Is anyone on Synthroid?

MeganAnne89
MeganAnne89 Posts: 271 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have a friend who had her thyroid removed a little while ago and she has been on synthroid at a dosage of 0.1 mg.

Leading up to the procedure, she often got bad stomach aches, she'd feed nauseous, very hungry all of the time, she'd often barf up a lot of her food. Her doctors weren't sure what was going on with her but they knew that she had thyroid issues her whole life and they said that at this point the only solution for that particular problem was to just get rid of it. She also gained some weight during this time. I'm not sure how much, but maybe like, 10-15 pounds (she's quite short so it's hard to guess) or so over the course of the year and a bit that I've known her.

Anyways. Since then, she had been feeling a lot better. The stomach aches had mostly subsided, she'd pretty much been able to make it from the breakfast she ate at work to our lunch hour at 11:45 without needing to eat anything else. But over the past few weeks, the stomach aches and nausea have come back and she's getting hungry all of the time again.

Since I don't suffer from thyroid issues, I'm not sure what to say to her. She's tried contacting her thyroid specialist and her doctor, but no one's called her back.

Until she hears something from them - does anyone have a potential explanation as to what could be going on?

Thanks.

Replies

  • captaindle
    captaindle Posts: 30 Member
    First, I'm sorry to hear the troubles your friend is having. I have hypothyroidism and take synthroid for it. I never had the kinds of symptoms your friend has in terms of stomach aches and nausea but I certainly had a lot of weight gain, was always tired and cold, had headaches, etc. Anyway, I've been on synthroid for almost 20 years and I have found that the effectiveness of the dose I'm on can fluctuate. Now, I do still have my thyroid so this may be different for her, but if I'm really stressed out, my meds just don't work well. Over time, even when I'm not stressed, I've had to have dosage changes. It is possible she'll need a dosage change but only her doctor can tell her that. Living with a thyroid problem is really a life long thing. I have to have lab work done every 6 months to be sure my medication is working properly. Sorry there is no easy answer for her. She really has to see a doctor.
  • greatsmokey623
    greatsmokey623 Posts: 11
    OK, first of all...that is an extremely cute dog in your picture! I have been on synthroid for about 20 years. While I did not have surgery, there is a history of underactive thyroid disease in my family. I am not a doctor so am speaking from my own experiences so take it for what it is worth. It took some time and dosage chages for my doctor to find the right dosefor me, which can also change as I age. It is important for anyone (IMHO) on such medication to schedule check up blood tests to make sure your dosage needs are being met. It is concerning that her doctors are not calling her back. Unless she lives in a very rural area with few options in the that department, I would be looking for another doctor. Hope this helps. Have a good one.:smile:
  • MeganAnne89
    MeganAnne89 Posts: 271 Member
    Thank you! His name is Winston and he is 3 and a major snuggler :)

    And I've been telling her to hound both her doctor and her thyroid specialist until she gets a callback because it's hard for her to deal with something like this every day. She has a checkup with the specialist scheduled for September (that'll be 6 months after her procedure) and she had another some time in April, but that was when her symptoms had been looking up still.

    Is it true that there is only one thyroid medication that she could be taking? That's what her doctor told her and I just get worried that she's not asking enough questions or being pushy enough about finding all of the answers.

    I feel like her stomach symptoms are a different matter altogether, but the doctors have no idea what that is.

    Thanks for your responses!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and never had symptoms like your friend's. Her doctor(s) shouldn't just blame everything on her thyroid.
    Is it true that there is only one thyroid medication that she could be taking? That's what her doctor told her and I just get worried that she's not asking enough questions or being pushy enough about finding all of the answers.
    There are three options:
    Synthroid (synthetic T4)
    Synthroid + Cytomel (synthetic T3)
    Armour (dessicated pig or pig + cow thyroid glands)

    MFP has two thyroid groups:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/770-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/51427-butterfly-chasers

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