levothyroxine MAX

[Mummys45]

what is the max micrograms of levothyroxine can anyone take in a day??

[Hidden]

I take 250-275, reduced from 300 over the last five years.

I am hoping to reduce to 250 and then settle there.

I refuse to go below this due to the risk of thy ca returning.

Doctors are uneasy about this dose but I believe I should have the final say about it.

[Mummys45 in reply to Hidden]

I'm on 175 micrograms and i thought that was really hi amount

[humanbean]

I've heard of people taking 1000mcg Levo per day. But clearly that would be very rare. I don't remember why these incredibly high doses are prescribed, sorry.

But normally, the highest we hear about on this forum on a regular basis is about 200mcg - 300mcg per day, as a (very) rough guide. Most people are on lower doses than this.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to humanbean]

And one extraordinary case where a patient was on over 3000 micrograms a day - with no signs of being over-dosed.

Of course, there being just one reported case does make it exceedingly rare.

[jgelliss in reply to helvella]

Personally IMO patients needing very high doses of Levo has to be connected to absorption issues . It might be very useful to look into how we may improve with absorbing Levo in better ways so that we might not need very high doses .

[Mummys45]

Thanks that's really helped , what happens when levothyroxine meds cant control my underactive thyroid anymore

[rosserk]

What dose are you on and why the question? Intrigued...

[Mummys45]

I'm on 175mg and just worried x

[rosserk in reply to Mummys45]

Agh I see, I’m sure someone will calm your fears. I’m new to thyroid disease so can’t help I’m afraid but you’re definitely in the right place. 💐

[Mummys45 in reply to rosserk]

Thanks hun

[SilverAvocado in reply to Mummys45]

You definitely don't need to worry about being in a high dose. Everybody's body is different, some need pretty high doses, others need very low.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies.

Plus very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin prevent thyroid hormones working correctly so extremely important to test. Many patients need to supplement to maintain at optimal levels

Do you have Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies?

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.

All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. If on Levothyroxine, don't take in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)

About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are common too, especially gluten. So it's important to get antibodies tested if you are not sure.

[judburke]

I would be concerned if the dose was regularly going up to maintain decent TSH and to feel well. Mine was going up and up over a period of about 18m. The reason was, that I had undiagnosed Coeliac that meant my gut was not absorbing enough thyroxin. (Coeliac causes gut damage). After CD was diagnosed and gut started to heal I was able to reduce Thyroxin dose again.

If iron/ferritin is also low and key vitamins are low I would consider asking the Dr is there a reason why a higher dose of Thyroxin is needed as there might be a gut absorption problem.

[lc1973 in reply to judburke]

Thats a great answer and i might be one of those affected by this as ive never been on a stable dose since diagnosis and i am low in vitamins. Hope to get to the bottom of this soon...no pun intended.

[judburke in reply to lc1973]

Thanks. I spent 2 yrs blaming my Thyroid on feeling rough. Iron and vitamins were low but in range and Dr gave supplements to improve levels. It was 2 yrs later when I asked Why was I popping pills and levels weren’t improving and thyroxin was going up without me feeling better. He then tested for CD which showed severe gut damage but I didn’t have typical CD symptoms of bowel trouble. Take a look at Coeliac UK website for symptoms and getting tested. It can be common for those of us with Hashi to develop another autoimmune issue sadly. Good luck finding out your root cause

[lc1973 in reply to judburke]

Glad you found answers. I suspect my problems are gut related . I'm constantly bloated but I'm sure I had a cd test came back negative but another member here said that's possible. Are you better now and did you drastically reduce dose once diagnosed cd?

[judburke in reply to lc1973]

It is possible to have a negative test but still have CD. Also just because it’s negative one year doesn’t mean it won’t develop into CD at a later time. Try contacting Coeliac UK for advice. I find they are very helpful.

My overall health is massively improved. My iron and ferritin and vitamin levels are easier to maintain at optimal. I was on 200 Thyroxin pre CD diagnosed which was gradually reduced to 100 after about 18m of healing my gut.

I just knew there was something wrong but I didn’t know what. My initial Dr wanted to discuss depression. Thankfully we moved and new Dr wanted me to be well even though he took his time before he thought to test for CD

[lc1973 in reply to judburke]

That is encouraging news. I have to be honest i'm sure ive had a test recently for CD which was negative but i barely eat gluten so i'd ruled it out in my head but thats not to say the damage hasnt already been done. Seems to be no matter what dose i take of levo i dont feel 100% but i know that my vits are low and i need to address this but i wish i'd been more like you and pushed further at the GPs in which case i might now be as close to normal as i'm going to get. I was diagnosed with hypo in either 2011 or 2012 so feel pretty fed up with it all now.

[judburke in reply to lc1973]

Low iron/ferritin made me feel awful. Most of us need it higher in range than just at the bottom. I feel best at about 80/90. I get hair loss below that too.

If there’s a chance of CD then even small amounts of gluten cause gut damage. Do you take any PPI tablets for gut acid as these can cause absorption problems too.

Keep going with pushing for your health. It took me 3 years to get where I am and it was this forum that gave me the knowledge, support and strength to start the journey. (This is also why I try and comment about possible gut issues / in the hope it helps someone). It just makes me mad/upset that Drs don’t search for root causes

[lc1973 in reply to judburke]

Thank you so much Judburke. I think i have low acid but was finding if i ate something fatty that i would take antacid to stop the reflux feeling. Just out of interest now that you have improved your gut health are you still needing to top up your vitamins?

[judburke in reply to lc1973]

I occasionally take Iron if I am feeling sluggish and I take a highish dose of D3 throughout the winter as I am prone to SAD and I think it helps plus my bones are osteopenia so I am careful about bone density. My last blood test showed B12 was in top quarter of range without supplementing so I was very happy with that

[lc1973 in reply to judburke]

Just goes to show the importance of a healthy gut and vitamins. thanks for sharing.

[Mummys45 in reply to judburke]

In early March this year I started 2 notice I was losing my hair , it was getting so fine and noticeable. I was on 150mg of levothyroxine for 9 yrs . I wasn't feeling well so I new I needed a blood test so went doctors on Wednesday, on Saturday morning had letter from GP prescription for Folic acid tablets, and to have another blood test in 2 weeks . 3 weeks later Gp called me and told me shes upped my levothyroxine 2 175mg . keep taking iron tablets. also she has put me on Omeprazole 20mg . Do u think I should ask for any other blood tests like cc x

[judburke in reply to Mummys45]

I would ask for ferritin which is stored iron, D3 some people think low D3 affects hair and ask for B12 then out the results on here.

Take the iron with Vit c to help absorption and a few hours away from thyroxin as iron affects it.

Why has she put you on omesprosole? I think that’s a PPI and can affect gut absorption which might lower vitamins and minerals. Did she say if it’s for a short term issue?

[Mummys45 in reply to judburke]

Yes I don't take omesprosole anymore .

[judburke in reply to Mummys45]

Hope you are feeling better now

[lc1973]

Im on 250mcg per day and wouldnt be worried if i needed to increase. Guess as the others have said we are all different, some need more and some need less even if their results look the same on paper.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to lc1973]

If I were on 250 micrograms, I might be concerned. Not at the dose - we need what we need. But at the possibility of my dose being cut solely because it is a big number. That is, out of ignorance.

[lc1973 in reply to helvella]

Can they do that based on big numbers only? Im not functioning very well now to be honest but not sure its the thyroid.

[AlisonL]

I've been up to 300mcg in the past. Now on 200mcg levo and 40mcg T3 so quite a hefty dose ☺

[Rhiansmama]

Mine is no doubt going to be upped as I had bloods done and now Dr wants to see me. My sis was on 250 mcg bit another Dr had a fit said that was way too high a dose. I think the most I've had is 175 then dropped to 125 up to 150 lol yoyo pills I call them. Bit I'm shattered all the time and my eyebrows haven't needed plucking in a long while so I k ow mines going to be high. But one Dr says one thing and a second so.ething else so it will vary between countries and different counties etc

[judburke in reply to Rhiansmama]

I think the key is also to make sure the main vitamins and mineral are at optimal levels as they help to support thyroid function and help the body to use Thyroxin properly. Not all symptoms are caused by low thyroid. Eg hair loss might be caused by low ferritin

[Mummys45]

200ml of levothyroxine ever1 xx

[Mummys45]

My blood results for cholesterol is 15