Weight gain

[Magsb80]

Guys, my weight keeps going up and up!! Help!!!???

I am on 75mg of levothyroxine. Any suggestions? Please?! Xx

[MissSusan]

Can you post your recent blood results?

[Magsb80]

Hi, recently they have only been testing TSH AND T4 back in June my

TSH WAS 5.09

T4 WAS 13

[MissSusan in reply to Magsb80]

Do you have the reference ranges?

[Magsb80 in reply to MissSusan]

TSH 0-5

Can’t remember T4 but it’s in range

[MiniMum97 in reply to Magsb80]

Assuming your T4 range is around 12-22, you are very undermedicated. You need a dose increase every 6-8 weeks until your TSH is under 1 and T4 in the upper part of the reference range.

[Magsb80 in reply to MiniMum97]

Thanks Minimum. My doc just isn’t having it. Finally got my appointment with the Endo tomorrow (waited 7 months)!! Hopefully get some answers xx

[Magsb80 in reply to MiniMum97]

Your right, the range is 9-21. And my results for Ft4 was

12.2

13

12

[MiniMum97 in reply to Magsb80]

Have you shown your GP the Pulse article that you can get from Thyroid UK? Might be worth getting a copy for your endo as they don’t always know what they are doing either. I think the email address to get the article has changed. If you do a new post requesting it I am sure someone will respond.

[london81]

a good way to find out if it’s thyroid causing the gain is to calorie count. if you get a fitbit or similar and find out your daily calorie burn then eat slightly under your daily burn. so for example if you burn 2000 and eat 1800 calories there is no way you should gain weight. if you do then your thyroid is clearly sluggish as your metabolic rate is slower than your fitbit is estimating, and the best way to address this is to ensure your levels are all in sync, including vitamins and minerals.

you will need to ask for a thyroid panel including antibodies then when the results are produced ask for a print out of the results with reference ranges. if your GP won’t authorise vitamin testing which most wont then you can get private testing at home by finger prick. I understand vitamin D, folate, ferritin and b12 are essential. From my experience magnesium, iron and vitamin B’s are often low in women.

calorie counting isn’t great but i found that it helped me lose a lot of weight, alongside getting my thyroid levels balanced, my antibodies down and vitamins in check.

have you had anabtibody test?

[Hidden in reply to london81]

It is also possible to have your resting metabolic rate measured. My dietitian did it (in Australia, not sure the UK situation). You sit in a chair for about 10 minutes and breathe in and out gently into a mask. It then somehow tells you what your RMR is. Mine was terribly low.

[Magsb80 in reply to Hidden]

YeH, I do believe I am the same. What can be done about that though?

[Hidden in reply to Magsb80]

Dietitian said all was not lost. Recommended HIIT exercise and something else that escapes me at present. My current focus is getting more optimal on my thyroid meds and also in reducing my carbs somewhat - I'm not yet really in a position to do the HIIT yet, but I'm planning to start some more gentle exercise today or tomorrow (depending on how long it takes to get through my obligations today).

[Magsb80]

Hi, yes my antibody levels are high

[Hidden]

I had the same problem when just on levo. I had lost a lot of weight then hit a plateau and started to slowly gain. My doctor at the time would only check my T4 and TSH. I learned from this forum what constitutes a good thyroid workup and I was not getting it.

Long story short, I was steered to a good endo who following the complete battery of tests described here and found I also needed T3. This process started in April and I have been feeling well for almost two months and my weight is dropping again.

T4 and TSH tests without the other needed tests are useless. My new doctor also found my Vitamin D, B12, and ferritin were low and prescribed the needed supplements. He also included my adrenal glands in his testing which also had not been looked at before despite having an adrenal cyst for years that my previous doctor ignored.

Please don't settle for half-baked care that is not effectively treating your symptoms and helping you feel well. Take care. irina

[Magsb80 in reply to Hidden]

That’s all they are willing to test T4 and TSH and I’m

‘Within range’

[Hidden in reply to Magsb80]

Please find a way to get a proper workup. It's so important in order to get proper thyroid treatment.

Not getting complete labs seems to be one of the major problems we all have encountered and have had to find a way to deal with to get better.

If you browse other posts you will get needed info on what constitutes a proper workup. Maybe start a new thread about your current labs being inadequate and you'd like help. That's my suggestion.

Also there are lot of issues around being told labs are 'within range or normal.' This term is really meaningless. You need a copy of your results along with normal ranges as they can vary from lab to lab. Then if you post your results along with the ranges there are a lot of very informed people who will correctly interpret them for you.

T3 is a VERY important hormone. Our bodies don't make it-it comes from T4 being converted. Many of us don't convert enough. So we must have T3 checked. There are people and administrators who can explain this better than me so I will leave it to them.

The other hard part is finding a doctor who understands and will prescribe what you need to get well. Most of us have had to become assertive to find the right care. Probably the hardest part of treatment. But it must be done.

Don't accept inadequate care esp from the doctor who only ordered the 2 tests and said you were in range-read 'you're fine'.

You're not 'fine' now and you can get well. It's just going to be a difficult journey going up against the medical establishment.

Don't stop here. Read posts to see how many of us work around the system. There are specific things you can do. When we finally begin to lessen our thyroid symptoms feeling well is worth the fight.

Hope this helps. Take care. irina

[Magsb80]

Irons, what s great post!!! You are absolutely right and I have came up against it already! It’s taken over 1 year to get listen too although I’m still being fobbed off. Thank you very much for your advice and time xx

[Hidden in reply to Magsb80]

You're very welcome. irina