25 mcg Levothyroxine

[Milpol]

Hi lovely people out there, can anyone give me a rough idea of how much , 25 mcg of Levothyroxine is likely to lower my TSH level?

I have been on this for 3 weeks now and don't really feel any improvement , in fact my wrist pain has intensified quite substantially, and was wondering how , if at all, it will reduce my levels.

Many thanks 😘

[Clutter]

Milpol,

It's not really possible to guess because we don't know whether your TSH has been rising while you waited for Levothyroxine to start working or how well you absorb and metabolise Levothyroine. It will have taken 7-10 days for Levothyroxine to be absorbed before it even started working and will take up to six weeks to feel the full impact of the dose. You should have a thyroid test 6-8 weeks after starting Levothyroxine to see whether you are optimally dosed.

The goal of Levothyroxine is to restore the patient to euthyroid status. For most patients that will be when TSH is 1.0 or lower with FT4 in the upper range. FT4 needs to be in the upper range in order that sufficient T3 is converted. Read Treatment Options in thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... Email [e-mail] if you would like a copy of the Pulse article.

Hypothyroid patients are often low or deficient in ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate. Low vitD and ferritin can cause significant joint and bone paid. Ask your GP to test.

[Milpol in reply to Clutter]

Many thanks Clutter for the info. I will as GP to test me when I'm there next.

[puncturedbicycle]

This is a very tiny starter dose usually used for elderly people or heart patients. On this dose it's not impossible that your tsh could continue to rise. It's important to have a test promptly as Clutter says, and if your tsh is still high you will need a dose increase. Ensure you get a copy of your most recent test results and continue to do so throughout treatment.

[Milpol in reply to puncturedbicycle]

Many thanks 😘

[Alexandra987]

Hi Milpol ,

If it helps I had an increase of 25mg (from 50mg to 75mg) and I felt absolutely no different until bang on 6 weeks. I was getting desperate around the 4 week mark as I felt surely something should be improving by that point but it took the full 6 weeks to kick in with me.

My TSH at the time of increase was 7.9 and after 6 weeks had dropped to 2.03. I'm now taking 100mg at the weekends and sticking with 75mg during the week to see if I can get my TSH to 1 or below, I have a blood test to confirm 6 weeks on from the increase.

However this is just how that particular increase worked for me and as Clutter explains it isn't possible to guess how you will react.

I really hope you feel better soon, good luck.

[Milpol in reply to Alexandra987]

Thanks so much. I guess I'm just being impatient and expecting too much too soon !!! I will just have to wait....

Appreciate you sharing your experience 😘😘

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Milpol]

When you've been ill it's perfectly understandable. We've all been there.