects listed for this medication:

Since thyroxine is a replacement therapy, few side effects should be anticipated providing the dosage is suitably tailored to need. When daily doses exceed what is actually required there is a tendency for increased metabolic activity which may result in palpitations and chest pain (especially in those with heart disease), muscle cramps, sweating, tremors, diarrhoea, restlessness, insomnia and headaches. However such problems, should they occur, will readily respond to a reduction in dosage.

BF is the wrong place for questions and answers to this. Talk to an endocrinologist. You should never mess with thyroid problems or second guess anything hormone related. It is very specific to -your- exact endocrine system.

Only an endocrinologist studying your bloodwork can give you answers of any worth.

+1 from an MD.

I thought by posting in the over 50 I would recieve some intelligent answers.how wrong can you be ! Maybe I should ask in the Foo section they sound brighter there.
I am not asking you for a medical opinion I am asking for other sufferers experiences.
if you are unable to contribute something constructive please don't post and go troll somewhere else....kids tsk....

According to the side effects listed for this medication, the reacation you had may be caused by too large a dose. Did you discuss this with your doctor?

Side effects listed for this medication:

Since thyroxine is a replacement therapy, few side effects should be anticipated providing the dosage is suitably tailored to need. When daily doses exceed what is actually required there is a tendency for increased metabolic activity which may result in palpitations and chest pain (especially in those with heart disease), muscle cramps, sweating, tremors, diarrhoea, restlessness, insomnia and headaches. However such problems, should they occur, will readily respond to a reduction in dosage.

thanks for your response .yes I read this on the internet too and yes I discussed it with my doctor. We agreed to try half a tab this week but I am interested in peoples personal experiences in living with hypothyroidism not pasteups of internet info I can google myself thanks anyway

I thought by posting in the over 50 I would recieve some intelligent answers.how wrong can you be ! Maybe I should ask in the Foo section they sound brighter there.
I am not asking you for a medical opinion I am asking for other sufferers experiences.
if you are unable to contribute something constructive please don't post and go troll somewhere else....kids tsk....

Whoa, a bit testy, are we? You must not have spent much time on this forum. These people aren't trolls and they responded to what you said: you asked for advice. Re-read your original post.

I thought by posting in the over 50 I would recieve some intelligent answers.

You have. But it's also pretty obvious that not many 50+ers have had experience with hyperthyroidism. You can't fault us for that. If we had, believe me, you'd hear it. Maybe someone will respond who has had experience. Be patient.

i see that I did use the word advice in the last sentence but it should be clear enough from the main body of the thread that it is actually others personal experiences that I am interested in .
I would like hear about others experiences with thyroxine

nowhere did I say I was looking for medical advice. I thought that edzo's response was rather arrogant and patronising. but that is my personal opinion and I am sure others will see it differently. He speaks about endocrinology so knowledgeably I would be interested to know exactly what his experience is with the subject.Anyway I intended no insult and accept that I should have just let the comment go without responding

I would like hear about others experiences with thyroxine as my health has deteriorated sharply in the past 7 years

OK, I'm no doctor, but I do have hypothyroidism. I had my thyroid removed 12 years ago (suspected cancerous nodules, turned out to be Hashimoto's) and have been on thyroxine (T4) since then. I also take cytomel (T3) twice a day.

I don't doubt that your health has deteriorated in 7 years if you've been hypothyroid all that time. Once it's controlled, life is normal (except for perpetual trouble with maintaining a healthy weight that seems to be a problem for everyone I know who's hypothyroid.)

I found http://thyroid.about.com/ to be helpful when I was learning about hypothyroidism. Good luck.

I've been taking it since last fall. My doctor started me on 25 mcg then upped it to 50 mcg when my blood test showed it needed to be increased. No symptoms at all. What I noticed was I gradually started feeling more energetic and less blue. Felt so well I bought a bike and have been riding, losing some weight and enjoying life. The nodules in my neck seemed to have decreased in size too. Had a scan to make sure they were non-cancerous. There are very grave consequences to not taking your meds. You just need the correct dosage and possibly a different type. Keep going to the doctor and continue to be monitored. Good luck.

If you took ONE pill and got palpitations, it wasn't due to the single pill. Any form of thyroxine simply doesn't act that quickly and it takes a fairly long time to reach a steady level. But one pill couldn't do it.

started out hyperthyroid now I am hypothyroid been that way since i was 47. before my thyroid was regulated I had great weight loss, lack of sleep and constant heart papalations, once they got it under control the only problem is trying to keep the weight down..
I am on 100mcg of levothyroxine,{sp:** at one time I was @ 225 mcg a day

I would suggest having a consistent and constant blood-work-up done where it could be monitored for quite a while, sometimes other meds work better and the tsh- level can be tricky to get under control.