SYNTHROID Reviews (LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM)

Average Rating: 2.6 (900 Ratings)

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 THYROID ANTITHYROID

 Type: Rx Drug

  

SYNTHROID  (LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM):  Levothyroxine is used to treat an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). It replaces or provides more thyroid hormone, which is normally produced by the thyroid gland. Low thyroid hormone levels can occur naturally or when the thyroid gland is injured by radiation/medications or removed by surgery. Having enough thyroid hormone is important for maintaining normal mental and physical activity. In children, having enough thyroid hormone is important for normal mental and physical development. This medication is also used to treat other types of thyroid disorders (such as certain types of goiters, thyroid cancer). This medication should not be used to treat infertility unless it is caused by low thyroid hormone levels.   FDA Approval Date: 2002-07-24 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on SYNTHROID: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR SYNTHROIDCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 4  Hypothyroidism When TSH gets too low: fatigue, thirst, anxiety, brain fog. (I've learned these symptoms are indicators to do bloodwork.) Otherwise, I feel great! I decided to post because toward the bottom of the page someone alleged that Synthroid was not approved by the FDA. That remark is actually a fallacy; Synthroid was approved by the FDA on July 24, 2002. You can view the approval history and other information about Synthroid. Here is the direct link to http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/ F 27
3/31/2008
 1  hypo DIZZINESS, OFF BALANCE, BRAIN FOG, EXTREME sensitivity to noise, intensified senses( to light, noise etc...) racing heart, shortness of breath, feelings of mental breakdown, extreme jittery feeling-NEVER experienced any of this B4 meds!!! I've now tried synthro, levo(the generic), and Armour and have had AWFUL experiences with all!! My TSH #s are 100+ so I have to take something but cannot tolerate anything thus far- ANY ADVISE/help would be soooo appreciated. I honestly can't take it any longer! My body cannot be without some form of help(med) but I feel MUCH worse on the meds. Anyone heard of thyroid replacement surgery?? I will try/do anything to feel like myself again. My children feel like they "lost" their mother. I am at the end of my rope!! F 35
3/31/2008
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 3  Hypo-thyroid Only been on it two days but I am starting to feel like myself again Had symptoms of fatigue for a year after a long illness. It was discovered that my pulse had slowed to 40-50 beats per minute down from 62-68 my normal. I've had my thyroid checked many times over the years b/c of other symptoms ie hair loss, missed periods, but it always came back low-normal my lastest doctor suggested depression UH DUD I'm exhasted all the time yes I'm upset. Final I went to an Endo. DR. a panel showed a low t4 and high TSH. I'm hoping to wake up enough to enjoy my life. F 41 5 days
3/29/2008
 5  Hypothyroidism Nearly all the "side effects" I see listed are actually caused by the thyroid problem itself. I have been taking synthroid for nearly 20 years. My family has a history of thyroid problems dating back for at least a century. Thyroid problems can cause issues ranging from dry skin and constipation to fatigue and weight gain when your thyroid is low to jitters, goiters and heart palpitations when the thyroid is high. It takes a while for thyroid medicine to fully kick in and then you have to closely monitor yourself and get a followup blood test to see if you are at the right level. If you feel "off," it's likely that your does is not correct. I also have found that I don't feel as well when my thyroid numbers are a low normal as opposed to an average normal. Doctors should move through dosage levels slowly. It can be dangerous to have an overactive thyroid. It is particularly important to watch your thyroid levels when pregnant. We have had miscarriages in my families when the thyroid dose was not monitored or an individual did not consistently take her thyroid medicine F 37
3/28/2008
 2  Hypothyroid I now have severe osteoporosis because Synthroid effects all your bodies chemistry. They put me on Syntroid in 1976 when I was 26 because my cholestrole level was high. My thyroid levels were off but just a little. I have been on Synthroid for 26 years and it has been difficult to manage. I took it religiously and I was even at a toxic level. This medication is nothing to take lightly and the long term side effects can kill you. F 57 26 years
3/28/2008
 5  thyroid not working properly None at all and I am one to have them it seems so I am very happy and surprised. Another plus is that it is inexpensive. I do recommend the brand name and not the generic though. I wasn't happy with it and my energy level dropped. I pay for the Brand name and it is about the same as my co-pay! F 56 4 years
3/26/2008
 1  hypothyroidism weight gain, eczema A couple of years ago I was slowly reducing my TSH with Chinese herbs from a great TCM doctor. I decided to try Synthroid to speed things up a little. My TCM doctor said that Synthroid often gives good results at first and then stops working. I've noticed a lost of the posters here who say they feel great have only been on it a short time. I initially felt great and easily lost 16 pounds. I started at 137 and kept dosing down as I was still taking the Chinese herbs. I went to 125, 112, and am now at 100 with a TSH of 1.01. In the last several months I have gained 20 pounds while eating and exercising at the exact same level as when I was losing weight. So I reduced my caloric intake and exercised more and still gained. I've also had intractable eczema for the last year. I began to wonder if Synthroid was behind the eczema and found this site. I now realize my TCM doctor was right after all - at least in my case - the Synthroid is definitely not helping me. I'm going to begin do M 50 1.5 years
3/26/2008
 3  Hypothyroidism/now hyperthyroidism Stiffness in the hands, knee pains, NO libido whatsoever, mild depression, occasional headaches, fainting spells I started taking this medication 8 years ago for hypothyroidism and although it did help for my energy level and weight problem, my libido dropped extremely quickly and has never come back. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism 4 years ago and changed my dosage and that's when the stiffness and aches and pains kicked in. I also have frequent headaches and faint sometimes for no reason, which scares me cause it's already happened on the highway while I was driving alone (needless to say I hope never to live that again!). Now my husband and I are trying to have a baby and I'm really scared about miscariages. I've asked my doctor for alternatives but apparently this is the most efficient Canadian-approved drug for thyroid problems...plus I have to admit that my condition has been stable for the past 2 years but I hate the side effects. F 27 8 years
3/25/2008
 1  Radiation for thyroid nodules Began taking Synthroid on advice of my OB/GYN who thought I would lose a few pounds a feel better. I took this information to my GP and he started me on .50 even though my TSH was 3.1. I did not lose weight but gained. My joints began to ache, my eyes hurt, my skin got drier and I had itching from my scalp to my hips. I suffered depression and last year, a year on Synthroid, I began to suffer panic attacks. Two months ago my GP increased my dosage to .75 although my TSH was 3.7. He thought I needed more Synthroid as I complained of feeling cold. In the last 3 weeks I have gotten worse, have had heart arrhythmias (and am on a beta blocker), increased pulse and more anxiety. First, you need to see an endocrinolgoist. I had been seeing one prior to starting Synthroid and he did not recommend it unless my TSH got close to 5-5.5. I have now stopped the Synthroid and scheduled an appointment with an endocrinologist in hopes of finding a more natural,safer drug. F 60 2 years
3/22/2008
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 1  Hypothyroidism Brain fog, joint pain, fibromalgia, cold intolerance, low libido, irritability, depression, weight-gain, dry skin, dry and brittle hair, fatigue, and irregularity with menstral cycles. When you are prescribed a medication for a condition, it should help alleviate the symptoms of what you are taking it for, right? Synthroid didn't do that for me. In fact, I feel worse. I've tried this for four years, and if I haven't seen results by now, I doubt I'm going to. My endo (like most) adamantly refused to switch me off of this med even after I tried to explain my reasons; so I fired him. I went to Armour's website and located a physician, and have an appointment in April. I'm looking forward to getting off this med. I DON'T RECOMMEND SYNTHROID!!!!!!!! F 33 4 years
3/22/2008
 1  hypothyroidism aching muscles, heart palpatations,dry skin, sleeplessness,brain fog.brittle nails, burning feet F 59 8 months
3/22/2008
 4  hashimotos I had increasing trouble with insomnia, heart palps, sweating after first taking the drug. I thought it was the Synthroid but it turns out that Estrogen levels are affected by increased thyroid hormone. So if you have low estradiol when you start the drug, it will just make your estradiol level even lower and give you all sorts of symptoms of peri-menopause or menopause. Once I started on sufficient estradiol supplement the insomnia, sweating, heart palps, muscle pain went away. I don't think many doctors realize the link between estradiol levels and thyroid levels... that caused me a great deal of trouble. So any ladies who have trouble when they take thyroid hormones should check and make sure they have adequate levels of estradiol before giving up on them. (like E2 of 90-100). F 45
3/17/2008
 5  Hypothyroid No side effects. Was able to lose weight, not be so cold, and have less fatigue. ***Please** users of this site, REFRAIN from writing drug reviews if you have been on a particular drug for less than 4 months as it takes a body some time to get used to a new prescription. With thyroid issues in particular, sometimes it takes years to get the dose just right. Synthroid is doing what is it supposed to be doing for me, although my Dr. recently added Cytomel to the mix since my T3 is still low despite my taking 200 mcg of Synthroid. Cytomel has given me much more energy and improved my hypo-induced depression, not to mention added extra zing to the weight loss. Cytomel is a wonder drug --look it up. F 41 8 years
3/3/2008
 1  Hashimoto's(autoimmune thyroiditis) Side effects? I'd call them "poison indications": I had been tired and worn out when I got started on this medicine, but the medicine induced full-blow hypothyroidism, and after 6 years they gave me the diagnosis CFS/ME. WARNING! If you do not see improvment after several months GET OFF THIS MEDICINE and try something else. Better yet, try the natural/pig/Armour types FIRST. The scary thing about synthetic thyroid medicine is that they say you have to wait a number of months and go through dosage increases before you will notice "improvement". Unfortunately by that time I was sicker than I'd ever been in my life, and my brain was all but dead, my muscles were tense and I could no longer exercise without getting a migraine and spending the rest of the week on the sofa in pain. This medicine was a dead end for me, and I am thankful for my life I managed to pull out of it. Why do the doctors not care to learn about the side effects of this drug, especially when so many are "sentenced" to it for life?!?! F 40 6 years
3/3/2008
 2  Levathroid Ive been taking it for 2 months now and I think I have had all the side effects at one time or another, first it was loose stools, then some weight loss, then anger, then the period from hell(lasted about 2 1/2 weeks) now its a problem with memory. Its very scary when it takes a minute to remember your own phone number that you have had for over 15 years. I also have had joint pain as well, mostly in my neck. I also went through a couple of days when my feet were freezing at night, and that's not like me Im always so over heated. I will stay on it because my readings were 19.4 and the generic brand I was taking just was not helping me. I did feel better with my reading high F 43 2 months
3/1/2008
 1  Hypothyroidism Horrible fatigue, weight gain, shortly after starting synthroid was diagnoised with fibromyalgia, hair became very thin, severe dry skin, burning feet, brain fog, no libido, depression etc etc..... I was on Synthroid for 20 years & when I came across this message board and saw all the side effects from synthroid and realized I had all of them I ran to my physician as fast as I could. He switched me to Armour Thyroid & it has changed my life....I have been on Armour now for about 3 months & all my symptoms are almost gone. The brain fog was gone within days & there are parts of my body that have awaken that have been asleep for a very long time, if you know what I mean.......my hair is finally growing back in and I have energy now & I'm working on losing some of the weight that I put on taking synthroid....if anyone has any questions about Armour PLEASE check out the website www.stopthethyroidmaddness.com Especially if you have bone loss or any of the synthorid side effects!!!!!!! F 48 20 years
2/27/2008
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 5  hypothyroidism none I felt amazingly better in just two weeks of starting synthroid. I had put off starting thyroid replacement therapy for 6 months to see if my TSH would improve after an illness I had last summer. It went up considerably instead and I knew I had to start synthroid. I am only sorry I didn't start sooner. I feel so much better now that I've been taking it about 2 months. No side effects whatsoever. I am grateful to have such a good medication to use. What a difference it has made. F 57 2 months
2/25/2008
 4  Graves Disease I-131 Treatment Difficulty breathing, sleeplessness, cold intolerant, no libido, short tempered I took Levoxyl for over 2 years. Could not get the dosage stabilized. Changed to Synthroid. Immediately stabilized. Been on Synthroid now for 8 months and am developing same difficulties as I had with Levoxyl. M 52 8 months
2/22/2008
 2  Hypothyroid Extreme fatigue and insomnia, more minimal side effects include: body aches, headaches, joint stiffness, clouded thinking, depressed mood. My tsh was over 100 so had to do something. Have taken Synthroid off & on for years but always stopped it because of the side effects. MD's not really helpful. Will ask for switch to Armour on next visit to MD as most people report fewer side effects with it. F 51 5 months
2/21/2008
 1  thyroidectomy anxiety, high blood pressure,(188/104 leg and neck cramps, headache, racing heart,shortness of breath,medication sensitivity, unable to mix premarin or pain meds with other medicine w/o side effects, blurred vision. Doc refused to change meds after TSH went to 17 and I had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance for these symptoms. Once I realized that my ENDO doc did not have my best interest at heart, I fired him. My regular doc aswitched me to Armour,when my ENDO doc said "it's an old fashion drug and no one uses it anymore." Remember....Some docs are not into cures,they make money off of sick people not healthy ones! terrible drug F 57 6 days
2/21/2008

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