Weight gain

[Stormz17]

Has anyone found that after starting Levothyroxine you gained weight? I have been on it for about 2 weeks 25mcg and thought I might loose a couple of pounds but have put it on and not eaten anymore than usual

[greygoose]

It happens. You won't be on your optimal dose, yet, as you've just started. Things will probably even out as your dose increases.

[SlowDragon Ambassador]

Standard starter dose of levothyroxine is 50mcg (unless over 65 years old).

The aim of Levothyroxine is to increase the dose slowly in 25mcg steps upwards until TSH is under 2 (many patients need TSH significantly under one) and most important is that FT4 is in top third of range and FT3 at least half way through range

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase

What were your test results from before starting on levothyroxine

Have you had thyroid antibodies tested

NHS guidelines on Levothyroxine including that most patients eventually need somewhere between 100mcg and 200mcg Levothyroxine.

nhs.uk/medicines/levothyrox...

Also note what foods to avoid (eg recommended to avoid calcium rich foods at least four hours from taking Levo)

Important to regularly retest vitamin D, folate , ferritin and B12 as these are often very low when hypothyroid and frequently need supplementing to maintain optimal levels

Always take levothyroxine on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after

[Stormz17 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for your reply and advice! I didn’t know that about the calcium and next time I have a blood test I will ask for a copy of the results,

[SlowDragon Ambassador in reply to Stormz17]

You are legally entitled to printed copies of your blood test results and ranges.

The best way to get access to current and historic blood test results is to register for online access to your medical record and blood test results

UK GP practices are supposed to offer everyone online access for blood test results. Ring and ask if this is available and apply to do so if possible, if it is you may need "enhanced access" to see blood results.

Link re access

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

In reality many GP surgeries do not have blood test results online yet

Alternatively ring receptionist and request printed copies of results. Allow couple of days and then go and pick up.

Important to see exactly what has been tested and equally important what hasn’t been tested yet

[HungryHungryHypo]

When I started on levothyroxine, I did put in weight and was told it was normal as the dose needed to be adjusted. There’s light at the end of the tunnel because in the following 2 years, I managed to lose 7st.

[Stormz17 in reply to HungryHungryHypo]

Wow that’s amazing well done! Thanks

[Fancypants10 in reply to HungryHungryHypo]

How did you manage to do this please? I’m struggling to lose any at the moment

[HungryHungryHypo in reply to Fancypants10]

I’m sorry fancy pants! I’ve only just seen your question 5 months later. Terrible of ne. I don’t know if you’ll see this but I did 2 main things. A small calorie deficit and weight lifting. Lifting weight also completely changed my body. It’s feels strong now. I also think I was very lucky to respond so well to levothyroxine. And I was always very morbidly obese to start with so lost quite quickly at the start. I hope you find a solution that works for you xx

[Lotika in reply to HungryHungryHypo]

I would second weightlifting as the bomb for weight loss, particularly in the stubborn places, like tummy, etc. I found out by accident. Was eating high protein then too, which I think helps me as well, as I tend not to feel hungry.

[Yppah in reply to Lotika]

Is it a particular lift you’d do to target tummy fat or is it an overall sort of effect, if you don’t mind me asking?

[Lotika in reply to Yppah]

No, nothing in particular to target tummy. My favourite thing is barbell squats. I found that doing those 3 x weekly and eating a high protein diet, that the tummy shrank significantly!

[Yppah in reply to Lotika]

Thank you!

[HungryHungryHypo in reply to Yppah]

My PT says you can’t target specific area for fat loss. It’s a whole body process. When you do resistance training, you’ll use inches all over. Where you lose the most at first will depend on your body type. For women, it’s often top half first, with bum and thighs last.

Gyms are closed now but you can find a lot of body weight resistance exercise videos on YouTube. They basically use your own body weight to increase resistance. The added bonus of weight lifting/resistance training is that you continue to burn calories a long time after you’ve finished exercising

[Yppah in reply to HungryHungryHypo]

Thank you. I’ve had a little dip with symptoms and am going to sort out levo dose first. But before that had been considering some sort of exercise that was more than walking, but not extreme like HIIT I’ve done in the past that probably didn’t help my health. Will take a good look at this, thanks, very motivating that you’ve been so successful!

[HungryHungryHypo]

Thank you. I suffered for years before a diagnosis and once I started on the right dose, I felt like a new woman. Don’t hesitate to share your symptoms with your consultant though.

[Teanna]

Hi, I can’t understand, I put loads of weight and I’m on 150mg before all my other meds... but when I spent 1 mth in hospital and they put me on 50mg x 3 times a day, my weight went down.... Now I’m back up doing 150mg in the morning, my weight went back on???? So I’m not sure what is what with this med...

good luck, let me know how you got on..

Teanna

[Daffers123 in reply to Teanna]

So why not continue splitting the dose like you did in hospital? I split mine into morning and evening as I feel better that way

[Mutlusandra]

Tell me about i topped off at an extra 22kg. Support from gps not a chance, been to try and go private. I low carb just to try and not put more weight on as i am nearly 18stone. Try a life style eating 20 carbs a day i just manage not to increase weight.

[Teanna]

Hi, I lost 12 kilos in hospital (In 6 days ), but as I said, I take it in the morning and I’ve put it back on..Plus they put me on double the water tablet.. also this heat makes you swell... but I will try taking my tabs 3 times a day... Thank you

Teanna

[jjf255]

My daughter has gained weight every time her Dr. increases her levothyroxine! She was 140 lbs...5'6" ( sorry...I'm in the US and my metric conversion is poor)when she started thyroid meds. After years on Levo, she is now 189 lbs. She follows a very healthy diet and works out and walks. Her weight will be stable and then her Dr. will raise her meds...even a small raise and her weight increases. Her T4 is optimal, but of course her Dr. wont run her T3. I am convinced she needs to either be on NDT or at least have T3 add. I had the same issue until I started an NDT. Unfortunately her Dr. won't hear of adding T3 and she is very limited by her insurance as to which Dr. she can see.

[Hidden in reply to jjf255]

Seems like we have the same problem everywhere...that is, doctors unwilling to test FT3 or prescribe NDT/T3...! It´s really horrible that patients suffer needlessly because doctors won´t order a specific test.

[Maramonro in reply to jjf255]

This is interesting and seems similar to my situation. Could you please tell me why you think that T3 would help? If she gains more with the increase then you would think that means she doesn’t need increase and her FT3 is probably ok. My numbers are within range but I gained 20 and lost a lot of hair and it is not getting better. Thanks

[jjf255 in reply to Maramonro]

When T4 is increased but more weight is gained, it often is because the T4 isn't being converted into T3. Unfortunately her Dr. doesn't run the T3 test.