Does levo cause weight gain?

[Bossy]

I have been taking levo for 7 wks nd have gained 10lbs in weight I am very concerned as I have been maintaining my weight for a year after hard work to lose 3 stones. I have kept to my diet nd am forcing myself to keep up with my exercise regime but am really feeling worse. 61yrs old anyone help?

[sezzy]

It has for me x

[Bossy in reply to sezzy]

I am convinced that this tablet is the cause. My friend was actually told this by her G.P

[Heloise in reply to Bossy]

Possibly, the treatment can cause this by not increasing your dose to a proper level. We are all different but it seems many people are left at a lower dose than necessary. I think as you begin to receive thyroid hormone from an outside source (pill) there has to be meticulous attention paid to symptoms which unfortunately seems to be ignored.

[Heloise]

A slow metabolism means which determines the rate at which you burn calories is usually the problem. I've read that people with hypothyroidism burn 17 calories LESS per hour than other people. Your treatment may not be optimal and therefore aren't burning calories as you should. Of course, if your GP only goes by TSH ranges and doesn't care where you fall in that range, this can often happen.

Until you get your dosage correct and that may take a few months and up to 100 mcg. or even more of thyroxine, I would slow down your exercise to three times per week and do not starve yourself which will only lower your metabolism further. health.howstuffworks.com/hu...

[Bossy in reply to Heloise]

Thanks for your help i am not starving myself and sticking to my exercise 3 times a week. Repeat bloods 2moro nd i am goin to ask to see an endo.

[Thyroidmeg]

I have same problem but dr isn't sympathetic . Nurse just says eat fruit veg and you will lose weight

[tegz in reply to Thyroidmeg]

They don't understand metabolism at all well, as Heloise says above- last line.What they suggest will just slow you down more.

[Bossy in reply to Thyroidmeg]

Oh how insensitive, i can empathise with yor situation I am determined not to be undermined by any of the nhs staff or this disease and will fight for my old life back. Good luck.

[Bossy in reply to Thyroidmeg]

How awful for you. I do hope that you have the option of seeing someone else to give you some help. I am not going to let them beat me. Surely we all have Human Rights to the best treatment. Good luck.

[Jackie]

Hi I do so agree with all above. it is quite likely your dosage is far to low, normally at about 6 weeks you should have a retest, try and get TSH, T4 and Free T3, on line ,if GP difficult. Always have a print out of any blood with essential ranges ( vary). it is your blood so always can. Receptionist or sec at a hospital. Then you know what is happening, keep and compare.It is quite likely that you need more thyroxine ( T4) but if that result is in top third of range, you probably need some T3, depending on the result. Normally we like the FT3 to be high in range, not over, this is the main influence on weight Use a reliable ,well known Lab so that if a problem you can show the GP..

It does all take a time to get the meds right for you. Then you will notice a lot of difference.

Best wishes,

Jackie

[Bossy in reply to Jackie]

Thanks Jackie I am new to all this and am confused by all the level names but am going to note them down and take them to G.P.

[begutbegut]

Hi, I'm not sure that Levo itself can cause weight gain (at least not as far as I am aware), but it looks as thought they either haven't got the dose right, or you should also be on T3 (or NDT). Do you know you free T3 level? T3 is crucial for metabolism.

Ana

[Bossy in reply to begutbegut]

Thanks Ana i am going to have repeat blood tests done 2moro and will request these levels and go from there. I do not have much faith in nhs choices but will try to get the best I can. A friend of mine was told she wud gain weight no matter what.

[Duchy82]

I gained another stone after being diagnosed and on levo before things settled but hadn't lost any weight before hand i could gain weight looking at food before levo i think i gained about 3st altogether and i'm still trying to get it off (38lbs lost so far). I did find though that as long as my dose wasn't right i could diet and exercise until blue in the face and nothing came off so you may still need an increase in your meds, good luck

[valjo18]

It's early days yet, Levo takes a long time to really get into the system. It may be that your dose isn't high enough, your T4 needs to be at the higher end of the range, if it isn't you probably need to increase the dosage. A couple of years ago I had to insist my GP let me increase the dose ( I was on 75mg at the time) because I was clearly hypo with all the classic symptoms, including putting on a lot of weight despite eating very little. He reluctantly agreed to increase to 100mg and within the first six weeks I lost at least half a stone, and the other symptoms subsided a little. Hope this helps

[Bossy in reply to valjo18]

Hi I am glad to hear that you have got your meds sorted. Hopefully I get some response too when i see my G.P but I am not going to give up asking.

[Hidden]

How disheartening for you Are you feeling improved otherwise? I didn't start to lose my excess weight until I was on 175mcg levo. Could you see a specialist who will adjust your dose according to symptoms as well as blood test?

[Bossy in reply to Hidden]

Hi no my other symptoms are worse I am very tired, depressed and aching. I have repeat blood tests bkd 2moro and will try to remember to ask as many things as I can e.g tsh t3 & t4 levels. Hopefully my G.P will adjust the meds accordingly but I am determined to get myself well.

[Hidden in reply to Bossy]

Happy to send you details for my private doc who uses the old fashione art of medicine when treating thyroid (symptoms, history and bloods) but don't know how to send a private message and don't know if i can mention a specific doctor here?

[Bossy in reply to Hidden]

Hi thanks for your reply and i am also new to this site so no clue on private msge. I only hope i can resolve my health issues quickly

[hellybaybee]

Before I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism I was at a loss to understand why I was gaining weight despite eating healthily and going to the gym regularly. On top of that I was at uni and my part time job was very physically taxing. I had always been a size 8-10 no matter what i ate and suddenly i was veering into a 14 when I was eating well and exercising... in the end I gave up and ate cake!!! Iguess the point im trying to make is that when I started on levothyroxine I was finally able to lose the extra pounds(or stones) I had put on... it wasnt an overnight miracle, I hadto stop eating junk and exercise again but I definitely helped. I would say that if u have changed medication you probably arent getting the right amount yet but I also found that it takes a while to settle with your body. Probably need to nag ur doctor for more.

[Zoeblu]

Hi I have hypothyroidism and lupus. My weight increased I think due to my thyroid and the steroids I'm on. I tried to be good and eat well but my weight never decreased. Early this year, in an attempted to control my Lupus, I started following a gluten free, very low sugar diet! I've lost 1.5 stone and am reducing my lupus meds. I've also read that a gluten free diet can help with thyroid issues (although my levels appear unchanged). I do feel better on this diet and have lost weight despite being in weight gaining meds!

It is a big change but one that makes me feel in control of these health issues.

Good luck!

Zoeblu

[vanessa2]

Yes it certainly does, I put on 3 stone and no matter what I did it would not come off. Also had all the bad side effects brain fog, aches and pains. I went onto Armour which I have to buy myself from America and within no time at all, I had lost the 3 stone, no brain fog and no aches or pains and yet doctors still do not want to give us this natural form of treatment. I am doing great on it . I have to self medicate as I don't have a GP who wants to know or a Endo but this is my choice, or it was having a GP and Endo and feeling like rubbish! Good Luck

[tegz in reply to vanessa2]

I can see this becoming more and more popular as people wise up to the institutional neglect of matters thyroid in the NHS.

Do you manage to fiddle a blood test now and again- or are you just going off symptoms and weight over time?

I suppose private would do if you don't mind the cost.

[vanessa2 in reply to tegz]

Hi tegz, I can't afford to go private. I can have a blood test which I used to have regular, but my GP has no idea of the results so used to have to come on here to see if they were good or bad. Did go to see an Endo once but she was so rude and would not listen to me, I had a big fall out with her and never want to go back there again. I also suffer from bi-polar had support for that from the mental health team, but just had that withdrawn because of cut backs. So really going it alone. Feel really let down by the NHS as do many of us. We feel like we don't matter.

[tegz in reply to vanessa2]

Sorry to hear you have such a struggle to get basic care.

Keep on getting the tests and if you can get T4 &T3 tested if you can.

The TSH is standard, at least.

I had a similar Endo experience at local hosp- all the staff were scared to speak up and it was a very diabetic centred clinic. I felt like an interloper and was treated poorly.

[gandalf]

I certainly did put a lot of weight on since taking Levo..Im 64 yrs old and was diagnosed about 12 yrs ago and have since gained somewhere around of 5 stone that I am struggling to loose.

[moonbeam001]

Hi I too had the same problem with taking levothyroxine. I have been 10 stone all my life and sometimes less. I started putting on weight immediately after I had started taking levo and that was only 25 mg. I had to have my dose increased to 100mg but this caused all the symptoms that levo should eliminate, insomnia, constipation, weight gain, hot flushes and many more. I reduced my dose to 50mg and seemed a little better, Weight has stabalised at 12 stone but won't come off. I have gone to massive efforts like hill climbing in Scotland, but never lost an ounce. I went to see an endo who was useless so have ended up buying T3 from Mexico and waiting for it to arrive. I bought from mymexicandrugstore.org for £41 for 3 months. I am awaiting for it to arrive. Just remember it times 4 as powerful as levo, so I will take a quarter of a tablet 2 times a day initially to see how I go. I have done much research on the subject and it seems this is the way to go, to regain my former weight and get my life back. Any questions please ask

Margriet.

[tegz in reply to moonbeam001]

You probably know about Wilsons syndrome. It's quite likely you're truly hypo- so that precludes it -but it's interesting to see how the enzymes can get stuck. Recent link on here healthunlocked.com/#thyroid...

No reason why conditions can run together and be separately managed, I suppose. If they cross connect could cause diagnostic and treatment problems?

[moonbeam001 in reply to tegz]

Hi Tegz, I did forget to mention every night when I went on my walk I would become hypo, so it meant taking a pack up and nourishing drink even when I was not even hungry ! Since cutting down to 50mg of levo this now doesn't happen anymore and I can walk for several hours with no symptoms anymore. But I will certainly research the link as I have not heard of that, thankyou.

Margriet

[Hidden in reply to moonbeam001]

Hi just picked up your post from eight months ago ,and was wondering how you have been getting on with the t3? very interested in the use of t3 as I seem to be the same as you have described on levo ??????

[Pixietoes]

Hi I was on 200 mg of Levothyroxine for 14 years and they have reduced my Levothyroxine to 175 mg and I have always had weight problems, I have now ordered T3 from Mexico and I am seeing this as a last resort to lose weight, if not I was thinking of going private to have a gastric band fitted as I hate being the weight I am