Any opinions/info on Synthroid??

Clarissa

Clarissa

Cathlete
I just got the results of my bloodwork back...let me first say something. I went to a new doctor last week for extreme low back pain. No other symptoms.

Because I was a new patient, he said, hey lets do a full bloodwork on you. Did you eat yet today? It was 11:30 am...I told him yes I ate oatmeal at 6 am or so....anyway, he took the blood; even though I did NOT fast for 12 hours.

Everything came back great (cholesterol despite the food I ate (!!!), WBCs were good, etc etc. HOWEVER, nurse on the phone tells me my thyroid is bad. Um, huh? She says it should be around 4.7 and some other number which I forget...and that mine is 48. 48. I said, put it into Laymans terms for me...so then she said I have hypothyroidism. I yelled at her ( which is totally not like me) that it was BS and that I lived a very healthy lifestyle and there was no freakin' way I had an underactive thyroid.

Anyhoo, she said dr wants me on Synthroid STAT. I started crying...why?? Because I have 3 clients on synthroid all of whom tell me that they have gained massive weight due to it...even though the purpose of it is to make your metabolism speed up. I am upset because I don't want to gain weight. I lived a life of being fat for 20 years and I do not ever want to go back to it. I have kept off my weight naturally for over 10 years now. I realize I sound like a total nutcase right now and totally immature and selfish, but I am a healthy person who doesn't buy into "meds" unless absolutely necessary. I work so very hard to be the way I am and I don't want to take a pill. Does this make sense? I don't want to have to rely on meds the rest of my life. I am so distraught.
Meanwhile, dr himself called me and said he would re-run it all for me but basically he said that if I did not take the synthroid I would be in "big trouble" because my thyroid was bad and that I would gain weight if NOT on the pill. And soon. He also mentioned i might have post partum hypothyroidism because I had a baby 5 months ago or so. Whatevs. I am just so dang upset. Can anyone tell me about any experiences w/ Synthroid? I appreciate being able to vent here.

Clarissa :(
 
Hypothyroidism

Hi Clarissa,
I've been on Levothyroxine (for hypothyroidism) since age 3........37 years. And it's always given me a high metabolism.............and I have never been fat.

Patti
 
Hi Patti.
Thanks. Do you feel that one is more effective/safer/better than another (meds I mean)?

Clarissa
 
I've been on Synthroid for YEARS, and it definitely has not made me fat!

It has made me feel a TON better,though, because I was sooo fatigued and exhausted when my thyroid levels were off/elevated.

maybe your clients are blaming their weight gain on the synthroid, but it's not really the cause.

I do remember being upset when I was told I had to take it too. I just did NOT want to be on MEDICATION for the rest of my life. The doctor told me something that made me feel better too. That Synthroid replaces what you don't have make, there's no "extra" in it or anything that can hurt you.
 
My daughter couldn't lose an ounce until she started Synthroid. Without it, she gained 40 pounds in less than 4 months. Her 1st counts were also in the very high 40's and she was having extreme mood swings which improved dramatically once on the Synthroid. It is still a challenge to lose, but she has other hormonal/medical issues which exacerbate a slow metabolism and tendency for weight gain and I know without the Synthroid, she wouldn't have a chance.
Please follow your doctor's advice and take your medication. An underactive thyroid is nothing to mess around with. Having a bad thyroid doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Hashimoto's is often caused by an infection, cold, or something minor and your immune system goes wacky and attacks your thyroid. Maybe that's why he mentioned a postpartum thyroiditis.
Good luck. Get any books by Sara Rosenthal or Mary Shalomon and educate yourself. There is a lot you can do (and you probably do it all already) to support your endocrine system.
I'm sorry you've had this diagnosis but I'm certain you will do wonderfully and manage it without complication!

Becky
 
Another one chiming in to say that synthroid has not made me gain weight.... if anything, it helps you keep your weight in check because it keeps your metabolism functioning correctly. And, if your numbers are that out of whack, yes, you need something! Good luck!
 
Yo, such a dramatic response to simple problem. Synthroid will not make you fat. Not treating the problem might cause you to gain weight, feel tired, have your hair thin out, have dry skin. Synthroid is no big deal. It might take a few tries to get the correct dosage. Calm down, it will be alright.
 
DH has Hashimoto's and has been on Synthroid for years. He did not gain weight, and in fact, he enjoyed more energy which led to more enthusiasm for working out. :)
 
Wow - that is major high. You need to make sure that they do all thyroid tests, not just TSH. They need to also check your T3 levels - a full thyroid panel. I am surprised you are not horribly sluggish, moody, depressed, tired, hair falling out, dry skin, constipated and overweight! The medication will only help increase your metabolism. Nobody should gain on Synthroid. And I take only the brand name, not generic. My doctor did not want me on generic, and I take Cytomel which is a T3 replacement that my body needed.
 
And the doctor is most likely right - that the birth of your baby knocked it out of whack. That is somewhat common. Nothing you can do about it but take the pills and you may find that you feel so much better, not realizing now that you don't feel so great. That's how I was - didn't realize how bad off I was until I started feeling better (and mine went haywire after I had my DD). You get used to taking the pills and it just becomes routine. As health issues go, this is a very, very easy fix.
 
Hi, I've not read the other responses so I might be repeating.

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (hypothyroid), had thyroidectomy in May and have been on Synthroid for about 6 months. No weight gain or anything like that. In fact the whole thyroid diagnosis came as a total surprise since I had just lost 100 pounds! (I did not have any other symptoms or problems until the doctor gave me iodine which triggered my autoimmune disease and caused all of my problems).

Thyroid disease and synthroid are not a weight gain sentence. You might have to be more dilligent with your diet and exercise. Your TSH is VERY high, however you should get Free T3 and Free T4 checked as well to see what is really going on. TSH is more reflective of pituitary and not the thyroid. Sometimes postpartum hypothyroid resolves itself, you won't necessarily have to go on meds. Sheesh, docs like that drive me crazy. Get another opinion. If you are not symptomatic and feel ok I would not start meds at this point (not saying that you won't have to take meds at some point...but then again maybe you won't).

Thyroid disease is severely mistreated and misdiagnosed or goes undiagnosed a lot. It is a very hot topic. Be sure to do your homework before you start medication. Ask a lot of questions and get a referal to an experienced thyroid endocrinologist if possible.

For some great info and support groups forums, check out
http://www.medhelp.org thyroid forum and http://www.about.com thyroid forum as well. There are doctors and very knowledgeable people on these forums and you can search for old posts as well to find some answers.

Hang in there, you'll be ok!
 
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Aw, you all have been SOOOO helpful. You have made my morning. I am just such a non-meds person, but maybe it will be okay. I will say that I am going for a 2nd opinion, just in case! I would never settle for one opinion on something so touchy...Thank you so so so much!

Clarissa
 
Synthroid

I've been on it after a subtotal thyroidectomy in 1994. It never had any influence on my weight - good or bad that; I have ever noticed. Albeit, I'm only taking .1 mg to supplement the piece of thyroid that still exists.
 
I have been on Synthroid for several years now, and am grateful to have such a simple solution to my thyroid condition.
I am not a pill popper by any means, but this is a must in my life, and an easy fix to boot.

My husband has MS, and is on all kinds of meds, so I look at my Synthroid as being a very small intrusion on my body, as opposed to what could be happening to me, and what is happening to others in my life.
This is just not enough for me to get nervous about.
 
Clarissa, I've been on synthroid for 20 years & what others have said is correct--it helps control weight, it will not make you gain. Just the opposite--when I stop taking it, I gain.

And listen to Shana, that girl is a wealth of information! Shana, generics are NG? I've been taking the generic for as long as I can remember. :confused:
 
Conni said:
I have been on Synthroid for several years now, and am grateful to have such a simple solution to my thyroid condition.
I am not a pill popper by any means, but this is a must in my life, and an easy fix to boot.

My husband has MS, and is on all kinds of meds, so I look at my Synthroid as being a very small intrusion on my body, as opposed to what could be happening to me, and what is happening to others in my life.
This is just not enough for me to get nervous about.
Click to expand...

I guess i never looked at it that way...
i also never realized so many people were on it!!!!
 
Low thyroid is a very common problem, especially among women. One more thing I forgot to post because the kids interrupted me..... back in the 60s, I think it was, drs. were prescribing synthroid as a weight loss medicine, even for people who's thyroid was in normal range. They found out it was bad to speed up the metabolism -- bad for your heart, your bones, and I don't know what else. So, they quit using it as a weight loss drug and the thing to take away from that, really, is that if you do use it, you need to have your blood work done regularly to make sure you're not getting too much, because too much is as bad as too little.

-Beth
 
Thanks, Laura - you know me, I will research it all!

My doctor does not believe that generics are as consistent with the dosages, and there is plenty out there to support that fact. Probably, for the most part, it would be ok but I only take the name brand. He is an internist who specializes in this sort of thing and does lots of research himself on it so I go with what he says ;)
 
meowracer said:
Thanks, Laura - you know me, I will research it all!

My doctor does not believe that generics are as consistent with the dosages, and there is plenty out there to support that fact. Probably, for the most part, it would be ok but I only take the name brand. He is an internist who specializes in this sort of thing and does lots of research himself on it so I go with what he says ;)
Click to expand...

The funny thing is, I have to take the generic, the actual Synthroid makes me nauseous.

Go figure!:p
 
meowracer said:
Thanks, Laura - you know me, I will research it all!

My doctor does not believe that generics are as consistent with the dosages, and there is plenty out there to support that fact. Probably, for the most part, it would be ok but I only take the name brand. He is an internist who specializes in this sort of thing and does lots of research himself on it so I go with what he says ;)
Click to expand...

My doctor also wants me to take ONLY the name brand and writes "no substitutions" on every script.
 
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