**Hypothyroid Support Group**

I've been dealing with Hashimotos and a multi nodular goiter for the past 13 years. I started out taking Synthroid but my body reacted horribly and found out that I was allergic to one of the fillers in the pill. I was then put on Eltroxin and since working out and running as well as eating much healthier I have managed to lose some weight. It is important to research foods that work against proper functioning of your thyroid, soy products/peanuts etc are just two examples of foods that interfere with thyroid medication working properly. I am lucky to have a great doctor who checks my TSH levels every three months and takes me serious when I notice small changes in my symptoms. Pay close attention to symptoms like night sweats, bleeding/spotting, depression etc, you know your body better than anyone and when these kinds of symptoms arise you can bet that your dosage needs adjusting! Hang in there ladies, it is more than possible to lose weight, lots of cardio and strength training will improve your physical and psychological state and at the same time will enable you (your Doctor) to decrease your dosage!

I was diagnosed w/ Hypothyroid in July 2011 and was prescribed Levothyroxine 50mcg. Nine months later I am up to 100mcg and still not feeling totally normal. I am due to get my levels checked again this month.
I started out completely and utterly drained of energy. I was constantly exhausted and did nothing but sleep. I gained 20lbs in a years time. I was shocked to learn my thyroid was not functioning properly-I don't even know what the thyroid does! I just thought I was depressed-and who wouldn't be after gaining 20lbs and being tired all the time. My life consisted of sleeping and napping. Getting through my days and nights of work was a struggle.
Last month, I went back to the doctor because I was feeling severely off kilter. I was going through stages of insomnia and mind racing thoughts, not being able to focus/concentrate, then I would crash and sleep for hours and hours and hours. One day I slept for 17straight hours. He did some blood work and found that my levels were still low and upped by Levo to 100mcg. He also sent me for ADD, Depression and Anxiety testing...will get the results from those test on Tuesday.
Lucky for me, my husband did not give me a hard time-he did joke about me being lazy but he knew there was something wrong with me and pushed for me to go to the doctor.
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Hi. I'm Lucy. I was diagnosed with Hashi's about eight years ago. I was put on Levothyoxine and noticed an improvement within a week. For the following several years, I was pretty stable. I had no issues with weight gain, or any other symptoms.

At one point all of my symptoms returned, and I felt exactly as I had before diagnosis, but my levels were normal range. I couldn't understand what was going on, and my doctor had no clue, only telling me my labs were fine. After doing my own research, I discovered when I changed to a new pharmacy, they had taken the liberty of subbing out for the generic. I did research on the internet, and discovered that the generic is not consistent and can cause problems for people. Sure enough, once I got back on the name brand, I got better again. For a while...seems like every 9 mos to a year I need to switch doses, sometimes up and sometimes down. I have bounced from 100mcg to 88mcg to 112mcg, back to 100mcg, etc.

I started having issues with tiredness a little while back. I had labs done and found out I was anemic, at 10.0 (normal is 12-15). I tried to correct with diet, but continued to feel tired. I did not consider my thyroid since I had been diagnosed with anemia, and my thyroid had been stable for a while. However, when I did labs again recently to check the anemia, I discovered that my anemia had dropped to 9.2 and my thyroid was at 10.9 (should be between 2-5 I believe). Since then my doctor wanted to increase my Levothyoxine from 100mcg to 125mcg. I was nervous to jump up that high, so I had her put me on 112 for one month to see how I do (along with an iron supplement). I have been on the new dose for about 10 days, and that combined with the iron did give me more energy at first, now the past few days I have had a little trouble sleeping..this results in needing a nap the next afternoon. I also have not been able to lose any weight, despite watching my calories and working out (2-3 hours a day/4 times a week and being a server in a busy restaurant -- not sedentary).

Anyway, I'm half way hoping that my levels are still off next time I have my labs, in a week or so, that will at least explain why I am still tired and not losing. Hmmmmm....

Thanks for starting this group, it's nice to know how others deal with this, and give and get support!

So great to find a thread for the very frustrated hypos out there!!! I was diagnosed a little over a year ago, and in the last 2 years, have gained over 30 lbs. I have been on Levo for about a year, and was not feeling any better, no matter the dosage. Finally, my Dr. put me on Synthroid (about 3 weeks ago) and I already feel so much better! I cant believe the difference in the name brand as compared to the generic!!