Weight gain-why?

[Clara9]

This autumn as well as last I gained a lot of weight. Why is that? What can I do about it? I haven't changed my eating so why is this happening?

Ft3 6.2(3.6-..6.3)

Ft4 16(12-22)

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Looking at previous posts....GP shouldn't have reduced dose

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

How much Levothyroxine and T3 are you currently taking?

You need vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 tested. Reducing dose of Levothyroxine or T3 frequently trashes vitamin levels

[Clara9 in reply to SlowDragon]

100+20as before the decrease. And the results above are from this dose.

Dr won't test any of those days it isn't needed since they were fine last year.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Clara9]

It can take months for levels to resettle

Vitamins often drop when dose is reduced

You probably need to test privately if GP won't

[milkwoman]

Dr. Kenneth Blanchard held the belief that more thyroid replacement is sometimes needed in the cooler months. He called this “seasonal increase”.

So, your decrease in meds was actually a double whammy. At a minimum you should have remained on the same dose. Your returned symptoms and weight gain are a good indication that you are now under medicated. It will take some time to get back to optimal.

In addition, Dr. Blanchard has a “jumpstart” protocol (It’s in his book, “The Functional Approach to Hypothyroism”, page 23).

You “jump start” for 3-5 days at a higher dose (typically a 50% increase, but it could be higher) then come down to the dose you want to be on. This way, you will feel the effects in 2-3 weeks rather than the normal 6 weeks.

I know from experience that the jumpstart is very effective.

The reverse also works when one is over medicated. You can significantly decrease or even stop meds for 3-5 days, then resume at a lower dose. Again, effects will be seen in a shorter time frame.

Keep in mind, you may need to do a “seasonal decrease” in the spring in case you start to feel over medicated.

[Clara9 in reply to milkwoman]

But now I'm back on the same dose and the results above are from this dose. They don't indicate undermedicated or do they?

[milkwoman in reply to Clara9]

I tend to go by how I feel rather than numbers. How have you’ve been feeling? Is your energy back up? Are you running again? How’s your mood? Is the only remaining symptom weight gain?

If you are optimally medicated then I would look into other causes. I know for me, when my estrogen levels dropped (menopause) I started to gain weight - specifically around my middle. I got an increase in my Bi-est/Progesterone cream and things improved. I also had to increase my thyroid meds because the increased estrogen seemed to have an effect.

Just things to think about. I think you are right to be concerned. Try to nip things before they get out of hand. Maybe another cause is simply an imbalance of your T4/T3 dose?