Hello
I just wish to confirm this please? As I've become phobic over the last two years and need to start levo small to get used to it and it to me!
Can you start low? As do understand the remark that you need to start higher than your own manufacture of it, But surely the levo doesn't halt your natural process in one one two?
I could not start on a high dose, I know myself and panic would take over embarrassingly
Jx
Jeppy,
If you weren't able to tolerate a 25mcg dose of Levothyroxine either halve the tablet and take 12.5mcg daily or take 25mcg alternate days. Once you can tolerate 12.5mcg you can increase to 25mcg daily.
Starting dose will depend on the degree of hypothyroidism and a person's ability to tolerate a dose. The starting dose is rarely the dose a person ends up on as thyroid replacement needs to be increased gradually over weeks.
Firstly sorry I have sent similar post as thought it didn't send, please ignore
Yes of course, I realise I would build up but would then have the confidence ok
But in another post it is clearly stated that it can be dangerous to start on LESS than you naturally manufacture, as it is in fact reducing your usual body amount?
E.g. If you have 50 in your tsh and then take levo 25, in effect you will just have 25 in your body
I gather the levo replaces all your own production?
I imagined it would slowly replace your own, is this correct? How does it work
Not dangerous, no. I don't think anyone ever said that. It can just make some people feel worse than before they started. But, we're all different. There's no telling in advance how you will react. A tiny dose like that might have no effect at all.
I started from 3mcg (liquid form). It was accepted by an endo (because of a very bad reaction to the starting dose of 25mcg). It took me 4 years to reach the present dose of 75mcg. The body had plenty of time to adjust. It is not dangerous to start with a small dose. Cannot give a link now, but I read it in several places that it was advised to start with a tiny dose if there is some kind of adverse reaction to the levothyroxine itself.
O thanks for reply as was wondering what to do, Well my eyes went like lead and had a sleep!! Woke up in a panic, really weird
Always been a bit of a sensitive! Sorry I must have read your post wrong il go back for retake, How does it work then, does the levo stop you working it yourself?!
Your body would only stop producing it yourself if you were taking a large enough dose to fulfill all your bodies requirements and keep your tsh suppressed to near zero - this dose is different for everyone but might be 150-200mcg give or take so 25mcg will not do this, it will just add to your own production. If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, then your body is not making enough and you will need to add to it to bring down your tsh.
The tsh is not the level of thyroid hormone in your blood, it is a hormone the body makes to request more thyroid hormones to be produced when it needs them. If this hormone is being listened to and your thyroid is able to respond to this request, your tsh levels should never really be over a certain range. Once your tsh is too high, it means it's basically shouting at your thyroid to make more thyroid hormones but for whatever reason, your thyroid cannot so the tsh gets higher and higher which is basically screaming louder and louder at thyroid for more thyroid hormone.
Not sure if explained properly enough but think of the tsh as being the screams of a newborn baby when it wants feeding - they might mumble a bit at first, make a few whines and so you know they're getting hungry so give them milk straight away which soon shuts them up. The longer you leave it, the more they cry and the louder they cry until they're red in the face because you are not responding to their needs lol!
I've never heard of anything in regards to a problem if you take less thyroid hormone than you normally produce so must be some confusion there? If you are only naturally producing 50% of what you need, then you would need to replace the rest to function properly. However, some who are autoimmune will prefer to take enough meds to suppress their tsh as it can possibly help lower the level of attacks on the thyroid from thyroid antibodies but also especially if your own production is a little sporadic and not consistent enough. Bodies like their hormones to be stable.
It takes a while to build up your dose as it takes six weeks for the effects of that dose to show itself in the way you feel and blood test results to see if you need more or not so you keep doing it gradually until you get to the right dose. Plus because your body is used to working on not enough thyroid (which will slow your metabolism down etc to cope with this), it would be a bit of a shock to suddenly give it full dose. Your body needs time to adjust back to full working speed.
Hope that makes a little more sense lol 
Thank you SO much. Brilliant, My slow mind wasn't helping but yes, that's as I hoped,
Lastly then. if say you take levo and then stop In say two years, has your thyroid then packed up for good?
I just like to know all facts before making choices, as to me, it is quite a biggy to me as never been a tablet taker X
I thankfully was guided by advice here and can after 7 months tolerate dose Increase ok. I had to start so slowly it was horrendous but it's now ok. Go as slow as you need to
....also is the pituatory working ok you wonder? As it's pituatory that requests it I've read?
I havent officially been told I'm hypo as the docs here don't say that unless higher tsh, I'm 5 now
They just started to listen to me more and realised I'm a bit informed
As I write this now I am still doubting, as I know it is stress that brought me here, I'd had years of it, and. Ow my life is easier and there is a little voice saying come on, if you nurture your adrenals now it will all hopefully resolve itself
I don't think this is OTT thinking really, it's getting to route cause x
My reaction to levo on25 was swimmy head
I love the idea of a liquid type, may I have name of it
Thanks Richard! Yes, so and easy, good luck with GF, bound to slip up but it gets easier, re bread I just freeze GF bread as it is expensive! I take the odd bit out for toast whatever, cafes usually have it I find, and there are more and more GF foods in the shelves, love the rice in packets You micro! Even choc brownie in costas 🤤
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