I agree with your thinking and always prefer not to take medicine, however no matter how much I tried to manage my stress, the side effects just kept increasing. I am not a long sleeper but I sleep soundly, the insomnia was only letting me sleep a few hours a night, which was not sustainable. I had MANY negative side effects after having a lobectomy…..my other lobe did not pick up the slack and make enough hormones. Trying medication made me see that the issues were tied to an imbalance in my system and beyond my control. In my situation, the negative aside effects just kept increasing and I felt terrible….no way to go through life! I started medication knowing I could always stop it if it did not help…but the symptoms always came back. Although getting the medication and the dose right is tricky, it is still better than the side effects without any medication. 50 mcg of Levoxyl 5 days a week is a small enough dose to quell some of the disruptive side effects for me. I still have some pesky side effects but feel much better than when I was on other medications and when I had higher and lower doses. It has been challenging for me to get regulated on the medication, however I have had issues with medication side effects my whole life (as did my father and grandmother) so I track my side effects and have my dose and/or medication adjusted to make things easier.

The one areas which should not be overlooked is the effect the issues are having on your heart and cognition. Aside from the fact that you should not be expected to “tough it out” if you don’t feel well, the damage to your heart, depression, lack of focus and cognitive decline are also associated with thyroid. Some of the side effects associated with these areas might be less noticeable as a side effect of thyroid disorders but they are and can have an impact. Good luck figuring out your next step; its not easy!