I have recently been diagnosed with hypothyroid and have been put on Levo like most. I am concerned however that i will not benefit from this as so many say they have to by natural thyoid from the internet. can anyone help me on this please? Any good places to buy from or anything else doctors will prescribe?
thankyou in advance 
Why not try Levo first? The majority of people don't have an issue with it.
Well i joined a support group on Facebook and everyone on there talk about how it is ruining their bodies. Its scary
fox, most people do fine. There's a huge propaganda machine ongoing about how natural dessicated thyroid is the only way to go.
There are some people who don't do well only on thyroxine. This can be for many reasons. Some people have nutritional deficiencies, other types of body espeically liver inflammation, Coeliac disease undiagnosed, etc. etc.
It is only right and correct to start with the thyroxine. Get yourself checked for Vitamin D, folate, B12 and ferritin. These need to be optimal to get the full benefit of thyroid therapy. If they are low, even dessicated thyroid won't help a person feel better.
There are situations where iodine deficiency is responsible for hypothyroid. Iodine and selenium are required for the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormone and selenium is required for thyroid hormone to be activated in the cells of the body. Some people who have extreme diets, like vegans, can have deficiencies.
You need to evaluate your diet to determine if you are obtaining enough vitamins and minerals. When we feel awful because low thyroid = low energy, we tend to grab the easiest to consume food items which are oftentimes not nutritious.
Hi and Welcome ! Do you have your thyroid blood test results with the ranges ? Perhaps you could post them for people to comment. It is well worth trying the Levo first. You will of course need regular tests and increases in your dose until your symptoms disappear.
I would not be influenced by others - travel your own road to wellness. After all you cannot see these people and do not know what else they are doing within their lives. You need to take your tablet at a special time - you also need many things to be optimal in your body for the Levo to work well. So take your tablet with a glass of water and wait an hour before eating or drinking. You will need tests for B12 - Ferritin - folate - VitD - they should all be GOOD for you to feel well. Do those people discuss these things too ?
There is so much to learn and it does take time so take it slowly and maybe give people here a bit more information if possible. Mostly we are not medically trained but do have lots of experiences to share
Welcome to the forum, Foxonthetrot.
All thyroid replacement takes time to work and has to be titrated, usually in 25mcg increments, every 6-8 weeks before you will be optimally dosed. Give Levothyroxine a chance to work before switching to other thyroid replacement. If you ask your GP receptionist or practice manager for a printout of your results and ranges (figures in brackets after results) you can post them in a new question for advice.
An estimated 85% of patients do well on Levothyroxine (T4) once they are optimally medicated. Because they are well they don't need the support of fora like Thyroid UK so you won't read many Levothyroxine success stories. The majority of the 15% who don't do well are likely to be undermedicated. A small proportion of the 15% may need the addition of Liothyronine (T3) to enable efficient T4 to T3 conversion to feel well. Some don't tolerate synthetic T4 and T3 medication and do better on natural dessicated thyroid (NDT).
Increasingly GPs are prevented from prescribing T3 without a NHS endo recommendation. NDT isn't licensed for UK use, UK doctors aren't trained in it's use or how to interpret labs, and BTA and Royal Colleges are firmly against it's use, so few NHS doctors prescribe it. Most patients using NDT have private prescriptions or buy online and self medicate.
Hypothyroid patients are often low in vitamins and minerals so it's a good idea to ask your GP to check ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate levels, as low/deficient levels can mimic hypothyroid symptoms. Post the results and ranges in a new question and members will advise.
There are millions of hypothyroid patients in the UK/worldwide and those who do well wont be searching the internet as there would be no need. They feel well. It's only those who have a problem or want more info who will be on forums like this one. You do need to be given an optimum dose and some doctors give us too low a dose to keep the TSH 'in range' so we do need a proper dose to make us feel good.
I am too old to bother with Facebook but I can say whilst not 100% I am much better since being on Levo for 15 months plus vitamins.
Hypothyroid
hypothyroid
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