Gp prescribed levothyroxine 12.5mg

[richard123]

Hi can anyone please advise, I've been going to GP for 2 years on and off feeling tired, hair loss, foggy brain, puffy eyelids and ankles, dry skin. He's done bloods TSH gone from 0.43 to 5.79 and T4 now 13 over a 3 year period, also high TPO antibodies 800 so advised start thyroxine low dose see in 3 mths. Another Dr I know said don't take it you'll end up with palpatations and weight loss, I'm slim but puffy) just see how you go. Now I'm confused please advise

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

That isn't a low dose, it is a less-than-useful dose for almost anyone.

Usual starting dose for adults is 50 micrograms (mcg) unless the patient is older than 60, has a heart disorder, or other special cases, when it is usually reduced to 25 micrograms.

12.5 micrograms is half the lowest dosage tablet available in the UK! You will have either to split the tablets or take a whole tablet on alternate days.

Small doses of levothyroxine seem to actually make many people worse. What seems to happen is that your own production of thyroid hormone can drop by more than the amount you take - so you end up reducing available thyroid hormone. For example, if you take that 12.5 mcg, your own thyroid might produce 20 mcg less - so you end up having 7.5 mcg less available. People have to take a large enough dose to get over that.

[richard123 in reply to helvella]

Oh dear your right my dose is 25mcg he said I'll give you 12.5mcg I didn't even check! Brain fog

[Clutter in reply to richard123]

Richard, 25mcg isn't likely to be helpful. Go back and ask for another thyroid test in 6 weeks which is the usual time for testing after starting Levothyroxine. Don't take Levothyroxine for 24 hours prior to the blood draw as it can skew results.

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[samaja]

With great respect to everything said above the smallest dose might be still what your body might just about tolerate at the present time depending on a number of other factors like your D3, iron, folate etc levels.

I was started on 25, then (despite ultimately not feeling greatly better on either dosage) went to 50 which just managed to flip me into a hyper state which is quite easy in Hashi's and then had great problems with going back on even 12.5 for a few months with palpitations, tremors what have you.

A year later I am now back on 25 and starting to feel a lot better but mainly because of the major diet overhaul and getting my supplementation into the right balance with my kinesiologist. As usual there is no one size fits all solution to levo or anything else in this condition so you need to move cautiously and monitor every step.

[richard123 in reply to samaja]

Thank you, yes low vit D low ferratin supplementing both. I have an interview early next week so don't want to feel worse for that so am going to start it next week. Will see how I tolerate 25 just know that if that makes me feel worse I'm unlikely to want to double it!! Thank you

[MariLiz in reply to richard123]

Hi Richard, did you get your B12 levels checked too? Low B12 often goes hand in hand with under active thyroid. Just thought it worth a mention as you say your ferritin and Vit D are both low. Hope you get on OK with treatment and the interview? MariLiz