# night sweats



## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

anyone else get night sweats when upping your dosage? I have a couple soakers, but mainly just waking up with a damp collar and back. I also seemed to have developed Psoriasis on my last hypo event


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

What is your med and how much are you on? Sometimes that does happen but there are a myriad of reasons for night sweats.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Can't say I've noticed night sweats when titrating upwards. I did have ridiculous night sweats during the early days of flare-ups, and likely when under-medicated. Not only that, but also probably due to low testosterone.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

Are you premenopausal?


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

well, it seems I was probabaly just over medicated. I had developed insomnia, night sweats, and stomach cramps. They started with my last increase synthroid, before mixing in some Nature Throid. I cut back, the night sweats and insomnia stopped immediately, the cramps seems to be getting better. In have celiac and IBS and am probably a poor absorber. It seem that T3 (95%) is taken in real quick, so that could explain some of it. While T4 is (50-80%) , worse in poor absorbers. Has any one else had nausea and cramps before??


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## Airmid (Apr 24, 2013)

I can say I don''t feel good if we suddenly bump up my thyroid meds. Generally feelings of malaise, feeling sick to my stomach that sort of thing.

The last time I went hyper and had to stop taking my meds they wanted me to start off taking half of my whooping 250 mcg dose. What a mistake. I felt like I wanted to go running across the city and developed heart issues. So we stopped and started again from the beginning and that worked a lot better.

I do get night sweats but they seem unrelated to my dose. I get mine between 2-3 AM when all my hormones are at their peak. It's a "I'm drenched, my PJ's are, along with my sheets and I feel terrible" type of thing. Really sucks, though I do have other issues going on. Never got them corresponding with increased dosage though but it wouldn't surprise me if some do, especially if the med has T3 in it.


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

wow, I am male, so I am unsure what hormones you are referring to. I got sick with all but one increase of synthroid as well. Thanks for the info. It is comforting to know we are not alone


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## Melimac (Sep 12, 2010)

I'm the opposite, I get horrible night sweats when my dosage is too low.


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

I had night sweats when hypo, but they were mild. I think I wrap my neck very tightly when hypo. All I can say no drenching night sweats for 4 weeks. I am a oncology nurse, so I always think the worst (lymphoma). I have to stop doing that!! Now for these cramps to go away, they are getting better. I am the most sensitive to changes in doses the MD has ever seen.

I became a hypochondriac when I had a CT scan. All sorts of things popped that could be cancer. They all turned out to be benign, but that took 2 years of testing to be sure and resulted in a perfectly good thyroid being incinerated. Stupid car accident!! Trying to retrain the brain after that. So if I sound a bit anxious at times, that is why. I stay away from all scans now. I just have lots of benign cysts in my body, but technology is behind in telling which ones are benign


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## spottythecat (Jun 18, 2014)

I have had sporadic night sweats and also bouts of being very, very cold. I take my temperature upon waking an lately it's only 96.5. Something isn't right with me....


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## eternalflame30 (Mar 6, 2013)

Have you seen your Endo lately?? I didn't know night sweats was apart of Hypo??

Lisa


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

Airmid said:


> I can say I don''t feel good if we suddenly bump up my thyroid meds. Generally feelings of malaise, feeling sick to my stomach that sort of thing.
> 
> The last time I went hyper and had to stop taking my meds they wanted me to start off taking half of my whooping 250 mcg dose. What a mistake. I felt like I wanted to go running across the city and developed heart issues. So we stopped and started again from the beginning and that worked a lot better.
> 
> I do get night sweats but they seem unrelated to my dose. I get mine between 2-3 AM when all my hormones are at their peak. It's a "I'm drenched, my PJ's are, along with my sheets and I feel terrible" type of thing. Really sucks, though I do have other issues going on. Never got them corresponding with increased dosage though but it wouldn't surprise me if some do, especially if the med has T3 in it.


How long does your stomach thing last mine has been 4 weeks, seems to be finally settling though


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Kquad said:


> well, it seems I was probabaly just over medicated. I had developed insomnia, night sweats, and stomach cramps. They started with my last increase *synthroid*, before mixing in some Nature Throid. I cut back, the night sweats and insomnia stopped immediately, the cramps seems to be getting better. In have *celiac and IBS *and am probably a poor absorber. It seem that T3 (95%) is taken in real quick, so that could explain some of it. While T4 is (50-80%) , worse in poor absorbers. Has any one else had nausea and cramps before??


I bolded the above.

Be aware that if you are taking brand-name Synthroid, it is not guaranteed to be GF, per the mfg. In fact, many thyroid drugs are not GF. This could be a partial source of your troubles. I have a nasty case of gluten sensitivity, and it took me a long time to figure out that it was Synthroid giving me additional troubles. I noticed a feeling as if I had been "glutened" every time I took it. Now I know why!

Contact your pharmacy and tell them you are Celiac, and to verify that the drugs (whether brand-name or generic) you take are gluten-free by the manufacturers. You might be surprised at the results. Mylan is a manufacturer of generic levothyroxine that is supposedly GF. Also, brand-name Levoxyl (Pfizer) is GF, if you can find it. And of course the hypo-allergenic Tirosint is GF. The desiccated drugs like Armour, Nature-Throid (RLC), and West-Throid (RLC) should be GF and fine.

Since you mentioned that you are a guy, know that your testosterone should absolutely be checked. Hormones can be a big issue. And thyroid problems usually extend their reach beyond the thyroid, and can include sex hormones, adrenals, etc. An ideal starting point would be testing: total testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, and E2 estradiol. Plus, a 24-hr. urine or saliva collection, broken into different time periods, for cortisol testing. If something comes back abnormal (esp. testosterone), it is time to ask the question "why" and get some answers before considering any sort of treatment. Just having a total testosterone run and being "in range" or "normal" per the doc does not suffice. You need numbers and data. If you need more info, hit me up with a PM, or check out some of my other posts.


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

Thanks bigfoot, I will see about some of the testing. I am taking the mylan version. 
It really seems my gut is just ultrasensitive. I am currently taking 68.5 mcg levothyroxine and some naturethroid. If I take anything above 5/8 a grain, I get stomach cramps in hours. The question is, will that change as I lower my levo and increase the nature throid. Also, do I need to. I feel almost normal again. That may be enough T3 for me. Will I get more benefit from more? I was tested on levo 68.5 mcg and 1/2 grain nature throid. TSH was 3.4, total T3 was 92 ( a slight increase) and free T4 was 1.0. They will not run free T3
I did not feel all that bad. I have been at 3.4 on levo alone and felt terrible. That T3 made a difference. I am at 5/8 a grain and seem well,I will find out testing in a few weeks. Now, my activity level is low, I tore my rotator cuff severly and am waiting for surgery. So, I am no longer biking or lifting weights. I may not feel as good doing those, but at 45, I am not getting younger. 
As a side note my wife started Nature Throid skeptically. She has not had a thyroid in 22years. She is amazed at how much clearer her head is and a return of her libido. It has only been 2 weeks for her


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Saw some of this on your other thread. While we are all different cases, I do share some signs & symptoms with you. In fact, when I was first diagnosed and was not on any thyroid medication, the nausea and light-headedness was practically unbearable. Like leave the store or stop whatever you are doing, because you feel like you are going to either pass out or throw up. As time has marched on, medications changed, and dosages increased, this has gotten much better. Other times, when seemingly under-medicated during titration, these symptoms will return. After a dose increase they start to wane. So there is definitely a connection of some sort.

You might try keeping a log or quick daily journal noting how you feel, dosages, any lab test results, etc. It can be really handy looking back at the info to see patterns.

Also, if you are feeling good, keep track of it, as you might be finding the sweet spot. Not everybody takes only levothyroxine, or only Nature-Throid. There are a few folks out there who take some of both. You might be one of those people, but it's hard to say at this point.

Personally, I wouldn't chalk much of this stuff up to old age, especially at 45. And I've noticed a much higher tendency to pull muscles or have joint pain when dealing with the thyroid stuff. Hopefully that improves as you get closer to being euthyroid. Awesome to hear your wife is doing so well on Nature-Throid. Heck, I was a skeptic at first, too.


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

The naturopath wants me to stick it out at 68 mcg and 3/4 grain Nature throid. My question is, do you get used to T3 over time. It has been sin 12/12, that my thyroid was removed. He still wants to get me off the levo completely. Or have a custom compound T3/T4. I want to stick with the Natural, just in case there is some benefit from getting the T2, T1 and calcitonin. I am not s sure, I need to be off the levo completely.

Bigfoot, I read in some other forum and muscle aches and tendon issues on T4. All of mine started about 6 months after thyroid removal on T4 only, so I am hoping it will get better.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

I think many people do get used to taking T3 over a period of time. When I was taking Levoxyl, I tried adding in a little bit of generic Cytomel (synthetic T3). Even though it was a low dose of 5 mcg, it was really powerful. I tried splitting that dose into 2.5 mcg, and still couldn't handle it. Finally, I threw in the towel and decided to try again another time. Fast forward a couple of years to Nature-Throid, and I seem to tolerate that quite a bit better despite the higher daily amount of T3 -- not sure why, but so be it.

If you are really sensitive to medications, you might look into West-Throid. It's made by the same company as Nature-Throid (RLC Labs), but is a version with less fillers / ingredients.


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## Airmid (Apr 24, 2013)

Kquad said:


> How long does your stomach thing last mine has been 4 weeks, seems to be finally settling though


Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I still have issues and last September I had what they believed to be ulcers in my esophagus which was not a pleasant experience.

Keep in mind though that my thyroid has never been truly controlled and swings all over the place. I also have calcium issues that cause stomach issues on top of it so between the two I have good days and bad days. I can go weeks without any problems and then suddenly go into really bad attacks of GERD to the point of actually getting bile in my mouth. My situation is a bit more extreme then yours and I would hope with proper medication that things will calm down. Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism both affect the GI track and can cause all sorts of issues that can get sorted out with proper treatment.

When I mentioned hormones I wasn't referring to the female/male ones. I was referring to the rest of your hormones that your body makes. They apparently reach a peak around 2-3 AM which is usually when I wake up drenched in sweat like I did last night. When my thyroid is more painful and feels more swollen I tend to have them and then do fine the rest of the time.


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

Thanks Airmid,

That was the time I would wakes up sweating. I talked the Naturopath into letting me lower my levo dose to 62.5 from 68.5mcg. After 3 days, it is already paying off. I slept better last night and no sweating at all. Cramps are mild, but then I did not allow them to get too bad this time. Bowels are also little slower.

I find the only bad thing about the T3 now is, I feel relatively lethargic in the am. My afternoons and evenings are great compared to before. I also have some mild anxiety around lunch time. Hoping that goes away as well. At least my skin is clearing up. I developed keratosis pilaris badly about 3 months after thyroid removal. I can barely see it now. If that is not proof, I do not know what is! Now if my tendons pay attention and stop hurting, all will be well.


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

OK, this is weird. I think I found the cause of my night sweats. I have been dry as a bone, even with full pj's which I had stopped wearing, to stop the sweating. As an effort to stop my hair loss, that increased with my thyroidectomy, I bought some rogaine last fall. I, however only used it a couple times. Starting this spring, I began to use it. About a week ago, my wife (she runs the clippers over my head), said it is getting thicker again. I know rogaine takes months, it had to be the Nature Throid.

My next thought, was I can stop using the Rogaine. Then a light went on. The sweats started about the same time as the rogaine use. Sure enough, 3 straight nights, not a drop of sweat. I found a handful of report to the FDA on night sweats. They were worse on higher doses of thyroid replacement. Anyway, I am sensitive to medications. Looking back on nights I forgot the Rogaine. I was dry.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Yeah, there can be lots of side-effects from various meds, and not everyone reacts the same way. I just casually glanced over some of the sides listed from Rogaine and I have to say, I think I'd rather just go bald, especially with all of the potential cardiac issues listed.


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## Kquad (May 26, 2014)

bigfoot said:


> I bolded the above.
> 
> Be aware that if you are taking brand-name Synthroid, it is not guaranteed to be GF, per the mfg. In fact, many thyroid drugs are not GF. This could be a partial source of your troubles. I have a nasty case of gluten sensitivity, and it took me a long time to figure out that it was Synthroid giving me additional troubles. I noticed a feeling as if I had been "glutened" every time I took it. Now I know why!
> 
> ...


Well I had a testosterone just drawn. I did not even realize it, mine was 230. Definatley very low, lowest 5% range for my age. Thanks Bigfoot, I will talk to the MD tommorow.


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