Levothyroxine & Weight Loss

[Rayne]

It may be because of my age, since i started taking Levothyroxine when i was pretty young. 17. But i lost about 30 pounds in about four months. It was most likely that the dosage was too high at the time because it takes a few trials of different dosages to find a happy medium. I wasn't tremendously over weight, about 160. And dropped pretty fast to about 135. I was kind of glad to get the weight off at first, but the over dosage gave me excess energy to the point of not being able to focus on anything for too long, and that killed me. I still have problems with sleeping a year and a half later. Too high a dose of that stuff can't be good for your heart.

[Evee]

I went for my iodine treatment on September 22, 2009. I noticed my mouth and nose were so, so dry. I had headaches everyday. The Tylenol didn't work and neither did the allergy pills. My doctor told me to stop taking the allergy pills. He told me the reason I had headaches, dry mouth and nose was because the iodine treatment dried me up. He told me to drink plenty of fluids and to put vasaline on my nostrils. I still didn't get any better. So I asked my mom if she thought maybe I should try using the cool mist humidifier. She told me to give it a try. So, I did. The headaches went away and so did the dry mouth and dry nose. The soars or blisters in my mouth also went away. I noticed also that I got my taste buds to work again. I was able to taste food again. The only problem I have still is my salavary glands are still sore. The lemon drops only help alittle. I hope you try the cool mist and hopefully it helps you too.

[Soames]

OK now on 100mgs Levo and the weight is slowly coming off and I look less bloated. Have been on this dose for 15 days. Also mentally better just tired and sore joints.

[Babybel UK]

Soames wrote:

OK now on 100mgs Levo and the weight is slowly coming off and I look less bloated. Have been on this dose for 15 days. Also mentally better just tired and sore joints.

Hi all,
I have been taking Levo (50mg) for a month now and the only difference i have felt is an increase in energy levels. I am having the same problems in regards to losing weight - i have been exercising like mad for the last year but have stayed at the same weight, which is depressing enough. i am also losing a lot of hair which is scary in it self and i hope this stops. i have done something really silly because i want to take back control, i ordered Cytomel (T3) from the internet.. i know this is a bad move but i just want to feel good again. I have been researching Cytomel and it appears to work well with t4 meds like levo and increasing weight loss. off course i will inform my doc of what i'm doing and if all goes well he will prescribe this to me.
Has any one else used Cytomel - t3 meds or a combination of both??
p.s i'm glad i'm not the only one feeling this way -

[Rangette]

Can you get something like cytomel without a prescription? Be careful with that. I had a bad experience to years ago with Armour.

My doc didn't monitor me well, and I ended up hyper and my eyees bugged out and all my hormone levels went haywire. It was years before I was ok, and then I had a large growth. Now have 1/2 my thyroid.
So the excess hormone was creating a growth. You don't want that.

The increased energy will translate into weight loss as long as you don't ovedo the exercise to the point of getting ravenously hungry.

With meds you are now back to whatever is normal for you.

It makes no sense that the meds would make you gain except for one thing. the meds have shocked your thyroid into producing nothing.
so all you have is the meds to keep you going! Maybe you need an increase.

[Starr Illinois]

update - been off for 30 days...haven't felt this great in years! I am sleeping through the night, enery level feels really good, NO headaches, less bloating, hair is shiney and strong again, I have lost 5 pounds and NO MOOD swings or irritability. I feel like a million bucks.

[Soames]

Hi my doc reckons that you need to be on at least 100mgs to have any effect. I have now started losing weight after 4 weeks on 50 (to start me off) and just over 2 weeks on 100. Have lost about 5 pound with no change in diet ie chocolate and wine still enjoying. Doctor also said that an endocrinologist told him that to feel good with hypo your bloods need to be on the low side of normal ie below 2, which fits in with what is going on in USA. Still use a scale upto 5 here, no wonder I was undiagnosed for so long. I think a good doctor is worth looking for I was told I was just getting old for months by my first doc

[Blue Mercedes]

One more joining this club... I have been on LEVOTHYROXINE FOR 6 MONTHS due to hypo thyroid, hot sweats and loss of hair and dry skin, so now I have gained 25 pounds and feel bloated, my legs and back hurt to the point of needing a cane to move in and out of car and up and down stairs. Bad knee (had it for 30 years) got worse, felt like it would not hold my weight... limped and waddled... 5 days ago I stopped taking this med to test how I felt... no swealing or pain in bad knee, no limping or waddling and no gas screaming around in my round belly :) I think most meds fix one thing and mess up another... I am staying off this crap!!

Has anyone tried Iodine/ Iodide instead??? I have been rearching for alternatives and found this... any feedback?? http://www.1-thyroid.com/index.htm

[Julie]

Brian wrote:

I dont understand all of this. Hypo means your not producing enough hormone. So, you take the correct dosage to increase it, which would give you the opposite results of weight gain, which is weight loss. What is with everyone on here being hypo having weight gain? The only ones that should see wieght gain are the people that are HYPER not HYPO. If you were fat, lazy and sluggish before the meds and your tests showed a high score for not producing enough hormone then being on the correct doage will allow you to lose weight not gain. Its almost like you guys that used to be HYPER are now gaining weight because your now more HYPO with the meds, which is what should happen. Its a matter of adjusting levels to fit. If your HYPO you should see your weight level out or even lose the weight you gained when you werent producing enough. Some of you are just eating a crap load because your matbolism is now faster and you feel hungry after the meds to raise your level...eat normal as before. Also, some of you are confusing others when you say you are HYPO and gaining weight on meds...You were probably HYPER before and have a high dosage and now are more HYPO, so you gained weight as normal. If you are initially HYPO...fat, slugish, lazy, no energy then the right levels will make you more HYPER and thus energy and weight loss. You guys should get your posts correct or you will scare people with the wrong info. Bottom line is the correct dosage will balance it all out. Finally, most of these are women in menopause or on birth control, which can screw up anything and cause weight gain or counter act the thyroid meds. Someone needs to actually start posting good results, so the rest of the planet doesnt get freaked by a small 1% of the people with bad results.

THANK YOU BRIAN! THESE PEOPLE WERE FREAKING ME OUT! I WAS JUST DIAGNOSED AS HYPO AND MY DOC GAVE ME 25MCG OF LEVO. THEN I READ ALL THIS STUFF AND WAS LIKE NO WAY! I AM NOT TAKING THIS! I HAVE LOST 180 LBS IN THE LAST 4 YEARS WITH ONLY ABOUT 40 MORE TO GO! THERE IS NO WAY I WANT TO GO IN THE WRONG DIRECTION! I HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT!:)

[Soames]

Still think I agree with Brian that weight gain is due to inappropriate dosage. Do you guys ask to see your blood results?

[carla]

I give up. I'm going off the meds. I only take a 50 so I don't think it'll affect my thyroid that much. I just can't take losing my hair. I'd rather have gained weight than go bald. So good luck to all. You are a great forum here and help with the side effects.

[Babybel]

carla wrote:

I give up. I'm going off the meds. I only take a 50 so I don't think it'll affect my thyroid that much. I just can't take losing my hair. I'd rather have gained weight than go bald. So good luck to all. You are a great forum here and help with the side effects.

Hi Carla
Hang in there and Do Not stop taking your meds. You may feel ok initially but the long term effects of an untreated hypo are far more worse, i.e. your body giving up on you completely. I know it is frustrating, but give it time, you never know you could be on the incorrect dosage.
I'm been researching as i too have been losing alot of hair- apparently evening primose oil helps. I've been on Levo for 6 weeks now and i've been told it will take a few months to feel the full effect like my hair to stop falling out and to lose weight. You may also need t3 along with the t4 (levo) in which case you should speak to your doc and tell them exactly how you feel. Please don't stop taking the meds because this will only make your situation worse in the long run.

[Babybel]

Rangette wrote:

Can you get something like cytomel without a prescription? Be careful with that. I had a bad experience to years ago with Armour.
My doc didn't monitor me well, and I ended up hyper and my eyees bugged out and all my hormone levels went haywire. It was years before I was ok, and then I had a large growth. Now have 1/2 my thyroid.
So the excess hormone was creating a growth. You don't want that.
The increased energy will translate into weight loss as long as you don't ovedo the exercise to the point of getting ravenously hungry.
With meds you are now back to whatever is normal for you.
It makes no sense that the meds would make you gain except for one thing. the meds have shocked your thyroid into producing nothing.
so all you have is the meds to keep you going! Maybe you need an increase.

Thanks Rangette

I know its bad but I got Cytomel without a prescription on the net - I know its a bad move but I am impatient and need to get this sorted asap. I feel ok, I am taking a quarter of the tablet each day, so a very small amount and i will gradually increase this.

I'm gonna give it a month or two and see what happens. Wish me luck :-)

[Maria]

Be very careful with that - if you ever start having sweating, dizziness, palpitations, etc., stop taking it immediately.

[Ray]

Wow!!! A typical male I asked few questions yesterday when my doctor informed me my thyroid was not doing its job. Cholesterol up and weight gain since my last visit 2 and half years ago. I am 68 and avoid doctors. Purpose of my visit was not a result of symptoms more an interest in PSA and cholesterol. In retrospect I have not felt great and I have gained weight. He put me on levothyroxine 25MCG and I have not taken one yet. The posts are less than encouraging and I am surprised at that. So we will see. He wants me back in 2 months.

[Rangette]

Ray wrote:

Wow!!! A typical male I asked few questions yesterday when my doctor informed me my thyroid was not doing its job. Cholesterol up and weight gain since my last visit 2 and half years ago. I am 68 and avoid doctors. Purpose of my visit was not a result of symptoms more an interest in PSA and cholesterol. In retrospect I have not felt great and I have gained weight. He put me on levothyroxine 25MCG and I have not taken one yet. The posts are less than encouraging and I am surprised at that. So we will see. He wants me back in 2 months.

What do you mean "in retrospect I have not felt great", is that due to thryoid meds?> You said you did not take any so the weight gain and not feeling good are THYROID related.

Since it is rare for a doc to readily admit we needs T-meds, if a doc TELLS you you do, you better take them. Do you understand what it is like to really be hypo?

After my surgery I lost weight and felt good for about 2 months. Then I feel apart.
I retained fluid and all my joints hurt. I couldn't walk and no shoes were comfortable. I gained 17 lbs in a month. I was depressed and all my menopause symptoms came back with a vengeance.

What saved me was a doc who started me immediately on 75 mcg of Synthroid. I later tried Levothryroxine and had less success so went back to brand name. But either one will WORK.

Your hypothyroidism will only get worse too if not treated.
Don't be afraid of meds especially since you are a man and NOT subject to female hormones.

Women have more than one issue going on. The best thing I ever did was start my meds.

[Maria]

I agree. I was so extremely hypo when I was finally diagnosed that my doctors we surprised I wasn't in a coma. I was taking naps during the day (something I NEVER do), falling asleep in class, my muscles ached after walking a few hundred feet, my joints we stiff and sore, I was retaining fluid like crazy, I was extremely depressed, I had gained 20 pounds, I was anemic, I was constantly constipated and bloated, and my memory, which is usually excellent, was completely shot. I nearly failed out of school that semester.

You do NOT want to let your thyroid fail further. Take the meds.

[bridget]

Eve wrote:

I´m totally confuse reading all these coments of you guys, I´m thinking; aren´t the meds supose to help?????? I´m freaking out now because I was dignosed a month ago with hypothyrodism but I´m already 240 pounds.......so does this mean I´ll reach the 300 pounds in a month????? Please help me give me a hope

Doll,

I've been where you are... Matter of fact I got up to 360Lbs before diagnosed. I had to have the lap-band installed and everything. the weight is just the last thing to change, i suppose. Don't fret, we have all been there.

[Mark]

Hey guys I just posted on another forum as I am trying to find someone who has purchased the ebook on the following site:

http://www.nomorehypothyroid.com

It claims to be an all-natural cure to hypothyroidism, which I am very interested in as I am not a fan of Western medicine and the standard Levo, Lio and surgery treatments. If anyone has any information on this ebook please let me know as I am interested in purchasing it. Also if anyone has any all natural remedies that they have been seeing some positive results with I would love to hear your story.

Thanks for your comments!

[Maria]

any "natural" treatments (which I'm always skeptical of) will only work if the problem is simply an underactive thyroid. they absolutely won't work for autoimmune syndromes such as Hashimoto's, which is by far the most common cause in the western world.
Do they tell you what they put in this "natural cure"?