Anyone here on Synthroid?

[maillotpois]

What a drag it is getting old
"Kids are different today,"
I hear ev'ry mother say
Mother needs something today to calm her down
And though she's not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother's little helper
And it helps her on her way, gets her through her busy day

ETA: Maybe that was about valium. I thought it was speed, but might have been valium. Nonetheless, it is an excellent song.

ETA: I guess I was thinking of this: http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75fspeed.phtml

[surgtech1956]

I just started on Synthyroid(generic) today, 50. I go back to the doctor in 3 months. How long was it before you started noticing any effects?

[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.

[lisathew8lifter]

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

Karen in Boise

thanks Karen! i had asked because my endo had assured me that these were not related. i am only on the phentermine temporarily until i lose the 30 pounds (now 21) that i have to lose. my mother has diabetes and since all of my excess is around my middle, it isn't just about looking good, its about my long term health. when my TSH is high, so are my triglycerides and my cholesterol and we want to be sure we keep all of that in check.

[tctrek]

Sorry but in my case, 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.

Lisa - I have the same problem, but I think it is a coincidence that you are hypothroid, on Synthroid and not able to lose weight. Working out 3 hours a day, depending on how many calories you are eating, can/will throw your body into a starvation mode. Your body could be storing as much as it can of what you eat as FAT! Because you are working it so hard and eating so little. Your net calories per day should not ever be less than 1,000 and better yet 1,200. That means if you can eat 1800 calories and burn 600 calories in exercise. If you workout 1 hour or less per day, you can get away with eating less calories, but never less than 1,000 per day no matter what.

I will wager that there are plenty of women on this forum who are NOT hypothyroid and who eat great and workout a lot and can't lose weight. Don't fool yourself into thinking it's your thyroid -- look at our other eating habits and make sure you are eating a fresh, balanced diet that wil support your body during hard exercise.

[snapdragen]

I find taking amphetamines to lose weight a really bad idea, but that's just me......hell, meth worked for a friend of mine.

[maillotpois]

I would consult with a nutritionist to ensure you are not pushing your body into starvation mode, as tctrek suggests, which will affect your metabolism in ways that don't show up ion a TSH test. It you are doing 3 hours a day of aerobic exercise, you need to fuel your body appropriately. Talk to your doctor about nutrition as an alternative to drugs. Mastering the nutrition piece is also something you can/should do your whole life - as opposed to amphetamines.

[Triskeliongirl]

You didn't understand what I said. Its not just about having a normal TSH. I too was being treated with synthroid, had a TSH of 1, was eating 1200 calories a day, biking 100 miles a week, and gaining weight.

But, it wasn't cuz I was taking synthroid as you conclude, its because my hypothyroidism wasn't being adequately treated by synthroid alone. In some cases, you will have a low free T3, which right away tells you there is a conversion problem. By that I mean that synthroid is T4, which is an inactive precurser to T3, the active form of thryoid hormone. In that case its obvious you need to be on T3 (cytomel). In my case my T3 and TSH were both normal, so at that point I was referred to an endo who put me on T4/T3 combo therapy. At the same time we discovered I was hypoinsulinemic, so I was put on a low carb diet. THEN, and only then, I finally was able to lose 35 lb and get to a healthy normal weight.

Now, I am not saying that you have exactly what I have, but it is definitely wrong to blame synthroid for your weight problem. If you are still having a weight problem on synthroid, it means something else is still not right and you and your endo. need to look for other reasons you are struggling so much with your weight.

I teach this stuff to medical students, and I am absolutely certain that having too much thyroid hormone as you suggest does not make you gain weight. THere are reasons you don't want to be overmedicated, but weight gain is not one of them (its quite the opposite, folks that are hyperthryoid will lose weight, but there are lots of good reasons not to overmedicate). You need to find the UNDERLYING REASON you struggle with your weight rather than using amphetamines as a quick fix. Here, I am speaking from a lifetime of experience that once we got to the route of my problem, a 50 year battle with weight control was stopped dead in its tracks. I felt as if my weight simply normalized, not like I was dieting anymore. I was satisified with reasonable amounts of food. If I cut back, I would lose, if I overate I would gain, but things started to work as they should, and I have maintained my loss for 2 years by simply eating healthy food in moderate portions (but low in carbs due to my impaired glucose tolerance/hypoinsulinemia) and leading a healthy lifestyle, something that never worked for me before I understood that I had a body that couldn't process carbs correctly.

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.

[tctrek]

But, it wasn't cuz I was taking synthroid as you conclude, its because my hypothyroidism wasn't being adequately treated by synthroid alone. In some cases, you will have a low free T3, which right away tells you there is a conversion problem. By that I mean that synthroid is T4, which is an inactive precurser to T3, the active form of thryoid hormone. In that case its obvious you need to be on T3 (cytomel). In my case my T3 and TSH were both normal, so at that point I was referred to an endo who put me on T4/T3 combo therapy. At the same time we discovered I was hypoinsulinemic, so I was put on a low carb diet. THEN, and only then, I finally was able to lose 35 lb and get to a healthy normal weight.

Trisk -- I'm curious how you found a doctor that will work with you on T3/T4 strategies? I've had several endos over the years and they always look at only T4 and TSH, but not T3. Do you think that some doctors don't "believe" in T3 therapy?

Also, when you say "low carb" diet, how many grams of carbs do you eat and what kind of carbs? I tried low carb for a week - eating about 30 grams of carbs per day, but my only carbs were green vegetables. I really "felt" like crap and didn't have the energy to exercise or ride my bike. Does that level out? Or maybe I needed more than 30 grams of carbs?

I am so grouchy when I can't work out and found I was a real monster when I didn't have carbs + couldn't exercise.

[Triskeliongirl]

TC Trek, indeed many endos don't recognize combo therapy, but I think its a lack of current education. My internist had referred me to a 'group' and then when I looked on one of the thyroid lists, I found one member of this group on that list as being open to combo therapy, so I made my appointment with him. He was willing to try it, given that I was symptomatic despite normal TSH. But, he was also smart to look for other underlying reasons for my weight problem, and found the impaired glucose tolerance. I always had just borderline high fasting glucose, but when he ran an OGTT it really showed up. Then we had my insulin measured throughout an OGTT and found out that my problem is that I undersecrete insulin, not that I am insulin resistant. THis is a bit unusual, most adult onset diabetes is due to insulin resistance but I participated in a research study by one of my colleagues who found that in fact I am unusually insulin sensitive, but just undersecrete (so I am more like a type I than type II diabetic, accept I make enough insulin to maintain glucose homeostasis in the absence of a glucose challenge). On the low carb diet, coupled with exercise (which increases number of glucose transporters on the cell membrane) I can maintain glucose homeostatsis.

In terms of low carb diet and exercise, yes, I eat ~30g of CHO a day, mostly from non-starcyy veggies. The rule is that I don't eat anything that lets my blood sugar go above 120, 30 min. after meal, and not be back under 100 2 hours after meal. In the beginning I also felt bad when I exercised, until I started learning how to use alternative fuel sources on the bike: fat and amino acid metabolism. It takes a bit of time, there is a training effect. I also consume carb free protein shakes (made w Jay Robb's whey protein powder) on the bike. These contain a mix of pre-digested and undigested proteins.

The idea (and remember I am a biochemist) is that the amino acids get deaminated to carbon skeletons, which are then TCA cycle intermediates that can be burned for energy in the muscle. Plus, they can also SLOWLY get converted into glucose by gluconeogenesis, but at a slow enough rate that it never generates a high blood sugar spike, yet still gives me glycogen stores. As intensity on the bike goes up, the ratio of carbs to fat burned does too. SO, as long as I ride at moderate intensities I am fine. I just can't handle really fast accelerations or sprint finishes, that kind of thig (basically going anaerobic) but I can hold a respectable pace in a group ride, even do a century without consuming any carbs. In addition to these shakes, I also consume almonds on longer bike rides.

It is also important to not try to do both low carb and low fat. I eat plenty of fat, and it's critical to eat plenty of protein (at least 1g/lb of LBM). I choose mostly 'healthy' fats (that is I eat a lot of fish, olive oil, etc.), but I am not afraid of red meat either. I have low triglycerides, cholesterol, etc. The high protein is important to slowly replenish glycogen stores and give glucose to your brain, but its also important to preserve lean body mass when dieting. I lost 35 lbs, but mostly fat, so now even though I weigh what some may consider a lot (140 lb) I can wear size 4-6/Small clothing.

I also FEEL absolutely great. If I eat carbs, my brain would go into a hyperglycemic fog, so I am much more clear headed and have great energy eating this way.

[tctrek]

OK - so I have high "BUN" scores on blood tests and take Metformin - 1000 MG twice a day. My sugar levels are ok as is cholesterol, potassium, etc.
So, I'm thinking I *should* be able to adjust to the low carb diet and maybe I just need to give it more time. I was drinking EAS Carb Control protein drinks 2-3 times a day as my "snack". These have 5 grams of carb each, but only 1 g of sugar. I was

I got scared when I was going out to do a 45 mile ride yesterday without carbs and fell off the wagon and ate carbs all day. I just didn't see how I was going to make it through the day on Protein.

I guess I'll give it another shot next week.

[Triskeliongirl]

You didn't say you were on metformin. That is the problem. If you are on metformin, you need to do the low carb diet under a doctor's supervision. Probably your doctor will need to lower you medication. If you don't ingest any carbs, then the metformin will make your blood sugar fall too low since your dosage was prescribed assuming you would be consuming a certain amount of carbs, which may explain why you were feeling bad.

PLEASE, ONLY DO THIS UNDER A DOCTOR'S SUPERVISION. You might want to read the book Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution, and then discuss this dietary appproach with your doctor if it appeals to you. Also, what I do won't work so well on metformin, since it will inhibit gluconeogenesis.

[tctrek]

Thanks! I will definitely talk to my doctor about it before I try anything.