It takes 7-10 days for Levothyroxine to be absorbed before it starts working and it will take up to six weeks to feel the full impact of the dose.
For maximum absorption Levothyroxine should be taken with water 1 hour before or 2 hours after food and drink, 2 hours away from other medication and supplements, and 4 hours away from calcium, iron, vitamin D supplements and oestrogen.
You should have a follow up thyroid test 6-8 weeks after starting Levothyroxine. Arrange an early morning and fasting (water only) blood draw when TSH is highest, and take Levothyroxine after your blood draw.
Most people will find symptoms resolve after their TSH drops to around 1.0 with FT4 in the upper range but symptoms can lag a couple of months behind good biochemistry.
I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.
I had similar effect to you on levothyroxine and also due to you just starting your dose, it might take a while for your body to settle down. It takes at least six weeks to build up slowly in your system but don't worry just yet and hopefully you will feel better soon.
From now on when you have a blood test for thyroid hormones it should be the earliest possible and don't eat before it but you can drink water.
Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges (labs differ in their ranges) and post for comments.
It takes years for our thyroid gland to reduce it's output so it takes a while to build up again and the patient feels better.
We have to read and learn unfortunately to recover our health completely.
Also ask GP to test B12, Vit D,iron, ferritin and folate as we can have symptoms if deficient.
Your TSH was also high as well, so it is good you are now diagnosed.
Thanks for the info and I will take your advice about asking for the additional blood tests. I hadn't appreciated how long it takes for the thyriod glad to reach a normal state. I have another blood test scheduled in six weeks time and it will be interesting to see the results.
I've only been taking it for one week but it's been a 'long' week because I've been feeling so achy. Looking forward to feeling better in the coming weeks.
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