My mom was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a couple months ago. I went to the doctor a week ago for headaches and the blood tests said I have hypothyroidism too. I was blindsided because I’ve always been healthy. And now there’s something wrong with me? Like, I’ve never had to write down or say if I’m on any medications and now I have to remember to do that. I also didn’t have any symptoms of hypothyroidism before and now that I’m on pills I feel exhausted, stressed, and cranky.

I know that it’s a pretty benign thing to have, and the fact that they caught it so early means I won’t have to deal with any symptoms and may even have a chance of my thyroid recovering from it, so I feel bad complaining knowing there are other people out there that have it way worse. But I’m just having a weirdly hard time wrapping my head around it.

So, any tips? Stories? I think I just need a little support.

You might be comforted to know you're not alone. A lot of people have thyroid issues - including me! And you're definitely lucky to catch it early, before the symptoms have a chance to get severe. Since your thyroid regulates things like appetite, sleep, and heart rate, the symptoms can make you pretty sick if left untreated.

It really sucks that you are suffering side effects from the medication though. I know how awful that can be :c

If it's any comfort, usually the side effects are the worst when you're first starting the med. As your body adjusts to the medicine, most side effects should go away. Definitely talk to your doctor about it though, cuz there could be other factors involved. For instance you might have to have your dosage adjusted. (I can't say anything more though, since I am not a doctor, so none of this is professional advice.)

Don't feel bad about complaining - I think it's 100% valid the way you feel, especially since you felt blindsided by it. Having it be unexpected would definitely make it harder to come to terms with. There's always someone who "has it worse" but it doesn't make what you go through less valid. And if venting about it can help you feel better, then complain away!

Good luck with everything <3

If it doesn't get any better within the next couple of days / weeks you should check if there is a chance for you to switch to another product. I would also suggest to get your blood tested once again to see if you are on the proper dosage, like said as well. I have (Hashimoto) hypothyroidsism since I can remember and had to switch from L-Thyrox to Euthyrox because L-Thyrox gave me colics and other nasty side effects no one wants to hear about.

Best of luck to you!

besides what people already mentioned about side effects. there's also something called the nocebo effect

It sounds to me like you've reacted negatively to the diagnosis (I mean who wouldn't? it's something new) but in your case the additional stress of remembering to take the meds, taking the meds could also be influencing how you're feeling

there's also something called confirmation bias, which means you could be more attune to how you're feeling because you're on the meds, as in you could have been tired before but simply not have noticed; it's not something we do consciously / on purpose

luckily hypothyroidism is really easy to treat and monitor you're doing the best you can! c: in the beginning, it's easy to really pay attention to doing something new like taking your meds, soon you won't even register what you're taking, it'll be second nature :3

Thank you guys for the support and suggestions. I’ve calmed down about it a lot, but having these side effects is still kicking my butt. I’ve only been taking the meds for 11 days so there’s still definitely some time for them to clear up, but they’re all very distinct and abnormal (for me) side effects. I have a follow-up in about a month to get my blood tested again and I’ll bring up my concerns then too.

I've had Hashi for years, and I've had to be on and off medication for blood tests + determine dosage, and each time I go back on, it takes at least 4-8 weeks for the medication to actually start working. It's a bit shitty, but there may be a couple of weeks where you may feel worse, but unless it's significant (like, debilitating), just stick with it. I can only describe my first experience with meds like being lifted from a ditch and put on a fluffy white cloud. After battling severe fatigue and anxiety for years, it almost felt like being on uppers, because I suddenly had energy and inclination to do everything I couldn't before. It was the best feeling.

What specific side effects are you experiencing? Personally, I've had a couple times (on Euthyrox 150mg) where when I went back on meds, it just made me feel icky. Very foggy and thick headed, like I was wading through pea soup every day, and almost like I was floating out of my body and watching things happen - like I wasn't in my own head. I was also getting crazy adrenaline rushes that made it really difficult to sleep. It's so strange to describe. But I told my Endo and she lowered my dosage a bit, and that helped - but she also said that unfortunately some people just react badly to the medicine at first, but then they adapt and it's fine.

Also, agree with my girl (oh hai), that because you KNOW that you're on medication, your brain could be tricking you into having random symptoms that aren't really present. It's extremely common, and not reflective of you as an individual :) I've had to start taking medication for MS recently, and the first two weeks I honestly thought I was dying - my stomach was in knots every day and I couldn't keep anything down. My doctor explained that it was likely a nocebo effect, especially because I was warned of side effects beforehand, so I had probably built it up in my head. Literally, the next day I was totally fine. The brain does funny things when you think you SHOULD be feeling sick :P

But you really shouldn't be anxious about the thyroid issue. Of all the autoimmune diseases, it's probably the "best" one to get (if there is such a thing!), because it is so manageable. But, you should do regular blood work and do a physical once a year to make sure it's under control. Also, if you have one AI disease, it's not uncommon to have another as well. Not saying that to freak you out, but they say that AI diseases come in pairs. For example, I have Hashi and MS, and while my Endo can't explain it, she said she wasn't surprised when I got the MS diagnosis, because a lot of her patients have more than one AI diseases. So make sure you bring up any new symptoms to your doctor, to stay ahead of any other potential problems.

Good luck! And let us know how you're doing once the medication "kicks in" <3

I have hypothyroidism too! HOORAY! highfive Mine was caused (they think) by a nodule on the anterior aspect of the right lobe of my thyroid. In February, I had a dose of radiotopic iodine, which hopefully fingers cross, knock on wood killed it off. The thought is, that once they murder this nodule, my thyroid will be able to function normally again. more finger-crossing and knocking on wood Has your doctor ordered any kind of scan or ultrasound for you? It's possible yours (or your mom's for that matter) is caused by a nodule too. I will find out on the 31st of this month if my treatment worked or not. If not, they will have to either do it again, or try something else, which will probably mean pills.

I'm hypothyroid, it's very very common with those biologically female. Kind of comes with the territory, among other things.

I was diagnosed when I was 16 after I nearly blacked out in the shower and felt horrid that entire week of testing, I was sick enough that they could have punched me in the face and taken the blood that way and I wouldn't have cared. I wound up at Hershey for the most accurate testing in the area and they were all, "Congratulations! You're hypothyroid! Here, have synthyroid and keep an eye on your thyroid levels from now on because they can fluctuate."

That was the worst of it for me, that and an intolerance for being cold. Buuuh.

Your thyroid isn't going to bite. Stress is understandable when something just suddenly goes weird but as others have said, it could be your brain going and causing issue where there aren't any. But if it's bothering you that much, you should really talk with your doctor to completely alleviate the worries.

OH! And most importantly - avoid as much soy as you can 2-4 hours after taking your medicine. I found that can make me feel particularly bad before my thyroid medicine kicks in. The one thing no one ever tells you with this is that soy can mess with thyroid med absorption. (It's amazing how much soy is in stuff in the US, it's in DRINKS as a thickener. What kind of nonsense is that.)

The side effects of my medication were making me feel so horrorific that my family noticed and started to get concerned. I talked to my doctor and I stopped taking the pills and I feel almost back to normal. None of it was in my head - heart palpitations, irritability, and panicky restlessness yet still somehow sleeping for 14+ hours a day and still ending up being completely drained - were obvious signs I wasn’t myself. This all came at a really inconvenient time as my boyfriend is currently going through much worse medical issues (he has MS), and work has been so busy I’ve only had two days off in the past month. Normally I’d be able to work through the side effects and tough it out until things evened out but I didn’t want to deal with it. It’s never a “good” time to have a medical issue but this was a really bad time. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor soon and we’ll discuss my options.

This is coming completely from left field, I read your thread because I have thinning hair at the front, and various other things, I went to the docs and she said Im borderline Hypothyroid, also my hormones are too high, so im having more tests and seeing an endocrinologist soon.
What I did think was from what you say, with working so hard, and your boyfriend being ill, it could be stress symptoms you are struggling with, they all sound like anxiety, I am no medical person but I have had anxiety disorder in the past,it just rang a bell with me.
Hi there, I was glad to read your post, it is very informative and clear. thanks to all for this info. I hope you get sorted soon HoobFoob.