Osie0129 check out the website stopthethyroidmadness.com - it is a weath of information and will gives you information on medications available so you can prepare yourself for your endo appointment.

If your medication makes you feel worse rather than better you need to try something else.

I have tried several synthetic medications and they also made me feel like *kitten*. I take armour thyroid, it is what works best for me but everyone is different.

I disagree with the information given by a previous poster that synthetics are more stable. That is a myth. The dessciated thyroid products manufactured in the United States follow the same USP standards.

Hello!

New to the group..I am hypothyroid..Since being diagnosed back in 2002 (I read about it in a magazine and had all the symtoms..so made my dr. check) I had been taking synthroid..which seemed to work..then decided to go on levothyroxine (for cost) and that seemed to put me on a "roller coaster" effect at times ..So anyway..up to speed...back and forth on meds..having my med levels raised and lowered (am now on .88 synthroid) I am still at a loss! I feel like I am doing something wrong! I am wondering if it is my green tea "addiction" that could have an affect on all this....or I have read that diet and exercises can play a role too! I did go to the web site that seaglass2 suggested...now I am considering asking my doc about switching to armour thyroid...is it still actually available? Does my local pharmacy carry it? What all tests should I have my doc do and not just TSH..I have asked for the t3/t4 in the past..not sure if I asked for the right ones? Or if there are any others I should be requesting? I just HATE this problem!! I feel like I am being sabotaged at every angle! Thanks for listening and I am glad I found this group..Thanks!

Agree -- exercise can be our saving grace - we just have to muscle through it on bad days. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to try to battle thyroid issues without some sort of medication - the choice is synthetic or natural. I'm transitioning right now to Armour... I've had a rough time because my Hashi antibodes went crazy after a 3 week long cold... my Antibodies have doubled and my TSH is also high. So, we're dealing with that, but I can't imagine trying to do it without any meds.

I use to only take levothyroxine and I could just die, I was so depressed and felt so fatigue I couldn't explain it. I just wasn't myself anymore. No passion for life. T3 is the Active form of thyriod replacement and it literally changed my life. I LOVE IT! The one i'm on is Cytomel. So, I'm on a combo of T4 and T3. I suggest you visit your endo and get a updated labs and see where your at, and talk to your endo about adding T3! Everyone is different, and there are a few other brands but you don't know how it is for you unless you try it. Best of Luck! I hope you start feeling better!

I'm new here. Didn't know about this group until I read another Post on another Group.
I've been having Thyroid problems for years. I'm on Synthoid-I can't take the Generic stuff.
Weight problems -Yes. it seems I'm constantly fighting to lose weight.
Exercise more now than I ever have. Even joined Anytime Fitness to help me.
Also have Respiratory problems & Asthma.
Also, turning 66 yrs. old in a couple days. So I'm NO Spring Chicken here.
So any support I can get from all of you is important to me.
Thanks for having this Group.

Hi, everybody. I just found this group from a post on the community page. I was diagnosed Hashimoto's hypothyroid about 10 years ago and put on levothyroxine. In some ways it was a blessing finding out what was wrong with me, but I was having a very difficult time finding a good level of the medication. The doctor I was seeing was willing to do the bloodwork every 4-6 weeks and continued to increase my dosage. It seemed I would feel more energetic for 2-3 weeks and then plummet back to the exhausted, foggy state I had been in before diagnosis. I changed doctors because of health insurance and the new doctor wanted me to try Armour thyroid. For about 2 weeks I was miserable, like I had no thyroid in my system, but then it kicked in. I had to go through getting the dose right and am now on 150 mg. daily for the last several years. I take 90 mg in the morning and 60 in the evening. If I forget, I just take it all in the evening, but I feel better if I take it spread out. I have felt much better on the Armour than on the levothyroxine. The only time it was a problem was when there was a shortage and I couldn't get it, so I was having T4 and T3 compounded at a pharmacist to my doctor's orders. I didn't feel as well then and my bloodwork showed I was difficient in all levels.

I am 55 years old and probably had been low thyroid most of my life. Pains and symptoms I had since I was a small child got better after getting the thyroid diagnosed and treated. After I was diagnosed, my mother and both my daughters were diagnosed with the condition. My 21 year old daughter has fought it, refusing to be dependent on medication for the rest of her life, but her symptoms are becoming severe enough that she is ready to try. (Hair loss, digestive issues, female issues, infections, tiredness, etc.)

About 8 years ago, I started seeing a doctor of osteopathy. She takes time to listen to my symptoms, concerns, and what's going on in my life. The blood work she orders checks for just about everything that can be checked. Then she asks me if I want to treat with holistic or western medicine or lifestyle changes if there is a choice available. She makes suggestions of things I can do with my diet and lifestyle, supplements I can take to help with energy, etc. She explains what every thing she wants to treat is and why. I get all of this in writing as I leave so I can sort it out later. She is even available for a phone consultation in the evening if I have a concern for no additional charge. If you don't have a doctor that will listen and look for your personal right level of thyroid supplement, keep looking. There are other doctors out there. I have been very fortunate but that's because I have searched for and chosen doctors that would listen even before I know about the thyroid condition.

Like others here, I limit dairy, don't eat gluten, and try to avoid soy as much as possible. I am type 2 diabetic and suffer from many food and airborn allergies, so I am careful to eat a healthy diet. It makes a difference in how i feel overall. As I am losing weight my energy levels increase. It will be interesting to see what my bloodwork shows when I go back to the doctor in a couple of months.

I got diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in December of last year my TSH was 10.450 so I got started on Levothyroxin 50 mcg a day. I had read all the symptoms of hypothyroidism and honestly didn't feel that bad. I was surprised my level was so off. I went back in February to get my levels checked and was down to a normal TSH level of 3.390 and a T4 of 1.03 but my doctor wants my TSH to be around 2.5 so she increased my dose to 75 mcg. After months of this I have seen no changes at all. I might even be more tired. How long does it take to "feel awesome"?

It's been close to 20 years for me and I have NEVER felt awsome since I was diagnosed. I have found the generic works just the same as Synthroid....but after reading this, I am gonna ask about Armour.