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Opioids Opiates and thyroid function.

Prescottdave

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
530
Has anyone experienced thyroid problems after prolonged use of morphine, opium or buprenorphine? In particular has anyone had high or low TSH levels or received a diagnoses of hashimoto's after long term Suboxone use? These problems have correlated to weight loss and fatigue. After cessation of the Suboxone all the weight was gained back within 6 months. These also correlated to an extended painful withdrawal after discontinuing the suboxone. Has anyone experienced extreme weight loss after long term Suboxone maintenance while keeping a good diet with regular exercise? I recently read a study that found hormone and thyroid irregularities in users of opium. It is titled, The effect of opium addiction on thyroid function tests." Conflicting evidence exists that links abnormal thyroid functions to the use of opiates.
 
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I did back on Darvocet and Darvon. At first they said it was hashimoto's then my tsh went out of whack and after adjusting my thyroid medicine they took me off it and it returned to normal. They said it was actually thyroiditis instead. My weight has a tendency to fluctuate on opioids in general.
 
You may be onto something, my thyroid is screwed now too, I'm the width of a strand of hair away from being put on T4. My above average Testosterone levels have tanked too but I don't blame opioids for the lion share of that issue. But after 2.5 years of mostly high dose opioids, almost six months of that up to date has been high dose Suboxone. Plus all the other drugs I've been prescribed I've treated my body like an Auschwitz test-jew, it's no surprise I'm dying.

Stick to street drugs kids - they've been tried and tested over many decades unlike these pharmaceutical's.
 
I have Grave's Disease and had my thyroid irradiated about 13 years ago and have been on synthroid since. When I started taking opiates/opioids my levels started to fluctuate. I went from taking 100 mcg to as high as 200 mcg. I'm on a level 125 now but my weight also fluctuates up and down 20 lbs give or take.

Before opiates, my levels were constant so I can only chalk it up to my use of opiates.
 
I can tell you every single time (3) I have been on methadone I gain 25-35 lbs. It isn't a lifestyle change, like me being healthy and not using. I have had years of clean time on no substances at all and I remained at my baseline weight give or take 5 lbs. ( now, I'm not counting the ridiculous low weight I was at when IVing cocaine. That was like 20 lbs lower than my baseline for obvious reasons, and I looked emaciated)

But on opiates or clean I stay within 5 lbs, never more than 10, of my baseline weight. On methadone I gain that 25+ lbs. I think it is due to how much my metabolism slows. I feel it in other ways too. It's strange though, as soon as I come off of the methadone the weight just goes away.

I know it's pretty common on methadone to have the metabolism slow down.
 
I'm on day #12 of Zubsolv (generic Suboxone) withdrawal and I've lost 12#. Can't get my body to recover. This is after 20 years of pain management. I have severe scoliosis and had my first set of rods at 13. Six years ago, a wonderful surgeon in St. Louis removed all the hardware and morphine pump that was in my back then reinserted rods from T3 to sacrum with big retention bolts into my hipbones. If you can believe it, that surgery took away the pain. It's ME that has used my problem as an excuse for drugs. I'm going to meetings (yesterday a woman told me I'd never make it off bube), have a sponser. If I've made it 12 days, am I ever going to feel normal again? I'm so weak.
 
^suboxone withdrawal is like cold turkey methadone wd. It's not as super intense as heroin wd, but it's very drawn out and long.

What mg did you jump off at? Because if you tapered down first it will be much easier wd. If you just jumped off at the 5.whatever zubsolv is instead of the 8 mg , unfortunately yes you are probably going to be very weak and take a good month to feel normal. Although it won't get any worse, keep telling yourself that--and if you made it this far you can make it the rest of the way. Just remember it won't get worse, and will eventually get better. (That was how i got thru cold turkey methadone wd in jail)

But your question isn't really on the topic of thyroid related to opiates , so you may want to start your own thread if you want more replies. If you are on mobile and it won't let you start a new thread due to the prefix box that doesn't show on mobile, switch to desktop. There is a sticky in the Support forum that you can use to switch.
 
Thanks for the encouragement. I feel like my brain is trying to break through a brick wall to get to my natural self. I hate this.
 
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