Katt1825

I am entering recovery and have been hypothyroid for 20 years. I was treated with radioactive iodine and now take 150mg synthroid daily. I just wondered if anyone had any experience with recovery and thyroid issues?

BFD

MEEEEEEE! I have Graves' Disease with Hashimotos. This sucks, doesn't it? I feel like we have it a little harder than the norm, especially with the additional medications we have to take. I didn't do well with synthroid; I'm on Armour Thyroid now.

BFD

I've noticed my heart rate was always more elevated and I seem to sweat much more than average when I would WD. Stomach issues were the worst, but I learned to double the dose of immodium and that worked for me. The overall weakness and feeling like my body weighed 1,000 pounds took forever to go away, and I still struggle on stairs, especially when it's hot out - which, in Florida, it is ALWAYS hot out lately, haha. Hang in there. It comes and goes. You probably already battle depression too, with your thyroid all out of whack, huh?

cleaninLI

Hi Katt,
I'm hypothyroid, I take 150 mcgs of synthroid per day. For the last few weeks, I have been having horrible swelling. Doc isn't sure if its the suboxone or my thyroid. Good luck on your c/t WD from Xanax. How r you feeling?

BFD

Oh man! I forgot about the swelling. My feet looked like two balloons, lol. Anyone else's heart still pound for no good reason? Freaks me out sometimes. My blood pressure is still normal, though.

Katt1825

Oh wow I'm so glad to see that others are dealing with this too!
I have battled depression in the past that I'm sure was thyroid related but what it became it recent years, and the reason I started xanax to begin with, was the anxiety. I would get so anxious I'd vomit.

Anyways yes!! I too have the feeling of "heavy body"... Sometimes it is literally work to hold my arms up to wash my hair. And the heart pounding is something I get even when my mess are straight. I used to take high blood pressure mess but haven't needed to for years. I'm only 33 an I was diagnosed with Graves at 11 years old.

BFD

Oh my gosh. That is tough. I got diagnosed three years ago, and the only way they found it was because I was in the middle of a thyroid storm. My resting heartrate was at 150bpm. I can't barely recall a few months during that time bc everything was just so bad. I had complained for several years about being tired and run down, and battled depression. They actually tried to tell me I was bipolar, which does run in my family. So they stuck me on all the bipolar meds, which sent me into the TS. By the time I was treated, I couldn't even walk. I had to use wheelchairs and motor chairs in stores, parked in handicapped parking, used ramps instead of stairs and couldn't walk more than 3-4 steps without resting. It was awful, I can't even imagine going through that at 11! You are my new hero.

cleaninLI

Bfd and kat,
I also have that pounding heart feeling. My daughter is an emt and I am always asking her to check my bp, always normal. Kat, I was also prescribed Xanax. The problem with that is I could never take the amount prescribed. Every time I felt a panic attack I would pop one. It came to the point that I was running out of them before I could refill. I am addicted to pain pills but was also addicted to Xanax. I guess I just loved to self medicate. It's a crazy cycle to be on though.

BFD

Yuuup! Self medicating fool over here, too, haha. I loved my opiates. Any excuse possible, I was popping a pill for it. I hate the anxiety, too. I know it's got to do with that heart rate and feeling like your heart will explode any moment. Calming breaths do help a lot, and I like to picture a blank, white wall. It calms me down so much; I don't really know why.

Katt1825

Must be long lost sisters! I loved opiates too. Funny though how I've never felt addicted to them. I could split 100 pills with my brother, eat them all in a week, and not think twice about it when I was out. Xanax though.... Sigh. Total DOC I guess.

About being diagnosed at 11 .... No hero I was probably symptomatic but I didn't realize it. I started out hyperthyroid and basically was just super skinny and eating loads of food. I was diagnosed when my grandma notice I had a goiter. It got huge at one point. Fun times..

cleaninLI

Yes, we must be! I have an older brother, although not addicted, loves pain pills also and would bring them to me. Not good for my recovery! He lives in Fl and I live in Ny. But whenever we go back home to IL, I could always count on plenty of pills to help us deal with our visit with parents. Stressfull situation. Lol

BFD

Wow. Same here, except I could take or leave the xanax, but the second I was out of my 120 lortabs... eek! I was hyperthyroid when I got sick, too. Looking back, it's so obvious I was sick for a long time. Huge eyes, goiter, skinny but eating anything and everything, etc. In the three months I was super sick, I lost almost 30 pounds in one month. I'm finally on the right road with my Armour Thyroid, my weight has stabilized and I am not as "rabid" as I was, if that makes sense. I couldn't handle anything. The kids would make a mess and I'd just sob in my bathroom lol. Now if I could only have stayed away from those pesky opiates, haha. I was on lortabs for about 4-5 years for pain control. Things got worse a year ago when I discovered roxy. Cue horror music

cleaninLI

Bfd,
I know all too well the horrors of oppiate addiction! My family tease me that I know more about painkillers than a doctor or pharmacist! Unfortunately it was necessary to keep from being cheated. I guess it comes with the territory.

Katt1825

So interesting how people react differently. I will tell you one thing, I have a whole lot more respect for alcoholics who quit now. I can't imagine if I could just walk into a grocery store and purchase my DOC on the cheap! I would never have the willpower.

cleaninLI

Soo true kat! That would make it that much harder! The fact that our doc's need legit scripts, connection, and $$ lots of it make it so much harder to maintain active addiction. Often times, the fact that we are unable to get our doc throws us into withdrawal and forces us to see our addiction from a clear perspective convincing many of us to begin recovery.

cleaninLI

Another thing that has helped me in my recovery is that I am not around other people that are using. I live with my husband and kids. My husband does not use drugs. He is a Pharmaceutical Chemist and is strongly against taking meds unless totally necessary. Probably, because he has first hand experience in knowing the kinds of ingredients and methods used in manufacturing them, not to mention the how big pharma companies push drugs through the system that could actually be potentially harmful to humans. As with everything it's all about making money.

Katt1825

I don't know anyone that abuses pills. My brother is clean now. However if you put me in a room with 500 people and only one was an alcoholic...I'd find them and fall in love with them. Sigh.

BFD

Yeah, I seem to have an addict magnet installed somewhere in my body. I really need to figure out where it is and rip it out hahaha.