Levothyroxine and metabolism
Common Questions and Answers about Levothyroxine and metabolism
synthroid
I have been taking levothyroxine for 4 months now. Will I see any boost in my metabolism soon? I have been trying to lose weight, and can only seem to take of pounds (5 in 9 months) by doing excessive cardio (2 hours per day). I am eating between 1500-2000 calories per day and sleeping a lot, like 9 hours every night. Is there any hope or piece of mind for me?
Since you are taking levothyroxine, and not being tested for Free T3 and Free T4, I suggest that your first step should be to get that testing done, in order to find out your actual levels. If the doctor resists, just insist on it and don't take no for an answer. It is that important.
Since hypo patients are also frequently too low in the ranges for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, I suggest getting those tested as well.
I take 50 mcg of levothyroxine every morning for my thyroid and it seems that my belly has increased ten fold. I have always been a small person since I was a child and Never had a problem such as this. I have gained 20 lbs. and my belly looks like I am 8 months preg. Can this drug cause this? The weight gain started when I started this drug.....
hello , Im a 23 years old woman with hypothyroidism , i am also bulimic , so sometimes when i binge eat , i take a double dose of levothyroxine afterwards to boost my metabolism . But I also know its very bad for the heart . So my question is : is taking levothyroxine after a binge session dangerous ? and does it acually help the weightloss even if its very bad ? (not going to do it again !
Phenytoin may alter the metabolism of thyroid hormones, reducing its effect; there is limited documentation of this interaction, but monitoring should be considered.
AR-10 I am on 100mcg Levothyroxine sodium. Thanks for the input...Talk with my doctor on Tuesday!
Free T3 is the most active thyroid hormone, and largely regulates metabolism. If you are under medicated or incorrectly medicated, there is no way your metabolism will be at the level that is normal for you.
I think you might like to read a previous post that I found to be so very interesting, because it is about the effect of thyroid on metabolism.
by pickdaisies
, Apr 18, 2009 05:27PM
I was having some major problems with my metabolism.
My doctors suggest that I take Phentermine but im taking levothyroxine 88mg and Cytomel 5mg due to thyroidectomy 3 years ago and I have gain weight due to hypothyroidism. Have anyone tried the phentermine while on levothyroxine and Cytomel?
My dog has had hypothyroidism for several years and has been on 0.2 mg of Levothyroxine twice daily ever since. Recently, when they did a check on his T4 they found that it was low and they increased it immediately to 0.4 mg.
A week or two later he began to significantly pant and wheeze. Then he decided to give him 150 mg of Theophylline twice daily. Could the thyroid dose change have caused these symptoms or is it a coincidence?
For years, my hair has been thinning... not to the extent of having bald spots or anything, but it is about 1/2 as thick as it was 4-5 years ago. My doctors were monitoring my thyroid levels due to prior hypothyroid diagnosis and nodules that were discovered about 15 years (hypo) and 5 years (nodules) ago.
Over the summer, I broke out in hives for no reason.
I was on .001 levothyroxine for 4 weeks when I was diagnosed with hypothyroid. My TSH level went from 6 to .009 so my doctor lowered my dose to .088... since I ended up hyper... I was thrilled to have lost 5 of the 30 pounds I had gained before being diagnosed...now being on this lower level.... I have regained the 5# I had lost... Is this normal? Can such a small change in medication cause such drastic changes in my metabolism?
Low levels can cause symptoms that mimic hypothyroidism. Also, low D and ferritin can adversely affect the metabolism of thyroid hormone.
At your next opportunity for tests, I would also like to see a Reverse T3, along with the Free T3 and Free T3, just to rule that out or in as a contributor.
FT3 is the most important test to know because FT3 largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions. FT3 has also been shown to correlate best with hypo symptoms.
A good thyroid doctor will treat a patient clinically, by testing and adjusting FT3 and FT4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels. symptom relief should be all important, not test results.
I disagree that there are no known side effects to Levothyroxine. And there are possible side effects to the fillers put in the tablets. Almost everyone I know on "Levo" is overweight, too. I am on Levo and struggle with my weight. Anyone else want to weigh (pun) in on this issue?
Is it true that low doses of Levothyroxine (like 25 or 50 mcg) won't rise metabolism or temperature much, yet they reduce TSH thus natural thyroid production so that most people end up with the same or lower levels of thyroid hormones especially the more active T3?
Is it true that Levothyroxine-only treatments require such high doses (at least 100 mcg) that suppress TSH in order to be effective?
I had these initially when I first started taking thyroid (I think it had more to do with my metabolism and heat regulation actually working or trying to work right). I was wondering if melatonin needs to be taken one hour or four hours after my thyroid pill. I take a mulitvitamin, iodine and a thyroid support vitamin in the morning and I have to take these four hours after my thyroid pills.
I'm 38 and stopped taking levothyroxine because it was making me gain weight - I started taking diet pills again and now I missed my period and have really bad break out ?
I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroiditis after my doctor discovered nodules on my throid. I since had a sonogram and FNA Biopsy (benign). She started me on levothyroxine and all of a sudden I START having symptoms of thyroiditis where I did not before she started me on the medicine. I developed hives, swelling eyes, depression, extreme fatigue, 20lbs in weight gain, hair loss. The hives got worse today when the Endo changed me to a brand name levothyroxine.
Of these FT3 is the most important test because it largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.
Frequently patients taking thyroid meds will have their TSH level suppressed. This does not mean that you are automatically hyper. You are hyper only if having hyper symptoms, due to excessive levels of Free T3 and Free T4.
So, in order to really know your status, you need to be tested for FT3 and FT4.
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Of course weight can be associated with calorie intake and exercise as well as or metabolism; however, if you are having other hypo symptoms, then that would make me suspicious about your metabolism and your thyroid levels. Subclinical really doesn't apply since you are already taking thyroid meds.
Also, what thyroid med are you taking and how much daily?
Free T3 is the most important because it largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions. Scientific studies have also shown that Free T3 correlated best with hypo symptoms, while Free T4 and TSH did not correlate at all.
Since hypo patients often are deficient in other areas as well, I suggest that it would be a good idea to test for Vitamin A, D, B12, and ferritin. Also, please note that just being in the low end of the ranges is frequently inadequate.
I have been on Levothyroxine for over a year. My latest results show that I am subclinically hypothyroid and I had my last thyroid function test done this week along with ferritin. I am on 75mcg Levothyroxine as well as ferrous sulphate.
Last few results:
July - TSH: 3.5 (0.2-4.2) - 50mcg Levothyroxine
September - TSH: 0.08 (0.2-4.2), FT3: 6.5 (3.9-6.7), FT4: 21.4 (12-22), TPOab: 188 (<34), TGab: 109.
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