# My endocrinologist made me feel like crap



## Sekhmet (Dec 21, 2010)

You know I sometimes feel that people are taking an advantage of my nice side.

This post is more of a rant

I was taking synthroid when this occurrence happen.

On late Sunday (Dec 19 2010) I was rushed to the hospital with what feels to be heart attack type symptoms. My heart was racing at an athletic pace, according to those treadmills that you see in Gyms. The emergency room nurse told me that my heart was pounding at about 145. The nurse quickly rushed me in one of the ER beds where they did an EKG scan, which turned out to be normal. They then gave me a medication called lopressor by IV to relax my heart muscles. They gave me Ativan to calm my nerves down. things went great. The ER really help me alot.

Now here's what ****es me off.

I called both my primary care and my endocrinologist office to let them know about what happen the very next day. My endocrinologist office took their sweet time getting back at me while my primary care called me on the same day to schedule a quick appointment (which happen to be today, Wednesday) because I asked for Ativan.

My endocrinologist was so damn lazy, maybe even careless, to not personally call me back himself, but to let the nurse call me to essentially tell me that the medication that my doctor gave me wasn't responsible for what happen. It almost seem like my doctor doesn't want to accept responsibility so he used one of his workers instead.

My only mistake was to not question about the side effects. From the tone of the nurse I speculate that she was really wanting to get off of the phone with me asap so I wasn't able to question about the side effects that I might of experienced.

My doc recently increased my Synthroid dosage because my blood work came back low, so I thought that maybe that was the reason behind my rapid heart beat.

So anyways I fully blame the medication for what happen to me on sunday, and my doc wasn't one bit concern over it. I felt like he blew me away.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000684

If you experience either of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

* chest pain (angina)
** rapid or irregular heartbeat or pulse*

What is the point of calling your doctor when he doesn't care nor probably know the medication that hes giving you? That's the way I feel right now.

If anyone knows of a endocrinologist in Broward county Florida, let me know! I am seriously reconsidering of getting myself a new doctor. This time I'm asking around.


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## desrtbloom (May 23, 2010)

I'm very sorry you had to go through that experience with your endo. I hate when you have a doctor that does the minimum. I remember the good ol' days when the docs actually called you themselves and spoke to you about things, but no longer. I don't expect my doctor to call me all the time, but if I have requested the doc to call me and then the doc has a nurse call me, that isn't acceptable. I want to speak to the doctor or I wouldn't have asked to speak to the doctor and I would have asked to speak to a nurse! It can be very frustrating.

I have been on Synthroid since August. I have had what I think have been either side effects or my Graves and/or Hashi's symptoms, but it is really hard to tell. Thank you for the info on the racing heart rate.

I hope you feel better soon and that you find a doctor that works with you. There are great ones out there. It just sometimes takes time to find him or her.


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## mommyjewel (Aug 14, 2010)

WOW just WOW. I am sorry that you went through that. It sounds like your endo is not doing his best to keep himself informed of your medication and potential health complications. I am glad that you are looking into other health care providers. It seems these days that we are only a number to these doctors instead of individual human beings.

I am not saying that all doctors are like that and I do understand that they can be over burdened at times, but still it is no excuse for them not to follow up. I hope that you find a endo that is willing to walk this path with you and get you the medications that you need and the dosages that you need. 
hugs3


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Sekhmet said:


> You know I sometimes feel that people are taking an advantage of my nice side.
> 
> This post is more of a rant
> 
> ...


What a horrible story!! Welcome to the board. Hey, guess what? You don't really need an endocrinologist. A GP, a DO, Internal Medicine! As long as that doctor wants to help you. That is the criteria.

Now, tell us...............; how much Synthroid are you taking? What is your diagnosis?

Have you had antibodies' tests? Do you have recent labs you can share with us with the ranges intact? We need the ranges!

What lab test came back low?

Husband and I lived in Coral Springs for years and had a business in Tamarac. I sure miss it down there.


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## Calli66 (Oct 14, 2010)

Please be careful about Ativan. It is not particularly harmful, but it is VERY addictive. Only for short-term use if at all.

C


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## Sekhmet (Dec 21, 2010)

I didn't know so many people had replied to my rant.

Andros, Thank you for the welcome 

I am thinking about going to my GP regarding to my thyroid problem because I honestly don't feel the compassion towards my endocrinologist. He didn't even personally tried to call (He does have a phone right in his examination room so theirs so excuse not to have called me) nor did he even try to fit in a tight appointment to fix this potential dangerous side effects that I'm having from the Synthroid that ended up hospitalizing me.

I was diagnosed of having hypothyroidism by my doctor and he gave me sample packs of Synthroid to try out. I eventually fill the prescription and then got started taking them. Since then my thyroid goes up into the hyperthyroid category and then drop down to hypothyroid again. Maybe it was another side effect from the medication? Possible hyperthyroidism? It's quite puzzling.

I am still feeling the effects from this terrible drug. I made the stupid decisions to go back on it, but it seems like I become worst.

I feel like this drug is severely making me depressed, even the thought of suicide came up in my mind because I'm tired of feeling like this. I'm 27 years old and I can't do what my age group goes... Work out and taking care of ourselves, not to mention getting a job. I can't do none while being on this drug. I guess your body can develop a allergic reaction to a drug at some time or another. I guess thats what happen to me.

I had went to my GP on Wednesday and she took my blood and my results came back normal on the thyroid results while my endocrine doc told me that it was low. I don't know who to believe.

I don't know if I had an antibodies test done. The ER test that I received a copy of was brought to my GP so I'm unable to share any information regarding to my results.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

It sounds like you are having a difficult time adjusting to Synthroid. What dose did your doctor have you start on? If it was too high, it could cause the heart symptoms you described. This is not the same as an allergic reaction. Synthroid and all thyroid replacement meds have a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning that the difference between an effective dose and enough to cause problems, including heart problems is very small. Doses need to be titrated slowly upward to get you at the right dose for you. 
If you are not happy with Synthroid, which is a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement, there is an option of taking a hormone made from dessicated pig thyroid that some people have more success with. There are several diferent brands such as Armour or Nature Thyroid. Many doctors are reluctant to prescribe dessicated pig thyroid because it is less commonly used than Synthroid. 
I can completely sympathize with your experience with your endo. Mine was awful, and I ended up deciding to fire him and hired a new family doctor who is willing to treat my thyroid and do follow up that feels more comfortable to me.
I have found that it is important for me to get copies of all my labwork so that I can understand what is going on and compare how I am feeling to what my labs say. "Normal" can be a large window and someone else's "normal" may not feel ok to me. You may have antibodies causing your thyroid to go high and low or it may be from going on and off the medication. 
If you are feeling suicidal, 1. Don't do it! 2. Call someone and get some help. You may need to talk with a professional. If you don't feel like you have anyone to call, many areas have suicide hotlines. I have seen a therapist through my thyroid order and it has been immensely helpful. I don't know how I would have gotten through this on my own. 
There are many of us who have been through what you are going through. Things do get better as our thyroids get balanced out. Don't loose hope. This will get better.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Sekhmet said:


> I didn't know so many people had replied to my rant.
> 
> Andros, Thank you for the welcome
> 
> ...


You actually could be hyper. How did you get diagnosed? Did you have any of the test listed below?

Hyper can be insidious as symptoms cross over.

TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin),TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/unders...s/thyroid.html

What made this doc (endo) decide that you were hypo??

I feel badly for you but not to worry. We will help you all we can.

You could very well be having this reaction because you should not be on thryoxine at all. Only the antibodies' test will tell the true story.

TSI is very important (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin) for you should have none at all. If you do, that indicates hyperthyroid.


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