Just started Synthroid - Having problems and I want to stop

[ThyroidGuy745]

Hi All,

My TSH has always been a little elevated and hypothyroidism runs strong in the family.  I also had been having some problems with fatigue.

My latest test was TSH of 5.1 (ref range 0.27-4.2 mU/L) and T4 Free of 14.2 (ref range of 10.5-20.0 pmol/L)

My doctor suggested I try Synthroid (name brand 50 mcg tablets) and that I might be surprised how much better I feel.  50 seems like a fairly conservative dose to start with (I'm a 6', 180lb male.)


I started taking the medicine on Tuesday.  I take it first thing when I wake up and do not take food for at least 30 minutes after.  Friday I had a lot of fatigue.  Saturday I woke with a splitting headache and after taking the Synthroid I was shaking.  I also had nausea and diarrhea.    Sunday was even worse- wake up with a splitting headache, shaking, sweating, nausea with vomit, etc..  The headache seems to subside a few hours after taking the Synthroid.

Obviously I'm going to see a doctor but my doctor doesn't know much about this (she told me so.)  Ideas?

My options seem to be:
1) Stop taking it and wait a few years until my TSH is higher or my hypo symptoms are worse
2) Switch to a lower dose.
3) Switch to an off-brand (perhaps it is the fillers in Synthroid that are causing me trouble although I would have expected that to be the other way around.)
4) Switch to Armour tomorrow
5) Detox from Synthroid (wait until my headaches clear) and then try starting up on Armour

I'd appreciate any feedback.

[ThyroidGuy745]

Thanks both.    I just posted a new thread with an updated test result.   I'm thinking that I will stop for a few months and start more slowly if I try again (although I thought 50mcg would be pretty slow for a 180lb guy....)

[Red_Star]

I had a TSH of 6mU/L and free T4 of 13 and was started on 50 mcg daily and I was hyperthyroid for a week and then worse hypothyroid symptoms for a month since my natural thyroid hormone production slowed down in response to medication but finally the medication built up and did a better job then my thyroid gland.  If I could start over I'd start at a lower dosage first and increase if needed after 6 weeks.

[Barb135]

I forgot to mention that it's not unusual for symptoms to get worse or for new ones to appear when one first starts taking thyroid medication, but they go away once the body becomes accustomed to the med and to having the hormones we've been doing without.  Often we just have to keep taking it until we get used to it, like we do with many medications.

[Barb135]

It takes 4-6 weeks for the Synthroid to reach full potential in your blood, so it's unlikely to have anything to do with the active ingredient, which is levothyroxine.  

It's possible that your doctor started you on too high a dose, but, again, it wouldn't be in your system this soon, I doubt you'd be feeling that, yet, either.  

The 50 mcg tablet is white, so it doesn't have any dye in it, so that pretty much leaves fillers/binders.  

The first thing I'd do is try splitting the pill in half for a while, in case it is, simply too high a dose.  The next thing I'd try is a different brand of medication and starting 25 mcg, rather than 50.  Most people do well with Levoxyl.  

Armour is desiccated pig thyroid and pigs produce much more T3 than humans do.  You don't have a Free T3 test, so you don't know if you need all the T3 that you'd be getting with Armour and I wouldn't necessarily recommend that route, at this point, especially, if your doctor isn't well versed in thyroid care.