new diagnosis of hypothyroidism
msoptimistic1
Posts: 6
Help. Have been prescribed 100mcg Levothyroxine for "hypothyroidism" after a test in the hospital 4 weeks ago. I have gained 11 lbs since! No change in food intake. I'm disabled with scoliosis and sedentary so excercise is out of the question. It's all about food and I try to keep calories under 1500 per day and been successful until this new drug. I'm devastated. Have taken the Levo exactly as prescribed, same time every day. Anyone with suggestions is appreciated!! My T3 was 83 ng/dl and my T4 was 7.9 ng/dl and my TSH was 2.320.
I have an appointment with a specialist next week and in the meantime want to just STOP taking this drug. I never noticed the typical symptoms of hypo before this. Because of my disability I was on opioids and did stop all opioids exactly a month ago and the dr. is saying my weight gain is because of that, not they new drug. I heartily disagree but he doesn't listen. Just stopping the pain meds has been hard enough without adding this to the mix. I feel NO different after being on this medicine for 4 weeks now.
I have an appointment with a specialist next week and in the meantime want to just STOP taking this drug. I never noticed the typical symptoms of hypo before this. Because of my disability I was on opioids and did stop all opioids exactly a month ago and the dr. is saying my weight gain is because of that, not they new drug. I heartily disagree but he doesn't listen. Just stopping the pain meds has been hard enough without adding this to the mix. I feel NO different after being on this medicine for 4 weeks now.
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Replies
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You are gaining weight because you went off the opiates.
Those numbers are definitely hypothyroid. Did they repeat the test to make sure the numbers were not a lab error?
You may not be on the right dose of synthroid yet.
They need to repeat your tests to see what your levels are now you have been on medication.
This all seems more horrifying than it really is because you are still adjusting to being off opiates, so every little emotion seems bigger than it normally would.
Tell your doc your concerns and have patience because these meds do not work instantly and the opiates do not clear your system instantly either.
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If you don't need thyroid hormone and take it, the worst that can happen short term is you get a little hyper.
If you do need thyroid hormone and don't take it, the worst that can happen short term is you go into a coma and die.
All things considered, it is probably better to keep taking this medication until you talk to the specialist, even if you don't think you need it.0 -
We will see what the endocrinologist says. I got some blood results pullled two days ago and TSH was 0.61 and noted as "low" and T4 at 9.1 with no notation so I'm assuming it's normal.
There's no reason for weight gain from stopping pain meds when your diet doesn't change - this is what I don't understand. Perhaps you have some understanding of the stoppage of opioids and I would love to know why - I haven't over eaten; if anything that first week and a half I lost weight and then the levo and bang; within 3.5 weeks I gain? That's crazy. Anyway, I'm going low carb and low calories and drinking fluids like a madwoman so hopefully I'll see some results.
Thanks for the reply
(and yes, all emotions are pretty much heightend right now; I see this fat person with no clothes to wear!) I'm into the 5th week so things should start looking up....they certainly can't get worse (unless I have no clothes 
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Please can I beg you to hang on in there. You are being monitored closely, a retest at 8 weeks is what we usually have to wait for. It seems as if your numbers are improving though it can take a while for a ship to feel as if it is slowing down. There are many points at which the thyroid can play its silly games. When the stimulating hormone is higher it is working too hard, there are several reasons for this. There should be a balance between T3 and T4 of about 1:4 when things are good, achieving this can take take time. We need more T4 because the body is supposed to change them into T3 which do the work, there can be problems at this point as well. It can take a while to find the right dose, or the right combination of medicines for any one person.
The thyroid is supposed to help with the elimination of toxins. All pain relief is its own kind of toxin which in the right amount is beneficial too much is bad. Your thyroid is probably still trying to remove all traces of your old pain relief medication at the moment because it can take time. The thyroid also trys to control sugar absorption. If you try to control the quickly accessible carbs you may find some benefits. Ever day can seem like a life time, when your system feels jangly it makes it more highly charged.
Please hang on in there, I promise it will get better. Also when I gave up aspirin based pain relief I dropped from 20 stone quite easily to 17, once it was out of my system. When your thyroid is in better shape it will start to happen. I know immobility really does make weight issues worse too. I am fortunate my mobility started to return as the aspirin reduced. Take care0 -
Thank you, I will hang in there. Frankly I am on a lot of medications, thx to a pain management dr. It was me who did the hard work to get off the opioid drugs, I have several more to tackle. I didn't realize the thyriod controlled so many things, especially toxins. I'm pretty damn toxic! Also, absolutely NO ONE in my family has ever had thyroid problems so I'm so confused - I thought it was a family issue..
I'll stay on the 100 levo until I see the specialist next week. Speaking of "jangly" that's a perfect description of how I feel. I'll have a few good days then a really bad one (or two). I have no choice but to go forward, so we'll see how this unfamiliary thyroid thing works going forward. Thank you for the description of the 1:4 ratio, and the thyroid getting rid of toxins. I truly know nothing about this and trying to educate myself but not finding consistent information on the internet, so thank you very much!0 -
msoptimistic1 - you mentioned that you take your Levothyroxine at the same time every day. Could I just check whether you take it on an empty stomach (e.g. first thing in the morning) and then don't eat or drink anything for at least an hour afterwards?
You should also avoid taking any other medication or vitamins that contain iron for at least 3 to 4 hours afterwards, as iron will interfere with the absorption of the levothyroxine.
I’ve been on Levothyroxine for about 5 years now and still have up and down days. I’ve read that certain foods will interfere with the absorption of the meds or even slow down the thyroid function.
The whole conversation process of T4 to T3 is quite complicated (there is also Reverse T3 and T3S & T3AC). T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone which is produced as a result of one iodine atom being cleaved from T4. I won’t bore you with all the finer details as you can read all about it on the internet.
I’ve also read that deficiencies in selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and B12 can lead to poor T4 to T3 conversion. Immune system activation, high adrenaline, aging, fasting, stress, prolonged illness, and diabetes could also have an effect.
I take a good multivitamin (that contains all the above) and a vitamin D supplement (as my levels were really low) which seems to help me a bit.
I hope you manage to get your meds sorted and start feeling better soon..0
