I had Graves too, I was in my 20's I think. Unlike you, I actually gained weight while I was hyperthyroid! I do have to say, taking the medication is no big deal, it becomes a part of your life.

While my body was draining of excess thyroid my metabolism slowed way, way down. I was on a 1200 a day calorie diet and could not lose weight, even with lots of exercise. But after I started on hormone it began to budge.

Take it a day at a time. Remember that some of your anxiety might actually be caused by too much thyroid hormone. My personality change a LOT after I got the Graves disease treated. It makes me think, even to this day, that perhaps a lot of our personality is the result of the hormonal cocktail running through our veins.

Hi all,

This may be old news aboout synthroid and cytomel, but here's my experience. When I developed hypothyroidism I doubled min size, yet my then MD said it was all in my mind! Anyways, I changed MDs and started synthroid, titrating up to .300 over the next year. I still felt exhausted and then I saw an article in the New England J of Med Jan 99. It suggested that women with hypothyroidism and depression did better by adding cytomel to the synthroid. Over then next 6 mo I switched to 0.2 synthroid + 0.25 cytomel X2 (AM & PM = 0.5) and that has been magic for me. My thyroid levels are now in the normal range, I'm no longer exhausted and I have finally been able to lose weight!
maxcurie

I take Synthroid in the morning and Armour in the afternoon and it definitely helps.

I have learned more about hypothyroidism on this forum than from all the doctors I have been too. I am especially interested in this T3 and T4 ????

Eltroxin, 0.1mg, and I do lose weight on Atkins. I've been on this level for about 5 years, steadily increased from the lowest dose up to this on the 5 years previous to that. I used to take Synthroid until a couple of years ago, but there was something that happened, a question of quality control at the lab I think, that made my doctor stop using it.

When the first doctor prescribed it all those years ago, she said not to expect any weight loss just because of the pills - and she was right! It seems to have combined with Atkins just fine, though.

Margie-I just joined this today and I didn't really know how to post. I put this post in as a response to what I was reading in the first page of postings listed!

I just want to say thank you for posting all of that information and for all the work you've done to make your knowledge available to people. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism some time ago and nothing my doctor has done has seemed to help. I used a thermogenic, Heatwave, for a while back in 1998. During that time, most of my symptoms seemed to seriously lessen, however, once I stopped using the supplement I kind of fell apart. I haven't wanted to use any supplements since my doctor diagnosed me because I was afraid to do any damage to my throid. However, at this stage of the game, three years later and no improvement, I feel strongly motivated to take matters into my own hands and try Thermalene or one of the other products I have seen mentioned in these forums.

thank you again for providing me, and everyone else, with such a useful tool as your website as well as the information you posted here!

I'm on synthroid(it will be one year this Sept.), I haven't lost weight since taking it, buat I'm thinking of asking the Dr. to up my dosage(sp). Last lab test shows my thyrod level at 1.42 and closer to 2 is normal. I'm hoping this diet will help lose the weight.

Deb

I was amazed to find this forum! After reading the posts, I nearly felt like crying. It's so good to know that I'm not the only one going through something like this. I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism after my son's birth about 7 years ago. I'd been taking Synthoid up until about a year ago. I moved to Australia and they don't carry that brand here, so my doctor put me on Oroxine 150mg daily. I have packed on 40 pounds over the last year and am still gaining. I've been telling my doctor for that long now that something isn't right.I eat well (low carb, low gi) and exercise 5-6 days a week (walking briskly 2.8k/day, hand weights morning and night).I eat better and exercise more than most people I know. They've checked my glucose, cholesterol, the hormone that indicates Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and a few more and say they are fine. This can't be normal! I can't just keep buying new clothes when I get too fat to wear the old ones each couple of months. I'm now up to 180 pounds. I don't know what else to do. It's mentally draining knowing that I'm constantly gaining weight and nobody will listen. I even kept a diary for 1 1/2 months of everything I ate, drank and any exercise I did before going to an Endocrinologist 2 months ago. He looked at it and asked if I were a dietician because I seemed to be eating all the right things. He just told me no carbs after 5 and use the hand weights and I will have lost 10cm by my next visit. It's now past the time to go back and it hasn't worked and I've gained a few more pounds and cm's in the process. Help! I don't know what else to do.

Hi, you must insist that the endocrinologist run Free T3 when he does your bloodwork. Also insist that he adds cytomel to your prescription. Cytomel is T3, whic is the active hormone. It will take awhile to get them titrated, but I am on 0.2 levoxyl (T4) and 2x 25mg (AM/PM) cytomel T3. It took me 6 years and 150 pounds before I got the right doses!

Take care
maxcurie (Patty)

Thank you so much for your input! I've since been back to see the Endocrinologist. Before going in, I'd printed up a two page summary of points that I wanted to cover with him so that I wouldn't forget what I wanted to say! I had both barrels loaded, let me tell ya. One of the points being that my Oroxine is kept in my bathroom where it gets quite warm with the shower and heater. Through research, I found that in 2003, Sigma (the makers of Oroxine here) were instructed to keep the medication refrigerated as the potency after 4 weeks unrefrigerated wasn't the same. It's not printed anywhere on the bottle, and my doctor, nor the pharmacist said anything about that! And I've had that bottle since March of this year. He just said that that's something they were just hearing about. I also presented him with my point that it's repeated in many medical journals how just replacing the thyroxine to "adequate" or "normal" levels does not relieve symptoms for some patients, and that replacing it with a higher level than "normal" may be more benefical. Anywho, at the end of the day, he's uped my dosage 25 mcg to try for 4-5 weeks. Then I have to be retested. I also made the decision prior to going back to him that I would go back to my previous routine of low(er) carbs: no potatoes, rice, pastas or breads and also go back to running 1.5 miles 5 days/week, along with sit ups and a few other at home exercises. I've used the no pastas, rice, breads or potatoes routine before and it really did help me lose. I had more or less gone to still low carbs, but having low GI which includes the above, thinking that would be okay for me since it's a very healthy regime. Apparently, my body doesn't react well to the carbs-low GI or not, so I'll just cut that bit out! I also would like to find out from anyone who has tried using Coconut Oil. I've been reading about the effects of it for people with Hypothyroidism and it sounds to be beneficial.
Thanks again for your input!

Take care,
Lara

I have been on synthroid or levoxyl for about 15 years now.....weight did not start coming off until I started LCing....ALSO many people who are hypothyroid also have elevated insulin levils.......ask for a fsting INSULIN test, not just a glucose test.....if it is off you can take glucophage and it helps with weight loss and sugar spikes and drops......combined with lc I feel fantastic! took many years of frustration to find this out.......if you have PCOS have your insulin checked as well.....my doc told me all theses things are connected......I had a horrible time getting pregnant, my doc ids now using glucophage with women who have PCOS and throid probs with great success.............just my observation

I've been on synthroid since I was 12 (now 22), I never noticed weight loss when I first started with it, and it definetly didn't stop me from gaining when I when to college and basically ate whatever I wanted for 3 years. However, since starting a low carb diet, I don't seem to be having any more trouble losing weight than "normal" people. I still feel sluggish but I don't really know how I should be feeling, I have nothing to compare it to.

Before seeing this forum, I didn't even really know about T3 vs. T4, all I knew was that I'd taken a pill every day for the past 10 years. Next time I get bloodwork, I will be sure to ask the doc to check my T3 levels and test for PCOS.

I wanted to thank everyone for all the great info here, its amazing what I didn't know before!

Hi,
I was diagnosed this last summer (after I gained 30 lbs!!). Anyway, I am still w/in "normal" range so I am on a low dose of cytomel and Levoxyl. Well, neither of those have made any difference in the way I feel, so I have begun to see a homeopath.....though I am still on the meds until I can see my endocrinologist in January. The reason I am posting is because my pharmacist said that they have stopped manufacturing cytomel....I live in LA, does anyone know if this is true or if there is somewhere I can find it?

thanks!

Janey, you received a few replies to your other post here: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=217775