Your story sounds like so many others... you 'seemed' to be doing just fine on Synthroid, only to have the bottom drop out from under you.

I spent 17 years on Synthroid to help prevent the remaining half of my thyroid from growing exponentially, like the right half did and had to be removed.

In 1999, my doctor decreased my Synthroid dosage because my T4 levels were too high... and that upset the applecart. For the next 5 months, my thyroid had two speeds: peddle to the metal, and park.... I would have weeks where I could barely get out of bed and slept 12-14 hours a day... then I would have 8-12 days where I would be awake 20 hours a day and could not sit still for more than 45 minutes.... and yes all the symptoms of both hyper and hypo thyroidism.

We did an ultra sound of my thyroid in November and it looked normal.... by June of the next year, when we finally had to remove the rest of my thyroid.... the remaining half had grown from the size of a sivler dollar to that of a medium sized baking potato and was wrapping around my esophagus.

Even after surgery, I suffered greatly on Synthroid...then I asked my GP if we could at least try Armour-a natural thyroid replacement. For me, the reults were immediate and I would feel great and then plummet again. My GP would increase my dosage by a tiny amount and I would feel great for a few weeks... that went on for years.

Alas, my doctors kept me as such a low doseage, that I developed Fibromyalgia, which has all the same symptoms of hypo thyroidism and one more awful one: persistent incapacitating pain that completely covers your body. Lucky for me, I found a clinic in Boulder that had enough research to definitively state that Fibro is caused by low thyroid. You can find their information at DrLowe.com and DrGinaHoneyman.com- this site carries the patient's guide that I bought and live by.

Between these sites and Mary Shomon's at Thyroid.About.com... I have finally begun to feel normal again.

The keys are:
A Natural Thyroid Hormone Replacement...
In the dosage high enough for my body
Hi protein, proper carb diet
Lots of vitamins to compensate for the lack of a thyroid- (you can find a complete list of what I take at my Yahoo group:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/fibro_thyroid_connection/)
Look in the Files section at the homepage.

Why did I spend so much time on my story for your answer.... you need to see what you are up against, if you DON'T take care of your thyroid dosage, and demand your doctors treat you according to your symptoms and not your blood work.

ARNie
Owner of ChezCrochet.com