I am primarily being treated for Adrenal fatigue - taking pregnenolone and DHEA. I was also on a low 25mcg dose of levoxy. I thought initially that the latter was making me "hyper" and I rather stupdly stopped taking it a week ago - crash bigtime. I will restart the levoxy and split the small dose over the day.
The issue is that Im afraid I will need to be on this stuff forever. My thyroid results arent actually too bad.......:
Free T4: 16.8 pmol/L (12.8-20.4)
TSH: 2.4 mIU/L (0.4-3.8)
Free T3 5.7 pmol/L (4-6.8)
RT3 - 154 pmol/L (range 230-540)
I have only been on it for a month, but has anyone here sucessfully been on, and come off levoxy after a while?
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slimecity
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I don't understand test results. But may be one of the other do. Anyone that takes Levo it depends on the person I think. In my case. I've got to be taken them for the rest of my life. Most people who are on Levo rather take its first thing in the morning or last thing at night. I don't think you should spilt the tablet over the day because your not meant to eat after taken Levo for two hours. Hopefully someone will comment on your blood test.xx
I have had a similar experience recently. I was on 25mcg levothyroxine for a few months then 50mcg a month or so . I realised I was feeling hyper on this (and getting extra anxiety and awful pmt and migraines!) So I decided to reduce it and then stopped altogether. Emotionally I felt much better without it and my migraines stopped. BUT my hair loss returned with avengence. I have some Metavive I here I bought at new year, which is a type of natural desiccated thyroid. I tried taking a Tiny amount of this regularly through the day. I vary how much I have depending on how I feel. I feel soooo much better than when on levothyroxine!! And my hair isn't falling out like when I paused the thyroxine.
If I take too much natural thyroid it can make my head race so I just take really tiny amounts. I'm retesting my levels next month.
I wouldn't worry about splitting your dose! I did that and it helped a bit too.
Hi slimecity was the bloodtest results taken when you were taking levo or before you started taking it as this makes a difference to the advice. Obviously if you crashed after stopping the levo then your body needs the hormone it's not a drug it's putting back into your body the hormone that the thyroid is having trouble producing. As levo is a storage hormone it won't help to take it in small dosages if you feel that you were hyper on it you could just take 25mcg alternate days.but if that's your results after taking levo then your results are certainly not showing you as being overactive as the t4/t3 are well within their ranges as the tsh is a little high for someone on levo then it could be you need an increase in meds. Don't know what symptoms you are getting but sometimes what you think may be overactive symptoms could be because your under active I know I get palpitations and hot sweats and then feel cold when I'm not on enough levo. Once your thyroid is failing it's very unlikely to start working properly again so most of us that on meds are then on them for life. There are two schools of thought on adrenal fatigue, one is to get it sorted out first and then go on meds for thyroid and the other is you can treat them both at the same time. Some of your symptoms you are experiencing could be down to your adrenal fatigue. Hope this info is of help to you.
Hi thanks guys - to confirm - those results are from before I was on the levo.
Yes - to confirm - I am also not sure if I should be prioritising thyroid or adrenals - at this point I think minimum dosage of levo whilst taking adrenal hormones can only help - based on my recent crash after stopping levo (of course, this is colored by my current withdrawal symptoms from levo).
My symptoms while on levo were actually great - breathing a lot better, metabolism up. However once stopped, I crashed, breathing more labored, fatigue. However on levo I was worried about my metabolism being too made artificially too fast for my adrenals to support this.
They weren't 'withdrawal symptoms'. Levo isn't a drug, it's a hormone. The symptoms you felt were hypo symptoms because stopping the levo had made you more hypo.
Technically, there's no advantage to splitting a dose of levo, because T4 is a storage hormone. It doesn't do much itself, it is just stored until it is converted into the active hormone, T3.
Your metabolism wasn't being made 'artificially' fast by taking levo, it was being restored to the way it ought to be, and the way it would be if you had a fully working thyroid.
Do you really think so? Surely if the test results shown above are before she took any thyroid meds which aren't that bad and show good level of T3 so unless thyroid antibodies are present, are thyroid meds really required and possibly just other things wrong as not sure those results really confirm a problem with thyroid?
Where adrenal and thyroid effect each other, could it not be just a change in hormone levels with suddenly dropping the meds changing the effects of adrenal meds??
Not suggesting you don't need them at the mo as don't know enough about this situation but not sure if need once adrenals back up and running properly and any other issues fixed?
I don't know. We haven't been given enough information. But I would find it difficult to believe that any doctor diagnosed and treated, on the basis of those levels because, as you said, they aren't that bad for someone not on thyroid hormone replacement. Although the TSH says the thyroid is struggling. However, if they are the results on levo, then there is room for improvement. We'll have to wait and see if we get anymore information.
But, which bit of what I said are you questioning? I was just, really, correcting misconceptions. Technically, there is no benefit from taking T4 more than once a day; you don't get withdrawal symptoms from stopping levo, because it isn't a drug; and taking T4 doesn't 'artificially' raise metabolism.
Apologies, was kind of questioning everyone above. Poster has already confirmed tests were before put on levo meds above in later response and in previous post
And also if thyroid function fine, taking meds, could cause hyper symptoms or artificially raised metabolism as poster puts it maybe
If you are hypothyroid - especially if you have high antibodies - you will need to take thyroid hormones for life to replace the ones your body can no longer manufacture. Most healthy people have a TSH around 1. Since thyroxine is the inactive hormone and has to be converted to T3 for use, there is no point splitting the dose - you could take a whole week's dose in one go and it would make little difference. Just take it on an empty stomach with a glass of water at least an hour before or two hours after food, and four hours away from iron or oestrogen. Many people find it easy to take it at night.
What are you "afraid" of? If you need it, then don't be afraid. However, you should attempt to find out what is affecting your thyroid. Have you been tested for Hashimoto's (TPO, TGB antibodies)?
Thanks for the replies guys and especially your comments greygoose. Good to have that confirmation.
The whole problem started with stress - I have had this exact same problem on and off all my life - I can even recall these symptoms when I was a child. The thing is - my body always recovered in the past, on its own.
Currently in this case - I think all the problems started from the worst relationship breakup I've ever had & moving to a new city (and then dating, which is a whole new world of suckiness). Then my digestion went to hell - I stopped gluten and lectins etc. Then my energy started fading, B12 levels dropped etc.
Im currently eating better & doing mild exercise, supplementing with Preg & DHEA, and Vits B5, 6, 3 & C. Taking protein and colostrum and fish oil plus zinc & mag. I will start yoga shortly.
Im feeling better - but once I stopped the levoxy I crashed. What I'm worried about is becoming dependant on this stuff. I am a worrier (hence the stress). However based on past patterns, I should recover soon. However I've been feeling shit for a year. The next round of blood tests will tell if theres any improvement at least with the adrenal & thyroid hormones.
An endocrinologist made me stop the levothyroxine for 3 months, my God...I felt of the wagon, i couldn't exercise, couldn't sleep, did not feel libido, my eyebrows start falling off, my hair started thinning like i have never seen before, weight gain with every morsel of lettuce and then the worse depression ever I was doubting my own existence.
Finally I left that ignorant specialist and I found another endocrinologist who couldn't believe that dr. Took me off the levothyroxine in one shot. She should have done it gradually and test it every month. Well I had been back on synthroid my hair is nor back, energy is not there is non existant, weight is so hard to keep down I gain 20 pounds, sleep is awful, my body mass seems all made out of jello.
What to do?well I visit a genetic doctor I beg him to find a cure. After a very expensive test for my brain hormones, body hormones, vitamins deficiency. He found that Jones is secreting their hormones in my body.
1more year and I will be gone.
One thing the point out was that my vitamin D level was extremely low. I just read I will need around 6.000 iu per day to support my thyroid treatment and all the rest is a chain reaction of this wonderful gland call thyroid.
My very best advise, do not go off the pill you started, decrease amount gradually and under medical supervision and blood test protocol.
My agony started at 37 all was well, holding normal until that idiot inept of a so call Dr. Took me off completely and without following protocols. Her test has devastated my health and the recovery is slow and $5.000 every 2 months expense. With your thyroid don't play.
My diagnosis was extreme and side effects were horrible mentally as well.
I am giving you my testimony here with my heart on my sleeve. Thank you
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and my migraines stopped. BUT my hair loss returned with avengence. I have some Metavive I here I bought at new year, which is a type of natural desiccated thyroid. I tried taking a Tiny amount of this regularly through the day. I vary how much I have depending on how I feel. I feel soooo much better than when on levothyroxine!! And my hair isn't falling out like when I paused the thyroxine. 
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hello can anyone advise
