G-Ju said...
I had a similar problem. It turns out, I can't take Rifampin.
I started taking Rifampin in May or June 2018. A few weeks in, my already sore hip became very painful, at times. There were times I could barely walk. My niece lent me a cane to use when I was really sore. I keep it in my car, just in case. Ugh!
It wasn't until early September it was discovered that the Rifampin was causing my thyroid meds to be ineffective. Yup! For months, I was taking Rifampin and my TSH was skyrocketing. For years, it's been under 1.
It went up to 16.47, then 19.5. After this reading, the doc increased my levothyroxine dosage, and it went down to something like 13, but I was still on Rifampin. My doc then discovered that Rifampin and Levothyroxine don't always work together. So, if your have Hashimoto's (that's me) or a thyroid condition that requires you to take Levothyroxine (or maybe Synthroid), you may have to find an alternative antibiotic.
I've been off Rifampin for almost two months, went back to my regular dose of meds, and my TSH is getting closer to where it used to be. A few weeks ago, it was 8.31. After this, my NPLLMD increased my meds by .125 to get things moving a little faster. Yesterday, I had more blood drawn. I'll find out how my TSH is on Monday, 10/22.
My hip is feeling quite a bit better, but my flexibility is still somewhat limited. I can get my sock on (now), but it's still a little bit of a stretch. Tried yoga (again) for the first time in many months. My left hip is still tight and hurting, but I was able to do more than I thought I'd be able to do.
I’m surprised that your Dr and the pharmacist didn’t know about
the Rifampin reducing the effectiveness of levothyroxine.
I put them into the drug interaction checker that I use and it said riffy can reduce effectiveness of the levo.
I use the checker for any new meds I take.
Unfortunate that you can’t be on the Rifampin - or can you not just raise the levo dose?