hypothyroid med - Levothyroxin

I've no experience myself, but a friend of mine is hypothyroid (she has hashimotos) and she either took this drug or something very similar. She lost loads of weight, but coupled with healthy eating and lots of exercise.

Obviously you wouldn't use it purely as a weight loss drug as if your thyroid is fine, it would mess with it. It's just supposed to help your thyroid be at normal levels so it functions properly. I don't think you'd lose extra weight unless you do what a 'normal' person has to, i.e eat at a calorie deficit and exercise.

Brand name or generic, it is exactly the same drug/ chemical compound. If you need thyroxine as prescribed by a Dr, you need it. No questions asked.

BrokenBelles wrote: »

My weight loss stalled a few months ago. Since then my Dr diagnosed me as hypothyroid and gave me a prescription for Levothyroxin 125 mcg. Does anyone have experience with this medication or taking it while trying to lose weight?

I only took it for about a week, then stopped because I thought I was having terrible side effects (it turned out I had the flu) One side effect I believe was caused by the medication was increased appetite. This makes me very anxious about losing the progress I've made so far. I've tried researching the med, but I still don't know effect this drug will have, if any, on my weight loss. There are several warning that it should not be prescribed as a weight loss drug, but no explanation for that warning.

Any advice is appreciated. I've started taking it again and just hope I can keep my eating under control.

too much thyroid hormone would make you have the symptoms of an overactive thyroid
so while yes you might lose weight you could be inviting heart trouble. i had surgery in January and was accused of overdosing on my levothyroxine and was told " you wouldn't be the first bariatric patient overdosing on thyroxine to lose weight" all because my heart rate during pre ops was over 100bpm

the took away my meds as they didn't believe me only giving it back a week later when they realized my heart rate never went below 100bpm

i dont feel any hungrier on levothyroxine, ive been on it about 18 months

what i do feel is a lot less pain. off my meds the pain in my limbs is terrible, i struggle to stay upright, i slur my words and i cant string a sentence together and could fall asleep on a washing line

not taking my meds just isn't an option for me

I've been on thyroid medicine for close to 20 years. Lost weight after I was taking it, and don't really think it had any impact. For me it was making healthier choices and moving more....which I've become lax on, which has lead to ganging weight, which means I now need to start paying attention again.

BrokenBelles wrote: »

How long does it take to show improvement? I have a lot of the symptoms (fatigue, very poor memory, cold sensitivity, some hair and skin issues, and of course being overweight) but thought that was just life.. It never occurred to me that I might have a thyroid problem until it showed up on a routine blood test.

I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's in October and my doc told me it can take 6 weeks before you start feeling better. I noticed small improvements after about 2 weeks then even more improvments after that. I'm currently on 100mcg and my 6 week blood test was back down to 1.45 TSH, whereas upon diagnosis is was all the way up to 15!

Vananners wrote: »

ruqayyahsmum wrote: »

takes around 6 weeks to feel the benefits. i know my meds need upping when my symptoms start rearing their head

Ditto. I start to feel tired again, that's the first sign. Last time, I just called my doc and she upped my dosage right then and there.

i soooo wish mine would. i went for a medication review today with my gp and it was obvious she didnt know who i was and wasnt listening to a word i said

but tiredness for me isnt a reliable indicator sadly as i cannot absorb vitamin b12 so get tired a month before every injection, sucks *kitten*

Weight gain is not a common problem with Synthroid. If you feel that is happening, speak to the doctor about it.

The reason there are all those warnings is that it can hurt people who don't need it. People hear that it helps those who needed it. So, they figure, "If it helps her lose weight, I want it, too!" But if they don't need it, it will mean too much in their system and can cause other problems.

Thyroid hormone afters weight, but it also affects a lot of other things. Too much or too little isn't good. That's why there are all the warnings about not taking it for weight loss. People hear that someone (like me) was able to lose after taking it and think, "If it helps her lose weight, I want it, too!" So, they have to remind people that they will not reap the same benefit (since they already have thyroid hormone, lol) and that taking too much can hurt them.

People do nutty things to lose weight.

I have to supplement with vitamin d3 drops and b12. I'm not sure if it's common; but it's been a problem for me since becoming hypothyroid. I know I feel MUCH better when I'm supplemented (I've had to continue taking them to keep me at a good level). I believe having good levels have helped me with my weight loss goals. Take care

I am Hypo and have been on Levo for almost two years. It may take awhile to get you at the right dosage. Levo will not necessarily "cure" your symptoms either. I actually ended up doing natural medicine to help my symptoms but the Levo regulated my thyroid. It may take a lot of playing with your workouts and diet to find what you need to do to lose weight and get in shape. For me the key ended up being a high protein diet, I didn't necessarily decrease my carbs I just don't eat very many unhealthy carbs. I'm supposed to be gluten free too but haven't been doing so well at that lately. Going GF didn't help with my weight loss at all but it does help with other internal issues. Supposedly low intensity workouts are better for hypo and I know a lot of people had results with that but I personally need high intensity. I suggest playing with your diet and exercise until you find the right combo for you.

Okay, I have hypothyroidism and I have a cousin who is endocrinologist and two cousins who are pharmacists. Here's the information I have got after questioning all of them.

For most medications, the generics work just as well as the brand name ones. According to FDA or whoever regulates medications, a med can have 20% more or less of the main ingredient than the name brand in order to be called the same med. In more other ailments, this won't matter. However, thyroid gland can be significantly affected by small changes. Synthroid is the original brand name med (I think it's made by Abbot labs...and only Abbot). Levothyroxine is a generic and may be made by multiple companies. Now if one company uses 80% of the ingredient and another one uses 120%, they may both call it levothyroxine, although there might be significant difference in the two. There is no problem using the generic, but the bottle of generic will indicate which company/lab made it. Just make sure you get the generic made by the same lab (usually if you keep buying it from the same pharmacy, it will be the same). So then there is precise consistency.

I am not a pharmacist or a doctor, but this is what I have been told by pharmacists and doctors. So, this this information is not accurate, don't attack the post folks. I'm just trying to help.

As for weightless, I have found that once you're put on ideal dosage, you can lose weight. I would not stop taking the meds though without consulting the doc unless the side effects are very bad. Stopping the meds or altering the dosage without asking the doctor WILL affect the weightless.

Hope this helps!

I have been on thyroid for over 30 years. To begin with I had Armour which was great and not synthetic. It was recalled years ago but it back on the market . Others say it is not like it used to be.

I had to go off my thyroid meds for 7 years because of lack of insurance. I am back on them now and the doc gave me the Levo and it was wonderful for the first couple months because my body was so starved for thyroid. I had been on Synthroid too and found no difference. THEN I joined the Thyroid group on Spark People and a lady their told me about NP Thyroid and my doctor was fine about changing me to it. The Levo brought me up to about 75% after 4 months. I have been on the NP for two weeks now and my body is so happy. I have so much more energy and one thing the Levo did to me was make my heart pound in the 90's and now I am back down to the low 80's which is a normal for me.

I have lost weight on the NP but I think it is more from the low carb eating kicking in as I started the LC about a week before the change to NP. I seem to have more energy so probably moving more and this last week we have had a crazy schedule.

Another thing on the Levo is you need to take it at least 30 minutes before eating anything and take it with a big glass of water. I hated that. The NP can be taken under the tongue. Crush it between two spoons then brush it off with your finger under your tongue. It is the best thing I taste every day as it tastes sweet. GH probably full of sugar. Pharmacist said it would not dissolve and taste nasty but would be ok to do under tongue. Crushed it works great and eliminated the passing through the stomach issue.

I am on medicare and insurance does not cover the cost of the NP but I use a Good-RX card and get 7 dollars off so it is about 12.00 a month. Close to what my Levo cost.

NO I am not connected with this brand of thyroid. I just learned of it myself. It is also made from porcine thyroid like the old Armour. This takes the synthetic out of it. some times it is just the smallest thing that makes a difference with which thyroid works for you. The pharmacist tried to substitute the NP to Armour and I held my ground. He had to order it in.

Having said all this give your Levo a try. It does take about 6 weeks to really start working if taken the proper way. And do not mix it with vitamins and calcium for at least 4 hours. They can cancel each other out. And Even feeling great I sometimes have to take a nap in the afternoon. I just crash some times. I am 65 but even so this kind of tired is not some thing can over come with out some sleep.

Chris

I was diagnosed with Grave's disease about 7 years ago. I underwent thyroid ablation with radioactive iodine and became hypothyroid. Since then I take levothyroxine 88mcg. I have not had a problem managing my weight and have successfully lost 38 lbs by maintaining a calorie deficit and upping my activity (mainly through running, cycling, ballroom dance and weight training).

I view me taking levothyroxine for the rest of my life like a diabetic taking insulin. I am replacing the hormone that I need but my body no longer produces. I have not experienced any side effects or negative impact on weight management due to taking levothyroxine.