I started on armour 7 weeks ago and have steady increase in weight since ( my diet has not changed, all bloods B12, Folate, etc in range. ). Have autoimmune hypothyroid and had left untreated for years as didnt feel any particular symptoms.
My TSH was 4.3 when starting it ,
Free T4 12.3; Free T3 3.4
i do feel more 'settled' on the medication but definitely do not like any weight gain like this. I am really healthy and exercise consistently.
I tried levo many years ago (Eltroxin) and thought I felt low on it so came off it..
Not sure if I really need to be on anything as costs will outweigh benefits as no massive symptoms.
has the extra T3 + T4 disrupted how my system was managing ?
thanks all
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Elle2024
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You haven't given the reference ranges for your test results which are important as ranges vary between labs. Both FT4 & FT3 look low by most ranges though.
How much Armour are you taking?
Its going to be a long, slow road to recovery and being well. You should expect a change in symptoms along the way but in the end you should feel well. This could take many months and by 7 weeks on probably a low dose I wouldnt expect much at this point. If you are gaining weight then in time it should come off once you fine tune your dose and your body has time to heal.
Can you share your vitamin results with us? Vitamin levels need to be OPTIMAL and not just within range for our thyroid hormone to work well. Most people need to supplement continuously.
When we take thyroid hormone it replces what we were producing ourselves, it doesnt top it up. Likely you need a higher dose.
Time to retest is after 6-8 weeks on a steady dose. Split dose the day before and take last portion 8-12hrs before blood tests is due.
Possibly when you were on Levo before you werent taking enough and/or hadn't raised vitamin levels to optimal.
So it looks like you're just not taking enough which is why you have put on weight.
Get bloods run on this dose and then increase by 1/4 grain.
Your vitamins arent looking too bad. Do you supplement with anything?
Vitamin D should be around 100 - 150. Buy one that includes vit K2 to help it go to your bones. Some are available in oil or you can take it with an oily meal for better absorption. Many members like the ‘Better You’ range of mouth sprays that contain both bit D & K2. Use this calculator to work out how much to take to get your level to 100-150. Most people need a minimum of 3,000iu per day.grassrootshealth.net/projec...
Ferritin should be around 90 - 100 for best use of thyroid hormone. Suggest increasing iron rich foods in diet and eating them often. Chicken livers, pate, red meat etc
Yes I’ve a great naturopath and have done all my stratagene testing etc over last few years to ensure taking right supplements for me ..
I take below and have for quite while so none new
Methyl B12 with l- methyl folate
Optimal glutathione plus
Sylmarin liver support ( milk thistle etc )
Cruciferous Veg extract
Probiotic ( histamine friendly )
Spirulina
Sea buckthorn
Zinc / vit c
Holy basil small dose
Vit d & k2 on and off every couple months based on levels being good
I do find it hard to understand why taking something that would cause me a side effect of gaining weight / that I would need more. If I had significant symptoms I appreciate it’s a cost benefit analysis. But this is a real conundrum for me.
Does NDT / Levo suit everyone or do some not tolerate it due to weight gain etc?
NDT doesnt top up your thyroid hormone, it replaces it, so if you're taking less than your body was originally putting out then you will get more symptoms. This would be the same for Levo & T3.
Your dose is just a starter dose, its too small and you need to increase.
It takes many months to get to the right dose so you need to increase, restest in 6-8 weeks a number of times before you decide if NDT is or isnt for you.
I take a glandular (same principal as NDT) and at first I gained even more weight than before taking it, which was alarming. It’s taken many years to get my dose right, partly because I wasn’t paying enough attention to adrenal issues but now that I have I’m finally experiencing loss
Like you, I’ve never felt unwell even though I believe I had Hashimoto’s at least 20 years before I got diagnosed and possibly all my life but with patience and good guidance you should finally be taking enough to raise your frees to good enough levels. I need mine to be very high for weight loss and sound sleep, others not so much
As with all products, no one size fits all and you may find that you have to try different brands of NDT but it’s far too early days for that
thanks for this- thats so interesting. I wish it was only 3/4 months of adjustment- i dont know if I have many months or years to finesse a dosage that is causing more than its giving (albeit my perception maybe not statistically). Appreciate your time
i dont know if I have many months or years to finesse a dosage that is causing more than its giving
What do you mean by this
Yes, it’s causing problems at the moment but that’s expected, many of us experience this in the early days/weeks/months, in my case, years but as time went by, within those years, I noticed many improvements such as cessation of hair loss, better motivation, mood and energy levels. If there are no problems whatsoever, that’s a bonus but unusual
To use your word, commencing thyroid replacement can be a “disruption”, a major one at times and this can make us feel so much worse initially. You’re seven weeks in (the initially phase) and as far as I can read, haven’t even had your first dose increase yet. If you’re on the right brand or product for you, you should see positive changes as you approach your optimal dose. Expect glitches along the way, this will help you remain positive
Yes I’ve a great naturopath and have done all my stratagene testing etc over last few years to ensure taking right supplements for me ..
I take below and have for quite while so none new
Cruciferous Veg extract
There have been suggestions that cruciferous veg affects thyroid hormone output. I don’t know if there’s evidence to support that but you may want to consider some research because there are one or two things on your list that I would question, especially spirulina which contains iodine and is a concern for those with AI thyroid disease
Again I don’t know much but it’s often talked about on here
Thanks I am on armour 30mcg. Appetite hasn’t increased . Eating same Cals and doing same exercise. Weight been steady state for last few years so it’s exceptional change in short time frame… let’s see . Appreciate the reponse
That amount of Armour is like nothing. Who ever prescribed you must have gone off a conversation chart that us wrong. Of course, you're gaining weight. Some Doctors can be stupid!
thanks. I struggle to understand this when I was feeling well and reticent about starting anything for that reason. Was mentioned by endo couple times but left up to me as wasn’t experiencing any symptoms. So just decided to start it and assess.
Now I’ve side effects of weight gain but no symptom changes as none really presented ..
getting more bloods done next week so he interesting to see how all is. Thanks
It’s known to to opposite. I finally switched last year after two decades- wish I did sooner.
That’s a low dose and if you felt okay before taking it or the same as you keep stating and had no symptoms as your numbers didn’t look too bad (maybe tsh tad high but it’s fine for many) I’d say why take it then? Only you can answer. I wish I never started 22 years ago and just took what I knew I needed like zinc, iodine and selenium, but a doctor threatened to let me go and at 18 my TSH went so crazy high due to some medical complications at the hands of medical “professionals”
if I didn’t have to take it, I would love to not take it. I would also like to say it does quite the opposite normally. Hashi here but I’m on 2 1/2 to 3 grains - on three grains I lost 30 pounds finally after being stuck severely overweight for my height, after having my daughter and not being properly pregnant.
Also t3 of 9mcg is in each grain you may need more t3 can get alone if t4 is okay or up to grain or if did fine before and gaining seems counter productive to me.
thanks very much. I am feeling the same as your point 'why take it '. I guess there is so much information and everyone responds differently (and feels differently in themselves). I will try to fathom what I am going to do soon thanks to all the input here and will research more.
Can I ask when you say you switched was it within brands of NDT/ Levo? also is this when you had weight loss- did you gain it when starting for the meds and then only lost when you got to 2.5/ 3 grains? Or did you have it going into the meds? .. thanks
hi Elle my inclination would be to not take anything if I wasn’t experiencing any symptoms and feeling fit and well, why mess with that?. If your body is struggling surely it would let you know. However I’d bow to others with more experience here in what are the long term effects of untreated thyroid disease.
Yes part of me is feeling this way. Suppose it’s why I’m trying to garner if it can happen / settle or really if I need something that would cause this ?
Taking more again to reduce a weight gain a medication causes is definitely a conundrum…
Ps saw your profile ( very useful tip from Jaydee earlier reply). There’s excellent Global Healing Oxypowder supplement great for your tummy issues )
Thanks for the tip - I think I’m going to order some. I take magnesium powder sometimes though the effects can be a bit drastic on tum. How does this differ do you feel?
I am on the correct dosage and all my numbers are fine. All vitamins etc are perfect top of the range. Over time my diet has not changed but I have put on 4 stone. For some, one of the hundreds of side effects is weight gain. Even eating exactly the same the weight can creep up over time. The problem after lots of research is a slower metabolism for me. Your average person burns approx 2500 - 3000 calories a day mine through lots of calorie counting and monitoring over months and months burns at about 1250 calories so anything over that I put on weight. Wish I was years younger as I would train to be an endocrinologist specialist in thyroid every one I have seen is a diabetes specialist. Apart from the fact thyroid issues is one of the causes of diabetes. Good luck finding a solution. My weight is like a yoyo for past 15 years. Up and down. Good luck. X
Yes on all top end of vit levels sluggish metabolism is the problem along with hair loss swollen face and tongue. Optimal does not always equate to perfection. I know if I eat more than 1250 calories I put on weight. If I eat 1250 exactly I stay the same. If I eat less I lose weight. I used calorie counting for about 12 months to get my exact figure. After doing weight watchers and slimming world and not losing weight. The new WW is a lot better that previous but it took me 12 months to lose 20lbs. Back on just levo now as had issues with T3
There is no perfection even when at optimal because of the ever changing needs of the body. It’s also very personal and different for everyone. Mine at one point was to have FT3 at the very top or just over, these days it’s different
Rightly, we’re encouraged to find our optimal and more often than not it means compromise
Not a discussion for here because this is Elle2024’s post but 1250 is a lot fewer calories than recommended. I’m not qualified to advise nor am I suggesting you should do things differently but in case you’re unaware, it’s known that sufficient calories are required for certain thyroid processes and persistently ingesting too few calories over a period of time can seriously impact metabolism
When I was undermedicated it would take a Herculean effort to lose weight and it’d be lose 1lb, gain 2 or not shift anything at all. When I got my frees higher, it was still an effort but the effort was rewarded. Now that my weight is stable I consider that I’m close to optimal but since the weather change I’m expecting my optimal to become more distant
Great fun isn’t it, all this educated guesswork and tweakings
Hello sorry to hear about your situation but mine is the total opposite.I am worried about the weight i am loosing on this brand and i don’t excersize in fact you could call me a couch potato . My dr put me on this brand because i couldn’t tolerate the accord levothyroxine side effects.I so far haven’t had any issues but i have only been using them for a week. Does your doctor know about your problem there are many other brands i have only found out from this group i am new as well. Hope you can get sorted out good luck 🤞
not yet - i decided to get bloods done (even though soon but at least to have that in hand ) when I speak to them. i do feel it will be dismissed as 'if anything every patient who is hypo retains or even loses weight, not the opposite' . its standard response from all I have come across former GP/ endo- thats why this forum so useful. thanks
I am the same. I lost weight when I was underactive however since starting thyroid meds for hashi's 15 years ago I have drastically had to restrict my calorie intake to prevent weight gain. Prior to that I have always had to be very careful with my calorie intake to prevent weight gain. It has become even worse since adding T3 to my meds even though I feel really well in all other aspects. It's a bit rubbish but I have had to accept it as a side effect in order to feel well overall. I believe people like us who react in this way are a rare breed, but we do exist. I've found limiting carbs to be the best way to prevent the weight gain but it does make me feel tired doing this which isn't good. I totally understand your disappointment 🤗
thank you - and thats so hard. especially when the majority seem not to be affected in this way. I am glad feel really well and feel then it is worth it.
Yes i am cal counting etc and exercising (its also how i know nothing else has changed in last 8 weeks ) .. dont really want to do more of that as i want to enjoy my life too and my food!
any replacement thyroid hormone doesn’t “top up” your own thyroid, it replaces it
Absolutely essential to be on high enough dose
On NDT - eg Armour this contains T3 (active hormone) and this shuts your own thyroid output down more rapidly than Levo so it’s even more essential to get dose increased upwards
milk thistle is not recommended for hypothyroid patients
thank you - will have to keep reading up and trying to understand this medication.. ! Must say its very complex to taper up to achieve less side effects (and ones I did not have before it),, yes also will look up re milk thistle.
Must say its very complex to taper up to achieve less side effects
Yes many many GP’s don’t understand that it doesn’t top up your own thyroid
Though guidelines for levothyroxine are crystal clear
Guidelines of dose Levo by weight
Even if we frequently start on only 50mcg levothyroxine, most people need to increase levothyroxine dose slowly upwards in 25mcg steps (retesting 6-8 weeks after each increase) until eventually on, or somewhere near full replacement dose (typically 1.6mcg levothyroxine per kilo of your weight per day)
You are not kidding how can one tiny tablet cause so much trouble. I didn’t even know i had a underactive thyroid before i had just a normal blood test no symptoms at all🤣
just checking your rec to look up that info here on milk thistle, unfortunately that blogpost has expired. Could you advise where else you are aware of info this ? dont worry if not, am sure I can find .. thanks !
hi Elle2024 I’m on NDT. It took a while to up the dose and I did put on weight which I cannot lose. I’d say 30mg ie half a grain is very low. Difficult one when you don’t feel symptoms. Good luck in what you decide to do. 💜
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