I’m posting tonight out of desperation, hoping someone wonderful here can shed some experience and light.
I posted recently after an Ultrasound and blood test, when the GP prescribed 25mcg Levothyroxine which I’ve been taking since 01/3/2025. Ever since I started taking, I have been experiencing debilitating tiredness, nothing like I’ve ever experienced in the past. I have had multiple nights that I’ve slept 12 hours and still napped about an hour around midday. It’s not true tiredness, rather my body just shuts down and wants to sleep, eyes close and I’m out. This is beyond me and due to having two young children, I cannot continue to feel like this. Tonight I begged my husband to come early from work to look after the kids as I wasn’t functioning at all. Yesterday I didn’t take the medicine as I can’t cope with this. I have noticed I’ve also lost my sense of smell. I’ve been feeling worse now after started medicine, I think I felt much better without it. Please advice on what I can do? My mood is awful and I’ve even contemplated visiting a&e when the extreme tiredness kicks in.
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Duckeggs
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See any GP at the surgery and request increase in dose levothyroxine to 50mcg daily - this is the standard STARTING dose of levothyroxine
Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking
Try taking at bedtime as this can give better absorption
Levothyroxine is an extremely fussy hormone and should always be taken on an empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after
Many people take Levothyroxine soon after waking, but it may be more convenient and perhaps more effective taken at bedtime
No other medication or supplements at same as Levothyroxine, leave at least 2 hour gap.
Some like iron, calcium, magnesium, HRT, omeprazole or vitamin D should be four hours away
(Time gap doesn't apply to Vitamin D mouth spray)
If you normally take levothyroxine at bedtime/in night ...adjust timings as follows prior to blood test
If testing Monday morning, delay Saturday evening dose levothyroxine until Sunday morning. Delay Sunday evening dose levothyroxine until after blood test on Monday morning. Take Monday evening dose levothyroxine as per normal
Serum ferritin level is the biochemical test, which most reliably correlates with relative total body iron stores. In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency
Never supplement iron without doing full iron panel test for anaemia first and retest 3-4 times a year if self supplementing.
It’s possible to have low ferritin but high iron
Test early morning, only water to drink between waking and test. Avoid high iron rich dinner night before test
If taking any iron supplements stop 3-5 days before testing
Eating iron rich foods like liver or liver pate once a week. Eating red meat daily, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate, plus daily orange juice or other vitamin C rich drink can help improve iron absorption
This is interesting because I have noticed that many patients with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, start to feel worse when their ferritin drops below 80 and usually there is hair loss when it drops below 50.
Adults usually start with a dose between 50 micrograms and 100 micrograms taken once a day. This may be increased gradually over a few weeks to between 100 micrograms and 200 micrograms taken once a day.
I’ve been feeling worse now after started medicine, I think I felt much better without it. Please advice on what I can do? My mood is awful and I’ve even contemplated visiting a&e when the extreme tiredness kicks in.
Levothyroxine doesn’t top up your own thyroid output…..it replaces it
Your GP has been very cautious in starting you on too low a dose.
Starting on too low a dose makes symptoms worse
We have to start slowly, usually at 50mcg. Bloods should be tested 6-8 weeks after each change in dose
Essential to also work on improving low vitamin levels as well
When my one and only was 2 he would come to my bed to wake me up from a comatose sleep. I would send him down to the t.v. to watch the children's shows until I could drag myself out of bed. OBGYN started me on .88 mgs of Synthroid until the Hypo worked itself out. It came roaring back at menopause. Signs of autoimmune for me are nickel allergy, yearly URI's and now, Alopecia (I'm in full menopause). Signs of poor thyroid function are brittle nails, lack of energy, and the rest listed in the articles and in the books.We have Mother's Day Out programs through the protestant churches in the USA. It was a huge help while my son was a tot.
With a course of T4 it should work itself out and you'll feel better. Motherhood is the most demanding job on the planet. It's also the best imo.
Just read otger comments. So whatbwas your TSH after you started the dose? Has it got you into a good place? If not it might not be the meds but still hypo. I am literally satbin the docs waiting to speak and all this fatique and not been able to function. I am a single mum. I have'nt started meds yet but been advise tgat when i do start at 50!.
You are not subclinical you are definitely hypothroid. And your symptoms are classic hypothyroidism.
In any other country other than the UK you would have been put immediately on a higher dose. Try to see a different GP if possible and if not, insist on being raised to at least 50 mcg daily. Re test after 6 weeks and you may find you may need to go up to 100 mcg.
Duckeggs TSH of 7.66 is NOT subclinical! Is she from the school of thought that says you have to reach TSH 10.0 before treatment with levo? The usual Lab TSH range is (0.27- 4.2), it does depend on the lab. I was given levo with a TSH of 5.8 and had a very long list of symptoms. It's cruel to keep you on such a low dose.
I’ve just had a telephone consultation with a GP - who said it’s okay for me to discontinue the Levothyroxine since it’s making me feel this way, and reiterated that I’m subclinical therefore don’t need the Levothyroxine. She also said the 25mcg is to top up not to replace thyroid hormones.
You do need Levothyroxine. 25mcg is too low. My doctor also started me on 25mcg ( even there was no reason as I’m not elderly) andI felt much worse on 25mcg than without meds.
I then increased to 50mcg and am now on 75mcg. I feel much much better! I feel like I’ve got my life back again. So Levothyroxine is definitely making me feel better , but it did make me feel worse at 25mcg. Please consider going back on it, but start at 50mcg. You’ll likely need to increase, but stick with it.
I wonder if doctors put us on such low doses to put us off the idea Levothyroxine will help!
MyTSH was much lower than yours. I can’t imagine how horrible you must feel.
She showed her ignorance in that statement. It does not "top up", it switches off natural production. I guess she missed the hour long lecture on hormones in her training, three minutes will have been on the thyroid and the rest how to ignore women and their pesky hormones!
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Help understanding blood tests results please. 
Help please
I really need some help and advice please. 
Unwell - lowing levothyroxine. 
Need serious advice about Levothyroxine 
