Synthyroid

[wvjules]

To those of you that are on it...how long were you on it before you noticed a difference?

Today is 1 week for me. I know it says 1-2 weeks but I was hoping for some changes by now.

 

[DizBelle]

What was your TSH and what is your dosage?

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Hopefully this isn't too bitter and defensive to you, but changes how? I'm on it and it normalized my numbers in 4 weeks. But I never felt any different. Then again, I had no symptoms in the first place that weren't directly related to caring for small children.

 

[golfgal]

For me it was months but my TSH was 95 and it took a while to bring it down.

 

[wvjules]

What was or TSH and what is your dosage?

I can't answer either one of those questions right now. lol

I think I am on 25mg. My TSH wasn't very high but he likes to see it below 2.5-2.8. I was almost at 4.0.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

For me it was months but my TSH was 95 and it took a while to bring it down.

OMG!!!

My TSH was 7.5 -9 range.

 

[back4more OH]

I had no idea what was wrong with me when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 10 years ago. I was always tired, I had no appetite but couldn't loose weight, my nails were brittle and my hair was breaking. After starting synthoid I had a lot more energy and a better appetite within a week, the hair and nails thing took about a month before I noticed a positive change. Good luck with the medicine and give it time. Also take it everyday at the same time on an empty stomach and don't eat for at least an hour. It really does make the difference.

 

[GoodFairies]

I can't answer either one of those questions right now. lol

I think I am on 25mg. My TSH wasn't very high but he likes to see it below 2.5-2.8. I was almost at 4.0.

You are probably on 25 ug (micrograms) not mg.
I was asymptomatic and so no matter what dosage I am on I feel the same. What were your symptoms?

 

[DizBelle]

For me it was months but my TSH was 95 and it took a while to bring it down.

95!!! As in ninety-five?!?!?! Holy Macaroni!

 

[DizBelle]

I can't answer either one of those questions right now. lol

I think I am on 25mg. My TSH wasn't very high but he likes to see it below 2.5-2.8. I was almost at 4.0.

They would start you out on the lowest possible dosage. It's 25 mcg (micrograms, not milligrams). The teeniest, tiniest adjustments in dosage can have a pretty large effect.

I would think you *might* see some difference in 1 week but it wouldn't surprise me if it took another week to notice anything with more pronounced differences in 4-6 weeks.

And it's possible that the 25 mcg dosage isn't enough to get you into the "normal" range. But you have to wait probably until you've been taking it for 3 months and they do another blood test.

 

[wvjules]

My symptoms are pretty much what back4more's were.

I was just hoping for more pep by now. lol

I knew it was 25something. lol

and 95!?!?!? Holy schmolly.

Maybe that will come after I start the CPAP.

The more I go to the Dr. the sicker I become. lol

ETA: I take a blood test for a recheck in 6 weeks, well 5 weeks now.

 

[golfgal]

95!!! As in ninety-five?!?!?! Holy Macaroni!

Yes, ninety-five. I spent a week at the Mayo Clinic with all the endocrinologists telling me "I've never seen a TSH that high". It didn't make me feel good at all . They kept retaking my blood and testing my TSH because they couldn't believe it was that high. Never did find out why.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Yes, ninety-five. I spent a week at the Mayo Clinic with all the endocrinologists telling me "I've never seen a TSH that high". It didn't make me feel good at all . They kept retaking my blood and testing my TSH because they couldn't believe it was that high. Never did find out why.

What were your symptoms?

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Whenever I have to change my dose, it takes 4-6 weeks before I see any difference in the way I feel and also to see any difference in the blood work. When I was first diagnosed my TSH level was out of the ball park also. I will have to go find the original numbers...

 

[golfgal]

What were your symptoms?

Well, see, I had an ear ache that turned out to be jaw pain from I don't know what and I went to the dr thinking I had an ear infection. He discovered that I probably had some hearing loss so I went to an ENT-who didn't believe me-total jerk of a doctor. Anyway, he gave me this "I suppose we could run some blood work but I HIGHLY doubt we will find anything. It will take 3 weeks to get results back so don't call me, I'll call you". As I was walking in the door at home from my appointment, my phone was ringing. It was him calling telling me to get my rear over to my OB's NOW. He had already called her.

I had newborn twins and a 3 year old. I was exhausted. I didn't really know what my symptoms were until I started feeling better. Hindsight I probably had the thyroid problem for years but it wasn't a routine test anyone ever did so who knows.

 

[wowsmom]

I have Hashimoto's and was finally prescribed Levoxyl in Sept 2009.

Within 1 week, my heart palpitations stopped. It took closer to 5-6 weeks to start to feel human again.

Had a really good month last November, then December hit and I felt like I'd been run over by a truck again. Did blood work...numbers were still in doctor's desired range (although at the higher end of the range). She said give it 6 weeks and come back. At that point, she upped my meds based on how I felt and that helped a lot.

I'm still tired/lacking energy a lot of the time, but in the last 6 months, I've noticed my hair is looking fuller than it has in years.

Good luck to you!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Well, see, I had an ear ache that turned out to be jaw pain from I don't know what and I went to the dr thinking I had an ear infection. He discovered that I probably had some hearing loss so I went to an ENT-who didn't believe me-total jerk of a doctor. Anyway, he gave me this "I suppose we could run some blood work but I HIGHLY doubt we will find anything. It will take 3 weeks to get results back so don't call me, I'll call you". As I was walking in the door at home from my appointment, my phone was ringing. It was him calling telling me to get my rear over to my OB's NOW. He had already called her.

I had newborn twins and a 3 year old. I was exhausted. I didn't really know what my symptoms were until I started feeling better. Hindsight I probably had the thyroid problem for years but it wasn't a routine test anyone ever did so who knows.

I think my thyroid went wacko post-pregnancy too. Wow, I'm so glad they caught it and you are feeling better! Twins! A three year old. A TSH of 95 and you are here to tell the tale. Amazing.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

I started out on 25 mcg for a couple of weeks after having a TSH reading of 9, but my TSH continued to rise, and was up to 25 when I was retested 6 weeks later! I was then put on 50 mcg, but was still feeling horrible after two weeks so the doctor bumped me straight up to 100 mcg. I was on it for years at that level, but always felt slightly 'low' even though my blood results put my TSH levels between 3 and 4. My doctor insisted that any symptoms I was having were because of stress, young children, bad eating habits, lack of sleep, etc....anything but low thyroid!

After moving to Chile, I was very, very naughty and bumped myself up to 125 mcg (I don't need a prescription here to buy my meds). When I finally got around to finding a doctor here and told him what I did, he wasn't happy with me...but my TSH levels have settled in around 1.5 and I feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!! He's conceded that it's probably the 'right' dose for me.

So, long story short....don't be surprised if it takes a while to find the right dose, but insist on treating the symptoms and don't just go by the numbers on your TSH test.

 

[MushyMushy]

Well, see, I had an ear ache that turned out to be jaw pain from I don't know what and I went to the dr thinking I had an ear infection. He discovered that I probably had some hearing loss so I went to an ENT-who didn't believe me-total jerk of a doctor. Anyway, he gave me this "I suppose we could run some blood work but I HIGHLY doubt we will find anything. It will take 3 weeks to get results back so don't call me, I'll call you". As I was walking in the door at home from my appointment, my phone was ringing. It was him calling telling me to get my rear over to my OB's NOW. He had already called her.

I had newborn twins and a 3 year old. I was exhausted. I didn't really know what my symptoms were until I started feeling better. Hindsight I probably had the thyroid problem for years but it wasn't a routine test anyone ever did so who knows.

You sound like me! My TSH was in the high 60s, like 67 I believe. I suffered for years after I had my kids and I had all the classic symptoms. The problem was, I talked to so many different people about them that my one doctor didn't put it together. Talked to him about weight gain and severe fatigue. Talked to my hair stylist about hair loss. Talked to a psychologist about depression and lack of libido. Talked to my pharmacist about severe dry skin.

It was finally a nurse practitioner at my gynecologist's office who put it all together. By that point I was sleeping 15-20 hours a day, had lost a ton of cognitive function and could barely function at all.

Anyway, to answer your question, it was close to a year before I felt okay. But like GG, my figures were pretty high. You should start feeling a little more energy in another week or so. But it's definitely something you'll be monitoring and adjusting for the rest of your life.

 

[wowsmom]

I started out on 25 mcg for a couple of weeks after having a TSH reading of 9, but my TSH continued to rise, and was up to 25 when I was retested 6 weeks later! I was then put on 50 mcg, but was still feeling horrible after two weeks so the doctor bumped me straight up to 100 mcg. I was on it for years at that level, but always felt slightly 'low' even though my blood results put my TSH levels between 3 and 4. My doctor insisted that any symptoms I was having were because of stress, young children, bad eating habits, lack of sleep, etc....anything but low thyroid!

After moving to Chile, I was very, very naughty and bumped myself up to 125 mcg (I don't need a prescription here to buy my meds). When I finally got around to finding a doctor here and told him what I did, he wasn't happy with me...but my TSH levels have settled in around 1.5 and I feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!! He's conceded that it's probably the 'right' dose for me.

So, long story short....don't be surprised if it takes a while to find the right dose, but insist on treating the symptoms and don't just go by the numbers on your TSH test.

I had an endocrinologist tell me my hair falling out and super dry skin were due to depression.

I've bolded what I consider to be the most important part of your post - I had 3 endos who would not give me medication because my numbers were "normal". Never mind that I could barely function.

My current endo is great - she put me on meds right away...couldn't believe nobody else would medicate me - said it was very important to keep my nodules from getting bigger, if at all possible. And when I started feeling icky again, even though the blood work showed I was in her range (which is .5 to 1.0), she listened to how I felt and upped me from 50 to 75 mcg. I love my endo!