hi,

When i was first diagnosed i was put on .100 of levothyroxine then put on .200(wow, i was zinging off the walls but still felt like crap). Then i was switched to 180 mg of Parke-Davis Thyroid. Feeling better but not great. I went and saw a naturopath in January who put me on a supplement called BMR(bovine pituitary extract, copper, zinc, L-Tyrosine and Iodine) and it brought my TSH down to 0.9, has helped with hair loss and fatigue. I can work out 6 days a week now and this is coming from a person who had to quit school and work because I was so sick.

danielle

Just because a doctor is in family practice doesn't mean he can't adequately treat your thyroid. My doctor has done a fine job for me, and it took many months to get the the right meds and dosages. The nearest endocronologist is more than 2 hours from me. There is no magic pill or diet. Once your levels and in "normal" range weight loss will be a bit easier but it's not going to happen by itself. It takes paying attention to portion control as well as what you eat and moderate exercise to get the weight off and keep it off. You should limit carbs, soy, and raw broccoli, raw cauliflower and raw cabbage. Avoid all white sugars and flour and products containing them. At my highest I was 350 pounds - I lost 195 pounds and have never felt better. I have problems with severe asthma and have to go on steroids periodically...then the pounds appear overnight. Once I'm off the steroids, I have to work to get them back off. But I do it. There is a lot of good information on the net but there is a lot of misinformation as well.

This is a great poll, I'm really curious to find out which helps weight loss the most. I've only been taking Armour for 8 weeks. I'm 40 and I feel the best I've ever felt in my entire life. I started Atkins in Jan. lost 10 pounds in the first month and didn't lose any after that. I've been eating more and exercising less and have lost a little weight the last 3 weeks straight.

LOL I thought it was a great poll too. Not to many replies though so hmm guess not. Atleast your losing though I'm not.

I am somewhat confused about the various medications that you are mentioning. I have only ever been given Levothyroxine Sodium tablets. The only notation on the box is Thyroxine. Currently I am taking 175mcg per day made up of 1 x 100 mcgm 1 x 50 mcg and 1 x 25 mcg. My current supply are all made by different manufacturers but are all Levothyroxine Sodium.
My weight fluctuates. I have just started LCing so it will be interesting to see how things work out. I have had 4 operations on my thyroid to remove abnormal growths (not cancerous) and as a result have very little left. The consultant has told me that if I make any more abnormal growths that they would just take out what is left of the thyroid. Until a couple of years ago, I was only taking 50 mcg per day and never felt that it was enough. Every time my blood was checked they told me that I came within "acceptable levels" and that my dosage did not need to be altered. Finally, it seems that there has been some research carried out that shows that some people need more thyroxine than others to function correctly Maybe they should listen to the patients more

My thyroid nightmare started about 4 years ago. I was gaining weight at a rapid rate (I gained 30lbs in a year) I could not even stay awake in the car, let alone get up in the morning. I started out on Synthroid .5. I have been sort of yo yoing around for the past few years and am now on Levoxyl 137Mcg. It seems to be working for now. What I would like to know is how to keep it level. Mine seems to go out of wack all of the time. I have problems with hair loss on and off, but it seems more so lately. I would not say I am feeling a ton better, but much better than before. Weight loss is slower than most people, but it is still coming off.

Hi Steffi ,

I think getting Thyroid medications at the correct level is a long haul thing. In my own case, I was on too low a dosage for 14 years or so . Yet whenever my bloods were done I was showing as "within acceptable levels" . It didn't seem to matter how many times I said I thought I needed to be on a higher dosage they didn't increase it . I think one of the break-throughs for me was when I moved house and had to change my doctor. One of the doctors at the new medical centre is very interested in thyroid problems as she has had thyroid cancer in the past. It was only when I went to see the consultant at the hospital for my 6 monthly check up and he noticed her name on my notes that he seemed to want to listen to how I felt. He was the surgeon who had operated on her and he obviously respected her opinion.

I do hope you start to feel better soon. All I can say is keep on at your doctors and ask them about increasing your dosage a little every few months and then running your blood tests. Best of luck, let me know how you get on

I've started taking synthroid .05 last Sept 30 and will get tested again at the end of December. My next appointment with the endo is in January for adjustements, if needed.

Although both the endo and the pharmacist told me it takes about 4-6 weeks to see a difference, it seems I have a little more energy and my mind is not so foggy. In the morning I like to do physical stuff - walk, clean, a little feng shuiing, etc. - and I do take gym classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Could it be a placebo effect for now?

Would certainly love to see TSH down to .9
I don't know when was the last time it was between 1.0 and 2.0 or if it ever was actually!

See ya later

Hugs

Denyse

My homeopath suggested I switch from Levoxyl (the generic) back to Synthroid. She feels Synthroid is more effective. She did not say it had anything to do with weight control, however.
If you suffer from depression, you should push your MD to adjust your meds so that your lab work (TSH) is on the HIGH side of normal.

I really enjoyed the response to the poll.
I have had an underactive thyriod for some 10 years now, at present I am taking thyroxine 150 per day.
I have been on the Atkins diet for 6 weeks and after years of low fat dieting and constant weight gains and thyriod problems this low carb plan seems to be really agreeing with my system. I have lost nearly 6 kilos and I feel well.
I would advise any other members with thyriod problems that this plan is an excellent one for us, although please do take care when taking supplements especially those muti vitamins as many do contain excss amount of zinc and iron which can play havoc with your thyriod medications, and do remember that thyriod tabs should be taken at the same time every day and leave at least 4hours between taking any other supplements.
At present I am not taking any supplements. Are they really necessary????

SlimShAdy
Where are you in RI? Although Im in Florida Im from RI- Maybe I can recommend a Dr for you. Did you say your thyroid levels were normal? Thats a big problem when trying to get Drs to help.

It doesn't really matter what medication you are taking, so long as it includes T3 itself, or you are on a T3 supplement.

Synthroid and Levoxyl do not have T3.

The reason you need T3 is because this is the hormone that your thyroid gland produces that regulates energy levels and metabolism.

Because your body produces more T4 than T3, and your body naturally converts T4 to T3, many doctors do not provide T3 directly. This is a mistake because although T4 naturally converts to T3, replacement T4 does not convert to T3.

For example, my mother was undiagnosed for 12 years, and then finally put onto Synthroid. Although this was a life saver, after 20 years of Synthroid she was really noticing that she wasn't as active or healthy as she would like. I convinced her to see my doctor in L.A., and he put her on a T4/T3 replacement. Since May 0f 2002, my mother has lost 32 extra pounds simply by her medication changing. It's wonderful to have a metabolism that works, and T3 is the only way to achieve that if you are hypothyroid.

If you have any questions about this, you can e-mail me at thyroid~justice.com [thyroid AT justice.com], or you can check out my web site [that is still in the developmental stages] at http://diagnosis.4t.com

Margie

Dear Margie,
It was with much interest I read your post as well as going to your web site. I am trying to figure out if I am hypothyroid.
I have FMS/CFS. Having admitted to that the reason I have been researching this is because I have not had much success in loosing weight. I did Weight watchers for 22 months. Initially I lost 30 pounds only to gain 10 back in two weeks during a medical crisis. I had stopped taking Ambien a sleeping aid I took for three years. I had begun a kidney detox to rid my body of phosphates through a lab in Canada. One of the benefits of the detox is renewed sleep. In spite of not eating very little for the two weeks when I went back to WW's two weeks later I had a gain of ten pounds. I continued to gain .2 a week for the next three months. Another three pounds. Not a lot, but a big deal to me. I went to my doctor who was monitoring my beta blocker, I needed to take because the withdrawal from Ambien caused much hypertension. I have been off the beta blocker for 4 months. and I am still not having succes loosing. I switched to Dr Atkins and for 8 weeks I stuck with induction, no loss. My energy soared and I was regaining my life. The ninth week my energy started waning once again. My resistance to sugar waned. I ate off my plan for a week, gained ten pounds. and am now trying desperately to get back to Lcing. It seems when my energy wanes my appetite wins out.
I have been taking my temperature for 4 days. I average 97.8
My brother 69 older just had modules removed form his thyroid gland. He said his son had no thyroid activity, age 40. He also said there is family history so I should pursue being diagnosed. Is there a alternative like Solaray thyroid caps that might help me
hugs Martha

Martha,

According to my doctor, the fact that your body temperature
is routinely below 98.0 practically guarantees that you are
low thyroid. Throw in the fact that your brother has thyroid
issues, and VOILA! You are likely one of the many sufferers.

What you need to do is print out a list of the symptoms of
hypothyroidism, and check off which ones apply to you. You
can find a very good list posted at Mary Shomon's website:

http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa061598.htm

Then, you are going to need to find a doctor that is well
versed in this area, one that can diagnose you with this
problem. You do not want to look in the AMA or yellow pages
for a specialist or for an endocrinologist, though. You need
to find a doctor that is referred from other patients, one
that is in your area. You can also find a listing of doctors
in your area at Mary Shomon's website:

http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/bldoc1.htm

When you get to see a good doctor, they will let you know
the options available to you in terms of medication. Some
doctors will prescribe you to a combination of T3 & T4
replacement [like Synthroid & Cytomel] while others will
provide you with medication they have specially formulated
with a pharmacy they contract with. There are no herbs that
can unilaterally fix this problem, although there certainly
are herbs & dietary issues that can assist [like coconut
oil].

This is something that I would definitely follow up on if I
were you. Your weight history sounds so much like my own,
and like so many of my friends & colleagues that have
suffered similarly. Just a note - one of my coworkers was
diagnosed with hypothyroidism & on Synthroid. By convincing
her to see my doctor who took her off of Synthroid and put
her onto a T3/T4 replacement medication, she lost more
weight in Weight Watchers in 3 weeks than she had lost the
entire year previously. Granted, it was like 10 pounds - but
it just shows you how much your metabolism can be affected
by the thyroid gland.

Don't give up! Drop me an e-mail [thyroid AT justice.com] if
you have any further questions or just need emotional
support!!

Good luck,

Margie