Does anyone takes Levothyroxine like me? Monday... - Thyroid UK

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Does anyone takes Levothyroxine like me? Monday to Friday 125mcg and Saturday and Sunday 100mcg?

lucs profile image
lucs
34 Replies

Hi everyone,

I wonder if anyone takes Levothyroxine like me ? M-F 125mcg and S-S 100mcg ?

My doctor has put me on form like this, because on daily 125mcg I was a bit high on T4?

Thanks in advance?

I have digestion problems! 😢could be lack of enough medication or other vitamins?

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lucs
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34 Replies
bantam12 profile image
bantam12

Yes it's not unusual to take different doses on certain days, I take 125 but 150 on Weds and Sundays, it's necessary for many to tweak doses to find the right level.

lucs profile image
lucs in reply to bantam12

Thank you for reply!

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Lots of us do it. For the dose that suits me I take 150/100/100/150/100/100 etc which averages very slightly less at 116.6 mcg daily than what you take which is 117.8mcg.

What sort of digestion problems do you have?

lucs profile image
lucs in reply to SeasideSusie

Hi,

Thank you for reply! I feel a persistent pain on my stomach after I eat.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to lucs

That doesn't sound like lack of vitamins.

As for undermedication, what are your latest test results (including reference ranges).

Delclaire profile image
Delclaire in reply to SeasideSusie

Hi I'm in levothrixine 25 mg I e just started it so I'm curious as to what my final dose will be I think lithium caused mine but I've stopped taking that now so will my thyroid go back to normal can any one help me

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Delclaire

I'm afraid no-one can tell you what your final dose will be, we're all different. Average doses tend to fall somewhere between 100 and 200mcg.

Marz profile image
Marz

Are you taking any other meds in addition to Levo ? - that could be causing stomach pain ? Possibly low acid ...

lucs profile image
lucs in reply to Marz

Thank you!

Marz profile image
Marz in reply to lucs

Are you on any other ,meds ?

fiftyone profile image
fiftyone

When my doctor reduced my levo dose, and I felt unwell, l tried alternating days, one day higher, one day lower, also higher dose during the week and lower dose at weekends. In the end I just needed a higher dose, 7 days a week. I have also suffered digestion, acidity problems and take omeprazole, one at night before I go to bed. Your digestion problem may be different of course.

lucs profile image
lucs in reply to fiftyone

Thank you for reply, you might be right, I been on 125mcg Levothyroxine in the past year and I feel better, since the doctor trying to adjust my Levo , I suffered digestion problem.

vocalEK profile image
vocalEK in reply to lucs

It's too bad your doctor is treating a blood test instead of a human patient. Hope your blood test feels better soon.

in reply to fiftyone

Omeprazole can make it more difficult to absorb the thyroid hormones. I gave it up on discovering that, and just take an occasional Gaviscon, being careful not to take it within at least a few hours of thyroid meds.

Omeprazole lowers stomach acid levels, which helps the pain, but also interferes with food absorption Hypothyroidism also lowers stomach acid which makes absorption even worse.

After I started on thyroxine the reflux discomfort improved so I didn't need Omeprazole anyway. so if you do have to take it, don't take anywhere near thyroid tablets.

It helps to take a Vitamin C tablet with thyroxine (don't know about T3, but assume it's the same), as it will raise acid levels temporarily

TSH110 profile image
TSH110

I used to take 125/100mcg levothyroxine alternate days it never suited me. If I upped it I felt agitated and if I lowered it I was zombified. I had a lot of other unpleasant symptoms that would not go away. I only felt better on NDT same dose every day. I have the DIO2 gene mutation which might be why as two close relatives found it worked perfectly for them. Perhaps you need the dose altering.

ThyroidCurious profile image
ThyroidCurious in reply to TSH110

Hi TSH110 - how do you know you have the DIO2 gene?

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply to ThyroidCurious

I did an older version of 23&me test and it was included in the raw data. I checked the SNP numbers on the snpmedia site

And looked each one up and found I have a poor conversion combination fot T4 to T3. I also have some thyroid resistance ones as well which I understand is not helpful. I deffo feel much better on NDT and always felt very unwell on Levothyroxine and I did give it two years and Endo was keen to get dose correct so I was not left with a huge TSH or any old numbers. It never put me right. I became very depressed I felt as if I was a thing not really a person it was really horrible. I seriously contemplated suicide as I felt it would have been better to have died (which I nearly did!) than ended up like this. Luckily this site made me realise there were other options I could try and once I mustered up the courage to take it NDT was very fast to correct all those problems above. I only discovered the DIO2 stuff later and it would explain why I felt so atrocious on T4. Close relative are fine on Levo but I do not know if they have the mutation or not I assume not. The latest 23&me Kits have removed that gene apparently when regeneras put in money to it, which is a bit low - they do the DIO2 testing as a separarate thibgvat massine cost. So don’t buy 23&me kit!

ThyroidCurious profile image
ThyroidCurious in reply to TSH110

Wow! Thank you, that is really interesting. I am not the first in my family to have thyroid problems.

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply to ThyroidCurious

All the women in my branch have thyroid problems but mine has been the most incalcitrant to sort out. I only have markers for Graves’ disease on 23&me but I had very mixed symptoms which were mainly hypothyroidism but not all typically so. One close relative is hyperthyroid the rest hypo with a bit of thyroid cancer in some cases - luckily I escaped that 😊

advoash profile image
advoash

Hard stools

TSH110 profile image
TSH110 in reply to advoash

Deffo a hypothyroid symptom

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK

As bantam12 said, it is not unusual for people to have to have odd dosing regimes. However, I cannot immediately see any merit in having two days on the trot on the low dose - and five on the high dose.

I have played around to produce a document which points out some options for making doses as even as possible whilst managing to acheive very fine adjstments. Have a look, it might make some sense:

dropbox.com/s/sllu21khbeyth...

jgelliss profile image
jgelliss in reply to helvella

Thank You so much Helvela . Very Informative and helpful information . I printed it out for future reference .

LAHs profile image
LAHs in reply to helvella

I think it might be a way of remembering which pill to take on which day. I remember when if it wasTuesday or Thursday it was 150 mpg Levo. It's even easier for lucs to think, "If it's the weekend I take 100 mcg." Kind of easy to remember.

in reply to helvella

Would it be OK to copy this, just for personal use?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Low stomach acid is common symptom of being hypothyroid and not adequately treated

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested. Also extremely important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have gut issues

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw). This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Is this how you do your tests?

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

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 special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/tuk/testing/t...

List of hypothyroid symptoms

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Presumably you had Graves before RAI?

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal

Ideally ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

lucs profile image
lucs in reply to SlowDragon

Thank you very much for your reply! Very helpful for me! 😀

HE70 profile image
HE70

I am on 125 weekdays and 100 weekends as well.

lucs profile image
lucs in reply to HE70

HE70, and how you doing? Hope not like me?

HE70 profile image
HE70 in reply to lucs

Not many problems now thankfully. Used to have terrible digestive issues but those have settled down and only occasionally flare up.

lucs profile image
lucs in reply to HE70

Thank you for reply HE70 !

dusty2 profile image
dusty2

I alternate days 125 & 100

I was on 100mcg, and I still didn't feel much improvement, but my TSH was "Too low" and my fT4 nearly at the tope of the range. What I thought were continued hypo symptoms were interpreted as hyper. Of course there is a lot of overlap, but not to that extent.

So I had to go down to 100/75mcg on alternate days. Which brought the TSH up slightly but made me feel possibly worse than before. Now they are talking about reducing further because TSH still under range!!! Thankfully (?) I was ill so it hasn't yet been implemented

2122anne profile image
2122anne

I take 150 Mon/Sat and 200 on Sunday

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