Gone from taking 50mcg thyroxine to 50mcg one day and 75mcg.

[Lottie08]

I last saw my endo in September and he told me i needed to increase my dose, so to take 50mcg one day and then 25mcg the next! But over the weeks i have been feeling back to how i was before on medication, so i rung my own dr and she said i was taking it wrong, i told her thats what i was told to do. So I rang my endo and he said no I'd misunderstood what he said, he said to take 50mcg one day and 75mcg the next (he never said that to me otherwise thats how id be taking it)! So he said have you took 50mcg today, i said yes, he said take 25mcg now then 50mcg tomorrow! I'm feeling lousy sluggish, tired all the time and body aching with constant headaches! Now I'm taking the right dose when will i notice an affect? Thanks

[shaws Administrator]

You cannot win, can you. Would it not have been better for him just to increase your 50mcg to 75mcg which is what normally happens. 75mcg is not a high dose by any means.

Hopefully it wont be too long before you get another increase (after your next blood test) as the aim is a TSH of 1 or lower.

Remember to allow 24 hours gap between dose and test and take afterwards. Also it should be the very earliest and fasting test.

[Lottie08 in reply to shaws]

Yes thats what i thought too why every other day? I'm back seeing him 1st November so let's see what my bloods say? I've been told to take my tablets as normal on the morning of my blood test, but ive been doing what i was advised on here and take it after blood test and to have blood test done first thing in a morning?

[shaws Administrator in reply to Lottie08]

You are wise to follow the members' advice as we've been caught out before by having dose reduced. That's what we don't want unnecessary reductions then more symptoms instead of less and best of all, no more symptoms.

They do not understand that taking dose before blood tests skews the results, as does eating breakfast etc. TSH will be lowered and so will our dose.

[Lottie08 in reply to shaws]

Thanks so not to take my thyroxine before i go for my blood test? I'm hoping i feel better by next week and hopefully when i see the endo he tells me to take the 75mcg each day. Thanks for all your advice.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Lottie08]

That's correct, no thyroxine before test but afterwards. You can drink water however as you will probably be thirsty before your test.

75mcg is not a high dose so hopefully he will keep increasing till your TSH is 1.

[thyr01d]

Hi Lottie, I don't think we can improve in a week (though I think others may disagree). My understanding is that it takes quite a long time for our 'baseline' level to rise - my GP told me 2 years from when I was started on Levo and having recently been being seen by an endocrinologist (20 years on) I was told that I could expect to be feeling better after about 9 months.

I have though read others on here reporting feeling better much quicker, and my starting point was very low both times.

Hope that helps and I do hope you soon feel much better.