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 Date added. 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 | Extreme weight gain, poor sleeping habits, cold feet and hands, chilled body to name a few. | This is a crazy drug. When they adjusted my dosage in the last year to 100mg, I lost 12 lbs in a week. When they re-adjusted it to a lower dosage, it was still too strong and now I am back where I started at 75mg. I gained 20 lbs in 2 months and no luck reducing even though my eatting habits have not changed. I have always been thin and gaining this amount of weight has put me in a mild depressive state. Also once you are on synthroid, you are always on synthroid and a lot of insurance companies are not paying for this prescription including mine. | F | 59 | 5 years 75 mg 1X day | 2/10/2010 | 4 | Thyroid removal (cancer) | Mental fogginess, some memory impairment, immediate weight gain now reversed, body seems to process water irregularly, eye sensitivity, poorer sleep habits. | I guess I have mixed reactions to synthroid. Having my thyroid removed I need to have some supplement. The couple of weeks that I had to go off synthroid after my surgery but before my scans were awful so I am glad to take the synthroid. I have had a number of symptoms but it is hard to tell if those are related to synthroid or to removal of my thyroid - some of both I expect, and I don't think it is reasonable to expect a daily pill to work as well as the thyroid gland. I also had nighttime muscle cramps but added a daily supplement of magnesium and potassium and that went away. The only side effect that presents significant issues to me is screwing up memory; I have a high level white color job and it does negatively affect performance to some degree. The newer treatments they have that make it so you do not have to go off your thyroid medicine prior to getting your routine scans are a huge help. | M | 53 | 1 years 250 MG 1X day | 2/8/2010 | 2 | Hypothyroidism | Moodiness, anxiety, irritability, sudden bouts of fatigue, extreme memory loss, leg cramps, very sensitive to cold, itchy arms and legs, low libido, increased hunger, regained the weight lost with Levothyroxine. Positives include being able to sleep and less fatigued. | Originally posted on 12/30/09 after an allergic reaction to levothyroxine, changed to 25 mg of Synthroid and then increased to 50 mg within when blood test showed still to low TSH (and experiencing moodiness, sudden bouts of fatigue, memory loss, leg cramps and still very sensitive to cold). Now, I feel less fatigued with the next jump up, although I still have several bouts of sudden fatigue, my excellent memory has gone to seed, extremely sensitive to cold, mild leg cramps, itchiness are still there. I miss my memory. Since I am still experiencing sensitivity to cold, I suspect that I haven't finished having my dosage upped. My concern is that my memory will continue to decline as the other symptoms improve. | F | 41 | 4 weeks | 2/1/2010 | 5 | hypothyroidism | Improved mental energy, physical energy, no longer freezing all the time, able to budge the scale downward. Did not know life could be this good | I started out taking 25 mcg., and over the course of 10 years, have finally found the perfect dose for my hypothyroidism: 200mcg synthroid and 24mcg Cytomel (for T3, look it up on this site). My Dr. is excellent about tweaking my dose based on HOW I FEEL rather than just what the official ranges are. I stay just a hair out of range b/c this is where I feel best. My Dr. realizes that nobody knows better how I feel than me. If yours doesn't subscribe to this, switch Drs. Tweaking your thyroid medicine can make a huge difference in your quality of life. Ignore the naysayers on Synthroid. If they have bad side effects, their dose is probably just wrong and they are being alarmists. | F | 43 | 10 years | 1/31/2010 | 5 | Hypothyroidism | Nothing bad. Good: lost weight, better concentration, not feeling cold all the time, no longer tired all the time | The only downside is that as a brand name, it is more expensive than generics. | M | 29 | 7 months | 1/27/2010 | 4 | Hyperthyroidism | I am a Competitive swimmer - I swim 2 miles - 3 to 5 days a week. Everything stayed consistent, diet exercise, and I have gained weight to the tune of 10 pounds in 9 months. When I started Synthroid (50 MCG) my Thyroid number was off the chart 121.8. After 6 Months my Thyroid number was down to 45, upped dose to 100 MCG and my Thyroid number is down to 27.5. I am now on 150 MCG, and will see what happens in 3 months. I am getting my hair back. I now am seeing a B12 deficiency and my Cholesterol number 170 overall, however my LDL is up from 114 to 125 and my HDL dropped from 39 to 33. My Target number for Thyroid is 1. So I have a ways to go. | Synthroid has made a very positive change in my life. I used to sleep most of the day on Saturday and Sunday. Work Monday through Friday, but tired by 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Now, I rarely sleep during the day on a Saturday or Sunday. | M | 49 | 9 months | 1/27/2010 | 1 | Thyroidectomy(cancer) | All possible except death. It feels like I'm almost there though. | Ok, I too thought there could not be so many things wrong with me at the same time. I've been on Synthroid for 11 years. Have never felt quite right. Tried Levox, even worse. Was told in 2006 no natural form or replacement was available for those who are without a Thyroid Dr. Says labs are fine. Not sure if PCP knows how to read? So for years they(Derm.,PCP,Surgeon,OBGYN) have blamed most of my complaints on my Depo or activities- Then I got off Depo in April. My sex drive has come back x's 10 but, now my problems seem increasingly worse and easier to identify. I'm getting dissy and disoriented (sometimes when driving and I can't speak as I try to regain focus). I kept blaming my mental dedgrigation and recently developed communication problems on changing job types. I just feel sick all day everyday. I do try and eat healthy(rarely eat beef, drink well water) and get a good amount of exercise so I have no weight gain complaints. Pretty much everything listed is happening to me though. Took all kinds of shit for acne for many years, negative results. I refuse to take another med to counter the seemingly toxic reaction I am experiencing from prolonged use of Synthroid. I asked my Dr to switch over to Armour but, apparently he does not like it. Does it work for total replacement or should it be used in conjunction with something else to be effective? This has been an extremely effective tool at handicapping and dumbing down the population at the very least. I am disgusted. | F | 32 | 11 years | 1/21/2010 | 3 | Had a total Thyroidectomy June 09 | Hair Loss(still),weight gain almost 70lbs in a year and half due to Hyperthyroid and Graves Disease.I am still fatigued - dont sleep well - continual headaches and continual menstrual cycle for 20 days out of the month for the last 3 months. Really dont have an urge to eat. Just tired all the dang time and really feel like I am at my witts end. | F | 38 | 180 days | 1/19/2010 | 1 | under-active thyroid for 46yrs. | Leg cramps at night. Terribly painful. Loss of sleep. Would lie awake for hours. Felt depressed. | F | 65 | 46 years | 1/16/2010 | 1 | hypothyroid after radio-iodine | muscle stiffness and weakness. brain fog.... | I have posted on here twice now. 8/9/05 and 4/7/07. I took myself off of this horrible drug in August of 2005 and I have not had any since. 5 years 5 months to the day! My tsh is 3.0 and I feel great. Why would anything synthetic be good for your body? | F | 48 | 5 years | 1/9/2010 | 1 | Hypothyroidism | Weight gain, hair loss, ocassional chest pain, and loss of sex drive. | I was diagnosed with Hypo last September, and my MD prescribed Synthroid (no other option was discussed). She told me that I would soon lose the weight I had gained while being untreated. Wrong! I slowly gained about ten pounds over the course of four months. I have also lost about half of my hair, due to the constant shredding. Although my MD said that my thyroid was now "normal" (TSH .79), I questioned why my T3 and T4 levels had only increased slightly (I was at the very bottom of the ranges), and she said that she couldn't increase my Synthroid to improve the low levels because I would go Hyperthyroid. That's when I learned that T4 can only take me so far. I then contacted a Holistic doctor, and he switched me to compounded dessicrated hormone. Within eight days, my hair has stopped falling out and I've lost two pounds. I have also stopped having the chest pains. I will NEVER go back on Synthroid!!!! Yuck! | F | 42 | 4 months | 1/8/2010 | 2 | hypothyrodism | Briefly describe? weight gain is unbelievable! I have been on synthroid for 2 months now and it's horrible. The side effects are awful.... I am or was petite. very small and now i feel like a whale..very large.. I have never had a "Flabby stomach"...now I Look pregnant..my hips have even widened.. pimples as if i were going through puberty...stomach pains, gassy,constipation, leg pain, breast pain as if they were growing, anxiety.. brain FOG! cannot remember or even focus..I am having a very hard time staying focused on writing this.. any alternatives anyone? As I do understand, this drug or even dose affects everyone differently. Also, as I've read several articals and comments about synthroiid, everyone's side effects and concerns are similar. | I would love to know of an alternative or suggestions please....thank you | F | 36 | 2 months | 1/6/2010 | 1 | hypothyroid, presumed hashimoto's | 50mcg dose I felt better for first few days(less sluggish, could go to bathroom), then I started staying awake most of night and 10 days into treatment I had severe dizzy spells, my hands and feet went numb, | Still haven't found a drug that works for me and am hypothyroid, very fatigued. Having some tests for adrenal and other to see if I have additional problems | F | 49 | 11 days | 1/5/2010 | 3 | Hypothyroidism | Insomnia, mild muscle cramps, headaches, extreme confusion | I was started on Levothyroxine (generic) when first diagnosed. After 1 week, I experienced headaches, forgetfulness and felt like I had gained weight on either side of my neck. My doctor took me off for one week and reintroduced Synthroid at the lowest dose. I've been on it for 3 weeks and will retest to see how it is doing. So far I am experiencing extreme insomnia, extreme memory loss, occassional headaches, experiencing dry skin again, mild muscle cramps and occassional fatigue. It may either be an allergic reaction or not enough dosage. The medicine has helped with the extreme fatigue, regulation of monthly cycles (with the help of birth control) and at first, dry skin. I'm not sure that losing my memory is a good trade off at this point, but will continue to work with the doctor or perhaps see an Endo. It is hereditary in my family and at the suggestion of my brother will have my hormones (estrogen and progesterone) checked along with the T3 and T4. | F | 41 | 3 weeks | 12/30/2009 | 3 | hypothyroid | I've gained 30 lbs while eating moderately and faithfully taking three 1-hour exercise classes per week at my gym for three years. I also have joint pain in my fingers. | Shortly after starting this med, symptoms disappeared! I was no longer cold, I no longer needed sudden, urgent naps in the afternoon, and my menstrual cycle returned to normal (was very heavy and every two weeks). My T3 and T4 levels have been regulated. | F | 39 | 3 years | 12/28/2009 | 1 | hypothyroidism | palpitations, atrial fibrillation | I see a few who have had a wonderful outcome with Synthroid. Wish I were one of them. Wish I were one of those who "confuse symptoms with side effects." That's not the case with me. I have been under the care of a cardiologist for over a year. There is nothing physically wrong with my heart, but clearly I have some palpitations due to thyroid disease. On synthroid, I go into atrial fibrillation. I've been taken to ER three times in a-fib. I started at 100 mcg and had the problem. Moved all the way down to 25 mcg...STILL happened. Endocrinologist and cardiologist are in agreement that I have a sensitivity to synthroid. Fortunately, my thyroid levels are in the normal range for now. However, my thyroid antibody tested positive, which means more likely than not, the hormone will get out of control again. I'm not on Synthroid anymore and have my TSH tested every three months. We are working on another plan of action for me if something happens again. I hope I'm not totally screwed. :( So, for all of those who insist that it's only a symptom, not a side effect...it is very possible to be sensitive to Sythroid. | F | 49 | 3 months | 12/26/2009 | 2 | thyroid | M | 54 | | 12/23/2009 | 1 | hypothyroid/Hassimoto's disease | chest pain that radiates to left arm and starts at left breast, pain in ear, severe fatigue, hair loss and dry skin,joint cracking, irregular menstruation, trouble concentrating, not wanting to wake up in the morning, muscle aches; especially in upper extremities to fingers, lack of enthusiasm to workout, or to even go out, bruising, slow heart rate, fullness in neck.. | I was diagnosed as having sub-clinical hypothyroidism and was placed on .75mcg in August 2009, in order to "avoid getting advanced clinical symptoms". I complained of tachycardia with the .75mcg. My doctor took a blood test and said that my levels were normal, but agreed to lower my dosage anyway to .50mcg to address the tachycardia. After three months, I complained of hair loss, dry skin, irregular menses. My doctor took my blood, palpated my thyroid and said that my levels were normal and to come back to her in a year. She is one of the best endocrinologist in Miami. I understand that my levels are normal on paper, but I really feel like this drug is killing me. I had little to no symptoms before starting and today I started to feel strong chest pains to add to the list of other side effects that I was already feeling. After researching the internet, I realize that other people have experienced the same symptoms on this medication, but have been told that what they are feeling are just symptoms of the hypothyroidism and not the drug itself. Why are doctors not taking into account the symptoms of this medication? I am scared that I have endangered myself by starting this to begin with. My co-worker had the same problem; hypothyroid with Hassimotos, but she refused the treatment. She is taking Iodine supplements and feels great, while I feel like I am slowly getting more ill. Help! | F | 35 | 4 months | 12/20/2009 | 5 | Hashimoto's | None. | Feel great! I didn't even realize the mental sluggishness I was experiencing until I started taking synthroid and got my "edge" back. | F | 59 | 5 years | 12/10/2009 | 2 | Total thyroidectromy - cancer | anxiety, heart palpitations, headaches, mood is flat. | I have been on synthroid for 3 months now. I am on 150 mg. I just had my blood work last week and my doc told me he is going to leave me on this dose. I do not feel good ALL the time. It is very hard to stay positive about this drug. | F | 28 | 3 months | 12/7/2009 |