Anyone here on Synthroid?

[tctrek]

I should mention that after 12 years of hypothyroidism and taking Synthroid, I started riding a bike and taking spinning classes to lose weight and gain fitness. I was 60 pounds overweight and miserable. My TSH was 43 and I was taking Synthroid!!! That was 2 years ago. Since then I have lost 40 pounds. My weight loss has slowed down, but my fitness level is going up and I am losing inches.

And.. here's the cool part.. my TSH levels are improving. My Synthroid dosage has reduced from 200 mcg, to 150 mch, to 137, 125, 100.. and now I am on 88 mcg! Although, the doctor can't explain it, I am convinced that my increased fitness levels are somehow responsible for this improvement.

I also had high cholesterol and triglycerides and now have perfectly normal levels without any medication. I also had high blood pressure requiring 3 different meds and am now down to one mild dosage of pb meds.

I'm a firm believer that eating fresh foods and getting lots of exercise can turn around health problems. Keep on riding!!

[Triskeliongirl]

FYI, you do expect your absolute snythyroid dosage to go down as you lose weight, not because of increased fitness, but becasue dosage is really per unit of body weight. My dosage also went down as I lost weight, but only proportional to my weight loss (although it sounds like yours went down more than that).

[maillotpois]

FYI, you do expect your absolute snythyroid dosage to go down as you lose weight, not because of increased fitness, but becasue dosage is really per unit of body weight. My dosage also went down as I lost weight, but only proportional to my weight loss (although it sounds like yours went down more than that).

Exactly - my weight fluctuates regularly depending on how much I ride and how much attention I pay to what I eat. My dosage goes up and down in kind.

[Triskeliongirl]

Yes. Its best to think about dosage as an amount of synthroid per unit of body weight. So, the absolute dosage stays the same, even if the amount of each daily pill varies with body weight.

This is true for all medications, but usually dosage isn't as sensitive so it doesn't get adjusted (there is just a child dose or adult dose). Sticking to the same brand of thryoid medication is also important, not because one brand is 'better' but because even the fillers that different manufacturers use can effect absorption rates, and because our bodies are so sensitive to fluctuations if you work out your dose with one brand and then change brands the dose may be off.

But none of this is meant to scare you. Thyroid meds work great, you just need to find the right dosage, and if just synthroid, or combo therapy is right for you. You need to be patient, because it takes about 3 months to really see the effects of a change. My best advice is to work with an endocrinologist with a good reputation in your area. I started with my internist, but needed an endo to get it right (because of my need for combo therapy).

[skinimini]

Thanks everyone for all the great information. It makes me feel a lot better getting first-hand info about your experiences with thyroid replacement hormone. I have an appointment next week with a different endocrinologist for a second opinion. I've done about every test possible, and the consensus so far, is that the thyroid needs to come out. Maybe I'll throw in a little neck lift while they're there!

[tctrek]

FYI, you do expect your absolute snythyroid dosage to go down as you lose weight, not because of increased fitness, but becasue dosage is really per unit of body weight. My dosage also went down as I lost weight, but only proportional to my weight loss (although it sounds like yours went down more than that).

My dosage went down even though my weight stayed the same. I've been at a steady weight for about a year now, but dosage has continued to go down as I got more fit. Go figure....

[Dogmama]

Lupus messed with my thyroid. Synthroid has never been a problem. My doc checks my levels regularly & my dosage has never changed.

Glad you're getting second opinion. I don't see why the doc can't take a little extra skin for that neck lift. Heck, what the insurance company doesn't know won't hurt them!

[lisathew8lifter]

hello there,
i have been on thyroid meds since 2004. at first i lost weight and i was able to pretty much eat anything and keep it off. i admit, i took that for granted and when i started school as an adult learner working full time, i got lazy and the work outs took a back seat.

i continued to take generic synthroid for the four years i was going to school and the weight kept creeping up. i gained about 30 pounds over four years (luckily that was only one pants size, no joke) and after graduating last fall, i focused my efforts on resuming my active lifestyle and losing that weight.

after working out for three months sometimes three times per day (my work has a fitness center and i was taking classes at lunch and at night), i learned that i gained weight at my yearly exam. i about flipped!!!! i went back to my endocrinologist who gave me every test known to wo/man and we learned my TSH had crept up to where it was when i first started taking meds.

fast forward: i am now on a mild appetite suppressant and i am on 12 mcg higher dosage of non generic synthroid. since february, i have lost 11 pounds. while i'm happy with this loss, i have realized that this will be a struggle for the REST of my life and i always must WATCH everything i eat and everything i do. i require far fewer calories than the average person and the only way i see results is by increasing the exercise (sometimes two and one half hours per day) and decreasing the food intake.

so, my point is:
generic thyroid meds are frowned upon by my medical professional
you must always be on top of your TSH and make sure you monitor that
you likely will feel better by being on the meds but the price you will pay is that it may be harder for you to maintain your desired weight.

i hope this helps!??!

[surgtech1956]

what is the mild appetite suppressant? I'm just starting my Synthyroid.

[lisathew8lifter]

what is the mild appetite suppressant? I'm just starting my Synthyroid.

It is a prescription drug called phentermine

[maillotpois]

Wasn't that part of Phen - phen that was linked to heart wall degradation?

[snapdragen]

Wasn't that part of Phen - phen that was linked to heart wall degradation?

Yup, it was. It's considered a controlled substance.

[Kano]

Wasn't that part of Phen - phen that was linked to heart wall degradation?

It was the other Fen -- Fenfluramine that was taken off the market in 1997because of the heart valve issue.

Karen in Boise

[Triskeliongirl]

you likely will feel better by being on the meds but the price you will pay is that it may be harder for you to maintain your desired weight.

Are you suggesting that is harder to maintain your weight on medication? Its harder to maintain your weight when your TSH is high! As long as you are being appropriately treated (depending the person, its the right does of synthroid, synthroid/cytomel, or armour) it should get easier, not harder, to lose or maintain weight, i.e. think of thyroid hormone as being important for your metabolism, if it is down, your metabolism is slow, so it will be harder to lose weight.

Even if you TSH is normal, if you still feel sluggish and/or your free T3 is low you may need some form of T4/T3 combo therapy. I would explore this before taking an apetite suppresant. Or, see if there isn't something else going on that interferes with weight loss. In my case it wasn't until I got on T4/T3 combo therapy AND found out I had impaired glucose tolerance so went on a low carb diet that I could lose weight.

[lisathew8lifter]

Are you suggesting that is harder to maintain your weight on medication? Its harder to maintain your weight when your TSH is high! As long as you are being appropriately treated (depending the person, its the right does of synthroid, synthroid/cytomel, or armour) it should get easier, not harder, to lose or maintain weight, i.e. think of thyroid hormone as being important for your metabolism, if it is down, your metabolism is slow, so it will be harder to lose weight.

Even if you TSH is normal, if you still feel sluggish and/or your free T3 is low you may need some form of T4/T3 combo therapy. I would explore this before taking an apetite suppresant. Or, see if there isn't something else going on that interferes with weight loss. In my case it wasn't until I got on T4/T3 combo therapy AND found out I had impaired glucose tolerance so went on a low carb diet that I could lose weight.

Sorry but in my case, i totally disagree with you. My TSH is 1.05 right now and I have worked my *** off to lose 9 pounds since February. I work out sometimes 3 hours per day and my TSH has not been this low EVER. My endo tested me for anything and everything with regard to my metabolism and everything was within the normal range if not low end of normal. The appetite suppressant was to jump start the weight loss because I had been gaining not losing despite the work outs.

I believe there is a fine line when playing around with your TSH and your metabolism. If you over medicate that poses other health issues and if you under medicate that causes a different set of concerns. This is just my personal experience, for what it is worth.