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Q: I just started taking levotabs for my thyroid, 0.025mg. I feel more tired now than I did before, and my voice stays raw like I've been screaming. Also, it sounds hoarse. I love to sing but this has changed my voice, and my tongue feels fat. I'm very dissapointed.
A: Hypothyroidism is the disease characterized by a decrease in the anount of ciculating thyroid hormone in the organism. Characteristic symptoms of the disease include lethargy, impaired hearing, cold intolerance, constipation, menstrual disturbances, muscle cramps, tingling, numbness, and other abnormal sensations in the skin. Clinical findings include: dry, cool skin, paleness, puffiness of the face and extremities, thinning of body hair, scalp hair, and eyebrow hair, large tongue, husky voice, and large heart due to fluid accumulation between heart muscle and tissue surrounding the heart( pericardium). Symptoms due to this disease may be ameliorated by giving the patient thyroid hormone, so that there is then a sufficient amount of circulating thyroid hormone in the organism.
In your particular case, it appears that the symptoms you describe are rather typical for hyporthyroidism. Since you are now taking thyroid hormone, once you take the correct dosis, your symptoms should eventually disppear. However, you should expect a waiting period of about three to four weeks before it can be determined whether you are, in fact, taking the correct dose of thyroid hormone necessary in your case. If after this time you still remain symptomatic and laboratory tests reveal that thyroid function remains abnormal, then it might be necessary to change the dose of thyroid hormone you are taking. However, as mentioned above, it takes about three or four weeks before this can be established. Hence, it is still, in principle, possible that your symptoms might improve on your present dose of thyroid hormone.
Updated: 07/18/99
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