Hypothyroid?

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  • jennco3
    jennco3 Posts: 72 Member
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    I found out I was hypo last year after asking the doc to add it to my family history. He said we needed a baseline to keep watch and next thing I know I have hypo. It did explain a lot. I feel so much better. My weight loss is still a huge struggle.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    Don't expect a miracle. I've been treated for Hypo for years. Still got heavy, and the weight has come off very slowly. Get your post-medication TSH number. "Normal" is below 4, so doctors will often treat you to where you are a 3.9, but really, a lot of people don't feel better at that number and can benefit from being taken down to 2 or lower. Then there is the whole debate over just taking synthroid (T4) or doing combined therapy with Cytomel (T3). That's what I'm on, although honestly, I don't know whether adding T3 helped or just adding more overall hormone did the trick.
  • 05saleengirl
    05saleengirl Posts: 549
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    I have it as well. I've been on armour generic, but am now in T3 meds only. I have a reverse t3 problem. Visit WWW.stopthethyroidmadness.com for a lot of great info on thyroid issues. I agree an NDT, natural dessicated thyroid med is the best way to Ho. If your doc don't rx it,look for a doc that will.also make sure they are testing you Free T3, and Free T4 levels. TSH is not a great indicator.
  • Alice_H
    Alice_H Posts: 58 Member
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    Also, another option for taking your meds on an empty stomach - I also keep mine on my nightstand, but I take it just before bed. It also helps me to curb any late night eating urges because "I just took my pill and I can't eat for 2 hours, so I might as well go to bed!"

    Your body doesn't naturally make thyroid hormones at night, so this may interfere with your sleep. However, it's also been shown that your body is able to absorb more of the medication, and doesn't produce as much TSH for the amount of thyroid hormone, so you can sort of manipulate your numbers a bit by taking your pill at night if your doc isn't one to prescribe you down to a 1.0. (TSH is what's tested for when you go in for your labs - it is your body's response to thyroid hormone, and it works inversely to thyroid hormone, so the lower your TSH is the higher your thyroid hormone is.)
  • Kerri_is_so_very
    Kerri_is_so_very Posts: 1,005 Member
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    I'm not sure how old your baby is....but I had it right after my 1st child was born. It corrected itself after a short period of time and I didn't require any meds. It was nice to lose all my baby weight and then some (too bad the loss didn't stick!!!). No issues after my 2nd child.
  • STC189
    STC189 Posts: 34 Member
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    Feel free to add me. I'm Hypo too. I take Armour because for me it works, and the Synthroid didn't. It's definitely been a journey to get the my levels right and the weight off, but I didn't stop until I found a competent Doctor, who actually has the problem herself and is on top of all the latest info. Unfortunately the vast majority of Doc's are not up to speed. It's sad really.
  • smtillman2
    smtillman2 Posts: 756 Member
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    Hi! I'm Hypo as well. Just diasgnosed last year after having lots of issues including not being able to lose weight no matter what I did. It's still a little up and down for me. Everytime my doctor changes the dose of my medication my body goes haywire. It's a challange but at least I'm not as discouraged when I know I have worked really hard and haven't lost anything.
  • sometimes_blondie
    sometimes_blondie Posts: 241
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    Hi. Just an FYI for you. Since you are a vegetarian I wondered if you might be eating quite a bit of soy products, I have read that soy is not good for you if you are hypothyroid. I am hypothyroid, too ,and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Just thought you might like to know.

    Yep, I ate a ton of soy! I gave up being a vegetarian after 17 yrs. It was a little sad, but I had my first piece of beef yesterday and will be adding lean meats to my diet to get my protein. I'm going to be avoiding soy like the plague!
  • sometimes_blondie
    sometimes_blondie Posts: 241
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    I'm Hypo, but lost the majority of my weight before being diagnosed (took about 2 years!). Once on Meds I was able to lose those last 10 (took almost another year), but I find it a struggle to maintain and eat like a normal person would. I still have to limit my calorie intake to a small deficit in order to stay where I'm at. It's a lot of trial and error, just don't think that being on meds is your cure-all! Feel free to friend me :)

    Oh, I know! I'm hoping that if I keep vigilant with my diet and continue to exercise, I can finally see the progress I've been working so hard for!
  • Alice_H
    Alice_H Posts: 58 Member
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    I hesitated to mention this since you were a vegetarian, but since you're going off it...I found that going gluten/grain/sugar free was the only thing that really seemed to make a difference in my weight. I think that can be hard to do if someone's not eating meat, though. When I cut out gluten/grains/sugar, I was able to lower my thyroid med dosage and felt better than I had in a long time.
  • katapple
    katapple Posts: 1,108 Member
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    I have it as well. I've been on armour generic, but am now in T3 meds only. I have a reverse t3 problem. Visit WWW.stopthethyroidmadness.com for a lot of great info on thyroid issues. I agree an NDT, natural dessicated thyroid med is the best way to Ho. If your doc don't rx it,look for a doc that will.also make sure they are testing you Free T3, and Free T4 levels. TSH is not a great indicator.

    There is so much info at that site, I have a headache! What is a reverse T3 problem? A couple months ago I started taking Cytomel with my Synthroid and my grogginess has alleviated. But I was thinking of taking the cytomel at lunch time as opposed to at night (still take the Synthroid at night) I think I may ask about Armour though. I don't have the option of changing doctors being military though :/
  • lisabruce12
    lisabruce12 Posts: 77 Member
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    Hi! I'm hypo too! I found out when I gained 20 pounds in a couple months without doing anything different. It took a while to get my meds figured out...but that's normal. Once my meds were right I started to focus on what i was eating and exercising. I have been able to lose 45 pounds since then. I have stalled on my weight loss but it's my fault not my thyroid"s. Trying hard to get back into it!
  • kristapennie
    kristapennie Posts: 105 Member
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    Hi. Just an FYI for you. Since you are a vegetarian I wondered if you might be eating quite a bit of soy products, I have read that soy is not good for you if you are hypothyroid. I am hypothyroid, too ,and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Just thought you might like to know.

    Yep, I ate a ton of soy! I gave up being a vegetarian after 17 yrs. It was a little sad, but I had my first piece of beef yesterday and will be adding lean meats to my diet to get my protein. I'm going to be avoiding soy like the plague!

    VEGETARIAN with Thyroid Issues here too!
    I don't know about it I'm hypothyroid but I can tell you I had my TSH tested and it was considered high. (Over 3)
    I take Levothyroxine 0.05mg daily

    And let me tell you about SOY...I had no clue regarding the negative effects until I started MFP and I've been a Vegetarian for 16+ years! Don't know if I'll be quick to eat the beef but a serious decrease on soy products for sure!
  • boophil
    boophil Posts: 99 Member
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    Also, another option for taking your meds on an empty stomach - I also keep mine on my nightstand, but I take it just before bed. It also helps me to curb any late night eating urges because "I just took my pill and I can't eat for 2 hours, so I might as well go to bed!"

    Your body doesn't naturally make thyroid hormones at night, so this may interfere with your sleep. However, it's also been shown that your body is able to absorb more of the medication, and doesn't produce as much TSH for the amount of thyroid hormone, so you can sort of manipulate your numbers a bit by taking your pill at night if your doc isn't one to prescribe you down to a 1.0. (TSH is what's tested for when you go in for your labs - it is your body's response to thyroid hormone, and it works inversely to thyroid hormone, so the lower your TSH is the higher your thyroid hormone is.)

    I haven't had any problems sleeping and my numbers are still stable. But I do realize that others may have this issue, so thank you for bringing it up!
  • Camilleathome
    Camilleathome Posts: 99 Member
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    Hi. Just an FYI for you. Since you are a vegetarian I wondered if you might be eating quite a bit of soy products, I have read that soy is not good for you if you are hypothyroid. I am hypothyroid, too ,and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Just thought you might like to know.

    From the research I've done, it's only an issue if you eat it within 4 hours of taking your thyroid meds. It can reduce the absorption of your pill which can make your levels whacky. By waiting, it gives it a chance to get into your system.

    Ive read the opposite you shouldn't have it at all except for a small moderation(Like on rare occasions I like the veggie breakfast sausage links as a treat but that's like once every ew months)

    You should also stay away from high goitrogen foods like brocoli brussel sprouts cabbage turnip etc. You can gcook the goitrogens out of it but usually when converting to a healthy lifestye for thyroid its good to cut it out completely and re-additing it slowly.

    And stay away from fluoride. Get yoursef a REALLY good filter if you can that removes it. Im also looking into brewing Kombucha it supposedly really helps. Stress is also a factor for thyroid. Doing breathing exercises and yoga and such really help(With most of your lymphatic system XD)
  • apaessun
    apaessun Posts: 2 Member
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    i've had hypo since 2001. It's a strugle. I lost 90 lbs without meds, it took 2 years, a low cal diet and 4 hrs per day everyday in gym. since then my career changed, i work weeks on end without time off and it's all on call so no regularity, day and night. hard to have a eating/sleep patern. i went off meds and with no time for me i gained 45 lbs back. now i'm back on meds. synthroid 100. i've lost a few with low cal diet, and exercise when i can. tryn to find balance and strenght in my life. the weight will come off no doubt of that, it just takes a little longer. good luck to all :)
  • KJ14
    KJ14 Posts: 287
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    I am hypothyroid (hashimoto's disease). I was diagnosed in 2001. I lost weight initially while waiting for a diagnosis. But I find every time my synthroid is increased, the weight goes up.

    Lately I have found eating more fruits n veggies (I am not a vegetarian like yourself) has helped me lose weight. I need to stay away from junk food (muffins, cake, cookies etc) or I plateau and then it seems to take awhile to get my weight to go down again. I have to really watch the calorie intake vs exercise. Low calorie diet and lots of exercise.

    Feel free to add me as a friend.

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