location: Appleton, WI

Your Question: In March of 2008 I had radioactive iodine treatment for Graves Disease to kill my thyroid. In August I was told to discontinue use of methimazole and to start taking 100mcgs of levothyroxine as my thyroid activity was now hypo and not hyper.

Within 3 weeks I started to get a tightness in my chest with difficulty breathing so i was told to reduce the dosage to 88mcgs, and finally when that didn’t work to go to 75mcgs. Still not feeling well I discontinued the medicine for two weeks and then began Levoxyl tabs at 25mcgs. At the same time I began to experience and internal shaking (not visible on the outside) and my blood pressure began to spike to 205/96. The doctor then prescribed lisinopryl tabs, 20 mgs, for my blood pressure and then told me to double the Levoxyl to 50mcgs. Although the doctor keeps changing my medications I don’t think they know what is causing my symptoms: extreme insomnia, faintness, internal shaking, blood pressure changes, disorientation and lightheadedness. Are these symptoms attributed to my thryoid condition, or is it a hormone imbalance? I’ve been sick for almost a year and need this to be taken care of so I can go on with my life?

It sounds like an allergic reaction to thyroid meds. Have your doctor order TPO blood levels (measures antibodies to thyroid) and work you up for thyroid antibodies. You may also get these symptoms from hormone imbalance and hormone allergy. Probably you have both issues. If hormone imbalance is part of it, your symptoms will become worse the week before your period; or, the week after it begins, or both.

Download the first chapter of my book, at no cost, from my website www.robyinstitute.com. You can order it from my website or Amazon.com or Amazon Kindle.

Let me know if I can assist you. You have a problem we can readily correct. Your doctor has no clue as we were not taught this in medical school.

Warm regards,

Dr. Roby