Reduced medication

Is it normal for to be 200 thyroid supplements then the doc reduce it to a 100 , I am 56 yr old woman

[silverfox7]

Changes in dose are usually done in 25 mcg either up or down though I imagine there may be reasons for wanting to do it quicker. Can you post your blood rests with the ranges and why your doctor wanted to lower it? It will make it easier for folks to comment.

[Jackie]

HI What are your tSH, T4 and Free T3.With ranges, ask the receptionist for a print out only then can you decide if the dose is right for you.

Jackie

[Stourie]

If you felt good on 200 of levo the doctor had no right to lower your dose especially by 100. That was faa too big a drop. It should be 25mcg at a time. The doctor is also supposed to discuss with you your meds and you both have to agree to any changes.

[Hidden]

Don't do it!!! My Dr said no one should be on meds that high, however I was still underactive and had many symptoms. So I listened and agreed to give it a go, as I was paying to see this Dr. It was Horrendous, awful, as the weeks passed the worse I got. I could not do anything. It was even to much to get myself something to eat!!! Others may have different experiences but I certainly won't not recommend cutting back or increasing in big doses. Little at a time. Good luck. Xx

[Hidden]

Thanx for the replies ... Should hav mentioned she did do it over time by 50 at a time , she says as u get older u need less thyroid supplement is this normal ?

[reneeh63 in reply to Hidden]

Yes.....especially after menopause.

[marmaris in reply to reneeh63]

Why is that, surely as we age our metabolism slows down even more. My Dad who is 83 is on 175mcgs and I am only on 100mcgs.

[Heloise in reply to reneeh63]

No, I doubled mine after menopause. But, I was on a very low dose.

[gabkad in reply to Hidden]

That is a hypothesis. My doctor lowered my dose and I ended up with myxedema, depression, no urge to have a bowel movement, no energy., no eyebrows, hair thin. It was at this dose for 3 years so it didn't get better as time went on. Meantime the previous dose was borderline as well..... I'm now 57 years old.

If you feel fine at 100 then maybe it's okay. If you don't feel well, then the dose is too low.

[marmaris in reply to gabkad]

I agree was recently reduced down to 50mcgs from 100mcgs all because I am taking T3 and I felt it immediately, Endo has upped to 75mcgs but I am taking 100mcgs. My hair was falling out I know it was too low. Should do after 20 years so I listen to my own body now and watch the signs and symptoms. We are all different.

[marmaris in reply to marmaris]

I am also 57 and gone through menopause.

[reneeh63 in reply to marmaris]

thyroid.about.com/cs/drugda...

"Women taking estrogen (either as hormone replacement -- i.e., Premarin -- or in birth control pills) may need to take more thyroid replacement hormone. Estrogen increases the body's production of a blood protein that binds thyroid hormone to it, making it inactive. For women without thyroids in particular, this can cause a need to increase the dosage level slightly, as there is no thyroid to compensate. After beginning any estrogen therapy, a woman should always have TSH tested to see if the estrogen is having an impact on overall TSH and thyroid function and might require a dosage adjustment."

So this also means that if you've gone through menopause and are NOT taking estrogen then you may need a LOWER dose. Things do change over time.....

[faith63 in reply to reneeh63]

I don't find Tiredthyroid, very accurate. Would not put much stock in anything they have to say.

[reneeh63 in reply to faith63]

Here you go then - this is a solid medical journal - the "news" on estrogen has been out for awhile (this is dated 2004):

Thyroid. 2004;14 Suppl 1:S27-34.

Interaction of estrogen therapy and thyroid hormone replacement in postmenopausal women.

Mazer NA.

Author information

Abstract

Based on the use of estrogen therapy/hormone therapy (ET/HT) in postmenopausal women and the prevalence of hypothyroidism in this population, it is estimated that approximately 5% of all postmenopausal women receive treatment with both ET/HT and thyroid hormone replacement. Hormone therapy generally refers to the combined use of estrogens and progestins, the latter administered on a continuous or intermittent basis. HT is indicated for the treatment of postmenopausal women with intact uteri, whereas ET is used in women who have had hysterectomies. Because of its hepatic first-pass effect, oral estrogen therapy, the most commonly used modality of ET/HT, raises the circulating levels of thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), thereby increasing the bound fraction and decreasing the free (bioactive) fraction of circulating thyroxine (T(4)). As a consequence, oral ET/HT may increase the T(4) dosage requirements of women being treated for primary hypothyroidism as well as alter the pituitary-thyroid axis in euthyroid women. This paper reviews the potential interaction between ET/HT and thyroid hormone replacement based on the prevalence of their concomitant use, mechanistic aspects of the interaction, and recent clinical studies of the effects of oral ET in euthyroid and hypothyroid women. Other agents known to interact with thyroid hormone replacement, including soy supplements, are also reviewed. Because transdermal ET does not affect TBG levels and would not be expected to alter thyroid function, it may be a preferable modality for postmenopausal women who require concomitant treatment with ET/HT and T(4).

[faith63 in reply to reneeh63]

Bio identical hormones do not have this effect. Would not use these mentioned. Anyway, tiredthyroid has been incorrect on many things and so have studies. I had to use t3 only and my reverse t3 comes from t4 and only t4. Tiredthyroid has very different ideas on all that i just mentioned. Alternative doctors, 3 of them all told me to get off the t4, due to my rt3 levels. It has been the only way to lose the myxedema and most swelling.

[reneeh63 in reply to faith63]

What is "tiredthyroid"?

[faith63 in reply to reneeh63]

Sorry..you quoted thyroid about and i misread it! Tiredthyroid is another site. I am more mentally messed up than i thought.

[marmaris in reply to reneeh63]

Yes this is true reneeh63 and had looked into it. However, my Gyno said the type that I am taking estrogen/progesterone patches by pass the liver and therefore avoid any disturbances with the thyroid binding process as also with the gel of testosterone I take. This is why I will not take it in pill form.

[reneeh63 in reply to marmaris]

True enough - transdermal should have less impact - that was also mentioned in the article from Thyroid journal.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

As she has reduced your Levo by such enormous amounts (50 mcg at a time is still huge) I wouldn't entirely trust her on matters thyroid. I am 62. I have not noticed my requirement for thyroid supplement reducing at all. If anything, the reverse.

I wonder if she means that as one gets older the medical profession expects less from one (less stamina, less mental acuity, less mobility etc etc) and thus doesn't want to pay for medicine they believe is going to be wasted? According to my doctor I was past it and fit only for the scrap heap at 55

[marmaris in reply to Hidden]

I agree humphrey, I think we somehow need more as we get older.

[CarolM]

I'm 61, I've been on thyroid medication since I was 45. I started on 25 ml, then 50, then 100 for many years. Then it was raised to 125 ml checked a year later and returned to 100 ml, then checked again and back to 125 ml. I have to be checked again in a few weeks time. My doctor said he just wanted to get the dosage correct for my present condition.

[faith63 in reply to CarolM]

Yes, but how are you feeling and what tests are you having done. Looks like your doctor goes by TSH only. I doubt you are being treated optimally.

[Glynisrose]

NO!! NEVER allow your doctor to reduce your meds based on blood tests alone, ALWAYS go by your symptoms and SAY how you feel!!

[CarolM]

I feel OK, no difference in before or after the changes. Mind you I guess that before my medication was raised to 125 ml I started the menopause. now I guess I'm passed it, so I attributed the change in hormone levels to that.