whats the best dose for levothyrixine to gain weight. i am taking currently 100mcg , and my tsh is around 1.94 , i cant gain weight .

[cosmic4u]

i am taking levo 100mcg , and i cant gain weight and i may have lost the appetite also

[darkacademia]

Hello, do you have hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism?

One thing they don't say about levothyroxine, if you read the instructions of the drug, it causes an 'increase in hunger' (Eutirox is a European levothyroxine), if you are taking it recently wait until at least six months have passed. You can find different diets for hypo and hyper (Izabella Wentz is one of the best)

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Welcome to the forum cosmic4u

So we can offer better advice, can you tell us more about your thyroid condition, eg when you were diagnosed, ongoing symptoms, current medication & dosage, plus blood test results (with ranges in brackets) for:

TSH

FT3

FT4

Plus any antibody and key vitamin tests (ferritin, folate, vitamins D and B12)

If your GP is unable to complete all the above (eg if TSH is within range, some surgeries may not be able to access FT4 and FT3 tests), you could look to do this privately, as many forum members do, for a better picture of your thyroid health:

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

[Forestgarden]

Hi there, I would say there is no particular dosage to make you gain weight. However being slightly hyper or hypothyroid may well affect your appetite, as well as your metabolic rate (the speed with which you burn energy). Do as has been suggested with getting your bloods tested, and adjust your levothyroxine as necessary. Secondly, as you say you don't have much of an appetite, make a serious effort to eat nutrient dense, high calorie healthy food. If you can't manage a big plateful, have healthy snacks (not low calorie) 3 times a day, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Just testing TSH is completely inadequate

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested

Also both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once

Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum

About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease, usually diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies

Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s

Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis.

Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.

Low vitamin levels are extremely common when hypothyroid, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease

20% of autoimmune thyroid patients never have high thyroid antibodies and ultrasound scan of thyroid can get diagnosis

In U.K. medics hardly ever refer to autoimmune thyroid disease as Hashimoto’s (or Ord’s thyroiditis)

Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins

Testing options and includes money off codes for private testing

thyroiduk.org/testing/

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Only do private testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.

Link about thyroid blood tests

thyroiduk.org/testing/thyro...

Link about Hashimoto’s

thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...

Symptoms of hypothyroidism

thyroiduk.org/signs-and-sym...

Tips on how to do DIY finger prick test

See detailed reply by SeasideSusie

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Medichecks and BH also offer private blood draw at clinic near you, or private nurse to your own home…..for an extra fee

Gluten intolerance or coeliac much more likely with autoimmune thyroid disease

This can cause weight loss too

GP should do coeliac blood test

[asidist]

Hi cosmic4u,

I think for some people, the addition of T3 can increase appetite. If you haven't had your FT3 testing would def be worth considering.

Unrelated to thyroid functioning, as someone who's been considered underweight much of my life, a few things I've found to be helpful, in case they help🙂:

- increasing intake of cooked vs raw foods (higher and more easily digestible calories),

-not letting inadvertently missing meals or prioritizing other things over sustenance become a pattern, and trying to make up for it later if it does happen (for me, getting fewer calories for even just a day or two seems to "shrink" my stomach and turn into a lasting decrease in appetite, until I stuff myself to "expand" my stomach again)

- chewing food fully and figuring out if certain categories of foods aren't being digested properly (for me, fats don't seem to contribute much of anything to my weight but carbs like starchy veggies and especially grains do)

- paying attention to inadvertent appetite suppressants (e.g. caffeine for some people) and making sure to eat normally afterwards even if not hungry

These seem somewhat obvious now that I write them out, so not sure if will be helpful for you, but personally didn't figure these out until a few years ago in my mid forties! Actually never thought about calories at all until I started using a nutrient tracker to track vits and mins a couple years ago, and was very surprised to find I was getting fewer nutrients and calories than recommended and assumed.

TBH, unpopular opinion perhaps, but standard calorie recommendations based on BMI goals for height and weight--in the U.S., at least -- seem excessive and impossible to me personally (perhaps I'm relatively small-boned or have loss too much muscle mass due to thyroid fatigue) so I still don't bother trying to get as many calories as I'd need to reach the weight suggested for me, and am content being less underweight. I think some of us are just naturally thinner or heavier than standard recommendations--especially when hypothyroid--and the more important question is whether our thyroid hormones are well managed and we're healthy overall.

Actually, a stretch in the other direction of your question, but just a thought... is it possible you were gaining weight more easily previously due to being hypothyroid, and now are having a harder time gaining weight eating the same number of calories due to having better thyroid functioning and a faster metabolism?

Also, one of the standard recommendations on this board for anyone having issues is to have nutrient levels tested to see if you have deficiencies and add supplements as needed, since hypothyroidism can cause absorption issues. Might be particularly worth considering when also having difficulty getting enough calories /gaining weight.