how long before Levothyroxine starting improving symptoms?

[Hoop1888]

I’ve very recently been prescribed Levothyroxine and am on day 2 of taking it. I’m interested to know when people starting feeling a difference from the medication? I believe it doesn’t happen immediately.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Hoop1888

It can take up to 6 weeks to feel the effects of Levo - starting it or a dose change (it is a storage hormone) - but it can take months of gradually building up to your optimal dose whereby your symptoms are relieved. Dose increases should be 25mcg every 6-8 weeks after testing. Hopefully your GP knows this and follows protocol for titration of dose.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Unfortunately this condition is a lot of a waiting game because each dose adjustment takes 6-8 weeks before reassessment. Also just a brief heads up that at doses of 25 or 50mcgs things can make things slightly worse as the thyroid switches off and the dose isn't high enough to really help. Just being honest here.

Hopefully as you get closer to your optimal level and have addressed key vitamins to get them optimal (which btw will help on their own) you will begin to feel a little better.

We are all different though and may also depend on if you convert T4 to the active T3 well which some don't. They are the minority though.

Plan for the long term in the mean time getting vitamons right, taking Levo 1hr away from food and coffee on an empty stomach etc

[SlowDragon Administrator]

What dose has GP started you on?

And which brand of levothyroxine

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Did you get vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 and thyroid antibodies tested

If not email GP and request they are tested NOW

[tattybogle]

A Helpful Quote from another member's GP ,on what to expect when starting treatment for hypothyroidism.

"The way my new GP described it was ..."You know how your body is continually breaking down and rebuilding itself? Well, the thyroid controls the rebuilding, so if it isn't working you carry on breaking down but don't rebuild properly. Your body now has a lot of catching up to do, which will take a minimum of 12 months, probably a lot longer...." or words to that effect. He also said it would be a saw tooth recovery (get better, go backwards a bit, get better, go backwards a bit) and he's been right so far."

For me~ i started on 50mcg ..felt nothing much for about 1 or 2 weeks, then quite a lot better for a couple of weeks, the less good again.

When dose was increased to 100 , felt quite a lot better within a few days .this time it lasted about a month . then less good again.

When dose was later increased to 150mcg i felt better for several months before it wasn't quite so good again .

After that it should have been a matter of 'fine tuning' and i probably should have tried 137.5mcg , but as i didn't understand how long it can take the body to adjust to a new dose , and the GP said "150 is too much, try 125mcg" , i only tried 125mcg for a couple of weeks before deciding it wasn't enough and insisting on going back to 150mcg ... if i knew then what i know now , i would have tried 137.5 or 125mcg mcg for at least 8 weeks before making my mind up about how it felt . As it was ,i stayed on 150mcg for many years.. but with hindsight i do now wonder if some of the problems i had during that time were because my dose was just a little bit too high for me .

I now know that the first 4/5 weeks after any dose change are quite likely to feel a bit rubbish with my symptoms changing all over the place ..so if i change dose now , i pretty much ignore how i feel for the first few weeks , and start to pay attention after week 5/6, And ,i also understand that sometimes , there can be a continued very gradual improvement over several months on a dose.

[ICE187]

I felt the good effects in 2 weeks of beginning Levo. Around my 5th week, my symptoms became much worse. After my 6th week test, my dose was increased. I felt better in 2 weeks. My 5th week, I felt worse. 6th week test, my dose was increased. This time, some symptoms went away completely. Some did not, but those that stuck around eased up. 8 months later, I still have some symptoms, but gluten seems to be the trigger. When I am 100% gluten free for 2 weeks, I feel great. No symptoms at all. We are all different. A lot of things will affect your Levothyroxine. Absorption issues. Eating too early after taking Levothyroxine. Drinking coffee too close to when you took your Levothyroxine.

[SJT73]

Hi, it's different for everyone. Mine was within a couple of weeks, I got dull headache for a while but felt more alive. It won't be an overnight thing unfortunately..

[malena65]

Hello! We need levo especially if we haven’t a thyroid gland… I believe it is a gradual process and everyone is different. You must be patient. When I wake up in the early morning hours always after 4 am I take my levo dose then go back to bed. Hope this helps. All the best!

Had total thyroidectomy December 1 2021.

[JOLLYDOLLY]

Hiya, It normally takes a few weeks especially if you are on a low starter dose (25 mcg - 50 mcg). They may have to do several blood tests and changes to your dose, before you really start noticing a change, the increments are normally in 25 mcg doses. I believe the average doses for an individual can be between 75 mcg to 150 mcg, depending on the severity or even higher. I think it depends on age as well. Sometimes, it can be down to the actual brand they give you. I have been on it always since I was five weeks old, so do not know any different, unless they have changed my dose. (long story). However, I am currently on 200 mcg of Levothyroxine and 10 mcg of Lithyronine. Just be kind to yourself, it is a big change and hope you start feeling the benefits sooner rather than later. All the best.

[grace1946]

It took me a couple of months because my level dropped so much during my second pregnancy, and starting with a high dose of 3 per day tapering down to 1 which I have been on for 40 years and now recently down to a 50mcg and 25mcg together as I am now 76 and so far that dose seems to fine. Can seem to take a long time .

[Awg76]

hey Hoop1888

I had a lump on my Adam’s apple just before I turned 40 almost 7 years ago next month had a blood test was told I had an under active thyroid and was prescribed Levothyroxine 50mg I’ve taken the levo at 6am every morning and don’t have breakfast for a least 3/4 hours after. As soon as the lump goes down in my opinion your body is responding and the only way of finding out anything else about your thyroid is by having a blood test which your doctor should inform you of having once a year. I had a problem with constipation as apparently a lot of under active’s do as it becomes a balancing game with your digestive system so my advice is to apply a high fibre diet. Eat and drink what you want but keep in mind give your body a chance to digest. Apart from that I have no more info apart from you can do everything you always have done and live a normal life. I hope this message helps all the best.

[Oldsteel in reply to Awg76]

Hi AWg76 I have been on levo for nearly 30 years and been stable at 150mg. However, the stress of building a house last year knocked me off course and it took me a while to realise it was the levo dose. I wasn't sleeping, mind going at 100 mph at night, thumping heart, regular palpitations and general anxiety. I dropped my dose to 100mg and within two weeks was sleeping well and feeling much better, BUT, had problems with constipation, low energy level and mild depression. Its amazing how many functions thyroid controls. I eventually found a balance at 125mg, and came up for my annual blood test and no calls from the doc, so levels of everything must be OK. Still on 125mg for 6 months now and feeling good all round. As many others have said, its all about finding a balance that works for you. And to answer the initial question, two weeks should see a change when the dose is altered.

[Jean-T]

Hi there. I started to feel a lot better within two weeks 👍

[Ansteynomad]

I took my first dose (75mcg) on Monday evening and woke up a different person on Tuesday morning. Overnight, the lump in my neck, which I had been told was nothing to do with my thyroid, had gone, never to return.

Within three months I had lost over a stone and my hair was growing back.

The dose was tweaked then and I'm now on 125mcg.

All this was ten years ago.

[Mira265]

I think it takes about a month to get into your system and you will then feel the results.

I take mine at 7 o’clock and then leave 30/45 minutes before I take anything else. This helps it work to its best.

[Jules18]

Hi Hoop,

As several of the others have said it can take a while to get your levels set, and you may need your dose taken up or down. Also, I found that after a few years on a stable dose my bloods showed I needed an increase, so thi s can still change yars down the line

[shazaroo49]

The Dr normally starts you on low dose to avoid effects like palpitations. It was a gradually increase in dose. For me it took 6 months to notice any real difference and probably a year before I felt it was effective. I was needing 3 monthly tests for 18 months and then went 6 monthly now yearly.I usually take 200-250mcg dependent on my blood result. Everyone is different some people feel a difference 6-8 weeks and remain on low dose for years.

[connyankee]

I cannot remember how long I was taking Levothyroxine, but as you can see, a lot of others have jumped in to help you using their Thyroid vernacular. I have switched to Synthroid because I'm 64, and I've read somewhere (isn't that what we do is read about our Thyroid until our eyes bulge?) either in Paul Robinson's, The Thyroid Patient's Guide, or Janie Bowthorpe's, Stop The Thyroid Madness (which is not very popular on this site) about ageing on Levo and how it's not a good thing and I can't remember why because of my Thyroid related memory fog, and working a Widespread Panic concert for New Year's Eve--I was up until the wee hours. If I come up with the citation, I will get back to this you, or someone else will certainly jump in and give their 2 bits about it, I'm sure. Cheers! Happy New Year!

[tattybogle in reply to connyankee]

i'm curious connyankee ?

'Synthroid' (US ) is T4 (in the form of Levothyroxine Sodium ).

'Levothyroxine' is T4 ( in the form of Levothyroxine Sodium).

I could totally understand taking 'synthroid' (in preference to a generic brand of Levothyroxine from another manufacturer) if you felt better on it ... some of us in UK also find some brands suit us much better than others. (and we don't always know 'why')

But i don't see any reason for changing to 'Synthroid' from a ( cheaper ?) brand of Levothroxine purely due to your age ? .... What's the difference between ageing on 'Synthroid' or ageing on any other brand of Levothyroxine ?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to tattybogle]

Over the years, I have read many individuals saying how much better they were on one or other of the alternatives to Synthroid - such as Unithroid. (There are quite a number of them!)

In common with some UK levothyroxine products, Synthroid contains Acacia and Lactose - two ingredients which are known to causes issues in some of us.

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

[jamesal0]

I can feel when I take levo within 30 - min to an hour. My body temp increases from about 35.5 up into the mid 36's . You can track it with thermometer, be interesting to see if your temps are down

[Cherri161220]

Hi there 🙂 it can take a while as I believe it can take 3 months before the doctors check the thyroid levels again (don't quote me though).

Me for it took probably 6 months to feel a bit better, although it is always a work in progress.

I wish there was more help and support to everyone who suffers with thyroid related conditions.

There is quite a few charities that provide good advice 👍 😀 which I have found useful.

There is hope though because sometimes it's about finding the right dosage of medication.

The medication helps with the thyroid levels but in my case it doesn't get rid of all symptoms i.e. like feeling cold all the time.

Also I don't know if anyone else has found this but I keep to same brand of levothyroxine, there is one brand that does not suit me it was called something like 'Accord' I think.

Hope this helps, best wishes to you. The support on here is great 👍

[1342fire]

I started on a low dose 26 mcg in October 2020.

I’m still trying to get there. The only thing I’ve noticed is that it’s stopped my dizziness.

[ColinMather]

it will vary from person to person. I would say, however (patient info leaflet doesn’t always cover this) to avoid caffeine for an hour either side of taking it… caffeine often counteracts levothyroxine!

[Hoop1888]

thank you all so much for your incredibly helpful responses. This is excellent.

[TSH110]

it took a day in my case I started to feel a tiny bit warmer. but I was very poorly with TSH of 110 before I managed to get anyone to listen and was treated. It took 9 months before they got it optimised but I still didn’t feel great but was a lot better than I was, most people feel ok by that stage.