need to keep increasing dose

[judas]

I was finally diagnosed 2.5 years ago - am 60. Started on 25mcg and my experience has been that i have a period of real wellness , then i start to get symptoms again.after a few months to a year . I then increase the dose at my request , feel really well , then it happens again. I am now about to go up to 125mcg but am not going to ask my GP as they prefer to take bloods before agreeing to change the dose and i know that they will probably come back normal . I will discuss it once i`m stable again at which point i will have bloods taken .. But i am anxious as to whether this kind of pattern is normal , and whether this will keep happening and i will need more and more .

[susymac]

yes its normal, as you age the thyroid wears out, particularly in women. Eventually you will be fully replacing at which time you will not need to increase any more.

Not sure but I think as you get older (later on) and you natural slow down you may need less

[judas in reply to susymac]

Thank you for your reply susymac - thats reassuring . Do different people need different doses to fully replace.? I have heard that it correlates to your weight which means that as i am 9 stone i.e. 126 lbs that might equates to 125 mcg. I think my fear is that i will need more and more and it will be refused as my system is so sensitive that even though i have symptoms again i am sure i`m still within ` normal` range in terms of blood results . The recent dip has coincided with having to stop playing tennis temporarily cos of a hip problem and wondered if the need for more thyroxine was cos i`m not stimulating my thyroid so much with exercise ? Thanks Judas

[susymac in reply to judas]

Sorry, i dont understand the whole weight to dosage ratio thing. How much replacement you need as far as I see it depends entirely on how much thyroid function you still have, others may understand it better, but yes everyone is different and everyone feels better on whatever dose suits them personally, some people need a suppressed TSH to feel ok others need it around 1 or more.

No idea about exercise either, takes me all my time to walk up the road never mind tennis lol

[shaws Administrator]

If you get a copy of your latest thyroid gland blood tests and post them in a new question, together with the ranges (as labs differ) someone will comment on them.

When you were first diagnosed and given 25mcg you should have had a blood test about 6 weeks later with an increase and further increases until you were at an optimum level when you felt well.

Some GP's believe it is o.k. for us to be within 'normal' range when diagnosed and taking levo but Dr Toft of the British Thyroid Association recommends a TSH below 1 (some may need a slightly higher TSH or even suppresed to feel well) - even some T3 to a reduced T4.

You should also have a Vitamin B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate test as the first two are usually deficient and can cause problems too.