Question About Synthroid (levothyroxine)

[morrisun]

Hi All,

I'm not too familiar with the medications for treating hypothyroidism as I suffer from hyperthyroidism. However, my husband was diagnosed about 2 years ago as hypo. Getting him to take his medication has been extremely frustrating but that's a whole different post.

I think he had finally had enough of feeling poorly so he made a concerted effort to take his medication daily, his current dosage is 50mg. He was on the medication for a full week and the entire time he complained of a pretty bad headache every day. As soon as he stopped taking his medication the headaches stopped as well.

We have recently moved and he is scheduled to see his new Dr. in a couple of weeks. I was just wondering if headaches are a common side effect of Levothyroxine? Is the brand name better? Are there other options that I could have him mention to his Dr?

I'm just trying to know as much on the subject as possible because I know how tricky the thyroid can be when you're trying to reach the right dosage. Any input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Divermon]

We're all different of course, but any number of such complaints can be present when you are increasing your meds. By the way, I'm sure that's 50 mcg, not 50 mg. I get headaches when I'm increasing my T3, but not usually with T4 med increases. Still they're not very strong headaches, so no biggie. But not sure how strong your Husband's are.

It's best to stay away from generic thyroid meds, because the manufacturers can vary, and so the process, and so the potency. Better to stay with a brand name, such as Levoxyl or Unithroid. Or even Synthroid, except that it costs more for the same med, and is lightly more likely to cause side effects.

[morrisun]

Originally Posted by Divermon

We're all different of course, but any number of such complaints can be present when you are increasing your meds. By the way, I'm sure that's 50 mcg, not 50 mg. I get headaches when I'm increasing my T3, but not usually with T4 med increases. Still they're not very strong headaches, so no biggie. But not sure how strong your Husband's are.

It's best to stay away from generic thyroid meds, because the manufacturers can vary, and so the process, and so the potency. Better to stay with a brand name, such as Levoxyl or Unithroid. Or even Synthroid, except that it costs more for the same med, and is lightly more likely to cause side effects.

Yep I meant mcg and not mg, sorry! Thanks for the input.