The one thing I commonly find with hypothyroidism is that no two patients - even with very similar panel results - respond exactly the same to identical treatments.

Levothyroxine (Synthroid and other brand-names) is the standard treatment to start with, but for some people it just doesn't work. Keep in mind you may need to test levels and treat for T3 as well.

My advice is work closely with your doctor to determine what treatment works BEST for you. You need to give feedback, and he/she needs to be able to present options. It's not easy to find the best solution for each individual for hypothyroidism - but if both you and your GP work on this together, you can make some good progress on the issues.

Good luck!

@mayabrooks025

Maria Emmerich of mariamindbodyhealth.com has some good information as well. For me, adding medications alone was not enough. I had to add supplements and eat a more nutrient rich diet in order to start to feel better.

One of the things alone that hypothyroidism does is affect the level of stomach acid produced, which on top of all the normal thyroid stuff makes you have a harder time digesting food and breaking down nutrients to absorb them, which creates a cascading failure in the body.

Additionally, thyroid issues and adrenal issues are kissing cousins, and where you find one, you often find the other, even if you have to dig. Without addressing all ongoing issues, you won't make good progress in any particular category.

My personal suggestion is to read all you can. In fact, I learned just today about some additional more old school therapies I might test drive to see if I like them.

Also, optimal range of TSH for most folks is 0.5-1.5. Anything over 2.0 in a verified hypothyroid patient (not Hashimoto's or any other specialty type) is considered to by time to increase medication. Free, Total, and Reverse T4 & T3 numbers, are also major indicators.

It took over 2 years with my current endocrinologist - whom I actually like a great deal - both his personality and his professional capacity - before I was able to get my T3 numbers tested, so it isn't a surprise. Personally, I would look to getting a metabolic endocrinologist or functional medicine doctor who handles thyroid, as the majority of thyroid treatments are considered unconventional. You really need someone to look at the big picture, not just this small corner of the puzzle of overall health, if you can afford it. There is a thread, and I'll go look for the link, that has a list of good doctors on it.

If you are taking levothyroxine (or synthroid) don't have coffe within 1 hour of taking it or supplements within 4 hours (particularly calcium) as it will decrease absorption. If you are taking biotin, stop it a few days before a TSH draw as it will affect the results. Also, some people find they do better on synthroid or other name brand rather then generic as the fillers in the pills can affect absorption. Best wishes on finding what works for you!

mayabrooks025 wrote: »

Hi,
I just found out I have hypothyroidism, low t4 and normal tsh. I started levothyroxine today. Does anyone have hypothyroidism? I feel extremely lost and looking for advice on all of this. I appreciate your response.

I've been diagnosed with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism (a little over a year). In my experience the hype over hypothyroidsm is vastly overrated.

Do make sure, as others have noted, that your doc is testing your thyroid hormone levels directly: T4, T3, and rT3. TSH is less directly useful, but provides some information. Your TSH, T4, and T3 can be absolutely normal, but if your rT3 is too high you may feel like crud. My doctor calls T3 the happy hormone, and rT3 the sad hormone.

If your rT3 level is too high, your thyroid is not working to convert the T4 (levothyroxine, as a synthetic hormone) into T3 properly, and you may need to add T3 directly (Liothyronine, as a synthetic hormone). I take 75 mcg of levothyroxine and 5 mcg of liothyronine - that seems to be about right, but the blood test I had done this morning will decide if it needs to be adjusted.

As for impact on weight loss - it has had zero impact on mine. I've just lost ~73 lbs (a bit under a year). About the same rate of weight loss as prior efforts at weight loss (aside from the 3 month pause during cancer treatment). I've been maintaining now for ~2 months.

I don't follow a special diet - and have not had any trouble getting my thyroid numbers in teh appropriate range. I have seen suggestions that keto and hypothyroidism have some incompatibility problems - but haven't had time to run it to the ground. My primary focus was to get my diabetes under control (simultaneous dagnosis), then to shift to researching what I need to know about Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Cancer interrupted that - but I'm almost at the point where I can pick that research up. (Fingers crossed for my appointment tomorrow, in part to review symptoms in the other breast. )

Patti2008 wrote: »

Some people find they do better on synthroid or other name brand rather then generic as the fillers in the pills can affect absorption.

Is there anywhere one can turn to learn about these shadowy fillers?

(For example, do the manufacturers use the same fillers from one med to another? Does the FDA monitor these "inactive ingredients" in any meaningful way ?)

Thanks for any insights!

RalfLott wrote: »

Patti2008 wrote: »

Some people find they do better on synthroid or other name brand rather then generic as the fillers in the pills can affect absorption.

Is there anywhere one can turn to learn about these shadowy fillers?

(For example, do the manufacturers use the same fillers from one med to another? Does the FDA monitor these "inactive ingredients" in any meaningful way ?)

Thanks for any insights!

Not that I've discovered. Just like I can tell you in the various doses of levo, the pills change color. I've gone from 75 to 88 to 100 to 112 mcg, and the current one is a reddish color, which I'm sure has Red #40, which is a mortal enemy of my gut, but I don't know any other way around it. @RalfLott - I figured if anyone would know about Brands versus generics, it'd be you, given your extensive experience with Metformin/Glucophage.

My understanding is that the inactive ingredients aren't tracked anywhere specific, and it varies WILDLY from manufacturer to manufacturer. In fact, if you get a refill, you might have to ask your pharmacy specifically to keep the same generic manufacturer. Otherwise they use whatever the system autoprompts.