Thyroid gone haywire

[Bonniet51]

I'm new here and hoping asking others with the same illness will give me some insight. I have been hypothyroid for over 30 years. My dose had gone up year after year until I was on 5 grains of Armour thyroid but, doing great on it. Then they reformulated it and the fillers they used I was allergy sensitive to so, changed to just about every thyroid medication out there. Currently on Westhroid Pure. The problem is, I am on 197.5MG and the doctor says I'm in range but, I have gained 65 lbs. even on a vegetarian diet and under 700 cal. a day. just to maintain my current weight. I started at 110 so, I have always been quite thin until they reformulated the Armour thyroid I was on and 65 lb. within 1 year is ridiculous...... anyone else have this happen?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Bonniet51 Do you have any current thyroid test results? Post them with reference ranges for members to comment. Also, have you had the following tested, if so please post those results too

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

All Vits and mins need to be optimal for thyroid hormone to work properly.

A couple of things come to mind, if your FT3 is low, you won't be able to lose weight. Also, absorption problems will stop it working properly.

[Jazzw]

You're now on the equivalent of 3 grains of Westhroid. It seems to me that if it took 5 grains of Armour to make you well that you may need more Westhroid? Blood test results would help. "In range" unfortunately doesn't mean the same thing as "optimal".

[greygoose]

You are not eating enough! No-one can live healthily on 700 calories a day - certainly not a hypo. Your low calorie-intake is making you more hypo because it has a negative effect on conversion.

On a vegetarian diet, you need to survey your B12 and iron very closely, because they will likely be low, which will also have a negative effect on your conversion, plus cause a lot of symptoms of their own.

Having said that, I gained an awful lot of weight on NDT - and I tried several brands, and took up to six grains. NDT does not suit everyone. It made me very ill. I'm only well, and able to lose weight on T3 only. So, that might be something to think about.

[Bonniet51 in reply to greygoose]

I had to go down to 700 calories a day or less just to stop the weight gain.

[greygoose in reply to Bonniet51]

Well, I'm only telling what I know - trying to live on 700 calories a day will be lowering your conversion of T4 to T3 and making you sicker.

[Bonniet51]

I see what your saying. I have gained 65 lbs. in less than a year and the doctor keeps messing with my thyroid medication. I am on 1/5th of the dose I've been on for the past 35 years. It all started when Armour thyroid was reformulated. I needed to stop the weight gain before I ended up having a heart attach. I did however have a mini stroke and I believe they are all related somehow.

[Marz in reply to Bonniet51]

Strokes can be caused by HIGH Homocysteine which is often present when B12 is LOW. Being vegetarian would make you more vulnerable to low levels of B12.