How long does it take?

[eeng]

Hi I have just been prescribed 50 micrograms of Levothyroxine for the first time. T4 is 10.4 and TSH is 7.5. How long before I notice the difference? I want to stop shivering all the time. I am cold regardless of how many clothes I wear. My doctor says I can have another blood test in 8 weeks. This is uncharted territory for me. What can I expect?

[Jonesey]

Hi eeng

Welcome to this site where you will find the best support from people who are experiencing the same symptoms. I have been on 50mcg for the last two years and from recollection noticed a change after a few weeks. My symptons included extreme fatigue, depression because of my inability to get anything done exercise and gardening, which I love and household chores, which I don't. My illness went undetected for many years and I had numerous other symptoms (heart palpitations, anxiety, panic attacks, very dry skin, enlarged tongue, allergies, hair loss, dry gritty eyes, intolerance of bright light, dizziness low blood sugar etc etc all hypothyroid lovelies

I just had a routine six monthly blood test that showed my TSH had risen to 6.5 (normal range 0.5-5.5) and increased by doctor to 25mcg to 75. I have noticed my energy levels rising again and that was after three weeks. Hope this info helps.

Ask for an iron test and Vit D3 as I was deficient in both and intolerant of dairy, gluten and salycylates as are many thyroid sufferers. A good way of gleaning information is to look at the previous blogs and questions on here and there is a search button too.

Good luck and stay with this site if you can as it's invaluable.

x

[Karispitit]

You will need to keep an open mind at all times about this condition and educate yourself as much as possible. I have learned a lot from this forum and could not be without it. its thanks to this forum that I am now being treated. I was diagnosed in January this year but was forced to go private as my GP said there was nothing wrong as my blood tests were normal despite having a long list of hypo symptoms. I started on 25mcg Levo and am now on 150mcg with a prescription to gradually increase to 200mcg. Apart from an improvement of one of my symptoms I have not noticed any improvement at all. I know others have noticed an immediate effect. It sounds like you have a supportive GP which is priceless.I hope you feel better again soon (and warmer!).

[Moggie]

Welcome to the site and I just wanted to say that you might get a better response to your question if you copy it and post it into the questions section, as you have posted it in the blogs.

It will normal take, at least, six weeks to feel the full effect of your medication but when I lower and increase my meds I can feel the difference in a week. That could be because I already have the drug in my system but you should start to notice a difference with three to four weeks.

Moggie x

[marram]

Hi eeng, you are on a low dose, that dose would be considered a starting dose for a 70-year-old!

With a TSH of 7.5 your thyroid must be quite low, I sympathize because you must have been feeling pretty bad. You will begin to notice a little difference in a couple of weeks but until you get to about 75 or 100 it will be only small changes.

Sometimes your body struggles to adapt to the thyroxine because it is already tired from trying to compensate for the underactivity before. Don't get too down if that happens.

As Moggie says, if you ask under the 'ask a question' section, you will get lots of answers, hopefully you will anyway with your blog.

One thing which we are all advised to do is to get our blood results and put them on here and include the ranges (usually the figures in brackets after the actual results) I do hope you will find this forum supportive and helpful, it's a lifeline for many of us.

Nice to meet you and welcome

Marie XXXX

[ballard]

Hi eeng,

I found out I had under active thyroid about 3 weeks ago, and I was the same as jonesey,with lots of symintoms going on, I went from 25mg to 50mg, but feel if I need more, as don't feel that much better, my tsh was 35,73 and another test was 534, when should have been under <35.no idea really how bad that is, but my whole body gave up, been off work for 2 weeks now and don't think I can go back to deal with people yet, so could take a while to get your levels sorted, this site has helped me realise that a lot of what is going on in my body is due to the thyroid, hopefully now you know the problem it can start to be treated but it wont happen overnight, just got to not let it get you down to much (like it did me), keep us posted x

ballard

[helvella Administrator in reply to ballard]

The "other" test would probably have been Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies. That result indicates that you most likely have an autoimmune form of thyroid disease called Hashimoto's.

TSH of 35.73 is definitely very high.

You will almost certainly need more. Probably at least 100 and quite possibly more than that.

Rod

[ballard in reply to helvella]

oh thanks yes that's what its called, is it why my body falling apart and I feel dead inside then, my aunt has had her thyroid removed because she had cancerous cells on some nodules round there so that worry me, what is the drifferants between graves and hashimoto please, sorry for all questions but going back to gp tomorrow and need to be prepared, thank you

ballard

[helvella Administrator in reply to ballard]

Have a look at the main Thyroid UK site:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

The difference is usually that Graves results in HYPERthyroidism and Hashimoto's results in HYPOthyroidism. But there are other differences and similarities.

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

Hi thanks for that , i wondered what the difference was myself x x x