Community Chat

[hfpint]

I was disgnosed hypotyhroid in 2001 and for some reason my body had issues adjusting to meds UNTIL I started seeing an endocrinologist. If you are seeing your GP only, please make sure to see an endo. I agree with the others who said that, too.

Restlessness also has to do with when you take your synthroid. Are you taking it right before going to bed? That can cause restless sleep. My endo has me taking mine at night so that when I eat grapefruit, it will not interfer with my med absoprtion.

Remember that certains foods can interfer with the medicine absorption, like grapefruit and walnuts. Dairy/calcuim can, too.

I also take a compounded T3 med because of brain fog. I've been on the T3 med for about 4 years now, so yes, I do take 2 different thyroid meds. Thankfully no foods or calcuim interfer with the absorption of those meds.

Have the dr check not only your TSH levels, but your T3 and T4 levels.

[NickNack]

I've been on generic Synthroid for about 25 years.  It took a couple of months to get the dosage right.  I agree with others that it sounds like your dosage is too high.

[Bird mama]

@KateE

I agree with the other posters - seems like the dose is off.

I've been on Synthroid for nearly two years.  My physician prefers the brand name because the recipe stays consistent with each batch of medication.

I have hashimoto's thyroiditis that went undiagnosed for quite some time (my fault - I thought I was just post menopausal).  My physician started me on 75mcg in January 2013 and so far my prescription has not changed.

I took the diagnosis seriously and followed the directions for taking the medication to the letter.

About 4 months into it, I noticed that even though my eating habits didn't change, I was gaining weight.  I didn't mind gaining the weight, I didn't like WHERE I was gaining the weight - in my stomach.

I kept taking the medication as prescribed and when I brought up the belly fat to my endocrinologist she rejected the idea that it was the Synthroid.

So after reading an article in the JAMA (December 2010) about a study of people who took their Synthroid before bed, I made an executive decision to take mine at the same time every night, right before bed.

Bingo - that was the ticket for me.  The Synthroid did not affect my sleep, I lost 15 pounds, I wake up feeling like my old self and my labs come out in the range the doctor wants to see.  Win-Win all the way around.

She still doesn't know I'm taking it at night, lol.

My point it - Synthroid is a type of hormone and dosage and timing of it can jack you up.

[maestra]

I'm on 75 mcg of Synthroid and for the first time in years have  even levels. Armour was a disaster for me.

Constipation remained and issue (hypothyroid) and I have to take supplements for hair loss, which is preventative.

[violann]

I too have been through the gamut of thyroid treatments and doctors.

I have taken synthroid and did OK, BUT I do best on Armour Thyrod also. I take 75 grains every morning, amd have my numbers checked every six months

I also am able to consume cruciferous veggies, which CAN be a problem for some.

Unfortunately a LOT of thyroid care is trial and error. My first endo was "the best endo in the county" but an absolute TOAD as a human being.

My present endo listens to me and works WITH me to help me feel my best in the healthiest way.

[BExplorer]

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@Bird mama wrote:

@KateE

I agree with the other posters - seems like the dose is off.

I've been on Synthroid for nearly two years.  My physician prefers the brand name because the recipe stays consistent with each batch of medication.

I have hashimoto's thyroiditis that went undiagnosed for quite some time (my fault - I thought I was just post menopausal).  My physician started me on 75mcg in January 2013 and so far my prescription has not changed.

I took the diagnosis seriously and followed the directions for taking the medication to the letter.

About 4 months into it, I noticed that even though my eating habits didn't change, I was gaining weight.  I didn't mind gaining the weight, I didn't like WHERE I was gaining the weight - in my stomach.

I kept taking the medication as prescribed and when I brought up the belly fat to my endocrinologist she rejected the idea that it was the Synthroid.

So after reading an article in the JAMA (December 2010) about a study of people who took their Synthroid before bed, I made an executive decision to take mine at the same time every night, right before bed.

Bingo - that was the ticket for me.  The Synthroid did not affect my sleep, I lost 15 pounds, I wake up feeling like my old self and my labs come out in the range the doctor wants to see.  Win-Win all the way around.

She still doesn't know I'm taking it at night, lol.

My point it - Synthroid is a type of hormone and dosage and timing of it can jack you up.

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@Bird mama I found your post very interesting. I alternate 50 and 75 mcg of levothyroxine daily and have always taken it first thing in the morning as instructed by my general physician since I was diagnosed hypothyroid 10 years ago. I also have unexplained weight gain in the stomach that, in looking back, started around that same time--and I am fairly thin otherwise.  I had no idea the medication could be tied to that issue.  

Do do you mind my asking how long it took for you to notice the stomach weight loss after swiitchng your medication to bedtime?  

ETA: The reason my GP told me to take the levothyroxine fist thing in the morning is because is needs taken on an empty stomach, but I know that can be accomplished at other times, too. 

[chrystaltree]

This sounds bizarre.  Why wouldn't she take her complaints to her doc?  Surely, he told her that often this medication dosage must be adjusted.  She's on a pretty high dosage.  I had my thyroid ablation due to Graves and it took my endocrinologist many months to find the right dose.  I take 150mcg and I have no thyroid.  So, it seems reasonable to me that this poster who only had slightly low levels of thyroid hormone would have problems on such a high dosage.  Everyone I know, personally or professionally had monthly lab work in the beginning.  That whole constellation of symptoms is probably to the dosage.  Her doc tried to kill fly with s shot gun....lol.  

[LilacTree]

I have been taking Synthroid for almost 30 years for hypothyroidism.  I have been on 100 mcg the whole time.  I have a great problem with fatigue, but I have several diseases and conditions which also cause fatigue, so I hesitate to blame it on the Synthroid.

I am editing because I always take my Synthroid as soon as I wake up in the morning.  I have never taken it at night.  Therefore I have no problems with falling asleep and sleeping through the night.  You might ask your doctor about switching to mornings.

Good luck.

[Bird mama]

@BExplorer

I messed up the dates.  I was diagnosed in the fall of 2013 but didn't see the endocrinologist until January 2014.

Although thryoid issues aren't the end of the world compared to other illnesses, I was still freaked out that I had a 'condition' that required me to take a maintenance drug for the rest of my life.

If you looked at me before diagnosis, I don't think I looked like the typical hypothyroid patient.  I never gained weight, my hair didn't thin.

I started taking the Synthroid near the end of January 2014.  By April I was not comfortable with my belly.  By Memorial Day I was debating stopping the medication altogether. 

I talked to women on this forum.  I made inquiries if any of them took Synthroid or it's generic equivalent and noticed an increased waistline.

Too many women were saying the same thing - they developed bellies they couldn't get rid of even though they were active.

I gathered my research and figured I would bring it up to my endocrinologist when I saw her that September.  She shut me down before I could get the entire sentence out.  To say that I was ticked off would be putting it mildly.

Since the JAMA article didn't address weight or anything but focused on the timing and lab results not changing I thought - Bernie, what have you got to lose?  She won't listen about how you feel and is focused totally on lab numbers.  Take a crack at it and see what happens?  As long as the labs don't change she don't need to know.

I switched to bed time dose in mid September and could see a difference within 2 months. 

Because Synthroid works best with low intenstine and bowel motility (when your system is quiet and not busy digesting food), I make sure I don't eat late and give myself a couple of hours of no eating before I take the medicine.

I went for labs in March 2015.  She got the magic number she was looking for and I graduated to only having to go once a year.

[BExplorer]

@Bird mama Thank you so much for sharing your experience; I really appreciate your taking the time to give such a detailed response. I think am going to give the bedtime dosing a whirl!