what type of meds do you take
princessstacy
Posts: 11
Just wondering? What type of meds do you take? what results or drawbacks have you had? My favorite nutritionist and I have had a couple of discussions about the type of meds I take.
for example:
I have hypothryoid
I take 100mcg levothryroxine daily in the am with a glass of water and wait for any other food drink one hour
my mother
she has hypothyroid/thryroid cancer
she takes 100 mcg of synthroid daily in the am with a glass of water and waits an hour for any other food or water
why the levothyroxine does nothing for her for me it didn't matter. however while my tsh is as my doc calls it "perfect" i am still gaining weight and having trouble losing the weight I already am trying to lose.
for example:
I have hypothryoid
I take 100mcg levothryroxine daily in the am with a glass of water and wait for any other food drink one hour
my mother
she has hypothyroid/thryroid cancer
she takes 100 mcg of synthroid daily in the am with a glass of water and waits an hour for any other food or water
why the levothyroxine does nothing for her for me it didn't matter. however while my tsh is as my doc calls it "perfect" i am still gaining weight and having trouble losing the weight I already am trying to lose.
0
Replies
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I am also on levothryroxine 150 mg daily in the AM glass of water one hour before consuming food or drink. I was on the Synthroid and liked it better. I was switched due to insurance but I think I am going to go back and pay the out of pocket. My levels are still all over the place like they were but I CAN NOT LOSE WEIGHT! I put 10 lbs back on and just can't shed them. It is playing a real number on my motivation. ARGH!
Anyone else had this?0 -
I take 112mcg levothryroxine nightly with a glass of water. TSH level hovers around 1.8. I have been able to lose some weight, but have been frustrated at times by how long it takes.
I've been on medication for my thyroid for years. What I've learned is:
1. There is no magic TSH level. Some people feel fine at levels of 2 or more, but some people need to be slightly below 1. Look at your symptoms - not necessarily weight loss but things like how tired you are, how cold you get, if you're developing things like tennis elbow. If the thyroid signs are there, ask your doctor about upping your dose.
2. Lots of doctors are reticent to treat when TSH numbers are in the mid-range. You can always get a second opinion.
3. I was told once that generic drugs can differ from name brands by as much as 10%. If the name brand worked better, you might need a higher dose of the generic.
4. Instead of looking at this as a weight loss journey, look at it as a journey to become healthier. That way, the scale isn't quite so frustrating.0 -
I take levothryoxine in the AM an hour before food. I have read where there are many if not all of you that take it with a glass of water. WHY is that?? My dr. says to take it before I get out of bed, so that is what I do. There are months I loose the weight and then there are months that I have trouble. "Santa" is bringing a Wii fit so I hoping that helps me shed the pounds faster and keep me on track better.0
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I take levothyroxine 25 mcg first thing in the am with a glass of water. Breakfast an hour later. I tried taking my meds at night and my hypothyroid symptoms were so much worse! If you are having lots of hypo symptoms and your TSH is below 2, you could ask your doc about Armour thyroid. It is natural thyroid that is a T4/T3 mix. For some folks, their body is not converting the inactive T4 (this is what levothryoxine is) to the active T3.
Out of curiosity, does everyone see an endocrinologist or does your primary care treat your hyopthyroid?0 -
The last two years I took levothyroxine sodium (T4) 50μg.
Three months ago I change it to levothyroxine sodium (T4) 62μg.
And the last two weeks docs changed again to levothyroxine sodium (T4) 75μg.
I'll be re-tested on March.
I take it 20 minutes before breakfast. But, after what I'm reading here, I try to take it with some water earlier from now on. (ps. I can't drink water in the morning)
I have seen about 5 or 6 different endocrinologists the last 15 years. I recently changed my doctor, cause he stressed me by telling that I'm on premature menopause, and as it turned out at last, all I had was problems with my period because of the thyroid hormones.
You don't tell this thing to a 32 year old woman with no children!
My new endo is a woman!0 -
I started out taking Synthroid 75 mcg but now take the Levothyroxine 75mcg. I could tell no difference when I switched to Levothyroxine. I still don't feel completely "normal" or back to how I felt prior to my diagnosis almost 2 yrs ago but since I have lost some weight I am feeling a little better. I'm not due for labs until the first of the year.0
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I've been recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. My doctor has prescribed levothyroxine 25 mg which I've been on for 2 months and have seen no changes whatsoever in any of my symptoms. I'm due back to see my doctor in a couple weeks, seems to me my dosage needs to be adjusted. Since I'm new to all this, do doctors generally order blood tests every time before increasing dosage or do they most often just gauge by the symptoms? I've put on an additional 2 lbs in the last 2 months despite exercising and watching what I eat.....how depressing, especially for someone who has never had a weight issue.:frown: I welcome any advice! Thank you.0
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I take 10 mg of Methimazole daily. I am the opposite of everyone else. I have to stay away from iodine thus no shell fish and I buy salt with no iodine added to it.0
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Hi everyone!
I have Hashimoto's hypo and take Levothyroxine. My doc presribed Levoxyl, but my insurance switches it to the generic. It took about a year after starting treatment for my levels to get where the doc wanted them. During that time, I just kept gaining weight no matter what I did. My meds seemed to be right for about a year, but I went back to the doctor because I was feeling awful again and losing no weight. Turns out, my TSH was way too high again. She made a small change in my dosage, and I go back in 6 weeks for more lab work. I know it will need to be adjusted a few more times to get me where I need to be.
Really glad that there's a thyroid group here. When I joined MFP a year ago, there weren't many hypothyroid discussions taking place. It's great to know that there is a place to go to find others facing similar challenges.
Best of luck to you all! :flowerforyou:0 -
I have Hashimoto's and I struggled for years taking Levothyroxin and Synthroid. I felt like crap all the time no matter what my levels were. I finally did some research and asked my doc to put me on Armour. It's an all natural thyroid hormone. Let me tell you, I started feeling better immediately! I now take 120mcg of Armour daily and I feel like myself again! It is still hard to lose weight but I am losing. I will never go on sythetic hormones again! EVER! What I learned is that doctors treated people successfully for 100 years with natural pig hormone. When they started making synthetic hormones there was a huge decline in health for these patients. Of course your doctors won't tell you this!0
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I kept gaining and switched to Synthroid, Levo can have a 20% swing in the ingredients either way. Also, I went to an endocrinologist and found that Hashimoto's disease was causing damage to my pancreas from the increased weight gain so my pancreas was holding on to all of the sugar. She put me on Metformin (a drug that is used for people with Type II diabetes) to give my pancreas a break for a year and I've been following a low carb diet (no more than 100 carbs per day). I've dropped 24 lbs in a month!0
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I also do Zumba 4 x's a week, 3 classes are an hour and one is a half hour.0
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Hi everyone,
I also have hypothyroidism and have trouble loosing weight. Had it for 15 years and been on synthroid for that long. Was switched to generic version and my body swelled up, so back on synthroid. The only thing I've developed seems to be sun sensitivity now. Was diagnosed with lupus last year, but not sure if its from meds or something else.
Also take it first thing in the morning and wait an hour before eating; especially anything with calcium.0 -
Wow..looks like I am the odd man out. My doctor believes in natural meds..she does both traditional and homeopathic medicine. She has me on armour thyroid...60 mg each morning before my breakfast.
It has done wonders for my fatigue...and I have recently..changed over to a Primal diet..so I really dont have issues anymore with fatigue. For instance..got 4 hrs of sleep last night.. (3 hrs..then 1 hr) and feel awesome. Just had a slight headache..but thats now gone..0 -
Hey guys, I'm Nikki. I'm glad Ilooked for a thyroid group before I started one myself!
. I noticed many of u are newly diagnosed, so I thought I would share my long journey with this disease many don't take seriously...even though the thyroid controls your entire body!
I have been hypo since 2001, after the birth of my Daughter. I have Hashimoto's... My body attacks my thyroid, so it doesn't work anymore. I have taken the gambit of meds and unfortunately they usually made me feel a little better but never "normal." I just started back on Armour thyroid again after a few years of being on 137.5 mcg of synthroid. Armour is a pig (yes the animal) thyroid combo of T3 and T4. I have taken cytomel (T3-synthetic) and synthroid (T4-synthetic) together as well. Taking T3 and T4 seems to be provide the best results for me and most others in some combo or another...there are a few different brands out there.
After dealing with this crappy disease for over 10 years now, I think I have read every book and website on it because I haven't ever felt right since I gave birth. The craziest thing of all is for years I have suffered with headaches and nausea daily, not to mention being too tired to do much after working all day. I have gone to the doctor countless times and they never put my symptoms together with synthroid side effects!! I just recently figured this out after stopping it to change my meds after going to a weight loss clinic where they understand what we deal with and work with u for the best result, at least mine is like this.
A very important thing u need to know is your TSH level is pretty much meaningless. When u get your thyroid checked, you need the full work up!! All of the numbers together will tell you if your body is metabolizing your T4 into T3 correctly. So, for example your TSH could be "normal", but your body may not be using the chemicals provided by the TSH properly, so u will not feel very good...better than before, but not good. Performing these tests and understanding the results is not common practice, even by endocrinologists! Can you believe I went to one one time when I moved to a new city and she said to me, what are you doing here? Uh, its called having an autoimmune disease and I am looking for your help! Ugh...sorry, this is obviously a sensitive subject for me...but I wanted to share to maybe save you all some time to your path of feeling good.
Now, I am feeling much better!! Not nearly as many headaches and my daily nausea had subsided greatly and I have lost 15 lbs in the past 6 weeks! I hate to offend anyone by saying this but most medical providers are just highly trained technicians. Many don't keep up with new ideas or using old drugs for new things and don't think about customer satisfaction. Can u believe I went to the doc a few weeks ago to try for help with the nausea for the 20th time and he had the nerve to say there was nothing the medical community could do!!! How about think for a second about the side effects of the meds your patient is on???!!! Needless to say, my faith in typical medicine is pretty much nill, for this and many other reasons.
The point of my rant is to let you all know u can feel better if u get the right meds from the right doc...it may take a few tries...but we almost always shop more for for anything else we pay for than for the right doc!
Anyway, I wish you all well with your weight loss and controlling your disease. I will keep you posted on my progress and if you need to rant to question things, let'er rip!! Take care...;)0 -
I agree with Nikki!! I'm newly diagnosed. Luckily my ob is awesome. She allowed me to start out on Armour, generic version called NP Thyroid. It's supossedly like the original armour, before it was formulated. I highly highly recommend it. I found out because I was loosing a lot of hair! So went to the docs. Anyone have issues from hair and recover??0
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Since I'm new to all this, do doctors generally order blood tests every time before increasing dosage or do they most often just gauge by the symptoms? I've put on an additional 2 lbs in the last 2 months despite exercising and watching what I eat.....how depressing, especially for someone who has never had a weight issue.:frown: I welcome any advice! Thank you.
I'm still pretty new to this as well, but here's what my experience has been like so far:
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism in April 2011 and put on 25 mcg of Levothyroxine as well. I felt 10 times better, but I was still finding myself feeling tired and coming home from work and napping for 3 hours or so. The next time I went in for a check up, I told my doctor this, but she said my numbers looked good so she didn't want to up my dosage. That doctor ended up leaving, so I switched to another doctor in the same practice, and he didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with my dosage either. In September I went in for a pap smear and my nurse practitioner said my levels looked good, but this time she actually asked how I was feeling! I told her that I felt a lot better but I was still having problems with fatigue. She was the one who finally upped my dosage to 50 mcg. I have to get my blood tested again next month to make sure everything is alright, but I already know that I feel so much better and don't feel like I have to take naps in the afternoon anymore.
Remember that everyone is different, and just because your "numbers look good" doesn't mean that everything is okay. Get a second opinion if you need to; from what I've experienced so far and what I've read on this forum it sounds like hypothyroidism is pretty tricky to get under control. Good luck to you!0 -
I have hypothyroidism/thyroid cancer so I am on complete replacement - levoxyl 125mcg daily (first thing in the morning with glass of water - wait at least 1/2 hr before eating). I have been struggling with my weight since my thryoid was removed (2004) - and even more so after the birth of my 3rd daughter (2009). I haven't found a specific combinations of foods that will work. I also recently switched from the birth control pill (loestrin 24) to a non-hormonal IUD - I've read a few articles that suggest that birth control pills effect TH levels. Has anyone else heard this?0
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Mustang and all,
Happy New Year! I had issues with my hair but that was just when I was diagnosed and just got through with a pregnancy, so hair falls out a lot at that time. Once my levels are okay, I think I just have average hair loss when washing or styling...Hope you are feeling better! I am now down about 20 lbs. Only 25 more to go! Good luck everyone! 0 -
Hey guys, I'm Nikki. I'm glad Ilooked for a thyroid group before I started one myself!. I noticed many of u are newly diagnosed, so I thought I would share my long journey with this disease many don't take seriously...even though the thyroid controls your entire body!
I have been hypo since 2001, after the birth of my Daughter. I have Hashimoto's... My body attacks my thyroid, so it doesn't work anymore. I have taken the gambit of meds and unfortunately they usually made me feel a little better but never "normal." I just started back on Armour thyroid again after a few years of being on 137.5 mcg of synthroid. Armour is a pig (yes the animal) thyroid combo of T3 and T4. I have taken cytomel (T3-synthetic) and synthroid (T4-synthetic) together as well. Taking T3 and T4 seems to be provide the best results for me and most others in some combo or another...there are a few different brands out there.
After dealing with this crappy disease for over 10 years now, I think I have read every book and website on it because I haven't ever felt right since I gave birth. The craziest thing of all is for years I have suffered with headaches and nausea daily, not to mention being too tired to do much after working all day. I have gone to the doctor countless times and they never put my symptoms together with synthroid side effects!! I just recently figured this out after stopping it to change my meds after going to a weight loss clinic where they understand what we deal with and work with u for the best result, at least mine is like this.
A very important thing u need to know is your TSH level is pretty much meaningless. When u get your thyroid checked, you need the full work up!! All of the numbers together will tell you if your body is metabolizing your T4 into T3 correctly. So, for example your TSH could be "normal", but your body may not be using the chemicals provided by the TSH properly, so u will not feel very good...better than before, but not good. Performing these tests and understanding the results is not common practice, even by endocrinologists! Can you believe I went to one one time when I moved to a new city and she said to me, what are you doing here? Uh, its called having an autoimmune disease and I am looking for your help! Ugh...sorry, this is obviously a sensitive subject for me...but I wanted to share to maybe save you all some time to your path of feeling good.
Now, I am feeling much better!! Not nearly as many headaches and my daily nausea had subsided greatly and I have lost 15 lbs in the past 6 weeks! I hate to offend anyone by saying this but most medical providers are just highly trained technicians. Many don't keep up with new ideas or using old drugs for new things and don't think about customer satisfaction. Can u believe I went to the doc a few weeks ago to try for help with the nausea for the 20th time and he had the nerve to say there was nothing the medical community could do!!! How about think for a second about the side effects of the meds your patient is on???!!! Needless to say, my faith in typical medicine is pretty much nill, for this and many other reasons.
The point of my rant is to let you all know u can feel better if u get the right meds from the right doc...it may take a few tries...but we almost always shop more for for anything else we pay for than for the right doc!
Anyway, I wish you all well with your weight loss and controlling your disease. I will keep you posted on my progress and if you need to rant to question things, let'er rip!! Take care...;)
You are describing me and my frustration with doctors -- I have hypothyroidism and Hashinoto. I've been on varying doses of Synthroid since 1997 - but none of them made me feel any better. They just made my lab results look ok. It's like you paint a car, but if the engine doesn't run, what good is the nice paint job???? I have been to endos that tell me I can't lose weight because I am a women and that women my age "just gain weight"... are you kidding me? Just go home and get fatter - I've done what I can do.
Are you on Armour? What happened that allowed you to lose some weight and feel better?0 -
I take Synthroid and Armour.
I've been on medication for about 10 years, but was just diagnosed with Hashi's in 2008. A bunch of dismissive doctors, misdiagnoses, etc. I've taken Cytomel as well, and find that I feel best when I'm on combination therapy with Synthroid and Armour - fortunately, my primary care physician listens to me and wants to know how I "feel", because my endo is a synthroid only doctor.0 -
Nature-throid 1 grain and liothyronine (cytomel) 25 mcg.0
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125 mcg of synthroid....going in for a follow up in a few days so it might change.0
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I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism lst winter. I take PTU. It has caused me aches and pains and weight gain. Not to mention it's damaging my liver! Anyone else on PTU?0
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I also have Hashi's and take one grain of Armour - that medication is wonderful for me! I previously tried synthetic hormones, levoxyl was like poison for me and then a cocktail of synthroid/cytomel but armour is what works best for me.0
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I was diagnosed a few years ago and my naturopath doctor put me on Nature-Throid. A year ago I moved to an area where there are no naturopath doctors. The new doctor put me on Armour Thyroid and she says my levels are fine.
Although I'm not tired and am usually energetic, I have not been able to lose weight in 2 years and my body temperature stays between 95 and 96 degrees. That has not changed with the meds.0 -
Apologies it's so long.
Well here the latest blood results:
Ranges in brackets, I have no idea what most of these tests are for and what they tell me if any thing........
Due to repeat with the addition of LH, FSH and oestradiol to check for perimenopusal.
following a review of these results the Endo adjusted my Eltroxin from 100mg X 5 days & 150mg X 2 days to.... 100mg X 4 days & 50mg X 3 days.
It is now 7 week into the med change and things have not improved.
Currently i take no supplements
Please offer feed back which test are important to track, which are just a waste of money?
what can i do to improve my standard of existence.
43 year old on various doses of meds for the last 10 years, currently at an all time low...... physically & emotionally.
cholesterol: 6.66 ( 3.5 - 5.2)
triglyceride's: 1.33 (<1.90 ) fasting
HDL: 1.51 (<1.04) LDL: 4.82 ( > 4.14)
TSH: 0.148 ( 0.2- 4.0)
free T3: 4.7 ( 2.6 - 5.7)
free T4: 19.4 (9- 19)
Vit B12: 599 ( 187 - 883)
folic acid: 7.0 ( 3.1 - 20.5)
ferritin: 15 ( 5 - 204)
iorn: 16.9 ( 4.0 - 28.0)
RBC: 4.83 (4.0 - 5.2)
haemoglobin: 14.6 ( 11.5 - 16.5)
haemabocrit: 0.419 ( 0.37 - 0.47)
MCV: 86.6 ( 80 - 100)
MCH: 30.3 ( 27 - 32)
MCHC: 35.0 (32 - 37)
platelets: 216 ( 140 - 400)
WBC: 5.3 ( 4.0 - 10.0 )
Neutrophils: 2.70 ( 2.0 - 7.5)
lymphocytes: 1.86 ( 1.0 - 3.0)
monocytes: 0.32 ( 0.2 - 1.0)
eosinophils: 0.37( 0.04 - 0.4)
basophils: 0.00 (<0.2)
nucleated RBCs: 0 (/100 WBC
ESR: 10 ( 1 - 20)
glucose: 4.4 ( 2.5 -5.5) fasting
sodium: 139 ( 136 - 145)
potassium: 5.1 ( 3.5 - 5.1)
chlorides: 107 ( 98 - 107)
urea: 2.8 ( 2.5 - 6.7 ) Age
creatinine: 70 ( 50.4 - 98.1) Age
total proteins: 77 ( 60 - 82
albumin:45 ( 35 - 50)
bilirubin: 11 (3.4 - 20.5)
alkaline phosphatase: 65 ( 40 - 150) Age related
ALT (GPT): 26 (<55)
gamma GT: 21 ( 9- 36)
LDH: 201 ( 125 -243)
globuiln: 32
calcium: 2.36 ( 2.23 - 2.50)
corr calcium: 2.30 ( 2.10 - 2.55)
phosphate: 0.90 ( 0.74 - 1.52)
Magnesium: 0.94 ( 0.66 - 1.07)0 -
Apologies it's so long.
Well here the latest blood results:
Ranges in brackets, I have no idea what most of these tests are for and what they tell me if any thing........
Due to repeat with the addition of LH, FSH and oestradiol to check for perimenopusal.
following a review of these results the Endo adjusted my Eltroxin from 100mg X 5 days & 150mg X 2 days to.... 100mg X 4 days & 50mg X 3 days.
It is now 7 week into the med change and things have not improved.
Currently i take no supplements
Please offer feed back which test are important to track, which are just a waste of money?
what can i do to improve my standard of existence.
43 year old on various doses of meds for the last 10 years, currently at an all time low...... physically & emotionally.
cholesterol: 6.66 ( 3.5 - 5.2)
triglyceride's: 1.33 (<1.90 ) fasting
HDL: 1.51 (<1.04) LDL: 4.82 ( > 4.14)
TSH: 0.148 ( 0.2- 4.0)
free T3: 4.7 ( 2.6 - 5.7)
free T4: 19.4 (9- 19)
Vit B12: 599 ( 187 - 883)
folic acid: 7.0 ( 3.1 - 20.5)
ferritin: 15 ( 5 - 204)
iorn: 16.9 ( 4.0 - 28.0)
RBC: 4.83 (4.0 - 5.2)
haemoglobin: 14.6 ( 11.5 - 16.5)
haemabocrit: 0.419 ( 0.37 - 0.47)
MCV: 86.6 ( 80 - 100)
MCH: 30.3 ( 27 - 32)
MCHC: 35.0 (32 - 37)
platelets: 216 ( 140 - 400)
WBC: 5.3 ( 4.0 - 10.0 )
Neutrophils: 2.70 ( 2.0 - 7.5)
lymphocytes: 1.86 ( 1.0 - 3.0)
monocytes: 0.32 ( 0.2 - 1.0)
eosinophils: 0.37( 0.04 - 0.4)
basophils: 0.00 (<0.2)
nucleated RBCs: 0 (/100 WBC
ESR: 10 ( 1 - 20)
glucose: 4.4 ( 2.5 -5.5) fasting
sodium: 139 ( 136 - 145)
potassium: 5.1 ( 3.5 - 5.1)
chlorides: 107 ( 98 - 107)
urea: 2.8 ( 2.5 - 6.7 ) Age
creatinine: 70 ( 50.4 - 98.1) Age
total proteins: 77 ( 60 - 82
albumin:45 ( 35 - 50)
bilirubin: 11 (3.4 - 20.5)
alkaline phosphatase: 65 ( 40 - 150) Age related
ALT (GPT): 26 (<55)
gamma GT: 21 ( 9- 36)
LDH: 201 ( 125 -243)
globuiln: 32
calcium: 2.36 ( 2.23 - 2.50)
corr calcium: 2.30 ( 2.10 - 2.55)
phosphate: 0.90 ( 0.74 - 1.52)
Magnesium: 0.94 ( 0.66 - 1.07)
Here's a website that tells you how to read your labs: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values/0 -
I was diagnosed a few years ago and my naturopath doctor put me on Nature-Throid. A year ago I moved to an area where there are no naturopath doctors. The new doctor put me on Armour Thyroid and she says my levels are fine.
Although I'm not tired and am usually energetic, I have not been able to lose weight in 2 years and my body temperature stays between 95 and 96 degrees. That has not changed with the meds.
Wondering if they tested you for Reverse T3? If you have high Reverse T3, then any T4 replacement is probably not right -- you would need to be on T3 only - Cytomel I think is the name. I'm waiting for my RT3 labs to come back -- he doesn't want to put me on Nature-Throid or Armour until he knows for sure.
There are other factors also -- like Ferritin, Seretonin (sp?), B12, etc. You may have a gluten sensitivity - seems that many of us do. (Not sure if I do or not, but I don't eat anything with gluten!). You could be insulin resistant in which case, your body is taking every gram of carb that you eat and converting it to fat. In addition, insulin tells your muscles not to burn fat, so you store it in your middle.
So, lots of other things for you to look at on weight gain.0 -
Mustang and all,
Happy New Year! I had issues with my hair but that was just when I was diagnosed and just got through with a pregnancy, so hair falls out a lot at that time. Once my levels are okay, I think I just have average hair loss when washing or styling...Hope you are feeling better! I am now down about 20 lbs. Only 25 more to go! Good luck everyone!
I also had massive hair loss. It was coming out i gobs! I also had many other symptoms like weight gain, heart palpitations, depression, so tired that i wanted to sleep 24/7.
Been four years and stll have some symptoms but overall feelng better. Oh by theway i also have hashimoto and am on synthroid.0
This discussion has been closed.