Hypothyroidism Treatment

I had a blood test done on Friday and my doctor said that my TSH was slightly elevated so I have mild hypothyroidism. I was prescribed 25mg of synthroid. However, my symptoms are more consistent with hyperthyroidism- heart palpitations, anxiety, and lots of other stuff. She even told me she thought it was hyperthyroidism before my lab tests came back. I did have heart palpitations once before and had a blood test done and was put on synthroid then too, and they went away. I’m just curious if anybody has any ideas because it doesn’t make any sense. I even went down a list of hyperthyroidism symptoms and every medical problem ive had for the past year was on that list. What’s the deal?
More info: I have had my blood test before and it showed the same slightly high TSH levels. That was about 3 1/2 years ago. I originally went in complaining of heart palpitations at that time. I was put on 25 mg of synthroid, and they went away, and I had my blood tested after a month and my levels were normal.

I went into the doctor on Friday because I had the heart palpiations plus anxiety plus itchy skin with no rash. The anxiety was what I really couldnt deal with anymore. Here’s pretty much everything I’ve complained of recently:

Heart Palpitations
Anxiety (have had some panic attacks)
Insomnia
Itchy skin w/ no rash
Stomach pain
Having to use the bathroom frequently (no.2, not no.1)

If your blood test revealed "slight" elevation of TSH, I’m very surprised your doctor prescribed you Synthroid. Blood tests offer a range of values deemed normal that’s generally specific for just the lab that’s doing the testing. It’s not a hardfast rule about the range, particularly when it comes to thyroid hormones. Your body’s "normal" may be different from what the laboratory thinks is "normal". Especially as your symptoms were at odds with the lab results, I’m surprised your doctor didn’t want to just observe you and retake the blood test, or search for a better answer for your symptoms. Then again, I don’t really know anything about why you came to her in the first place or what other medical conditions you may have. I can’t really judge over the internet.

But based on what you’ve described: me personally, I wouldn’t take the Synthroid. I’d wait some weeks/months and get my blood retested and then see about the necessity of taking the medication. Is this the first blood test result you’ve gotten back that had any indication of hypothyroidism?

Edit: Interesting. Your current symptoms seem to be a mix of some typically attributed to hyperthyroidism and some to hypothyroidism. It could well be that your anxiety (and palpitations) are completely unrelated to your thyroid function. Things like panic disorder can occur separate to other physical things going on in your body. If the Synthroid helped you before (both TSH levels and palpitations), then I think it’s worth waiting to see if the Synthroid helps this time around, too. Did your doc give you any other medication, like for your anxiety?

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