crackerjax: duloxetine / Cymbalta withdrawal

[crackerjax]

Hello. I'm crackerjax. I am 35, female, have severe depression, various types of anxiety (generalized anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, agoraphobia, etc.) and PTSD. I am not in great physical shape either, with obesity, Polycystic Ovarian syndrome, hypothyroid, and pre-diabetes.

 

The first time I took meds was, wow, 17 years ago... 2002, in my first year of college, I was prescribed Zoloft and have been through a gamut of many drugs since then. Mainly, it has been over a decade of Cymbalta (ramping up the dosage until I was on the max dose) and clonazepam, which I am still on a small daily dose of (0.5 mg) sometimes with something extra thrown in (for a while Wellbutrin XL, for a while Abilify, I am off both now.)

 

I was admitted to an outpatient hospital in October 2018 (my third outpatient hospital) for severe depression, but realized the program wasn't for me and didn't go back. The psych there took me off the Cymbalta (duloxetine,) I was on the max dose, 120 mg. I was worried she was doing too fast of a taper (over 6 weeks) but she said it had very few severe side effects. Holy crap, was THAT a lie or what? I was desperate to be off the stuff, probably should have done more research... but here we are and I am miserable constantly. I have not seen any psychiatrist since then... it has been since mid-October, but I have an appointment this coming Tuesday. I am sure they will try to reinstate drugs.

 

It has been slightly over 2 months and 2 weeks since my last dose of duloxetine. I feel terrible and it feels like it is constantly getting worse. All of my emotions are extreme. When I am happy it is nice, but even then it is jarring, consuming, obsessive even... also rare. Most of the time I just feel terrible. Mostly it presents itself as deep depression and soul-shattering anxiety and panic that is consuming and constant. My PTSD has been getting triggered more often and severely than ever before as well. The other day I cried so hard I couldn't breathe or talk or calm down, just shaking and freaking out, for literally over 12 hours. I thought I wouldn't be able to stop. That has never happened to me before. My panic has also been out of control. Things I could do a few weeks ago feel almost impossible now, and my agoraphobia is also worse than ever. I keep telling everyone that my emotions are at 11, and they are, kinda always lately, even without a concrete trigger. I have also been having worse insomnia, nightmares... I can't focus or distract myself with anything, spend most of my time thinking terrible things, and my memory is garbage.

 

I used to live across the country and moved back east a little over 2 years ago. I haven't made pretty much any friends since coming back or reconnected with any old friends, so I spend almost all of my time alone, sometimes with my family, who are extremely dysfunctional, don't understand, and don't support me... they are high stress and high drama (also source of PTSD.) My husband is great and does what he can, but also seems to be buckling under the pressure of how extremely bad things have been in the past 2 months, mostly for me, but also for him. Our relationship is great, but strained, I need him constantly and am scared to be alone. My boyfriend (I am in an open relationship) is also very sweet and understanding and supportive, but due to scheduling I get to see him rarely. That's about it in terms of support, along with some long distance friends I never see and rarely talk to. My therapist is new-ish (I've only been seeing her about 6 months, with a long gap because of finances.) Due to crappy insurance I can only see her every other week. I don't think she actually helps much. I just relive my trauma over and over and nothing gets resolved. When my husband gets a new job (he was recently laid off) I will likely switch to a new therapist, possibly DBT based.

 

I'm sorry to be all doom and gloom (though that is why I'm here) so I will say a few positive things. I like to write, though do it rarely. I like cartoons and video games and Muppets. I have some cats, they are great and snuggly. I really like to read, when I can focus long enough.

 

I really need help guys. I feel like I am losing my mind, reaching a breaking point... I did some research on Cymbalta withdrawal and it seems like it lasts a long time, but it DOES end. I am clinging desperately to the hope that at some point in the future my hell will end... but it feels so bad so often it is hard to get through the day most days.

 

If you have any questions or if I did anything wrong, please let me know. I made my signature, but my memory sucks so exact dates are impossible to nail down. Also, should I put my non-psych meds there? Just for reference I am still on the clonazepam 0.5 mg/day with a second dose as necessary, other meds are Metformin 1000 mg 2x/day, Levothroxine 50 mcg/day, and take various vitamins and supplements.

 

Thank you.

[ChessieCat]

Hi crackerjax and welcome to SA,

 

Thank you for completing your drug signature.  It would be helpful if you could add the doses and dates (early, mid, late month if don't know exact date) and the last dose you took.

 

1 hour ago, crackerjax said:

clonazepam, which I am still on a small daily dose of (0.5 mg) sometimes with something extra thrown in

 

Please  put clonazapem on a separate line so we can see that you are still taking it.

 

1 hour ago, crackerjax said:

Metformin 1000 mg 2x/day, Levothroxine 50 mcg/day, and take various vitamins and supplements.

 

Yes,  please do add these.  The mods need to be able to see a member's drug history at a glance and it is good to have all the information in the signature so we don't have to read back through the topic to get it.

 

Q:  Have you started the vitamins and supplements since stopped duloxetine?

 

Okay now to the nitty gritty.
 

SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.  Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

What you are now experiencing are withdrawal symptoms from stopping the drug too quickly.  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's Withdrawal Symptoms

 

The only known way to reduce withdrawal symptoms is to take the same drug that the brain has adapted to.  Please read Post #1 of this topic:   About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

Please let us know whether you would like to try reinstating.  SA suggests starting with a very small amount of the drug because your brain will have already made some adaptations during the time you have been off the drug and your CNS may have become sensitised.  It is better to start with a small dose and increase if needed than to risk taking too much.  The idea of reinstating isn't to get rid of withdrawal symptoms completely but to bring them to a bearable level.  You will need to stay as calm and patient as possible and try not to panic.  When we panic we can make bad decisions.  Some members have panicked and increased too much and/or increased too soon and made things much worse.

 

Once we know how you tapered and what your last dose was we can suggest a dose for you to try.  It generally takes about 4 days for a dose to get to full level in the blood and a bit longer for it to register in the brain.  It's a good idea to keep daily symptom notes on paper so you can see the effect that reinstatement is having on your symptoms.  It is also helpful to provide us with those notes so we can assess whether you might need to take a tiny bit more.

 

Something to consider when deciding whether to reinstate.  Most medical professionals don't understand psychiatric drug withdrawal and tapering which is why this site exists.  Your doctor may suggest reinstating duloxetine, but he will probably tell you to take a much higher dose than what we will suggest (eg we might suggest 1mg depending on your taper/doses etc), and that might make things worse, and/or he may suggest a new drug/add a different drug.  Changing drugs is not generally recommended because you may still get withdrawal symptoms from Drug A and/or startup/side effects/adverse effects from Drug B.  It will be impossible to know what it causing any issues.  And it is Drug A that your brain had adapted to.   

 

This topic explains how to get the dose you need:  Tips for tapering off Cymbalta (duloxetine)

 

You might find it helpful to write a script and rehearse what you are going to say.  Be calm, gentle but assertive.  You are the customer, it is your body.  Use words like I'd like to try this, or I'd prefer to do it this way.  If a suggestion is made that you don't want to follow, say I'd like to think about it before making a decision.

 

How do you talk to a doctor about tapering and withdrawal?

What should I expect from my doctor about withdrawal symptoms?

 

I will provide some more information in the next couple of posts.  This is your own introductions topic where your can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

 

Edited February 16, 2019 by ChessieCat

[ChessieCat]

Here's some additional information which might help you to understand what is happening:

 

are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

See especially:

CT and Fast Tapers

Reinstatement

 

Recovery isn't linear it happens in a Windows and Waves Pattern

 

Withdrawal Normal Description

When we take a psychiatric drug, we are adding chemical/s to the brain.  The brain then has to change to adapt to getting the chemical/s.  It might have to change something to do with A and then once that change has been made it affects B so another change has to be made and so on down the line.  It is a chain reaction, a domino effect.

 

The same thing happens when we take the drug away.  That's why it's possible to experience such a vast array of withdrawal symptoms, and they can change, and be of different intensity.

 

These can be helpful in understanding what is happening:

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

On 8/31/2011 at 5:28 AM, Rhiannon said:

When we stop taking the drug, we have a brain that has designed itself so that it works in the presence of the drug; now it can't work properly without the drug because it's designed itself so that the drug is part of its chemistry and structure. It's like a plant that has grown on a trellis; you can't just yank out the trellis and expect the plant to be okay. When the drug is removed, the remodeling process has to take place in reverse. SO--it's not a matter of just getting the drug out of your system and moving on. If it were that simple, none of us would be here. It's a matter of, as I describe it, having to grow a new brain. I believe this growing-a-new-brain happens throughout the taper process if the taper is slow enough. (If it's too fast, then there's not a lot of time for actually rebalancing things, and basically the brain is just pedaling fast trying to keep us alive.) It also continues to happen, probably for longer than the symptoms actually last, throughout the time of recovery after we are completely off the drug, which is why recovery takes so long.

 

AND

 

On 12/4/2015 at 2:41 AM, apace41 said:

Basically- you have a building where the MAJOR steel structures are trying to be rebuilt at different times - ALL while people are coming and going in the building and attempting to work.

It would be like if the World Trade Center Towers hadn't completely fallen - but had crumbled inside in different places.. Imagine if you were trying to rebuild the tower - WHILE people were coming and going and trying to work in the building!  You'd have to set up a temporary elevator - but when you needed to fix part of that area, you'd have to tear down that elevator and set up a temporary elevator somewhere else. And so on. You'd have to build, work around, then tear down, then build again, then work around, then build... ALL while people are coming and going, ALL while the furniture is being replaced, ALL while the walls are getting repainted... ALL while life is going on INSIDE the building. No doubt it would be chaotic. That is EXACTLY what is happening with windows and waves.  The windows are where the body has "got it right" for a day or so - but then the building shifts and the brain works on something else - and it's chaos again while another temporary pathway is set up to reroute function until repairs are made.  

 

[ChessieCat]

We strongly encourage members to learn and use non drug coping techniques to help get through discomfort and tough times.

 

Understanding what is happening helps us to not get caught up with the second fear, or fear of the fear.  This happens when we experience sensations in our body and because we don't understand them we are scared of them and then start to panic.

 

This document has a diagram of the body explaining what happens in the body when we become anxious:

 

https://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/AnxietySelfHelp.pdf

 

Anxiety Stuff - all kinds of stuff about anxiety attacks and things that help ...

 

Audio FEMALE VOICE:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)

 

Audio MALE VOICE:  First Aid for Panic (4 minutes)

 

Non-drug techniques to cope

 

dealing-with-emotional-spirals

 

Dr Claire Weekes suffered from anxiety and learned and taught ways of coping.  There are videos available on YouTube.

 

Claire Weekes' Method of Recovering from a Sensitized Nervous System

 

Audio:  How to Recover from Anxiety - Dr Claire Weekes

 

CBT Course:  An Introductory Self-Help Course in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

 

Resources:  Centre for Clinical Interventions (PDF modules that you can work through, eg:  Depression, Distress Intolerance, Health Anxiety, Low Self-Esteem, Panic Attacks, Perfectionism, Procrastination, Social Anxiety, Worrying)

 

On 4/28/2017 at 4:03 AM, brassmonkey said:

 

AAF: Acknowledge, Accept, Float.  It's what you have to do when nothing else works, and can be a very powerful tool in coping with anxiety.  The neuroemotional anxiety many of us feel during WD is directly caused by the drugs and their chemical reactions in the brain.  Making it so there is nothing we can do about them.  They won't respond to other drugs, relaxation techniques and the like.  They do, however, react very well to being ignored.  That's the concept behind AAF.  Acknowledge, get to know the feeling involved, explore them.  Accept, These feelings are a part of you and they aren't going anywhere fast. Float, let the feeling float off as you get on with your life as best as you can.  It's a well documented fact that the more you feed in to anxiety the worse it gets.  What starts as generalized neuroemotinal anxiety can be easily blown into a full fledged panic attack just by thinking about it.

 

I often liken it to an unwanted house guest.  At first you talk to them, have conversations, communicate with them.  After a while you figure out that they aren't leaving and there is nothing you can do to get rid of them.  So you go on about your day, working around them until they get bored and leave.

 

It can take some practice, but AAF really does work.  I hope you give it a try.

 

 

[crackerjax]

Wow, thank you so much for the response and all the information. It is a LOT, so I will likely need a day or two to get through it all... but I will.

 

I have updated my signature. Please let me know if there is any other info I can put there. I am sorry about my bad memory. I might be able to look through journals and things for more accurate time frames and maybe dosages but I'm not sure, I generally never really kept a record of it. To the best of my memory, that's what I have.

 

To answer your question, most of the supplements and the Levothyroxine I started taking after I went off the duloxetine. A few of the vitamins I started taking a few weeks beforehand but again my memory is failing me on exactly when. The Vitamin D3 and the L-Lysine 500 mg were the two I was already on. I just recently got diagnosed with the hypothyroidism and started the Levothyroxine the first weekend of February, so it's only been about 2 weeks on the stuff.

 

The thought that I will need to go back on the ADs is really distressing and overwhelming. One of the things I looked over was the thread on how long this all lasts, and I am devastated. I have kicked addictive substances that are very different and you handle very differently, so I was hoping that I could power through it like you do with cigarettes, for example. I mean, I will do it, it is worth it... but, damn... I have lost so much of my life to these damn things already... I hate them. I am so sad about it... but will do what I need to do. My current circumstances are so terrible I will try anything to get off them without all this terrible stuff happening.

 

Based on what I have read so far of what you posted, I think I might be interested in reinstating the duloxetine, though I do want to read more of what you posted, probably tomorrow. I can't imagine it getting much worse than it is now, but then it does, and I don't think I can handle much more. I want the process to be as painless as possible, if it can be.

 

Thank you again. I will try to dig through all of this stuff as soon as possible, but right now am exhausted and overwhelmed. Will report back.

[ChessieCat]

Thank you for adding the details to your drug signature:

 

"2018 - taper off duloxetine (mid Oct 120 mg, late Oct 90 mg, early Nov 60 mg, mid Nov 30 mg, early Dec 0 mg) "

 

Yes, you have definitely tapered much too quickly.

 

"Super B-Complex "

 

You might want to consider stopping this for the time being.  Many members find that B vitamins can be activating, especially B6.  It is better to add things in one at a time so that you can tell what is causing a problem if issues arise.

 

28 minutes ago, crackerjax said:

Thank you again. I will try to dig through all of this stuff as soon as possible, but right now am exhausted and overwhelmed.

 

You are very welcome.  It is a lot to get your head around, especially when you are suffering.  I had extreme cog fog from reducing my Pristiq from 100mg to 50mg and found it very hard to take in all the new information.  Just work our way through it a step at a time.

 

Just a tip, as you are reading through the topics, especially the reinstatement topic, it might be helpful to jot notes down on paper, and add where you read it so you can go back and reread if needed.

 

You've been off the duloxetine since the beginning of December 2018, that's about 10 weeks so reinstatement is definitely an option especially since you were taking such a high dose of it and jumped off from a high dose too.

 

I will check with the other mods to see what dose they think would be a good starter dose.

 

Q:  Did you notice any difference in your symptoms after you started the Levothyroxine?  If yes, what specifically changed?

[Altostrata]

Welcome, crackerjax.

 

Yes, sounds like you got withdrawal from going off Cymbalta too fast. What did your psychiatrist say when this happened?

 

What are your worst daily symptoms? Please be aware that the clonazepam you've been taking for so long may cause "depression." It can also have other adverse effects, such as anxiety, panic, and sleeplessness.

 

You may wish to reinstate 10 beads of Cymbalta to start, see how that affects you for about a week. Please let us know how you're doing.

 

Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results or a link to them in this topic.

 

10 hours ago, crackerjax said:

To answer your question, most of the supplements and the Levothyroxine I started taking after I went off the duloxetine.

 

How was your need for thyroid hormone diagnosed? Is it supposed to treat withdrawal symptoms? Do you feel any different after starting levothyroxine?

 

Are you seeing a PCOS specialist?

[crackerjax]

Hello all, thank you for your responses. It was a full day and my focus is awful, so I haven't read too many of the provided links yet, but have gotten through some of it and will come back to it as I can.

 

One thing I also forgot (and I will update my signature) is that I have a hormone IUD birth control device, Skyla. This is partly for the birth control function and also for the hormone therapy for my PCOS. Also, as suggested, I have stopped taking the Vitamin B Complex, so I will update that bit also.

 

One big problem is due to crappy insurance followed by my husband being laid off, I actually can't see too many of my doctors as much as I need to or want to. The psychiatrist is considered a specialist and so the co-pay is way too expensive, especially with our severely limited current income. The last time I saw a psychiatrist was when I was in the hospital in Oct 2018 when she told me to taper off, and it was our only meeting. We have had zero contact since because I am not a patient there anymore. The psychiatrist I had previously was so absolutely awful that I refuse to go back to him, mostly because he lied to me to try to trick me into taking a mood stabilizer after I said I didn't want any more medication. I never took it, but I have no intention of seeing him again after that. Unfortunately, there are few psychiatrists in my area who take my insurance and are taking on clients.

 

The psych I am meeting with on Tuesday is actually for my discharge appointment from the hospital. For a lot of reasons it needed to be rescheduled a few times, hence the long gap. I have never seen her before and I'm not entirely sure after this meeting if I will be able to see her again unless I start up at the hospital again. My intention is to see if she will see me again and/or suggest me a psychiatrist in my area who can take me on ASAP. It is critically important. I am hoping I find someone who will take the insurance I have until the end of the month, then the state MediCare once that kicks in, then whatever insurance we get when my husband finds a new job. Things are very in flux in most parts of my life at present, so it's really hard to know that to do.

 

I do also have an appointment with my GP at the beginning of March to talk about my thyroid levels. I feel like I will hopefully be able to bring any additional concerns to him then, especially pending what happens with the psych appointment Tuesday.

 

Thank you again. Here are the answers to your questions, then I will post my drug interactions in the next post.

 

19 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

Q:  Did you notice any difference in your symptoms after you started the Levothyroxine?  If yes, what specifically changed?

 

So far the only thing I have really noticed is that I have bad headaches every day. Otherwise, not much seems different emotionally. Things feel like they are progressively getting worse, but it seems to be in line with what was happening before the Levothyroxine.

 

9 hours ago, Altostrata said:

sounds like you got withdrawal from going off Cymbalta too fast. What did your psychiatrist say when this happened?

 

I haven't seen her or talked with her since she told me to go off the stuff in October 2018. She said if I needed anything I could call the hospital's crisis number, I just haven't gotten to a place where I felt super comfortable doing that, though I was close a few times recently.

 

9 hours ago, Altostrata said:

What are your worst daily symptoms?

 

I would say the worst thing is probably the extreme emotions, mostly sadness and anxiety, and how long I feel them. It's like I am obsessed with whatever feeling I am feeling, can't stop thinking about it or move on to something else. Sometimes I will break down and go on these crying jags for hours and hours without being able to stop them. I have also been having a really hard time with focus and concentration, which was also an issue on the meds, but this is far worse. I have been having some really bad insomnia. I mostly stay awake until I am so exhausted that not sleeping is impossible. I have pretty much always had some version of insomnia, but this is worse.

 

9 hours ago, Altostrata said:

How was your need for thyroid hormone diagnosed? Is it supposed to treat withdrawal symptoms? Do you feel any different after starting levothyroxine?

 

I was having extreme insomnia in mid-January, which was about 6 weeks into my withdrawal. It was extremely difficult to get to sleep and also to stay asleep, so I was averaging about 3-4 hours of sleep, sometimes only every other day and I was reaching a breaking point. I went to my GP and told him about it, also about having stopped the duloxetine. He didn't seem overly concerned about the fast taper. We did some blood work and my thyroid levels were elevated and he prescribed me the Levothyroxine. I have an appointment in the beginning of March to retest my blood and to talk about how I am doing. As far as I know it's not at all related to my withdrawal symptoms. The only difference I have really noticed since taking it is that I have really bad headaches every day. The sleep stuff fixed itself before I even started the meds (at least being able to sleep 6+ hours a night, getting to sleep is still a problem) but we agreed the Levothyroxine would probably be good to take because of my blood work.

 

10 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Are you seeing a PCOS specialist?

 

Unfortunately, no. I was, but distance and finances were an issue even before my husband lost his job. Also, the specific doctor I was seeing in the practice who I had great trust in left the area and I would need to start over with someone else. All of these reasons made me want to find a doctor that was easier to get to, then my husband lost his job and most things have been on hold since that happened. Before he lost his job I was working on setting up the new PCOS specialist and a new gynecologist, which has also been on hold, especially since we are really unsure of the changes in our insurance that will happen soon.

[crackerjax]

11 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Please put ALL your drugs in the Drug Interactions Checker https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.php
and copy and paste the results or a link to them in this topic.

 

Here is the link, in case that is easier. https://www.drugs.com/interactions-check.php?drug_list=703-0,1463-0,1461-16034,1573-0,1661-0,646-5790,1502-14127,238-3823,1749-3873

Interactions between your drugs

Moderate

levothyroxine  metFORMIN

Applies to: levothyroxine, metformin

Levothyroxine may interfere with blood glucose control and reduce the effectiveness of metFORMIN and other diabetic medications. Monitor your blood sugar levels closely. You may need a dose adjustment of your diabetic medications during and after treatment with levothyroxine. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

levonorgestrel  metFORMIN

Applies to: Skyla (levonorgestrel), metformin

Levonorgestrel may interfere with blood glucose control and reduce the effectiveness of metFORMINand other diabetic medications. Monitor your blood sugar levels closely. You may need a dose adjustment of your diabetic medications during and after treatment with levonorgestrel. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

Drug and food interactions

Moderate

levothyroxine  food

Applies to: levothyroxine

The timing of meals relative to your levothyroxine dose can affect absorption of the medication. Therefore, levothyroxine should be taken on a consistent schedule with regard to time of day and relation to meals to avoid large fluctuations in blood levels, which may alter its effects. In addition, absorption of levothyroxine may be decreased by foods such as soybean flour, cotton seed meal, walnuts, dietary fiber, calcium, and calcium fortified juices. These foods should be avoided within several hours of dosing if possible. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

When levothyroxine is given during continuous enteral nutrition (tube feedings) for more than 7 days, the tube feeding should be interrupted for at least one hour before and one hour after the dose of levothyroxine. You may need more frequent blood tests to monitor levothyroxine levels.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

levonorgestrel  food

Applies to: Skyla (levonorgestrel)

Grapefruit juice may increase the blood levels of certain medications such as levonorgestrel. You may want to limit your consumption of grapefruit and grapefruit juice during treatment with levonorgestrel. However, if you have been regularly consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice with the medication, then it is advisable for you to talk with your doctor before changing the amounts of these products in your diet, as this may alter the effects of your medication. Contact your doctor if your condition changes or you experience increased side effects. Orange juice is not expected to interact.

 

Edited February 17, 2019 by ChessieCat
resized font

[ChessieCat]

If you are only seeing a psychiatrist for prescriptions, any doctor can prescribe drugs.

[Altostrata]

Yes, you may not need a psychiatrist, very few are of any use when it comes to withdrawal syndrome, or any kind of adverse reaction to psychiatric drugs, really. If you have a good relationship with your GP, he can write any prescriptions you need.

 

It could be that you don't need thyroid hormone, your symptoms were due to withdrawal syndrome, but your doctor was making his best guess. The test results alone are not diagnostic, please take a good look at them. Perhaps @Karma can confer when she visits here.

 

The insomnia and headache may be because you don't need levothyroxine or you're taking too much. Your other symptoms could also side effects from too much thyroid hormone. Please read up on the symptoms of excessive thyroid hormone dosing. 

 

https://www.verywellhealth.com/too-much-thyroid-medication-3233271

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/levothyroxine-oral-tablet

 

Do these look like your symptoms?

 

As levothyroxine has a half-life of weeks, reduction generally does not cause problems. 

 

If I were you, I'd move your appointment with your GP and reduce (or stop) your thyroid hormone as soon as possible. It will take weeks for the reduction to fully register, and you may find many of the symptoms that look like withdrawal symptoms go away with the lower dose of thyroid hormone.

[Karma]

Crackerjax 

 

What labs did your doctor run to diagnose hypothyroidism?  Here are the recommended labs.

https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork/

Now I get financial concerns so you don’t need all these labs right now. However the Frees are really important to understand your thyroid status. Before starting thyroid meds you want to ensure iron is in an optimal place, not just within the normal range. Next is B12 and D3, then magnesium. If you started thyroid treatment without making sure the cofactors were in a good place that could result in undesirable side effects.

 

Here is a list of symptoms that are associated with hypothyroidism:

https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/symptoms/

You may see a lot of your symptoms here.

 

When you get your labs get a copy of the results. It isn’t about just being in the normal range, it is about being optimal. Post your labs and tag me and I will pop in and give you my observation.

 

You may also need to check side effects from your IUD. Since it has hormones it could be a contributing factor to how you are feeling.

 

Having said all that, I was a mess when I found SA. I had to updose because I wasn’t fully off my drug, but I had tapered too fast. It took a little time to get a bit stable and life got better. With the guidance of this group, monitoring how I felt with time and changes, and with a great deal of patience I am in a really good place. Note I am not completely off my drug, but I am living my life fully while patiently finishing up my taper of the drugs.

 

Love and light,

 Karma 

[Altostrata]

I am absolutely not a fan of taking thyroid hormone just because, and particularly suspicious when it's prescribed to deal with withdrawal symptoms.

 

Hypothyroidism and withdrawal syndrome or adverse drug reactions all have diffuse symptoms, which can make it very confusing, but I'd deal with the withdrawal syndrome first, plus -- as Karma mentioned -- getting those thyroid hormone co-factors topped up. Your own natural thyroid production can be strengthened considerably by correcting vitamin and mineral status.

 

Taking more thyroid hormone than your thyroid needs does no good at all.

 

And do not forget the leafy green vegetables! The nutrients in them are essential to neurological functioning.

[Carmie]

Hi crackerjax, 

 

How are you doing?💚