Thyroid - weight gain

[SuperFlyHigh]

I have a treated thyroid condition (underactive) not sure what my levels are and going to get them checked next month.

On 125mg of Levothyroxine but have put on about a stone in weight since this time last year with eating almost same/exercise the same.

I have heard better results are with taking Armour (natural thyroid) hard to get this prescribed unless GP doesn't accept responsibility for side effects (named patient?).

Question - should I try diet/exercise for a period before trying Armour and if so how long? I almost just need to look at food and the weight goes on and hard to lose.

[booox]

Personally I'd tweak your thyroxine after a test if tsh is over 1. I'd get tsh below 1 within range - so if the lowest range is 0.3, try that for a good 3-4 months to allow your system to adjust.

I take 2 extra 25s a week on top of my 125 to get tsh at 0.5 where I feel great - but if I'm exercising too (build up gently). And my iron is over 70 and vit d good and b12.

I'm fine like this and can get to a good athletic standard through a bit of what I now know is hiit training (basic skipping) yoga, swimming cycling etc (not a huge amount of any of it but just being regularly active with good rests to recover).

But I've had this for 20 years and was 20 when I got it. Pre Google etc. So I've learnt how I can best manage myself through trial and error, without knowing about other things. I've got good at pushing myself as well as pacing and I think muscle memory has helped a lot.

The times I've struggled is the minute my tsh creeps over 1, towards 2/2.5. And when iron isn't great.

If you're still having issues after trying this and checking other things such as ferritin, vit d and b12, I'd potentially look into other alternatives.

[booox]

Are you on any other medication?

[SuperFlyHigh]

VIOLET interesting thanks!

I'm one of these thyroid patients where the doctors rarely give me info on my levels etc... in fact the local pharmacist after I had my flu jab this week spoke to me more and gave me info and told me what to ask for printouts etc re levels.

[Cinnamal]

Yea I would defibitely be asking for the actual levels rather than just an "all fine" when ringing for test results. My TSH has been at 5 and the GP was happy with that until I went in and asked for a higher trial dose. I wouldn't worry about Armour until you know your levels and find a GP who's happy to let you tweak them within range to see where you feel best.

[SuperFlyHigh]

Cinnamal - that's the thing I've been up and down, 50, 75 and 100 mcg! not much improvement.

[booox]

1. Make sure you're super good at taking regularly if possible a while before or after food, not near calcium or indigestion tablets or iron tablets (4 hours away) - try a pill box and choose a day you always start and re stock on. Can take last thing at night too.

1. Wait a good 6 weeks or even 12 like this before testing. Don't take thyroxine on day of test or night before if take in eve.

1. Get print out.

1. If possible post here - if it's 1.5, an extra 25 3 times a week might be enough to tweak it.

It has a long half life hence you can take a bit more on some days and it takes a few weeks or more to fully affect blood test results.

1. When tsh is around say 0.3-0.8, try like that for a good few months and see.

On top of iron etc. It's not worth going down the armour route till you know this doesn't work.

[SuperFlyHigh]

VIOLET

I do all you say, take every night, take last thing at night, iron tabs in morning, no fluoride toothpaste etc

Why not to take thyroxine on day of rest? No doctor has ever told me not to do that but will do it if need be!

Thanks!

Doctors (who are normally really good) aren't good with it now at all, don't like me asking qs, I had about 2 years of up and down on tabs and regular blood tests.... teeth grit

[Cinnamal]

Good luck, it's a faff getting it sorted! My dosage has been all over the place, I've struggled to get it settled without overshooting and being over medicated. I'm preggo now too which has thrown it again

[devilinmyshoes]

I piled on a stone of pretty much pure fat really quickly, like within 6 weeks, when they first zapped my thyroid! Not quite the same situation but it did level out over time as things settled down.

[SuperFlyHigh]

devil in my case the fat has crept up since increasing my dose, but seems hard to shift.

I am supposed to be on the correct level but still seem lethargic etc. Will quiz doctor next time and ask for print out of levels!

[SuperFlyHigh]

korma very interesting.

Will do that. What do you take then NDT wise if not Armour? You can PM me if you like.

[Pleasemrstweedie]

Great advice from Violet. You are almost certainly within range, but not in the right place within the range and therefore under-medicated.

Get your test done, first thing in the morning after fasting and without taking your thyroxine the night before, get a print out and come back here with the figures and the reference ranges. We can rebuild you.

[SuperFlyHigh]

Ah thanks MrsTweedie will see about getting it done soon. Got doctors appointment with doctor I trust (eg understanding) not til early November but can wait...

[booox]

For info, there is a trial of a combo of t4 with a longer lasting t3 currently going on. (T3 has a short half life, this one has a longer half life).

[booox]

Don't take before test as your tsh could show 0.3 and t4 might be out of range due to taking it that morning, when that dose might be good for you.

An endo I saw said some people just need to be out of range (suppressed)

[lucjam2105]

korma do you get your thyriod s prescribed or do you buy it and if so where from?

[SuperFlyHigh]

Yes where do you get thyroid s from korma?

I'm going to try and book blood test this week just got to find days when they do it.

[MoonStar07]

Sorry to hijack the thread!!
So my TSH 1.2. I was on 200mcg now 175mcg. Thinking twice a week take an extra 25mcg?

Ferritin 25ng/Ml so I would take iron? Spatone

B12 372 ng/L ?!

Vit D was low 32.2 nmol/L so that was the only prescribed medicine I was given. I've been given extra vit d

Any help?

[booox]

Hi moon - what was tsh when on 200?

[booox]

I found spatone ineffective but my periods were heavy at the time; others swear by it.

I was prescribed ferrous sulphate (I had really bad restless leg syndrome and ferritin of 50. GP said they try to get that over 70 to see if it helps before trying anything else - in the elderly ) It's 200 mg twice a day; spatone is the rda of around 14-20mg. Ferritin dropped a little in spatone, it took 6 months to get it to 130 with the ferrous.

My tummy can't take it now though; I tried ferrous glutamate (ferritin dipped again when I stopped the sulphate for 6 months) which was a bit better but now as periods are better and I feel better I've just bought solgar gentle iron, 25 mg.

I'd try to get it up to see if it helps. Take iron with vit c, and consider cutting out/ back on milk which can block iron absorption.

You will feel better with better vit d.

I'm not sure about the b12 but I take Sainsbury's version of berrocca for b vits and vit c. B bits are water soluble so your body wees out what's not needed. Hence luminous wee !

[booox]

I also take magnesium and calcium at night; or have Epsom salt baths. I do find that really helpful actually muscle wise.

[MoonStar07]

I can't remember when on 200 I'll phone surgery and check. But they reduced it from 200 to 175. Thank you