Hypothyroidism and Weight Management

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  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Pamela_Sue wrote: »
    @CSARdiver Thank you for the great post. A question for you. I am on the generic levothyroxine but heard from a pharmacist years ago that the name brand Synthroid is better. The reason being that, with the generic, you won't consistently receive the same generic and it can effect a person. Therefore the Synthroid provides consistency.

    Any thoughts on this? I have a long-standing struggle with low mental energy. Probably from my depression, but I am always looking for any micro-mini improvements I can make in my life.

    Normally I'm all about the generics - simply because they are cheaper and identical. Synthroid is a bit different to the challenges associated with manufacturing. The safety profile on Synthroid is just better, so if there isn't a price difference - opt for the branded name in this instance.

    Excellent post! And I wish I could get some doctors to read this; I have a time getting my endos to do full thyroid panels. Both of the endos I have seen in recent years have claimed that free T3 and T4 tests don't tell you anything and that TSH is the gold standard. I too had thyroid cancer and my endo was keeping my TSH way, way low, but I was still feeling sluggish and all the hypo symptoms. I've got a really good GP and she agreed to order the full panel, and while my TSH was very low, my T4 was normal, my T3 levels were below normal. My endo finally noticed this and after a synthroid adjustment didn't fix the problem (T3 dropped even lower), she finally put me on a T3 suppliment as well. Thankfully, my new endo didn't give me any trouble when I requested that she check the other levels as well.

    On the topic of generics: I had a serious allergic reaction to a generic a couple of years ago. I had been on the name brand but moved and switched doctors, and didn't realize the new doctor's office had sent in my refill request as the generic. Within about a week of starting the generic, my hands started swelling and got to the point where I couldn't even bend my fingers. The only thing that had changed was the thyroid medication, so I called their office after vising med-express for a round of prednosone and got the name brand sent in. I've been on name brand ever since and never had a problem since. I know that my reaction was to something that was in the fillers, but since I have no way of knowing what manufacturer made that particular generic (since I know pharmacies switch a lot) or what particular ingredient it was that I had the reaction to, my doctor just made sure to note my chart with an allergy and keeps me on synthroid. thankfully, my insurance has not bucked us on it....yet.....


    Also, on the interference front: I do know that metformin is known to interfer with synthroid uptake and was aware that I needed to take them separately at least 4 hours apart. Last year, my GP started me on Wellbutrin as an effort to restart my weight loss (I was stuck on a plateau). I had labs done about 9 months later, and found that my TSH was well into the hypothryroid range. My endo upped my dosage of meds and re-tested 9 weeks later. Meanwhile, I did a lot of research trying to find out if wellbutrin was known to interfere with synthroid uptake, but could find nothing on the subject at all. The endo still suggested I stop taking them together, so I switched the wellbutrin to the same time as the metformin. 9 weeks later, my labs had my TSH way down into the hyperthyroid range, so my endo backed the medication off.

    So while there doesn't seem to be any definite study to show that wellbutrin interferes with synthroid, and this all falls into the n-1 personal experience thing, if might be beneficial to you if you get started on wellbutrin while being on synthroid to keep an eye on your labs. Of course, this is probably true of any new medication you start. For me, the key takeaway has become don't take anything else when you take the synthroid medication......
  • kq1981
    kq1981 Posts: 1,098 Member
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    Best post EVER award! I’m subclinical hypo. Not quite low enough to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism but low levels. I get most of the symptoms. Fatigue, freezing and hair falling out mostly. Love this post, thank u
  • sassone68
    sassone68 Posts: 1 Member
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    How did you loose weight? I had my thyroid removed but am still having hormone problems with T4 and keep gaining weight. I’m so fed up with it
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,070 Member
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    ^^^ Totally stellar advice from @bmeadows380, speaking as a fellow hypothyroid person who's lost weight.

    If you'd like a little more detailed suggestion about #4, as far as fine-tuning eating within calorie goal to achieve your nutritional objectives, the OP of this hypothyroidism thread, @CSARdiver (whom I haven't seen around the forum lately, sadly) said the post linked below was "Gold!". **

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

    ** Yes, it was my post, and quoting him (although accurately) is therefore shameless self-promotion. ;)
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    I've got a question, but @CSARdiver hasn't been seen for a while, but I'll ask anyway.

    I'm wondering how much weight loss can play in regulating my thyroid medication. Back in September, my bloodwork showed that my TSH was around 8 and my T4 was in the normal range, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Doctor raises my synthroid. Meanwhile, I changed to taking my thyroid meds at night with no other medication at all - I had been taking wellbutrin with the thyroid meds to try to jumpstart my weight loss.

    In November of 2019, the next rounds of bloodwork showed my TSH was now down to 0.06, T4 had gone up some but was still normal, T3 was normal. My doctor lowers my meds as now my TSH is too low.

    This week, I had the next round of bloodwork. Nothing has changed in the meantime - the doctor lowered my meds in November, and I've been taking everything the same way I was when I made the initial change in September - thyroid meds taken at night by themselves, everything else taken at least 8 hours later in the AM. However, the new bloodwork (done by the same lab as the last 2) shows that my TSH is now even lower at 0.04 and now my T4 levels are too high. T3, however, didn't change and is still normal.

    The only thing different between November and March is that I've dropped about 20 lbs in the meantime, and was wondering if that had an influence on this? But I had lost right at 100 lbs before, going from 375 to 280, and my meds were fine. My PCP had added the wellbutrin after I had been on plateau for a year. The need to change my thyroid meds didn't happen until after I'd been on the wellbutrin and taking it with the thyroid meds.

    I'm scratching my head at this one, trying to figure out how my TSH and T4 levels actually got worse when medication was lowered, especially since I don't have a thyroid to provide interference. I was just wondering if perhaps that 20 lb weight loss could be a factor. Not that I intend to stop losing weight; if this is true, that just means I need to keep a closer eye on thryoid levels as the weight comes off.

    On the other hand, I think this gives credence to my suspicion that I"m one of those people whose body does not make the T4-T3 conversion well; my T4 kept rising, but my T3 levels didn't change at all (I'm also on T3 meds)
  • abbeyann18
    abbeyann18 Posts: 1 Member
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    What is your dose of wellbutrin? I do know that as you lose weight you normally need less medication (I'm not a doctor, just what I've been told by a doctor) Do you think the wellbutrin has helped in your weight loss? I'm on T3 only meds because I do not convert so both my tsh and FT4 are suppressed. Are these your Free or regular T4 and T3? I also have hashimoto's so it's a bit different than just being hypo.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,944 Member
    edited March 2020
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    I've got a question, but @CSARdiver hasn't been seen for a while, but I'll ask anyway.

    I'm wondering how much weight loss can play in regulating my thyroid medication. Back in September, my bloodwork showed that my TSH was around 8 and my T4 was in the normal range, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Doctor raises my synthroid. Meanwhile, I changed to taking my thyroid meds at night with no other medication at all - I had been taking wellbutrin with the thyroid meds to try to jumpstart my weight loss.

    In November of 2019, the next rounds of bloodwork showed my TSH was now down to 0.06, T4 had gone up some but was still normal, T3 was normal. My doctor lowers my meds as now my TSH is too low.

    This week, I had the next round of bloodwork. Nothing has changed in the meantime - the doctor lowered my meds in November, and I've been taking everything the same way I was when I made the initial change in September - thyroid meds taken at night by themselves, everything else taken at least 8 hours later in the AM. However, the new bloodwork (done by the same lab as the last 2) shows that my TSH is now even lower at 0.04 and now my T4 levels are too high. T3, however, didn't change and is still normal.

    The only thing different between November and March is that I've dropped about 20 lbs in the meantime, and was wondering if that had an influence on this? But I had lost right at 100 lbs before, going from 375 to 280, and my meds were fine. My PCP had added the wellbutrin after I had been on plateau for a year. The need to change my thyroid meds didn't happen until after I'd been on the wellbutrin and taking it with the thyroid meds.

    I'm scratching my head at this one, trying to figure out how my TSH and T4 levels actually got worse when medication was lowered, especially since I don't have a thyroid to provide interference. I was just wondering if perhaps that 20 lb weight loss could be a factor. Not that I intend to stop losing weight; if this is true, that just means I need to keep a closer eye on thryoid levels as the weight comes off.

    On the other hand, I think this gives credence to my suspicion that I"m one of those people whose body does not make the T4-T3 conversion well; my T4 kept rising, but my T3 levels didn't change at all (I'm also on T3 meds)



    I asked a similar question in a thread I started here:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10650324/thyroid-meds-dose-reduction-in-weight-maintenance/p1

    Page 2 CSARdiver goes into a more detailed explanation...
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
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    abbeyann18 wrote: »
    What is your dose of wellbutrin? I do know that as you lose weight you normally need less medication (I'm not a doctor, just what I've been told by a doctor) Do you think the wellbutrin has helped in your weight loss? I'm on T3 only meds because I do not convert so both my tsh and FT4 are suppressed. Are these your Free or regular T4 and T3? I also have hashimoto's so it's a bit different than just being hypo.

    My PCP has me on the highest dose of wellbutrin and I can say with absolute certainty that is is not having any effect whatsoever; it was months after she upped it to the highest dose that I started finally losing again, and I think that is more related to the swing from badly hypo thyroid back into badly hyper thyroid I experienced from Sept 19 to Nov 19, though I really started losing in January. The wellbutrin doesn't help at all with my depression episodes, either. However, since I"m currently losing at a reasonable rate, I"m not going to have her take me back off the wellbutrin yet; I don't want to change anything right now (other than getting my thyroid meds worked out).

    I don't have a thyroid at all due to cancer. those are the free values, I think. With my TSH sitting at 0.04 I can see why my T4 levels are high.


    I asked a similar question in a thread I started here:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10650324/thyroid-meds-dose-reduction-in-weight-maintenance/p1

    Page 2 CSARdiver goes into a more detailed explanation...

    @cmriverside Thank you! I figured it had to be here somewhere, but MFP's search options leave much to be desired.

    The thing with me is that I don't really notice symptoms when I'm hyper or hypo, so I have a really hard time defining what is supposed to be "normal". 0.04 is definitely considered hyperthyroid, though in the first few years after the cancer surgery, my endocrinologist kept my TSH down to 0.01 as we did not want any stimulation of any remaining thyroid cells. But even at that extra low level, I didn't feel any different and the only hyper sign I had was a bit of an intolerance to heat. No shakes, no racing heart, no increase in blood pressure, none of the typical hyperthyroid signs.

    In fact, I tended to still have what is typically associated with hypothyroidism: chronic constipation issues, brain fog, thinning hair. I've been struggling with those especially this winter, even though I'm actually hyperthyroid.

    I hadn't noticed a needed change in my thyroid meds as I lost my first 100 lbs, but at the same time, my doctor was still keeping me ultra low, too. It's only been in the last 2 years that they have allowed my levels to come up closer to normal since all my cancer scans have come back in the best percentile you can be in for predicted non re-occurrence (we caught my cancer very early), so this may have masked the fact that my lowering body weight was affecting the level of medication I needed.

    My weight loss really finally took off again in January 2020, and this was about 3 months after the medication change that dropped my TSH from 8 to 0.06. Before, as my TSH rose to the 8, I was taking the wellbutrin at the same time, but when bloodwork showed that the TSH was extremely hypothyroid, I switched it around and started taking my thyroid meds at night and the wellburtin in the morning with my medformin. That's when my TSH dropped from 8 to 0.06 in 3 months. In November, my doctor lowered my meds and nothing else has changed since then until now except that I dropped 20 lbs. Which was why I was surprised to see that my levels had actually dropped further!

    I had wondered why I had suddenly been able to stay within my calorie limit when for the last 2 years, I had plateaued because I felt hungry all the time, even when I knew my body wasn't really hungry and it was just a mental drive. I had wondered what it was that was switching my ability to stick to a diet on and off - never thought about hormones being driven by thyroid levels being that switch!

    I can't blame the wellburtin completely for the plateau; I had plateaued at the end of 2017 and she didn't suggest the wellburtin until the fall of 2018, but over the course of 2019, she had been increasing the wellburtin in attempts to get me started losing weight again, but it wasn't working at all; I did finally start losing again this past summer, but it was a mental fight the whole way - now I know why. Apparently, the wellburtin was messing with my thyroid medication uptake, pushing me into being hypothyroid which in turn was actually making the weight loss harder!

    So it seems that getting my TSH levels back down made much more of a difference than the wellbutrin.


    With the virus thing, my appointment with my endocrinologist is going to be over the phone on the scheduled day. I'll discuss this with her and see about keeping me on the lower end of the TSH spectrum - not at 0.04, perhaps, but definitely down around that 0.2 range and have her keep an eye on levels as I continue to lose weight. AFter I talk to her, I may request that my PCP start lowering me back off the wellbutrin - no point in taking a medication that isn't doing any good at all and may be causing more problems.
  • Curvybaja55
    Curvybaja55 Posts: 114 Member
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    I was diagnose with hypothyroidism in 2008 and 2016 Sjogren's syndrome was put on immunosuppressive drugs because I had anemia and my hemoglobin levels were low. Has anyone have anemia from hypothyroidism and Sjogren's and what was the treatment plan?
  • jdh419
    jdh419 Posts: 65 Member
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    I am going to get my new prescription for a higher dose of synthroid today. Will this help my weight loss? I've been trying to lose the same 30 pounds for months. I am taking the medication first thing in the morning before my eyes are barely open and only having water for at least an hour or more after. Any input is greatly appreciated! ❤❤❤😍😍😍👍👍👍
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    edited August 2020
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    @jdh419

    it could help with the weight loss, if you are having problems with lethargy and hunger. Those can come along with hypothyroidism, so getting your levels under control can give you energy and help with hunger control. A bad thyroid cannot prevent you from losing weight at all but it can cause water weight gains, lethargy which in turn means you are burning less (lowers the CO part of the equation), and can down regulate your metabolism to a small extent-not enough to cause mythical "starvation mode" because that is physically and scientifically impossible (or else no one would starve to death), but it can mean that you aren't burning as much as a person with normal levels, though we're talking the tune of only a small number of calories strictly from metabolism. So the water weight could be masking real fat loss, or the hormonal imbalances can mess up the CICO equation either by driving you to eat more than you think you are or making you tired so you aren't burning as much as you were before and therefore your deficit from the calculator isn't accurate to your situation.

    The biggest culprit by far with bad thyroid, though, is the lethargy, puffiness, and just hormonal imbalances causing hunger issues, water weight gain, etc. So very much yes, getting those levels under control can help with weight loss and many people find the weight coming off much easier once they have their levels in the right area.



    For me personally (and this is my n=1), it took a while to figure out that my thyroid levels were having a big impact on my "brain hunger" or that drive to eat that was mentally disconnected from my physical hunger cues - that part of my head that was still starving even though I could tell my stomach wasn't hungry. I lost a bunch of weight in 2017 but plateaued in 2018 into the first part of 2019 and regained 30 lbs. In that time frame I tried and tried to restart calorie counting as I knew it worked, but I just could not stick to my deficit at all. I finally got going again in June of 2019, but it was at a crawl and was a battle the entire way. Then in October 2019 I found out my TSH was extremely high, meaning I was severely hypothryoid. My doctor changed my medication and by December, I was starting to lose at a good clip and wasn't having nearly the trouble with mental hunger I was before - when I had my thyroid levels check, it had dropped back down to below 1 where I personally need to be for medical reasons.

    So I learned an important lesson about myself - if I find mental hunger starting to really give me trouble, I should see about having my thyroid levels checked!

    Course, now since I've lost 50 lbs since December, I'm having the opposite problem - the weight loss causes the TSH levels to drop naturally, so my doctor is now having to decrease my medication!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,070 Member
    edited August 2020
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    jdh419 wrote: »
    I am going to get my new prescription for a higher dose of synthroid today. Will this help my weight loss? I've been trying to lose the same 30 pounds for months. I am taking the medication first thing in the morning before my eyes are barely open and only having water for at least an hour or more after. Any input is greatly appreciated! ❤❤❤😍😍😍👍👍👍

    bmeadows gave a great rundown, which sounds reasonable to me as a long-term hypo person who'd been through quite a number of dosage changes for various reasons over the years.

    FWIW, recent personal experience in the other direction: I recently reduced my dose, for reasons having nothing to do with the hypothyroidism**. It's been long enough to have the new dose settle in (but not quite long enough for a retest in the time of pandemic), so I don't know my new numbers. But I've seen no difference in my maintenance calorie level, while logging carefully. I'm not saying it's zero - no sure way to know - but it's not noticeable via careful tracking.

    ** It turns out my osteopenia has progressed, perhaps all the way to osteoporosis. For that and other reasons I won't belabor (but they're weren't standard hyper symptoms or thyroid test results), I want to see if I can happily tolerate a lower thyroid hormone level. My doctor is humoring me.

    I'm sure you'll see some positive changes from getting your dosage dialed in better, maybe some big/surprising ones. I hope you feel better, and more energetic, and get benefits on the activity/appetite side that will pay off, and help you get past the difficult phase you've been in!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,677 Member
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    I doubt it will make that much difference, unless you were really undermedicated. My doctor has been changing my dosage every three months this year, from 114 mcg to 125 to 114 to 88. My weight has stayed the same. I still don't know whether this new dosage is right - I'll find out in October. I feel like I have less energy with the lower dose, but that may be for a lot of other reasons, and I'm still doing the same exercise, so I am stable weightwise.
  • tnh2o
    tnh2o Posts: 158 Member
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    I've been on synthroid for 25 years and also have osteopenia that has progressed to osteoporosis. No doctor has ever mentioned a connection between thyroid function, the medications used to treat thyroid issues and bone loss.
    It's complicated and since I'm not a health professional all I will say is make sure to ask your doctor about it. Also I was never instructed on when and how to take synthroid and although I took it daily I was haphazard on how I took it That has changed.
  • annemagee48
    annemagee48 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for taking the time to comment .I have lost 15lbs using MFP and fitbit over 12months then gained same weight back doing exactly same thing ! Now stuck calories 1500 yes I am honest no point kidding myself average 16000 steps per day and weight won't budge. Fit ok can handle hills etc no challenge but scales wint budge .
  • lizzythepixie
    lizzythepixie Posts: 4 Member
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    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Pamela_Sue wrote: »
    @CSARdiver Thank you for the great post. A question for you. I am on the generic levothyroxine but heard from a pharmacist years ago that the name brand Synthroid is better. The reason being that, with the generic, you won't consistently receive the same generic and it can effect a person. Therefore the Synthroid provides consistency.

    Any thoughts on this? I have a long-standing struggle with low mental energy. Probably from my depression, but I am always looking for any micro-mini improvements I can make in my life.

    Normally I'm all about the generics - simply because they are cheaper and identical. Synthroid is a bit different to the challenges associated with manufacturing. The safety profile on Synthroid is just better, so if there isn't a price difference - opt for the branded name in this instance.

    this is terrifying to me. how could a pharmaceutical company do this to people! im on the generic and i am always going through it with the mood swings and the fatigue and dry skin. my numbers are still the same ( i had a total thyroidectomy two years ago) I have heard this from my grandmother as well, but i have also heard about consistency. that once you start one brand you need to stay on it so that it will work better ,
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,600 Member
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    CSARdiver wrote: »
    Pamela_Sue wrote: »
    @CSARdiver Thank you for the great post. A question for you. I am on the generic levothyroxine but heard from a pharmacist years ago that the name brand Synthroid is better. The reason being that, with the generic, you won't consistently receive the same generic and it can effect a person. Therefore the Synthroid provides consistency.

    Any thoughts on this? I have a long-standing struggle with low mental energy. Probably from my depression, but I am always looking for any micro-mini improvements I can make in my life.

    Normally I'm all about the generics - simply because they are cheaper and identical. Synthroid is a bit different to the challenges associated with manufacturing. The safety profile on Synthroid is just better, so if there isn't a price difference - opt for the branded name in this instance.

    this is terrifying to me. how could a pharmaceutical company do this to people! im on the generic and i am always going through it with the mood swings and the fatigue and dry skin. my numbers are still the same ( i had a total thyroidectomy two years ago) I have heard this from my grandmother as well, but i have also heard about consistency. that once you start one brand you need to stay on it so that it will work better ,

    All pharmaceutical drugs, generic and name brand, are subject to the same oversight. Unfortunately, no medical companies have to declare what other ingredients they use, aside from the active ingredients. This is definitely a problem with how pharmaceutical companies are allowed to function. Along with insane pricing, of course.