Does Anyone actually prefer levo x: - Thyroid UK
Does Anyone actually prefer levo x
Well. the doctors do, it's cheap and they don't get any hassle from the endos or the GMC for prescribing it if they use small enough quantities to just not get you quite well. 
I read something the other day which gave details of a test comparing levo with NT. Although it produces no significant measurable differences in test results, about half of the group tested preferred the NT. I assume that the other half of the group expressed no preference. (The test may have been flagged up by Rod ? )
ME - although prefer is probably the wrong word. I have tried T3 and it just didn't agree with me. Yes most of my symptoms went away like brain fog, aches and pains, my eye sight got a lot better and my tinnitus went but it caused its own set of problems for me. That doesn't mean that some people don't get on well with T3 because they do but Levo suits me better even though a lot of my original symptoms have returned, not as bad but they are still there. It was a case of either putting up with what the T3 was doing to me or trying to fix what the T4 isn't doing for me and I have chosen the later.
I think the key to Levo working well is to make sure everything else is in tip top condition. All your vitamins need to be correct, your diet needs to be good and your adrenals need looking after and when this is all in place then your Levo has a good chance of doing its job. Its a long process, and can be very frustrating at times, but when you start to feel better on just levo you know all your hard work and GP/hosp appts are finally paying dividends.
Moggie x
I'm struggling with T3 at the moment because I'm not sure what dose I should be on. You mentioned about problems you experience. Did this include shortness of breath by any chance? I also experience a dull ache around my heart area for a while after I have taken a dose. It seems to go after a while and as I've been experiencing this since I started on T3 about four months ago I haven't become overly worried about it but it would be interesting to know if others experience this.
Yes shortness of breath was one of the symptoms but the main one was my heart. It was all over the place - racing, palpitations and the worse was the missing beats. I still have them even though my GP stopped the T3 about eight weeks ago and this has now stopped me having an operation I need.
Does your GP give you the T3 or are you getting it from elsewhere. I ask because it might be advisable to get this checked our. I stupidly tried for almost a year to solve the problem myself but it just got worse.
Moggie x
I think that unfortunately you won't get a very accurate answer to your question because those on levo who feel well (or have been convinced by their doctor that they do) will be very unlikely to use this site. Some do feel well on just levo, and they are the lucky ones.
Jane x
I do think you are right. People who feel worse on levo start to search the internet for an answer. Thankfully, Thyroiduk helped me. Some, who have no access to a computer will probably be deemed a hypochondriac as their symptoms will not subside due to being undertreated or levo just doesn't agree with them and the insistance on the TSH 'normal' level.
I don't feel well on T4 only, but not sure whether this has to do with the fact my hypothyroidism is secondary to hashimoto's thyroiditis. Only found out recently I have an autoimmune thyroid problem. Prior to that I was desparately trying to get a GP willing to prescribe NDT or T3. As you have probably guessed I didn't! Does anyone know if these alternatives could possibly be of help to someone with hashi's?
most hypothyroidism is due to hashimoto's disease. I have had better health since adding 10ug T3 to my thyroxine and maintaining my TSH around 0.5.
Thank you for replying. I haven't felt well for near on 7 years now on T4 only. I just feel I am not converting properly,but how do you find out if you have a converstion problem so that you can try and convince your GP you need something more? My TSH was 1.36 last blood test results.
Best wishes Hashi...
Jen x
A ft3 test is really useful. If it is much lower in the range than ft4, that would suggest a conversion problem xx
I don't think I was ever tested for T3 when I was on thyroxine only so I don't know if I had a conversion problem. But in my opinion its not a 'conversion problem'. if you give someone nothing but T4 and no T3 then their blood levels are going to reflect that. And also the control mechanisms in the body are designed assuming that the body will provide a small starting amount of t3. Take that out the equation and things are going to be messed up. but doctors prefer to ignore this.
You could try and get them to test your T3 and T4 levels and if your T4 is higher in its range and T3 lower in its range then it might suggest your are low on T3. Calculate your fT3:fT4 ratio and see how it compares to the paper below. It should be around 3.2 if its less than this it could suggest a conversion problem. You fT4 should be around 14 and your fT3 4.5.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/218...
Now this is helpful...thank you ...am having a blood test next month for my TSH and have convinced my doctor to test my FT3 and FT4 levels to see if I have conversion issues....I'll see what the results are but thanks to you I'll know what I'm looking for...am sooo glad I read this post!!
Thank you again
Have been on Levo for at least 30 years, I cant realy remember life without levo, as i was very ill before i had the RAI, Sometimes i wonder if i would know what feeling normal was if it hit me in the face lol x x x
I have been on Levo for about 4 years now and at the moment I feel very well on it. Over the years the amount has been raised twice when I felt things had changed and I was not at my optimum and I have learnt to listen to my body.
As mentioned by someone else in their reply, for the levo to work and feel right, I find it is important to keep as healthy as possible in every way - so I am learning to be very aware of what I eat, what I drink and what other medications and supplements I may need to take. Any change risks effecting the delicate balance that I seem to have achieved on the thyroid tightrope that we all are walking and at the moment Levo works for me.
Wow, that really sums up the problem of getting medication exactly right in what you describe as "the thyroid tightrope" and the "delicate balance". I know one could have a much worse illness but at times I find this an "absolute nightmare" to be suffering from in as much as treating it correctly. I'm still struggling to find the correct treatment for myself with a GP who, although she was very sympathetic with my depression, doesnt seem to connect this to underactive thyroid, and doesnt treat the illness (25 levo per day and a monthly blood test) with the seriousness that I feel my ghastly symptoms deserve.
Does levo stop working 
Does anyone take levo in 2 seperate doses in the day to help with cortisol levels?
Existing on Levo 25, anyone?
Does levo cause weight gain?
Diet: gluten and sugar free, does it actually work?
