# Is my medication too strong? Emotional side effects?



## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

I went to the doctor yesterday morning, and based on my symptoms, I was prescribed Armour thyroid, 60mg once a day. I took one and felt wide awake all day. Later this evening, I took a smaller dose of my benadryl, cutting it in half of what I've been taking for the past week.

But starting around midnight, I've been nauseated, have had diarrhea, and sobbing uncontrollably. I don't know what's causing it. I just adopted a new dog today and I'm sure I'm upsetting him terribly.

I do have a mild dairy allergy... And I've never had any physical reactions other than just a headache. So I did have some dairy at lunch.

I'm sure the digestive effects are from the dairy (probably). I've never had a healthy relationship with food and I'm trying to work on that.

But the emotional whatever is going on is nearly unbearable. I don't know if I'm having withdrawal from the benadryl or a dairy allergy can do that or if I'm taking too much Armour too fast or if I'm just stressed out.

But I'm too old to be calling my mom crying at 4:30am and I want to know if I should wait on my 6am dose of Armour and call my doctor's emergency line and ask about cutting the pill in half. Has anyone had severe emotional side effects from thyroid meds?


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## StormFinch (Nov 16, 2012)

Is this the first thyroid replacement you've been on? If so, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you were put on way to much to start with. According to the Armour insert; "The usual starting dose is 30 mg Armour Thyroid, with increments of 15 mg every 2 to 3 weeks." http://frx.com/pi/armourthyroid_pi.pdf and some doctors suggest titrating like levothyroxine and waiting 6 weeks between dosage increases.

Waiting on this morning's dose and calling your doctor is a good idea, or you could just cut today's dose in half and see how today goes, then contact him or her.


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

Yeah, it's the first thyroid med I've ever taken. My numbers were borderline to begin with? But because I had so many symptoms, he put me on the Armour, 60mg.

I called their emergency call line and put in a page to the doctor that prescribed it to me. I hate to wake someone up so early in the morning but this is a serious deal.

My mom just got my facebook messages and called me and I broke down on the phone. Wow, I really fail at being an adult today :/


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## StormFinch (Nov 16, 2012)

Don't be hard on yourself Debster, the thyroid plays a big part in every system of our body, including our emotional well being. Your doctor just threw a whole lot of hormone at you all at once and I believe your body is rebelling. When I was first put on synthroid it was too high of a starting dose and I had terrible nightmares, plus I seem to remember some emotional turmoil thrown in.

Just don't let your doctor freak out and take you completely off of it or blame the Armour specifically. Push for a smaller dose, even as small as 15 mgs, and try again.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Can you post your labs?

Many people cannot tolerate the t3 that is in dessicated medications. The standard protocol is to start with t4 meds and then reassess at six week intervals. But, I agree, if you are going to start on Armour, that seems like too high of a dose.


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

I don't think he'll say forget it... the clinic seems to be one that may treat thyroid very aggressively. I'm going to try to call my pharmacist too, if the doctor doesn't get back to me by the time the pharmacy opens.

Just took my makeup off that was on from last night, and my eyelids are super swollen. I guarantee my dairy allergy has gotten worse too.

It really was the night from hell. The new dog took it surprisingly well.


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

Here are my labs:
Labs that were collected on 3/30/13, 3pm:

TSH: 1.6 (.45-4.5)
Free T3: 2.3 (2.0-4.4)
Free T4: 1.21 (.82-1.77)

Labs collected on 7/11/13 10am:
Free T3: 3.7 (2.0-4.4)
Free T4: 1.46 (.82-1.77)
Thyroid Peroxidase: 13 (0-43)
Cortisol: 36.3 (2.3-19.4)
ANA direct: Negative

They vary quite a bit, and my second lab didn't have any antibodies or other relevant info.

The new doctor is running the following:
Free T3, Free T4
Reverse T3
All antibodies
Ferritin, Given a saliva cortisol test that I will take when I'm feeling a bit better.
Lipid profile, with granule size.

Interestingly enough, my symptoms have gotten worse since March. Infectious diseases have been ruled out. I have a family history of Hashimoto's, so it could be why the labs are up in July.

I feel dumb that I didn't mention to him that I had an anxiety attack in 2009. He got back to me just now and let me know that any amount I'd want to reduce the medication by is just fine; I need to be comfortable.

During the "anxiety":
Temperature: 97.6
Heart rate: 90

So I wasn't skyrocketing, but the emotional side effects were not good.

I'm tempted to reduce it to 15mg. So, 15 for 4 days, 30 for 4, then reassess I think is my current plan. I want to be 100% safe. The last thing I want to do is have anxiety. What do you all think?


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## Airmid (Apr 24, 2013)

debster said:


> Yeah, it's the first thyroid med I've ever taken. My numbers were borderline to begin with? But because I had so many symptoms, he put me on the Armour, 60mg.
> 
> I called their emergency call line and put in a page to the doctor that prescribed it to me. I hate to wake someone up so early in the morning but this is a serious deal.
> 
> My mom just got my facebook messages and called me and I broke down on the phone. Wow, I really fail at being an adult today :/


Lol - We all fail at being adults from time to time. :hugs:

And don't feel bad for trying to track down your doctor - that's what they're there for and it sounds like a severe reaction. You do sound like me as I am tend to be an outspoken advocate for others, but when it comes to myself I tend to draw back, not wanting to be a bother.

To answer your first question - yes I have had a very bad reaction to an increase in thyroid meds, just these past few days so you do have company in this.  I was given a huge leap of thyroid medication and at least attempted it for a few days. That last three days til I said F-it and had to stop myself from throwing them out the window. Even splitting the dose didn't really help all that much.

Ask if you can just take half. You should be able to split the pill but it's always a good idea to ask. I would skip it today while you wait for answers, there's no harm and it seems like you don't need more right this moment, and restart tomorrow.


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

Thank you everyone for being so kind.

I split the pill in half and the results weren't so great, so I will not be splitting it into quarters. If the half makes me ill, then I'll call in for a smaller dose. The doctor was great and very understanding.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

debster said:


> I went to the doctor yesterday morning, and based on my symptoms, I was prescribed Armour thyroid, 60mg once a day. I took one and felt wide awake all day. Later this evening, I took a smaller dose of my benadryl, cutting it in half of what I've been taking for the past week.
> 
> But starting around midnight, I've been nauseated, have had diarrhea, and sobbing uncontrollably. I don't know what's causing it. I just adopted a new dog today and I'm sure I'm upsetting him terribly.
> 
> ...


It could be taking Benadryl w/Armour? Also, 60 mg. is a huge starting dose.

Armour Thyroid 30 Cold Medications, Decongestants or Nasal Sprays Decongestants like pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine and oxymetazoline (Afrin) are compatible with thyroid. Any decongestant can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. Afrin should be used for only 2 to 3 days to avoid rebound congestion. Also use Ocean (saline) nasal spray with thyroid to treat nasal congestion. Avoid antihistamines while taking thyroid, unless your physician recommends one.
http://www.bjchealth.org/DrugInteractions

You must be very very careful about all you do when on thyroxine replacement. Look everything up and read all labels.

Benadryl is an antihistamine.


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

Oh, that's not good.

I'll have to get a hold of my pharmacy and see if that's a big interaction. I'll probably sleep just fine without the benadryl now, if my thyroid was to blame for my insomnia (99.9% sure it is)...

But I do expect to have a little bit of withdrawal. I've been taking it to fall asleep for quite some time.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

debster said:


> Labs collected on 7/11/13 10am:
> Free T3: 3.7 (2.0-4.4)
> Free T4: 1.46 (.82-1.77)
> Thyroid Peroxidase: 13 (0-43)
> ...


Your doc has a good idea with the saliva cortisol test. Your cortisol lab here is high. Something to keep in the back of your mind is Cushing's, especially if the saliva test comes back high, too. The problem with one blood test like you have here is that: a) just getting blood drawn can raise cortisol in some folks, and, b) hopefully it was drawn first thing in the morning.

Throttling back on the Armour and working your way up 'low n slow' sounds like a good idea.


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

And I am wondering if the cortisol was elevated from maybe accidentally having milk products (I'm moderately allergic to milk, according to a blood test). Or, like you said, the draw. They took out 8 vials and it was so much and I was frustrated with being sick and I cried when they did it.

The doctor said it could be adrenal fatigue though. You know you've got a serious thyroid doctor if he says that. I'm going to wait to do the saliva test until my new dog sleeps through the night so I can be sure my stress levels are down enough to have it be accurate.

I've been on the Armour 30mg for 4 days now and I can already feel a difference. My obsession with food and what I'm going to eat has almost completely vanished. I'm calmer, haven't had any fits of rage since I started the meds, and I'm able to work out.

I'm not going to say this is a sure thing yet, but I think this medication is curing my eating disorders. And I wonder why I took so long to get this taken care of. Guess I had to be super sick to understand.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Yeah, I have never heard an MD utter the words "adrenal fatigue". Sounds like a keeper for sure.

Glad to hear you are feeling a little better. All this healing takes time, and it can get frustrating at times waiting for everything to improve. But it sounds like you are making some good progress!

And yeah, I think the frustration, crying, and drawing 8 vials could definitely spike your cortisol at that moment.


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

Update:

I was feeling great for about a week, and now I'm on 60mg of Armour. Joint pain is gone, somewhat better temperature tolerance. Anxiety is completely gone, food cravings are manageable.

I'm still constantly tired, and now since I'm getting 7 hours of sleep a night, I'm finding that I have to supplement with a nap to get up to 9-10 hours.

Now that my new dog has settled in and isn't stressing me, I'm doing my saliva cortisol test today. I am absolutely dragging without caffeine today and I'm fighting taking a nap since that could mess up the test.

So something's still off, but I'm getting closer to finding it out. I have a follow-up appointment on Sep 6 so hopefully by then things will be sorted out a bit.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

debster said:


> Update:
> 
> I was feeling great for about a week, and now I'm on 60mg of Armour. Joint pain is gone, somewhat better temperature tolerance. Anxiety is completely gone, food cravings are manageable.
> 
> ...


Good to hear from you and thanks for the update!!! Did you get a pup?


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

I got a retired racing greyhound, and he is so wonderful. He seems attuned to when people aren't feeling well. He's upset when left alone but I'm teaching him.

I wouldn't have been able to do so well with him without feeling a little better, so I'm glad about that. I just have to get up to 100% now.


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