Levothyroxine Dosage: I was diagnosed with... - Thyroid UK

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Levothyroxine Dosage

sidneymark70 profile image
13 Replies

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos some years ago and have struggled ever since.

Can an anybody please tell me if it’s possible to be prescribed Levothyroxine a dosage between 75 mg and 100 mg? 75 is too little and 100 is too much. My pharmacist told me it is possible in France (she is French).

Was put up to 100 but it pushed me into hyper but now put back down to 75 can hardly get out of bed.

Thank you.

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sidneymark70 profile image
sidneymark70
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13 Replies
bantam12 profile image
bantam12

You can juggle the dose by taking alternate days or splitting tablets, you just have to experiment until you find the right amount.

I take 125 for 5 days then 150 on the other two days to get the dose i need.

sidneymark70 profile image
sidneymark70 in reply tobantam12

Thanks so much for this Bantum. Don’t know why I didn’t think of this. Does it take a lot of experimenting to get it just right?

bantam12 profile image
bantam12 in reply tosidneymark70

Might take a while as you have to give yourself time to adjust between each dose change, you could try alternate days or like I do take the higher dose once or twice a week and see how you go.

Good luck

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

As you have Hashimoto's you need to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

These are often too low and may need supplementing

Are you on strictly gluten free diet?

greygoose profile image
greygoose

I don't think it is possible in France. It seems to go up by 25 mcg - 25, 50, 75... up to 200. And endos are very strict about prescribing the exact dos in one pill. If you needed 75, they would prescribe 75 and not 25 + 50 - I once suggested that and got my head bitten off! And, they will tell you that you can't go any higher than 200, because that's the biggest pill - they will not prescribe 200 + 25! Ignorance reigns supreme in most countries. :(

sidneymark70 profile image
sidneymark70 in reply togreygoose

I’m not talking about going up to that muchGreygoose. 75 seems too little and 100 too much. So what do I do? Bantam said he’d found a way of doing it which will take a lot of experimenting so going to see my GP next week. As think it’s too complicated for me to do on my own

Also Slowdragon, I take Vit D. Had vit B12 tested and am told I’m fine. And no I’m afraid I’m not on a gluten free diet. Does this make a lot of difference?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tosidneymark70

No, I know you weren't talking about going that high. I was just explaining the ludicrous system for the general interest if all.

So, what you do is, take 75 one day, and 100 the next. That gives you an average of 87.5 mcg per day. You can do that with levo, because it's a storage hormone, the difference in dose won't affect you. You can't, of course, do that with T3, though.

sidneymark70 profile image
sidneymark70 in reply togreygoose

Oh yes of course. That’s worth a try. Have you any idea how long it takes for levo to get into the system. I mean if I do this, how long might it be for me to start feeling better, do you think? And thank you.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tosidneymark70

Anything from 10 days to six weeks. Impossible to tell. Depends how well you convert.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator

I am prescribed 56 * 100 microgram tablets + 28 * 25 microgram tablets - intended to last four weeks. That is, 112.5 per day - which I achieve (approximately) by splitting the 25 microgram tablets.

(Any inaccuracy is not important. I make sure I split each tablet and put one half in today's pot, the other half in tomorrow's. Still better than alternating 100 and 125. Dropping bits on the floor is a no-no!)

sidneymark70 profile image
sidneymark70 in reply tohelvella

Yes that’s true. It’s hard to cut the tablets in half isn’t it?

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply tosidneymark70

It depends how accurate you need to be - and the tablets themselves. :-) "Good enough" is easy enough with an inexpensive pill cutter.

nancarolyn profile image
nancarolyn

Hi sidneymark70. I live n Maryland, USA and have been taking levothyroxine for 30 years. My dosage has fluctuated with blood test every 6 months. I now am on .137mg. a day and no problem. My 29 year old has been taking it also since he was 4 years old. Here they do not take it very serious as they do in the UK. Maybe they should. My son is doing well. We were told more dangerous to your body not to take it. Like a vitamin, buy I have had many other problems, so I am not sure I could pinpoint if there is a problem with my thyroid with the levothyroxine, although I do remember feeling extreme fatique and I needed increase, but for now it has been same dose for years. I hope this helps and good luck to you. Give it time My son first had hashimoto and now is hypo. I know it can change especially when you first go on it for them to be able to tell by bloodwork what dose is right for you. Hang in there and keeping talking to doctors that you like.

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