h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, not new drugs, same drugs, differnt make. Which, of course, should make no differnce whatsoever. Generic drugs is what generic drugs is, and as they're all the same identicle active ingredient, Visa the 'drug', they're all the same.

At least, this is seemingly what all Drs know to be the case, and also, seemingly what all patients know to not be the case.

I've tried acuviss and wockhardt brands, they were terrible (for me), then I went to Mercuary pharma, which was like a totally differnt drug (yet same active ingredient?!), until... Then I started being unable to tollerate that.

now I've got my hands on some Teva brand, which is the final manifacturer of levothyroxin, in the UK for me to try.

Of course, and the Drs of course say this is impossible, I just can't tollerate the actual drug, Visa levothyroxin/synthetic T4/thyroxin.

Ahh! - Teva 25 Microgram tablets are not the size of a grain of dust! - useful.... cept... they are exactly the same size as the 50 McG tablets.... damnit; I'll have to read the boxes every day to know which is which, although, once I'm on 75 McG a day again I'll just get one from each box....

Following the consultants advice to the letter, starting in on 25 McG for a couple days, then 50 McG for a couple days, before going back to 75 McG.

I just took the first 25 McG, as I had an empty s stomach since I haven't eaten since breakfast....

OK, I know this is ment to be impossible, due to the absorption time of the drugs, but I was told this too, for Hydrocortisone, and I don't care what they say the absorption time is, I can feel the drug in me, within a couple minutes of swallowing the tablet.

It 'hits' my forebrain.... sort of an inch or so back from my hairline, near the surface, I.E., just under the skull....the HC 'fizzed' in this area. the levo just.... sort of sits there, crushing it. quite an odd sensation, and I'm immediately exausted. just hoping I can tollerate this make, and it actually does improve how I feel, rather than making me feel worse In otter news, there is no otter... yet....

otter news! there is news of an otter nature!

The otter nature being..... I got an E-mail this morning, about a 'rush bit of work', which I've just completed, a sort of accessbility type thing, as per useual, but very straight forward, so didn't take too many of the brain cells I've got left to complete.... and now... its probably too late to bother napping....

It's never too late for a nap. As erratic as your circadian cycle is you should just carry an inflatable pillow with you and take a much needed nap wherever you are when sleepiness finds you.

That's actually rather natural. 5 billion cats can't be wrong.

We must not disagree with the cats. Look what happened last time? Those babalonians..... poor poor misguided culture.... They really shouldn't have annoyed the pussy cats that* much... - nah, I don't need sleep anyhow! - In some ways it would be so nice if just one aspect of me, or my life, was remotely normal... but when it comes to sleep, I'm generally more full of energy and 'with it' the less sleep I guess, 3, 4 or 5 hours a night sleeps seems to do me good, more than that... and I'm so tired the next day anyhow, I need to get on and do a few things now, and then think about preparing dinner, so I can have it cooked up for when W get shome later... well, he's not actually gone out yet, but will soon... and I want a shower or bath at some point, and I've forgotten to eat again since breakfast (how the can I keep eating less and less, and still keep gaining weight? - I'm not even sure I can blame the steroids, I'm on such a low dose now (shhh, don't tell my Dr....)

ooo! - that feels so nice! - Just sent of fthe completed work, just a couple pages in Word, and then got a reply, with a few questions, so I shot off a reply to that... - I think my memory and concentration problems, are half that I have so little of 'real purpose' to do anymore cept for being a 'housewhife' which I'm faily good at I think I must try get more bits of work like this, just from home stuff for now I think... which rmeinds me... must go book the hotel for the weekend away to a friend's 40th birthday at the start of Feb, my first time out of the city since.... I was in Sweden Chirstmas 2015 or when I was at my Dad's, a bit before that in the November....

"5 billion cats can't be wrong." [Baron Gim]

Maybe not. But I still refuse to eat

So does my cat.

Exception to the rule. You probably spoiled her. Stop feeding her and see what happens

The last cat our family had, really love eating cheese. She liked broccholli too, and gravy, and bacon, now I come to think of it. actually, the one thing she really really loved, a good greesy donna kebab, all the sauce, all the salad, she love dhtat..... yeh, our cat loved a dirty donna she was called 'olde blacky', and didn't have a very long tail, due to an accident involving a wooden fence, and a nap in the sun... the tail got left at the top of the fence she also liked peas... and sweetcorn.... we tried to train her, to say the word 'Lurpack' as she loved butter so much... she could almost say it... but not quite... my family isn't normal.

I can NOT eat a strip of string cheese alone.

I can

Not around my pets you couldn't.

The cat listens for the wrapper being pealed and meets me by the refrigerator. But even if I can somehow silently unwrap the cheese, they both sniff it out within a minute, even from the other room, and surround me on the sofa. The dog waits patiently , the cat will take the cheese out of my hand or mouth if I don't push him away or give him his "cut".

well, took the new levothyroxin brand, tablet this morning, only a tiny dose, 25 McG, (I was on a small enough dose already at 75 McG, but was told to start low and increase dose).

Within minutes.
muscle weakness throughout body, especially in arms and legs. Uncordinated, hardly able to walk.
Brain fog, cognition just not working.
Sweating, and heart palpitations (measured temp and it was normal though).
Spatial awareness just vanished.
Massive massive fatigue.

Was pretty much unable to make myself breakfast, as I didn't knwo where my hands were, and I was so uncoordinated.

Burning stinging sensation on deficating, within hours of taking the tablet.

I'd say that's a fairly good indicator I can't tolerate this drug.

Still feel rubish now, at gone err, nearly 5 PM now, - I had phone d hospital and left a message at the nurses answerphone, that I needed a consultant to phone me, but no reply. - no point talking to the nurses, their advice can only be 'do what the Dr said, take your meds' which, is about as helpful as a rectal prolapse.

arms very painful now, typing is hurting. ,bleep> Still hoping Dr may phone, after work 'finishes', so some time about now, or after 5

I keep reading about those thyroid medication made from dried thyroid glands - rumored to contain t3 and t4 together, and whatnot. Are they available?

What symptoms are you supposed to be treating by taking the drug? Still sounds to me like the medication is somehow bypassing your bloodstream and going straight to your brain to give you an overdose instead...

"An overactive thyroid can cause:

difficulty sleeping
feeling tired all the time
muscle weakness
diarrhoea
an irregular and/or unusually fast heart rate (palpitations)
twitching or trembling
warm skin and excessive sweating
red palms of your hands
loose nails
a raised, itchy rash – known as hives (urticaria)
eye problems, such as redness, dryness "

that sounds eerily accurate, actually!

asides the nails thing... yes... hyper useually causes bad nails and hair, and skin I think; my nails have never been as good as they are right now, in my entire life, and pretty much ditto for my skin an hair, although I am getting 'spots' all over my back, chest, face, and some on my legs and elsewhere too; don't think they're hives though.... or maybe they are; I just figured they're either due to the prednisolone or due to the testosterone levels/oestrogen levels

problem is hyper and hypo symptoms can actualy be the same; and a lot of the same symptoms are caused by other things; E.G., my being growth hormone defecient, or side effects of steroids or even the testosterone injections etc so it is hard to figure it out... - I have sen my blood results, even on 75 McG replacement T4/levo over months and months, I'm still very hypo on my bloods; just in normal range, but so low on it its considered under treated (expect y my Drs who don't seem to realise this), yet, I've more symptoms of hyper - something does no add up, but Drs just don't seem to want to find out, as they just think my bloods are the only thing that matters, and screw how ill I feel - heck they ignored it when I told them I was suicidal and hallucinating on hydrocortisone, so I think they just are utterly blind to anything cept bloods, and reading what their textbooks told them (whilst symultaionsiously ignoring treatment guidelines) I'm at a total loss really waht to do now. cept, of course now its night, I feel a lot better, so going out for a walk... which may include a quick visit to the pub

SashaQ - the medication, the levothyroxin, is not to treat any symptoms, that is, I never had any symptoms of being hypothyroid, before I was prescribed it, by the endocrinologist, cept, possibly for 'fatigue', - given this was not lon g after my cancer treatment, and I certainly got chemo fatigue from that, the fatigue I hd could have had that cancer as the explination, not hypothyroid, additionally, the hydrocortisone steroid I was on then, for the adrneal side of things, caused huge fatigue, as it made me almos t like a diabetic in my bodies inability to process sugar. - but my blood work shoed I was hypothyroid, with low, actually very* low TSH and low T4 and T3 (remember mine is secondary hypothyroid; its the TSH from the pitutiary, being abscent/low that means my thyroid isn't getting the message to produce the T4 and T3).

but. yeh, something doesn't add up.

Evenaually got to speak to endocrine Dr today, on the phone, she's getting me a new app with her, or the other consultant I like, as soon as pos; I got the impression this won't be very soon though, in the meantime I'm not to take the levothyroxin. I also mentioned to her my penitious anemia, and that no one has ever done anything about it, cept me, as I take sublingual B12 (the only drug yet I've found that makes me feel better; stopped all the muscle pain, just about).
Also she said ther eis a letter coming soon, with all the results on, from recent stuff; including the bone density and heart scan and vitamin D test, etc.
Also, she confirmed I should get an app soon with nurses to test my testosteorne levels and do another urine test
I then explained to her. urgently. earnestly. and forthright; "No one there, at the hospital is interested in examining what is wrong with me; if a patient, reacts so reverse to the medicaiton, then something has to be wrong in the condition being treated, not matching up with the medication being given; this is every single brand availible of the thyroid med I've had basically the same reaction too; for every aspect of my condition being treated, cept for the testosterone, I never had symptoms of bein gg low, before I commenced treatment, and this has to be looeked at, not just another guess and throw another ddrug at me, randomly.". - to that effect.... I think it may have sunk in a bit.

felt rubish today.

Got up, drank coffee, sorted out a few clothes for chairty shop; took steroids, ate to help them not hurt my stomach, then went back to bed until 3 PM. then just sat on the sofa, not moving, drinking tea, until about 6 PM, when I started feeling vaguely alive, and cooked up garlic baguette, with green salad, and a chicken and mushroom risotto.

kinda feel alright now.. this late in the day again

Oh, and for those of following things.... two bowel movements today, first was OK. second was the chemical burning variety, that is associated with the levothyroxin medication. basically, going to the toilet like that not only involves fnallels afterwards, but really requires douching too - now, how about that for TMI?!

bathtime soon; was too ill to wash myself yesterday thnaks to the meds

I do hope she keeps listening and taking you seriously. And interesting that you're to stop Levothyroxine! let's hope you feel ok from that.

I feel fabulus when I'm of the levothyroxin. All my bloods show I'm hypothyroid, especially, and even moreso when I'm off it for a long while (I went off it myself, during september, and felt better than I had all year, until Drs made me go back on it, as my bloods h show I'm hypo, and being hypo is bad for you, and the GH won't work without thyroid). - I went off it for 7 days this time; Monday until Monday; by Friday and saturday I was talking of going and joining the gym, Monday, - not had strength to walk half the time, that was how good 5 or 6 days off it made me, then come Monday, and Tuesday, restarte the new brand, and I'm mor ill than dieing. - I feel worse yesterday, on taking the levothyroxin, than I felt when I nearly died in May from the adrenal crisis, or when I had a brain hemoridge, in January 2015. - gona push to make Drs hear me now, I can't take much omre of this. - and yet, each day, by the time the drugs ave warn off, by 7, 8 or 9 PM, I feel so much better than I do during the day, when on the drugs. It doens't make sense; most people with Addison's, primary or secondary, can't get out of bed in the morning, as they're bodies are so despearte for the steroids we can't survive without; I wake, feeling fine, no matter how little I slep, or how much booze I had, the night before; and start feeling like a corpse from the moment I start taking the meds; entirely upside down. ,wah> it no make sense!

I just. for late night fun. read therough the symptoms of hyper thyroid, and hyper cortisolism, I.E., the opposite conditions to what I have. there were very few symptoms I don't have, basically I don't get the symptoms only females get, missing periods etc, and I don't have weight loss. but asides that, oh, and I don't think I have the red skin marks, 'Strii' or something I think ,er>