New to Levo - what to expect

[Christineblue]

Hi everyone, posted lots over past couple of years and the help and advise has been great. I have now after quite some time of being monitored with a TSH between 3.31-6.03. Mt FT4 and FT3 have been in range so no treatment provided. My last bloods in April indicated a TSH of 3.39 but my FT4 was below range. I was given Levo 25mg on Mercury Pharma members mentioned that some brands don't always agree and I swapped to Woodhart. The hot flushes are not as bad with this brand, I have been on them now for a month but don't feel great on them. I was wondering if I don't take them will my thyroid work harder to produce the hormone, I am thinking that my thyroid will become lazy as I am getting the hormone from somewhere else. I have noticed lots of people start on 25mg and after first bloods end up with 50mg then it seems most people keep getting dose increases, is this because the thyroid then stops working. I want to feel better and lose some weight that won't budge, but not sure if I should continue taking Levo. I am also on Blood Pressure meds, and supplements as well as HRT Patches. Any help would be great as to whether I should continue with Levo. Thanks.

[Peanut31]

Hi

Have you got all your thyroid ranges which you can post on here as well.

Have you been tested for antibodies? Hashimoto’s.

Your thyroid will not heal it’s self unfortunately.

The advice on here is start on 50mcg of Levothyroxine.

my GP was going to start me on 25mcg, but, I took the NHS document on Levothyroxine that said unless the patient elderly or heart problems start on 50mcg.

From my understanding people can feel worse on 25mcg.

The normal procedure is start on 50mcg then 6 weeks later have a further blood test.

Book the blood test as early in the morning as possible.

I book mine at 8-8.30am. This will give you the best TSH reading in order to obtain an increase.

Recently this has been proven by a friend of mine, her first blood test (thyroid) was in the morning, then she had a blood test at 3pm a two weeks later and her TSH was really low, but, she is feeling worse than ever, and it looks as though her GP will not increase it now. She went back too soon after an increase and went in the afternoon to see the GP who surprised her with doing bloods straight away.

Don’t take Levothyroxine that morning, just have water and no eating.

Then increase your dosage by 25 mcg each time, if GP agrees.

Make sure TSH, T4 and T3 is tested. Your surgery may not do all three, and obtain official lab results.

When I was on 50mcg of Levothyroxine, I started on TEVA. It was awful, I was ratty and was biting everyone’s head off.

I switched manufacturers when my dosage was increased and I was a lot better.

Best Wishes

Peanut31

[greygoose]

You most certainly should. And you should also get your antibodies tested. If they're high, that's the reason your TSH keeps jumping around.

Thyroids don't get lazy. That's not how it works. There could be all sorts of reasons why people keep having increases, depending on why they are hypo, but the main one is that they cannot start on a full dose. For one thing, no-one can know how much they are going to eventually need. And another reason is that with hormones - any hormones - you have to start low and increase slowly. Let the body get used to having hormones again.

Having said that, your doctor started you on too low a dose, assuming your not 90 with a heart condition. And, when started on too low a dose, people often get worse before they get better.

Yes, as your dose gets higher, your thyroid will stop working, that's perfectly normal. But, it's not because it's lazy. Because, should you be caught in a situation where you're deprived of your thyroid hormone replacement, your thyroid will start working again, exactly where it left off. But, if your TSH was already up to over 6, where it left off wasn't great shakes! Your thyroid is no-longer capable of making enough hormone to keep you healthy - that's what your TSH is telling us. So, if you don't take your hormone, you lay yourself open to all the complications caused by low thyroid hormone. But, it certainly won't make your thyroid work harder - i.e. produce more hormone - because it can't.

So, take your levo, and in six weeks from the time you started it, go back to your doctor for a retest - early morning test (before 9 am) after fasting over-night, and leave 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the blood draw. And you will doubtlessly need an increase of 25 mcg levo. And you continue that protocol until all your symptoms are gone.

[Christineblue in reply to greygoose]

Thank you Peanut & Greygoose, that helps a lot, I have to accept then that I now need the hormones. I originally tested positive for TPO antibodies nearly two years ago at 289, they then went up to 500, I then went gluten free and the Antibodies are maintaining at the moment at 500, I don't know if that is due to going gluten free or not, I kind of hoped it was and by maintaining gluten free they would gradually come down, not sure if it works quite like that though.

I posted my last bloods on here with the-ranges but I don't know how to find them now.

Thank you for your help.

[greygoose in reply to Christineblue]

It may work like that, or it may not. But, even if you got ride of the antibodies completely, you'd still have Hashi's. The antibodies are not the disease, they are the consequence of the disease.

I'll have a look for your last bloods.

[greygoose in reply to Christineblue]

Are these your last bloods?

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

That was 8 months ago. Time you had some new ones, isn't it?

You can find all your posts by clicking on your avatar, at the top of the page, and then selecting 'profile' in the drop-down menu.

[Christineblue in reply to greygoose]

No I posted some relative to January and April this year, Shaws responded to them, I will try and find them.

[Chippysue]

If I could go back to when I finally had levothyroxine prescribed I wouldn’t have taken it. I used to think it was about finding the right dr to prescribe the right dose of the right medication, now I am trying to reduce my thyroid meds and would dearly love to stop them.

There are other ways to be well. Our bodies are incredibally clever, we do not need all of these drugs!

We are all different, I class myself as “awake” after doctors nearly killing me. I will never take a cream, lotion, vaccine or tablet from them again since they are the 3rd leading cause of death and it’s only doctors and Big Pharma that gain from them.

Good health is from what we eat, drink, fresh air, sunshine, happiness, not from 5 drugs by the time we are 60 or in many cases, carrier bags of prescription drugs and items each month!

If you are open to learning about getting well naturally I highly recommend Dr John Bergman - around 700 YouTube videos, start with thyroid, high blood pressure, HRT, these are recording lab when he teaches students anatomy. Also Dr Mercola, Dr Josh Axe.

If you have information about medication from doctors it would help you to decide but instead they are told it’s what you need so that’s what they tell us.

Please note that I am not telling you to stop medication, It is my opinion that your symptoms are all telling you something and that treating each symptom with a drug is unhelpful.

Sue

[Hidden]

Advice and Advise two different words

[Christineblue in reply to Hidden]

Ha ha predictive text, it should say advice.

Thanks.