Sorry, I would fire that doctor. I took Synthroid for 15 years and never once did I have a day without symptoms of hypothyroidism. Synthroid does absolutely nothing to correct your thyroid disease.

Here's the deal - Syntrhoid is synthetic T4. The doctors only blood test for TSH - Thyroid Stimulating Hormone which is produced by your pituitary gland. If your pituitary thinks you need more T4 is generates more TSH trying to tell your thyroid to start making T4.
T4 is an "inactive" hormone -- your body cannot really use it for anything. A HEALTHY thyroid takes the T4 and converts it to T3(active hormone) in the presence of healthy adrenals and a healthy amount of iodine in your system.

These brain-dead doctors do not test you for T3. They ASSume that your diseased thyroid is taking the synthetic T4 in Synthroid and converting it to the T3 that your metabolism needs. How stupid is that??? They also don't test for Reverse T3. This is a "blank" of T3. When you are under stress, your body can produce too much RT3 - it plugs up the T3 receptors in your cells and doesn't allow your body to use the free T3 that's floating around. This effectively slows your metabolism down to absolutely nothing -- I have Reverse T3 -- I finally found a Naturopath that helped me figure this out and is working with me to get rid of it.

Finally, you have Hashimotos - antibodies in your blood that are attacking your thyroid and eventually will kill it. I have Hashi also and no doctor ever tested me for it - or even cared that I have it.

So, if all they test is TSH - how the he-double-hockey-stick do they ASSume that everything is honkey dorey is beyond me.

Sorry for the rant - but these doctors stink!

First of all, welcome.

You already got a lot of good advice. I'd definitely consider consulting another doctor if I were you. If you have that option available, an endocrinologist that specializes in thyroid would be your best bet. Having a good doctor is extremely important in getting the right treatment for your particular case.

I don't really have much to add, except that I know how you feel. I had my thyroid removed in July 2010 and I've been there where you're now. Almost 50 pounds gain, basically overnight. About 10 of those I did need, but the remaining 40 is just too much. But, once my hormones stabilized, I started losing. At a snail's pace, but still consistently losing. Just don't give up, it will move eventually.

Thank you for your responses. I have been doing my own research and not just relying on what my doctor says anymore. This winter was particularly rough for me. I turned into an emotional basket case and have never experienced that before. I was angry and sad all the time and cried so freaking much I was starting to scare myself. With the push of my boyfriend (who has the patience of a god) I started reading everything I could about the thyroid and then had my doctor check all of my levels not just TSH. My T3 and T4 are testing normal but my TSH was at almost 5.

When I say my dr. doesn't believe in giving T3 replacements, I should say that is only in most cases. She does prescribe it in extreme cases, but doesn't feel mine is that much of a cause for alarm. I, of course, disagree. I think it's extreme that I run 5 miles a day and can't lose any weight at all. I've decided to give her a little longer depending on how my next blood test goes. Just to clarify, she is an endochronologist at the best hospital in the country, so I do believe she knows more than I do lol.

Sister_Someone, you are the first person I have met who has also had theirs completely removed. What medication are you taking and what dosage finally worked for you?

I can totally relate to the part of your post about becoming an emotional basket case - my Dr. even wanted to put me on medicine for depression - I said NO - I'll find a way to deal with this, without taking another danged pill. Seems like the minute I turned 44, I started having all these medical problems - and I just wasn't ready to admit I was middle aged
In my opinion, hypothyroid also messes with my emotional self - and I have to constantly tell myself I can overcome this or at the very least, learn to live with it. But like you - I'm not giving my current Doctor very long, and if I don't start feeling more like my normal self - I'm gonna get another Dr's opinion. I'm NOT that old and I don't wanna feel ANY older than I already do. LIFE's too short to go around feeling shortchanged!!!!!

Good luck to everyone here struggling with this hypo or hyper stuff!
~~PR

I can totally relate to the part of your post about becoming an emotional basket case -

Me too... But that was a few months ago. After I changed the doctor, and the new one increased my T4 dosage I felt much better.
And my TSH levels were at the top of the normal. Not even more than that. (I take now 75 mcg of T4)

I had mines removed in 02/2011. Wow! its been a year this month! I also gained weight instantly eventhough I started eating healthy and working out, I still gained over 20 pounds. I'm currently on a combo of T4 and T3. My levels have not stabalized yet though. I'm still working out and on the low calorie intake. I'm losing the weight very slowly. But hoping it will be at a faster rate once the levels are correct. Just don't stop working out and eating healthy otherwise you'll continue to put on the weight. Just don't give up, keep pushing forward, and take one day at a time. You need to push your endo to add T3, if not, I would suggest you switch to a different one. Good Luck! We're here for you!