Hypochondriac with hypothyroidism

[C_Ho]

Recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Dr flip-flopping between 50 & 75mcg. I've read up on the levothyroxine and frankly I'm terrified to take it. I'm a hypochondriac and the side-effects if you take too much or not enough on the heart is too much. Why are thyroid issues taken so non-chalantly by Doctors? I started at 16 and on 50 mcg came down to 6 but he upped it to 75 mcg. This med is making me feel like sh!t and I can't handle it. Stressed to the core with this mess. Any advice at all? 55 year-old post-menopausal grumpy girl.

[gimel]

Neither of the doses you mentioned are likely to be adequate to relieve your hypothyroid symptoms.  Dosage should be adjusted as needed to relieve hypo symptoms.  I suspect your doctor is adjusting your dosage based on TSH, which is not the right thing to do.   If you want to confirm what I have said, this is a link to a paper I co-authored.

https://thyroiduk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Patients-Guide-Final-V5.pdf

In addition to getting your thyroid levels adequate, you need to make sure your Vitamin D is above 50 ng/ml, B12 in the upper part of its range, and ferritin needs to be at least 100.

[gimel]

First piece of advice.  Get a new doctor that understands how to diagnose and treat hypothyroidism.

There is a lot to discuss, but first please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report, from when you were initially diagnosed as hypo, and also your latest results.  If tested for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, please post those results as well.  Of even greater importance, are symptoms.  What symptoms did you have when first diagnosed?  How long ago was that?  What symptoms do you have now?  

[C_Ho]

I had fatigue, depression, and I could barely get a sentence out. Turns out that my cousin has it also, she said ALWAYS get brand-name levothyroxine. I did, and she was right. The generic sucks horribly. I feel much better now. Thank you for your response. I appreciate it!