SYNTHROID Reviews (LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM)Average Rating: 2.6 (900 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare SYNTHROID with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Gender with females listed first (reviews with no gender reported listed before females). Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 |
More on SYNTHROID: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR SYNTHROID | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 2 | Hypothyroidism | total change of person, slowed functioning, mood swings similar to PMS, loss of drive, feeling tired but can't sleep | I was having some problems with my body before I got on this drug, such as insomnia and heart racing, but it seems that the side effects are worse than what I had before. I'm sure this drug works great for some people, but I worry about it for myself. | M | 22 | 6 months | 2/17/2006 | 2 | thyroid removed | it is like a hit or miss with synthroid...anyone else dealing with chronic constipation regardless of diet?...i am at a loss | M | 32 | 10 years | 11/29/2004 | 2 | hypothyroidism | headaches, enlarged lymph nodes, weight loss, panic attacks, irregular heartbeat, palipatations, nervousness. | When I was diagnosed with thyroid disease and began taking synthroid I thought it was a wonder drug. My symptoms disappeared almost entirely and I felt like I was back on track. Now, 1 1/2 years later I am having a large array of side effects and it feels as if my chemical levels are never right. I have been investigating on the net and through others who take the drug and we are not alone, friends. The more I read, the more I see myself in the nightmare stories I've heard. My doctor is in the midst of adjusting dosage (once again) but I feel there must be other alternatives. I felt better then this when I wasn't taking medication. | M | 49 | 1 years | 4/10/2004 | 1 | thyroid removed | does not seem to work for me..my levels are all over the charts..i am investigating Armour Throid as we speak | M | 32 | 10 years | 11/2/2004 | 1 | hypothyroid | Hello again folks. I have great news. I posted here about twqo years back with my symptoms and side effects. Now, after battling with the side effects of this horrible drug for several years, I appear to have weaned myself off of it. There are other alternatives!!! Another poster from this message board suggested some enzymes and natural supplements that appear to have it under control. I am cautious about being too optimisitic because of past ups and downs with synthroid but I will make the following suggestions... If you are on synthroid for hypothyroidism and feel like you are never quite right, have hyperactivity or sometimes just feel WEIRD (I thought someone had slipped me LSD one time when my dosage was too high) try these: Thyroid caps (available at any natural foods or health food store), L-Lysine and L-Tyrosine. | READ ALL YOU CAN about this drug. It was never approved by the FDA and manufacturing standards have been lax, to say the least. It was almost removed from the market several years ago. Read what others have to say about it. Granted, the drug may work well for some, but we are all different individuals and what works for one my not work for another. Good luck to all! -Kev | M | 49 | 4 days | 11/2/2004 | 1 | subclinical hypothyroidism | Weight gain | I began taking Synthroid 2 years ago after being diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism. I was hoping this would take care of the chronic fatigue I was experiencing. Supplementation brought my TSH into the normal range but did not help the fatigue and led to weight gain of about 20-25 pounds. I have good eating habits and exercise regularly, so the synthroid supplemention was the logical cause. I decided to stop taking the synthroid and wait for a better alternative to come along. I have lost a few pounds since I have have been off the medication. | M | 29 | 2 years | 10/14/2004 | 1 | hypothyroid | I am in constant pain, muscle aches, burning sensations and sometimes stabbing pains in my chest, feet and upper arms. I've been to the ER 4 times with symptoms of stroke or heart attack and they can find nothing. I just had a stress teast (treadmill) and the cardiologist couldn't find anything wrong but he did recommend upping my does from 88 to 100 but I am scared to do it because I think the side effects will be worse. I am pretty down about this thyroid condition and wish that more research (and public education) was available. The frequency of thyroid disease is (apparently) increasing so I am hoping that medical professionals will start to figure out other medicines to treat thyroid. I can't even remember what I felt like before I was diagnosed 5 years ago - all I know is that I am having a hard time coping with the pain. | M | 52 | 5 years | 1/13/2007 | 1 | Had a complete thyroidectomy | face felt like it was drooping down. Brain function slow. Head hurt. Muscles in legs hurt | Even after taking it for 2 years and changing dosage, even when the TSH, T3 and T4 were right on the correct levels, I still felt awful. Got very depressed. Forced endroconologist to perscribe Armor thyroid medication and have been on it for a year and I feel way better!! | M | 42 | 2 days | 7/7/2006 | 1 | hypothyroid | I had a slight tremor before taking 50mg Synthroid for 3 weeks. Now I can hardly drink out of a glass or eat. Soup is impossible now. | I always had a problem with falling asleep in movies and plays and doctor's offices. I've been that way since college. I never been short of energy. I don't believe my thyroid is a problem but the doctor's blood test says so. | M | 76 | 3 weeks | 2/21/2007 | 1 | autoimmune thyroiditis | Itchy swollen eyes, hives, trouble swallowing, pain in extremities and a blood clot after 14 days. Symptoms repeated after a stop and restart of this medication. I think its a problem for some of us that is not being addressed. | Synthroid and its generic counterparts are the only approved treatment and we really need research into other treatments. The side effects are not reported often or accurately. If they were this drug would be investigated. | M | 43 | 5 months | 8/6/2007 | 1 | hypothyroidism | after several months on the meds my knees and shoulders started to ache, then my hips. I can't get in or out of a chair. I now have carpel tunnel in both hands. Torture!! My doctor said these symptoms result from the hypothyroidism. I switched to Armour but no change. | M | 52 | | 6/9/2006 | 1 | Hashimoto's | None. Wouldn't even know I was taking it. | Symptoms have never changed, regardless of dosage changes. I hate this stuff, but good luck getting my doctor to see that. | M | 36 | 12 years | 7/12/2006 | 1 | Hypothyroidism | For many of us Synthroid alone will never work. Synthroid has only T4,levothyroxine. Your body is supposed to convert some of that T4 into T3 but in some of us it doesn't. Then you must take a separate pill which contains T3, or, take a pill which contains both T4 and T3 such as Armour Thyroid or Thyrolar. Armour is animal thyroid, while Thyrolar is synthetic. | I have had doctors, including one endocrinologist, insist that my TSH, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, can be brought down with Synthroid alone. Many months of my life have been devoted to Doctors "adjusting Synthroid dosages". It is amazing the number of doctors who have argued with me about this. I have been taking throid supplements for about 30 years. It isn't something new. The best medicine for me is Thyrolar. The Thyrolar website tells you that their pill contains one part T3 to 4 parts T4 and it works for me. Unfortunately it was on backorder and I am currently on Levothyroxine (T4) .075 MG along with a separate pill of Cytomel (T3).025 MG. It was too much and I cut the Cytomel pill in half. I hope to get back on the Thyrolar soon. The Thyrolar is measured in Grains instead of MGs. I take two grains daily. | M | 83 | 6 months | 7/8/2007 | 1 | Hypothyroidism | miscarriages | I posted several down. I just miscarryied again. I found out Tuesday that we lost our baby. This will be the 3rd miscarriage I have had before 8 wks since I have been on synthroid. My TSH levels were at 2.73 last time I had them checked which was recently. Have any of you experienced miscarriages and had it corrected just by changing the strength of your medication? I have read several articles on line saying to get pregnant and maintain a pregnancy, your levels should be between and 1 and 2. Do any of you find that to be true? Let me just tel you, I had a son prior to being diagnosed w/ hypothyroidism. I never had these problems til I began taking Synthroid. I hate this stuff. I believe it is the root of all evil or maybe I am just not on the correct level. I have not actually seen a specialist. I am in the process of trying to get a referral. I don't think my pcp knows what she is talking about. This has been the most frustrating thing in the world. Had I known then what I know now | M | 32 | 5 years | 7/5/2007 | 1 | hypothyroidism | I've gained 15 pounds since starting out on Synthroid. My hair is dry and brittle and receding. I've been on it for two years. I've been exercising like a dog for that entire time and though my weight fluctuates I have only lost about three pounds. This is with weight training twice a week for an hour and cardio three times a week for an hour. How is it even possible for me to not lose weight doing all that? Something is wrong. I always lost weight easily before. | I don't even understand why I am on it. I didn't have any symptoms of hypothyroidism. I had started exercising that week and felt light-headed (from overdoing it) so I thought I'd better get checked out. They took one blood test, then another the next week, and decided I had hypothyroidism. Nothing has improved in any way and now I'm fat. This pot belly can contribute to diabetes and a number of cardiovascular diseases that will be worse than hypothyroidism. The doctor told me my problem is that my thyroid gland dumps everything out at once and I don't have any left the rest of the day. How are they going to know that from a blood test? It makes no sense to me. It's stupid. I'm getting off this stuff. | M | 33 | 2 years | 8/29/2005 | 1 | hypothyroid | chest pain, weird (perhaps irregular) heart beat, insomnia, difficulty breathing, burning in the chest area, hair loss, more emotional | first time taken 3 years ago (1mg) TSH 250, 28yrs old, diabetic. After 4 days, felt like having a heart attack every time i moved. Was healthy before, no heart problems of any kind. So I stopped synthroid, went on a diet instead, some vitamins increase, and for a while on supplement for thyroid that had bovine source (called TFN), and iodine. 2 month later TSH was 20, few month later a third of that. 3 month ago, was put on it again. Same thing even with half the dose of 0.5mg. As soon as stopped felt better. Tried after a week again for about 1 month, same symptoms. And again, and again. This has now been 4 times where i feel bad 3 days after starting this medication, and normal after stopping it! I can't climb a set of stairs while i am taking synthroid, even though i did high altitude climbing in the mountains and ran marathons before. Maybe it is good for some people but for me it is EVIL | M | 28 | 60 days | 7/12/2007 | 1 | Hashimoto's | Severe anxiety, depression, agitation, weight gain, head buzzing, rininging in ears, stuffy head feeling + brain fog | I want to say at the outset that I do think synthroid works for some people, but not for others. I've been on and off this stuff twice now, and it has been nothing short of hell for me. I have been on a small dose for the last 4 months (.25mcg) and it has screwed me up so bad that I don't know if I'm coming or going. That said, I took my final dose over 24 hours ago and already feel like my head is clearing. My doc acknowledged that some people have major problems with synth and that I should give my system a chance to clear out. Sounds crazy to those who live my TSH right? Well how many people are out there walking around with undiagnosed thyroid disorders? I think I'll live. . .and I won't feel like I'm going insane | M | 39 | 4 months | 11/29/2007 | 1 | hypothyriod | This drug nearly killed me ... literally ... muscle weakness, fatique, depression | Stop today if you feel you can't go on and switch to Armour Thyroid ...MAKE YOUR DOCTOR PRESCRIBE IT ... you may have to or switch doctors. Armour thyroid saved my life! | M | 58 | 1 years | 11/15/2007 | 1 | Hashimotos | I had horrific reactions to this drug and unfortunately it unrecognisable and was a slow process. At first the Dr's blamed my symptoms on perimenopuasal, then menopause. I became suicidal severly depressed...my children wont speak to me for 2 years now and I'm a grandmother, I havent seen my grandchild who was born last year. My kids kept saying they felt like walking on eggshells around me and I was very negative. I stoped taking it over a month ago and I feel so good I simply cant believe it, it's incredable. I would rather be dead than go back on that medication | Synthroid stole my life for 13 years and I have no family as a result. If you are on this drug and intolerant, irritable, anxious, nervous, worry, cant sleep, dark thoughts and negative...simply STOP IT take Armour or thyrolar | M | 52 | 13 years 100 1X day | 3/6/2010 | 1 | Hashimotos\Graves? | swollen face, swollen nipples, fluid retention, mood swings, depression, brain fog, extreme oil production in face and scalp, excessive sweating, excessive body heat, blurred vision, joint pains, swollen eyes (graves..or Synthroid?), fatigue, weakness, delayed brain reaction, insomnia, difficulty waking from sleep, frequent urination, occasion frequent bowel movement, weight gain | I have been been on this drug for almost 3 years. I felt great after having thyroid desiccated for 4 weeks. After that my life has been hell. Being on this drug I have had every side effect from brain fog to memory loss to fatigue to blurred vision. In the last few months it has become so bad I am at risk losing my job because I can no longer concentrate while driving because I get dizzy spells and cannot focus mentally and optically. I have been to 4 docs, 2 of which have been endos and they have not even mentioned Armour, not the least bit concerned with my symptoms. I have a wife and a daughter that I must support and through recent research my wife and I have concluded that the best path may be to visit a homeopath. If you are considering taking this drug (synthroid) DO NOT!!! Most doctors do not even acknowledge the Amour brand because they stopped teaching its use in 1975!!!! This Synthroid is garbage and the doctors and the Knoll Company are making profits every single time someone has issues with their thyroid. People are losing years and their livelihood while some jackass is laughing to the bank. Modern medicine can be a wonderful thing, but the major pharmaceutical companies are willing to jeopardize lives and path their way to hell to make us forget the ways of the wise and cash in on our misfortunes. I want to beleive in the Amour. From everything I have read this shift towards alternative medicine makes sense. I will update with the Armour results. | M | 35 | 2.7 years 125 1X day | 2/20/2010 |