First time on Thyroid Medication
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emrod83
Posts: 29 Member
Hello Everyone!
Back in late 2010 1/2 of my thyroid was removed due to goiters and the hope was that the other half would take over. I've been borderline since the operation but the last blood test I took wasn't so great and my doctor finally put my on meds. I have been fighting this because the thought of being on a pill for the rest of my life scared me. But it has gotten to the point where I know I am not myself anymore. I am on day 5 and so far no change but my doctor did say that it could take from 2-6 weeks to start feeling better.
I just wanted to quickly share my story and welcome any tips, suggestions or advice as I start my journey with Hypothyroidism. Anything I can expect as I start on the medication?
Do you take it first thing in the morning or just before bed?
Anyone feel a difference between brand and generic?
Did it make it easier to loose weight?
How long did it take for you to start feeling better?
Thanks for your help guys!!
Eva
Back in late 2010 1/2 of my thyroid was removed due to goiters and the hope was that the other half would take over. I've been borderline since the operation but the last blood test I took wasn't so great and my doctor finally put my on meds. I have been fighting this because the thought of being on a pill for the rest of my life scared me. But it has gotten to the point where I know I am not myself anymore. I am on day 5 and so far no change but my doctor did say that it could take from 2-6 weeks to start feeling better.
I just wanted to quickly share my story and welcome any tips, suggestions or advice as I start my journey with Hypothyroidism. Anything I can expect as I start on the medication?
Do you take it first thing in the morning or just before bed?
Anyone feel a difference between brand and generic?
Did it make it easier to loose weight?
How long did it take for you to start feeling better?
Thanks for your help guys!!
Eva
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Replies
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Anyone? :-(0
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Well I am new to this too...I was put on a very low dose about a month ago and honestly I can't tell the difference...but people have told me it may take up to a year to get the meds right...I go back the end of next month for more bld work and to see if anything has changed or if they need to up my doseage...so I guess I am not much help bit to let you know you are not alone!
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It took me a few months to start feeling better. Check out http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/0
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It can take a while to get the right medication. I was diagnosed in July 2011, and in October 2011 my doctor doubled my dose as my levels hadnt improved enough. I think it was a couple months til I noticed a difference. I remember waking up one day and thinking I feel better. I too have goiters, but nothing has been removed. Specialist determined I have Hashimotos. I didn't really see a difference in weight loss, as I was getting back into tennis at the same time I was diagnosed, so I lost some weight anyway. I take mine at bed time. Its best to take them as far away from any vitamins and supplements as possible, as well as caffeine, as some of these can interfere with the medication. I take all my vitamins no later than supper time, but try to remember them in the morning.
I'm still tired alot, but not as tired as I used to be. I remember being so dead-tired, that I didn't want to do anything. So it definately has improved.0 -
Hello!
I'm 18 years old (soon to be 19) and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2008 (quite young to have thyroid problems) and only in 2011 had I been on the right dosage. It took 3 whole years to play with my levels to find the perfect dose and after all the awful symptoms including hair loss, skin issues, weight fluctuations, and brain fogs, I can say that with time it will get better.
People with hypothyroidism generally say that it takes them two months to lose two pounds, and when adjusting to the right dosage, I've lost 15 pounds and kept it off. I'm finding it difficult to lose anymore at this moment because of my eating patterns but I feel entirely.
Also, other than the dosage change, I take my medication at about 6:00am, and don't eat breakfast until about 8:00am and I do not consume any calcium or iron within 4 hours for better absorption of the medication, so i'll usually have hard boiled eggs for breakfast. I try my best not to consume soy containing products or cruciferous vegetables because they also interfere with the thyroid regulation.
I also try my best to not consume gluten containing products for digestion purposes because I feel that the medication makes me very constipated or it could be other bowel related issues which I believe to be very severe.
But on that note, I believe that with all of these lifestyle changes, especially with MFP, I feel more confident and better.0 -
It took me a few months to start feeling better. Check out http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
Wow the "Long and Pathetic List of Symptoms" was really an eye opener! Thanks for the info!!0 -
Hello!
I'm 18 years old (soon to be 19) and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2008 (quite young to have thyroid problems) and only in 2011 had I been on the right dosage. It took 3 whole years to play with my levels to find the perfect dose and after all the awful symptoms including hair loss, skin issues, weight fluctuations, and brain fogs, I can say that with time it will get better.
People with hypothyroidism generally say that it takes them two months to lose two pounds, and when adjusting to the right dosage, I've lost 15 pounds and kept it off. I'm finding it difficult to lose anymore at this moment because of my eating patterns but I feel entirely.
Also, other than the dosage change, I take my medication at about 6:00am, and don't eat breakfast until about 8:00am and I do not consume any calcium or iron within 4 hours for better absorption of the medication, so i'll usually have hard boiled eggs for breakfast. I try my best not to consume soy containing products or cruciferous vegetables because they also interfere with the thyroid regulation.
I also try my best to not consume gluten containing products for digestion purposes because I feel that the medication makes me very constipated or it could be other bowel related issues which I believe to be very severe.
But on that note, I believe that with all of these lifestyle changes, especially with MFP, I feel more confident and better.
Thanks for all of the tips! I knew about the cruciferous vegetables but I didn't know about the soy. Ill watch out for that too! Right now Ive been taking the pill at 5am...that is when the alarm goes off..it is the first thing I do. However I have to be out the door soon after for work so I only wait 30 before I have my coffee. I know I should wait at least an hour but I don't have the time. I was thinking to make sure I eat dinner before 7pm and take it just before bed so that way Ill have a few hours of no eating. IDK what is better.0 -
Just another tip.. Try to take your medication first thing in the morning; about a half hour before you eat. (Which it looks like your doing) Also, don't take it with coffee or any calcium supplements that can interfere with absorption.. If you decide to take it at night ; it might interfere with your sleep.. some people it doesn't effect their sleep .0
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Hi,
I'm new to this too, but I take my meds (100mcg thyroxine) in the middle of the night when I wake up to use the bathroom. I'm pregnant, so I have to eat first thing in the morning or I get sick.
I can't say if its the meds or the pregnancy, but I'm sleeping a lot better after suffering from insomnia since my teen years.
I haven't lost weight, but have gained less than 5 lbs at 14 weeks pregnant which seems like a nice rate and could be attributed to the meds.....but who knows.....
Best of luck to you.0 -
How ever you take your meds stay consistent. If you take it in the am with a cup of coffee - keep doing that. It may affect absorbsion but if you do it regularily your meds will be adjusted accordingly.0
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Just another tip.. Try to take your medication first thing in the morning; about a half hour before you eat. (Which it looks like your doing) Also, don't take it with coffee or any calcium supplements that can interfere with absorption.. If you decide to take it at night ; it might interfere with your sleep.. some people it doesn't effect their sleep .
Thanks Yea...I already have trouble sleeping so I think I will stick with the morning. 0 -
How ever you take your meds stay consistent. If you take it in the am with a cup of coffee - keep doing that. It may affect absorbsion but if you do it regularily your meds will be adjusted accordingly.
That is what my endro told me as well. He says that I would pick a routine and stick with it. That way, when I go in for blood work it he can adjust my meds if need be according to my routine. Thanks!0 -
What type of medication are you guys on? Did anyone notice a difference between the Synthroid/Levoxyl and the generic? I am on the generic right now. My endro told me the brand is best but I could start with the generic and see how it works for me.0
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Hi.. I'm on Armour thyroid, which is a natural hormone (dessicated pig thyroid) that contains both T4 and T3. When I was first diagnosed in 2008 my doctor at the time put me on a very low dose of Synthroid. It took me ~4 weeks to respond to any new level of medication, such that blood test would indicate if my dose level needed to be increased further. We went through this cyclic game of increasing my dosage, then testing my blood a month later for about 5 rounds. The head doctor of the practice ended up bumping my dosage more significantly to override my doctor's little increases. I ended up going to see him from that point forward. When i told him each increased Synthroid dose I took made me feel progressively worse, he immediately turned around and changed me to Armour medication. After the 4 weeks transition process, I felt MUCH better. I refuse to do any synthetic thyroid drug like Synthroid again, as long as I have a choice. There was a period of time where Armour was not available on the market and I had to go to a specialty pharmacy to have a custom mix made. The recipe they followed included a balance of both T3 and T4, which is important for me to feel good. This was all between 2008 and ~2010. I've been on a stable dose of Armour since then. However, lately my blood labs have not been optimal. My doctor indicated that he might want to put me on a T3 only regimen, stating that my thyroid receptor sites "need to be cleaned out from being clogged by T4". We haven't done this yet, but he basically told me to expect that I would feel increasingly hypothyroid during the "clean out" process. He measures a bunch of things.. TSH, T4, T3, Reverse T3, some calculated ratios, etc. The reverse T3 in combination with something else beyond thyroid hormone (I forget what) is more telling to my doctor than just straightforward TSH or T4 or T3 numbers.
I take my Armour first thing in the morning with water before any food or drink. Avoid citrus because it won't let your body absorb the hormones.0 -
I've only been on medication for 5 weeks so haven't really noticed any changes. It's only when I joined MFP in September that I learned about my thyroid issues, and also found out I'd had it for around 8 months, which explained my rapid weight gain of 2st :frown:
I take mine when I get up, which is always 9am. I'm on 25 micrograms of Levothyroxine at the moment, but I reckon they'll up the dose when I go for my 2nd blood test in a few weeks. Weight loss isn't impossible, I've lost a total of 9.6lbs since September (I reset my tracker when I started medication, originally started at 201lbs) and I've seen a good few people on here with great weight loss stories too
Best of luck with everything! And I hope you feel better soon :flowerforyou:0 -
Hey honey!
So I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis 8 years ago. At first I was really upset at the thought of having to take a pill for the rest of my life. Now, it's just routine. I'm so use to it! You WILL get use to it.
I take it FIRST THING in the morning.. Sometimes even before I "wake up" for the day. I set my alarm around 5:15 and have it by my bed side with a glass of water (or water bottle). You can't eat for 2 hours beforehand or an hour afterwards, there's a 3 hour window! So I STRONGLY suggest you take it first thing in the wee hours of the morning. This is CRUCIAL.
I remember before I was on medication my head felt so cloudy all of the time. It was hard for me to get up, and accomplish anything. I have always struggled with my weight regardless. However, before medication I could NOT lose weight, period. No matter what I did. I can now though, when I try! Also my heart use to palpitate hard or I felt as if I had no heartbeat at all. It's gotten much better now.
Stay as far away from soy as possible. I've read way too many negative things about it in regards to thyroid issues.
Stay away from processed sugars. Fruits are okay. Fake sugar is okay. Real sugar has a negative affect on our blood from our condition. I know it's weird and I can't really explain it but I've given up on the fact that my love for sugar just has to go.
I will warn you though, regardless of being on medication you will still have many days where you don't feel good. The symptoms get better though as you become on the right dose.
I have nodules on my thyroid gland and I have to have another ultrasound done and a possible biopsy. This condition blows.. But stay positive, because there are WORSE things out there, and we only have it because we are strong enough to handle it.
You will be okay! If you ever need advice or a shoulder send me a message.0 -
What labs is your doctor running and dosing you based on? They should be looking at your free (not total) T3 and free T4 - TSH is kind of meaningless once you're supplementing as it's often very supressed. Ex: I had a full thyroidectomy and my current TSH is 2.3, which many (uninformed) doctors would say is "normal". However, my free T3 and free T4 are both below the bottom range, and I'm so symptomatic (freezing cold, can barely stay awake, etc) that I can barely function. To be honest, we aren't going to bother running my TSH anymore, just my free T3 and free T4 matter anyway.
You should be aiming for the top 1/3 of the range your lab uses, and NOT just getting to "within normal range".
As others have said, consistency is key:
-if you take it in the morning, wait at least 30 minutes before eating (I try to wait a full hour)
-if you're taking a T4-only supplement like Synthroid or Levothyroxine you may not have issues taking it at night - usually it's ones iwth T3 (the active thyroid hormone) that keep people up. There are emerging studies that indicate people may absorb it better when taking it at night, but that's up for a lot of debate.
-either way, take any iron or calcium supplements at least 4 hours away from when you take your meds0 -
How long did it take for you to start feeling better?
Oh, and it can take a long time to feel better if your doc won't look at getting your free T3 and free T4 results to an optimal (not just "normal") range.0 -
Hey honey!
So I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis 8 years ago. At first I was really upset at the thought of having to take a pill for the rest of my life. Now, it's just routine. I'm so use to it! You WILL get use to it.
I take it FIRST THING in the morning.. Sometimes even before I "wake up" for the day. I set my alarm around 5:15 and have it by my bed side with a glass of water (or water bottle). You can't eat for 2 hours beforehand or an hour afterwards, there's a 3 hour window! So I STRONGLY suggest you take it first thing in the wee hours of the morning. This is CRUCIAL.
I remember before I was on medication my head felt so cloudy all of the time. It was hard for me to get up, and accomplish anything. I have always struggled with my weight regardless. However, before medication I could NOT lose weight, period. No matter what I did. I can now though, when I try! Also my heart use to palpitate hard or I felt as if I had no heartbeat at all. It's gotten much better now.
Stay as far away from soy as possible. I've read way too many negative things about it in regards to thyroid issues.
Stay away from processed sugars. Fruits are okay. Fake sugar is okay. Real sugar has a negative affect on our blood from our condition. I know it's weird and I can't really explain it but I've given up on the fact that my love for sugar just has to go.
I will warn you though, regardless of being on medication you will still have many days where you don't feel good. The symptoms get better though as you become on the right dose.
I have nodules on my thyroid gland and I have to have another ultrasound done and a possible biopsy. This condition blows.. But stay positive, because there are WORSE things out there, and we only have it because we are strong enough to handle it.
You will be okay! If you ever need advice or a shoulder send me a message.
Thank you so much for all of the tips I also still have 3 nodules on the side they didn't take out. I am on a 3-month ultrasound schedule/blood work as well just to make sure they don't continue to grow. The one they took out was really big but these other ones are really small so hopefully they don't grow and I don't have to have surgery again! Again thanks for all your help!! 0 -
How long did it take for you to start feeling better?
Oh, and it can take a long time to feel better if your doc won't look at getting your free T3 and free T4 results to an optimal (not just "normal") range.
I am going to check my lab results right now to see what they tested for. I really do think it was just the TSH...I will definitely ask my doctor to do both next time!! Thanks!0
