Hypothyroid, gaining weight on Synthroid

[faywin]

I haven't posted here in awhile, for several months I've felt lousy...had horrible hypothyroid symptoms, my doctor just diagnosed it a month ago. I'd lost down to 90 lbs by LCing, and that's when the symptoms started - hair falling out, dry skin, incredibly cold all the time, exhausted, depressed, and of course gaining weight. I'm wondering if I'd lost too much and that's what caused the thyroid problem? If so maybe it's temporary.

My doctor put me on 25mcg Synthroid that barely changed anything after a week so he upped it to 50mcg. Another 2 weeks and it was still low so he upped it to 75mcg, I've been on 75 for a week. I don't really like the idea of taking thyroid hormone long term - would rather fix the problem, but the Synthroid has made a BIG difference in my symptoms and I feel a LOT better.

I've gained 20 lbs over the last few months, but since starting the Synthroid the weight's going up faster -all around the middle!- and my appetite is out of control. I went back to induction levels 3 days ago, I thought it would curb my appetite but so far it hasn't. I'm keeping carbs under 20 a day, but I'm eating well over 2,000 calories! Does Synthroid increase appetite and cause weight gain?

Oh, another thing... I used to love to drink water, but the last few months it's been a struggle, it makes me nauseous to drink more than a sip or two. I've wondered if that's related to hypothyroidism?

[yhalifax]

Once you are taking Synthroid it is for life. Essentially when the tyroid goes on the fritz it is for life.
A lot of people worry about needing to take something forever but it's a needless worry. Would a diabetic stop taking insulin?
Synthroid is one of the most harmless things you are can ever take. It does what it needs to do and doesn't affect anything else.

Hope you start to feel better. I starting taking Synthroid 3 years ago. It took going up to .125 but I feel great now.
Even if you feel better you should always have your TSH tested. The dosage may need to be changed from time to time.

Good luck!

[way2goal]

Faywin, hang in there! Starting the hypothyroid medicine can take 4-6 weeks to enter your system, so you shouldn't expect to feel any different after just 1-2 weeks (I'm surprised your doctor would allow a change in dose after only 1 week); my medicine (levoxyl) takes 4 1/2 weeks to enter my system, as I distictly remember the day (to the day) that I felt better once I approached the right dose (it was 4 weeks and 4 days to the day). It was as drastic as being deathly tired one day, and the next it was like I was a whole new person! Have faith that the medicine will make you feel better, and that 12 ug can make the difference.
Unfortunately, being medically corrected doesn't cause the weight to fall off. Adopting and maintaining and LC way of life is the way to go! I don't know of any correlations between weight loss and onset of hypothyroidism. Age, postpartum, etc, can trigger it; maybe it's just a timing thing for you. But, if you can try to continue the LC WOE, once you're medically corrected, you should feel alot better, and trust that the weight will come off (even if slowly)!

[Natrushka]

I I'm keeping carbs under 20 a day, but I'm eating well over 2,000 calories! Does Synthroid increase appetite and cause weight gain? Faywin, until your body adjusts and you find the optimal dose of synthroid you might feel worse before you feel better. If 75mcg is making a difference but you find that it hasn't alleviated all of your symptoms in 6 weeks you'll need to increase your dose. Be sure you do it slowly as it takes a good 5-7 half lives until your levels stabilize and T4 has a half-life of a week. You could find yourself going hyper if you increase too quickly.

The most common cause of hypoT is an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's disease, which is causes by antibodies in your system that highjack your thyroid. Things like whiplash, radiation therapy to the head/ neck, pregnancy and certain drugs (lithium, amiodarone/Cordarone) can lead to hypoT, but there doesn't seem to be a link between weight loss and thyroid disease (except that dramatic weight loss can be cause by thyroid disease). Have you had your antibodies checked?

[faywin]

Thanks for the advice. I so agree that LC is the way to go...it's the only diet that ever worked for me. I kind of fell off the induction wagon yesterday, had about 40 carbs, so I'll start over today. :o

It's good to know it may take a while longer to get the full effect, because although I feel better, I still don't feel "normal". I go back to have my levels checked again next week after being on 75mcg for awhile.

I think my doctor increased the dose so quickly because my thyroid levels were basically unchanged and 25mcg is a low dose, I think he realized it wasn't going to be enough.

I haven't had my antibodies checked, is that a common blood test? I've wondered about it because I've read that if you have thyroid antibodies you can fluctuate between hypo and hyper. About 18 months ago I was on the high-normal end, almost hyper, it was a surprise when I went hypo in the last few months. Is the treatment the same if you have thyroid antibodies?

[Natrushka]

I haven't had my antibodies checked, is that a common blood test? I've wondered about it because I've read that if you have thyroid antibodies you can fluctuate between hypo and hyper. About 18 months ago I was on the high-normal end, almost hyper, it was a surprise when I went hypo in the last few months. Is the treatment the same if you have thyroid antibodies?

Yes, it's a simple blood test and it's usually done when they test FT4 and FT3 to rule out autoimmune thyroid disease, which is the most common type of HypoT (Hashimoto's). People with Hashis often experience both hyper and hypo as the antibodies destroy their thyroid. The antibody tests to rule in/out Hashimoto’s disease are TPO (thyroperoxidase) and Tg (thyroglobulin). If you don't have any of these antibodies then you do not have hashis, or you don't have them anymore - often, when they have completed their job on your thyroid they disappear. Taking Selenium can also help reduce them significantly. It is also possible to have both Hashi's and Graves (which is autoimmune hyperthyroidism). The definitive test for Graves is TSI (thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin) antibodies.

The treatment for Hashi's is the same - replacement hormones. Hashi's is pretty much a life sentence, but once the antibodies are gone those swings from hyper to hypo will abate as well.

Nat