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509437 tn?1210909765

So many things wrong with me.

Hello everyone, this is my first post here.  I am a 42 year old who has suffered with anxiety since I was a teen.  I had a total throidectomy, (removal of entire thyroid), in December of 2007 and take a replacement hormone called Synthroid.  Since this surgery I have been very anxious if something should happen with my throat and breathing issues.  Now that I am 5 months into my recovery I do not worry about this as much.  But, in it's place these things are happening....      Everyday I am dizzy to the point I feel like I am going to fall at times.  I also work in a pharmacy and if I am counting bright colored pills on our white counter my eyes feel weird and the sensation of falling is worse.  I have shortness of breath that just started at different times of the day and not everyday do I have it.  I have chest pain that my doctor thinks is muscular.  I just started with a pressure on the left side of my head and my head feels like it wants to pull that way.  My doctor has ordered an MRI to be done on the 20th of my brain and also a chest x-ray to see what is happening with my lungs.    Now the funny thing is when I take half a Xanax most of these symptoms will disappear except for the chest muscle pain and some tingly feeling on the left side of my face.  I suffer with panic attacks and they usually are where I shake alot, rapid heartbeat, feeling of wanting to get away and run, and at times but not all the time the feeling of my throat closing in on me.  So this is normal for me and I accept it.  However since the surgery I have to take a half a Xanax everyday as compared to only having an attack every few months.  Do you think all the new things I am experiencing are related to anxiety too??  The left sided pressure has me pretty worried in itself as my doctor said it could be a tumour.. Any thoughts?  Thank you so much!  :)  
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242912 tn?1660619837
Hey Michelle,

Let me ask you a question.  Have you by any chance had any dental work done since you started the Synthroid?  I know it's a strange question, but bear with me. : )
Helpful - 0
242912 tn?1660619837
Lol.....duh, of course you know about Xanax since you work at a pharmacy.  Sorry, in the span of a couple of minutes, I forgot that fact.  It's getting late.....should probably stop posting before I embarrass myself further.  : )

Thanks for the well wishes Michelle...
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509437 tn?1210909765
Thanks so much!  I have seen too many people addicted to Xanax at my work and try to use it sparingly and it's why I only use half a tablet.  I have been on all the other things such as Prozac, Wellbutrin, but those are for depression and only depressed me more!  lol  I will look at the posts on the Thyroid forum too.  :)

Good luck to you as well, I hope we all find out how to control these things soon.
Helpful - 0
242912 tn?1660619837
Hmm....sedates the inner ear.  That's interesting.  The problem with taking Xanax everyday though Michelle, is it's a short acting benzo that you will become tolerant to quickly and soon you will need to up the mgs to get the same relief.  I have been taking Xanax for sleep for a VERY long time so the damage is already been done for me.  That's why I don't take anything extra during the day unless absolutely necessary.  

Until you get to the bottom, if there is a bottom, to your new symptoms, I would switch to a longer acting benzo like Valium if I were you.  

Also, please get a second opinion about the Synthroid as you know your body best.  Have you posted on the Thyroid forum?  There are most likely some people there with the same reaction to Synthroid as you have.

Good luck hun.....
Helpful - 0
509437 tn?1210909765
Thanks for the reply.. :)  I am sorry you go through these same things as I do.  I could deal with the ocassional attack with the shakes mostly but these new symptoms are scary.  I also can relate to how you are having a nice time with your Mom when one strikes out of the blue.  My doctors say these new symptoms have nothing to do with the Synthroid but I dis-agree as I was fine the first week after my surgery.  As soon as I was put on this medication that I will have to take the rest of my life now, then the dizzy feeling began and we have gone on from there with worsening symptoms.  If you should ever get really bad feelings of being dizzy I was told to take my Xanax as it sedates the inner ear and that could be causing problems too that you might want to have checked out.  So I take half a tablet and the dizzy feeling goes right away.  It's a temporary fix but until we find out what really causing it, at least there is some relief.. :)
Helpful - 0
242912 tn?1660619837
Hi Michelle,

Except for working in a pharmacy, I could have written your post word for word.  I feel the head/neck pressure on the right and I know what you mean when you say your head wants to pull that way.  My entire right side feels tense....like it wants to seize any minute.  I have the problem with bright colors on a light surface too.  Makes my eyes feel tight and dry.  My eyes feel gritty and strained all the time even though I sleep pretty well.  I take Xanax too, at night, so hey, maybe it's the Xanax causing the effect to the eyes, I don't know.  

I also have the chest muscle annoyance and my doc says it's probably the cartilage doing something or other.  

I was at my moms yesterday.  I feel perfectly relaxed around her.  We're sitting in the living room talking when suddenly, out of nowhere, I feel like I'm falling or going to faint.  I've felt this so many times, I just shake my head and wait for it to pass.  

I've had a head MRI, chest Xray, 4 MRI's last year and a host of blood tests.  I DO have dengenerative disc disease from my cervical to my lumbar, but nothing explains the symptoms we're talking about other than anxiety.  

Oh, and the Xanax works just like you say.  Gets rid of most symptoms, but I just deal with it rather than take Xanax during the day.  SOMETIMES I will though if I have to go to the dentist or somewhere stressful like that, but otherwise, I just put up with it.  

However, you say these symptoms are since Dec?  Have you spoken to your doctor about a reaction to the Synthroid?
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