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Is my Synthroid dosage too high?
This past summer I went from 100mcg to 125mcg even though my TSH level was a 3. something. At the time I wasn't aware of the dangers of increasing thyroid medicine and asked for the increase because I was trying to lose weight. A few weeks later at my next appointment I was experiencing dizzy spells, light-headedness, generally feeling unwell, and my BP was 139/80. I told the doctor that Synthroid was causing my problems and she said that I didn't have high blood pressure and the numbers were fine and that I may be having a reaction to Synthroid and she may have to change to a less common brand. She ordered a blood test and said maybe lowering your dosage will help though. Apparently, I'm guessing since my doctor's office did not tell me what my TSH level was, that it was on the high end because I was lowered to 88mcg. Within days my dizzy spells, light-headedness and feeling unwell went away. Despite exercising and trying to watch what I ate my weight generally varied between 5 pound gain/loss. My BP remained at 139/75 for awhile.
In late August I was put on Adipex, because I am overweight and according to my doctor that's my only real health problem not that I have Hashimoto.So I had been taking 88mcg of Synthroid and Adipex 37.5mg and lost 20 pounds in about 4 and half weeks along with exercise and dramatic change in diet from the summer that included cutting down on gluten products. Well, it turns out that I had gone into a hypo state during the whole time I was dieting and exercising. My TSH level was 21 and when I was originally diagnosed with Hashimoto it was 20, but interestingly enough my BP went to 120/75. I did not notice any signs of being hypo per se, because I have never truly felt 100% on Synthroid or Armour. I also suspect that Adipex has been masking the signs of hypo as well. Anyway, the doctor increased my Synthroid to 112mcg two and half weeks ago.
A week and half ago I began experiencing dizzy spells, light-headness, feeling unwell, my BP increased to 130/85, my hair is rapidly falling out, my weight loss has stopped even though my my diet hasn't changed and I have increased my workout time to 55-60 minutes from 45-55 minutes, 5-6 days weekly, I have experienced increased bowel movements, diarrhea/soft/loose stool after 5 weeks of being constipated as a side effect of Adipex, dry scape, muscle weakness, fatigue, changes in moods, the right side of my neck seems bigger, increased tenderness in my neck.
I called my doctor after experiencing many of these symptoms for 5 days and wanted my dosage changed from 112mcg to 100mcg. The doctor said my symptoms are being caused by Adipex and ordered me to stop taking it. I am due to stop taking Adipex in the middle of November. Adipex can only be used short-term. I argued with the nurse that it was Synthroid and not Adipex making me sick. I spoke with the manager of the clinic I have tried to make them understand that changing a dosage by .12mcg is not extreme but going from 125mcg to 88mcg is much more extreme. I also told them I have felt like this both times I have been on Synthroid over 100mcg.
I have a doctor's appointment Oct 18th, and my lab isn't due until around Nov. 1st. And my other problem is I will be going to an endo Nov. 18th, because my regular doctor no longer wants to treat my Hashimoto or obesity.
Is my increase in dosage to blame for my symptoms? I do not show the side effects of Adipex at all and many of my symptoms just aren't side effects of this drug. And I do not believe there is any interaction between the two medicines because I take Synthroid four or more hours after Adipex and having breakfast.
In late August I was put on Adipex, because I am overweight and according to my doctor that's my only real health problem not that I have Hashimoto.So I had been taking 88mcg of Synthroid and Adipex 37.5mg and lost 20 pounds in about 4 and half weeks along with exercise and dramatic change in diet from the summer that included cutting down on gluten products. Well, it turns out that I had gone into a hypo state during the whole time I was dieting and exercising. My TSH level was 21 and when I was originally diagnosed with Hashimoto it was 20, but interestingly enough my BP went to 120/75. I did not notice any signs of being hypo per se, because I have never truly felt 100% on Synthroid or Armour. I also suspect that Adipex has been masking the signs of hypo as well. Anyway, the doctor increased my Synthroid to 112mcg two and half weeks ago.
A week and half ago I began experiencing dizzy spells, light-headness, feeling unwell, my BP increased to 130/85, my hair is rapidly falling out, my weight loss has stopped even though my my diet hasn't changed and I have increased my workout time to 55-60 minutes from 45-55 minutes, 5-6 days weekly, I have experienced increased bowel movements, diarrhea/soft/loose stool after 5 weeks of being constipated as a side effect of Adipex, dry scape, muscle weakness, fatigue, changes in moods, the right side of my neck seems bigger, increased tenderness in my neck.
I called my doctor after experiencing many of these symptoms for 5 days and wanted my dosage changed from 112mcg to 100mcg. The doctor said my symptoms are being caused by Adipex and ordered me to stop taking it. I am due to stop taking Adipex in the middle of November. Adipex can only be used short-term. I argued with the nurse that it was Synthroid and not Adipex making me sick. I spoke with the manager of the clinic I have tried to make them understand that changing a dosage by .12mcg is not extreme but going from 125mcg to 88mcg is much more extreme. I also told them I have felt like this both times I have been on Synthroid over 100mcg.
I have a doctor's appointment Oct 18th, and my lab isn't due until around Nov. 1st. And my other problem is I will be going to an endo Nov. 18th, because my regular doctor no longer wants to treat my Hashimoto or obesity.
Is my increase in dosage to blame for my symptoms? I do not show the side effects of Adipex at all and many of my symptoms just aren't side effects of this drug. And I do not believe there is any interaction between the two medicines because I take Synthroid four or more hours after Adipex and having breakfast.
Ok they wouldn't allow me to post a website.... Google Stop the thyroid madness for some good info.
Hello all, I just wanted to share some of my thoughts, opinions and experiences with you as they may shed a bit of light for some. I am a 36 yr old male and have been on Synthroid since I was 16 after I had my thyroid medically destroyed due to hypothyroidism. I have experienced benefits and horrifying side effects of this drug. Just to list, most of my side effects were: severe anxiety, severe panic attacks that would come out of nowhere, severe painful head/skull pressure changes, random low and high BP, fast and slow heart rates, heart palps, forceful and weak pulse, chest pressure and pain, a feeling of breathing in cold air and coughing, light headed and faintness, odd random sharp pains in my sides, neck and chest, seeing spots and visual disturbances, hot flushes, weakness and tiredness. Almost all of these were due to increasing or even decreasing the dose to much too fast or not getting enough T4/T3. I can tell you there is a lot of misinformation out there. I have had symptoms such as pounding heartbeats, forceful pulse, and chest pressure, normally associated with getting too much Synthroid, but in fact I wasn't getting enough T4 or T3 and my TSH was "normal" around 2.5. Most doctors would decrease with these symptoms and when mine did I got worse! Only when I increased the dose did these symptoms start to go away. Most people are symptom free at around a TSH of 1. I happen to be one of them, but it takes time to get there and you could be at "1" for months before you start to feel good because your body needs to adapt. This sort of treatment is not a quick fix. My labs have a very narrow margin of where I feel "good" and symptom free. You need to learn where you sit. Everyone is different, but most doctors treat everyone the same. I can tell you with every increase or decrease you will most likely experience some side effects as your body makes adjustments. You need to go slow and I mean VERY slow in my experience. Six weeks in my opinion is not long enough between increases if you are experiencing any side effects. And you should never go up more that .12 mcg at a time, it's way too much too fast. And you will need to troop it out if you want to see any long term benefit. This could be on Synthroid or any natural like Armour. Once the side effects disappear, and this can take a long time, only then should you increase. If side effects worsen or don't start decreasing after 6 weeks (my experience) blood work needs to be done and you probably went up too soon or too much too fast. Doctors downplay this disease and medication like its not a big deal and it is easily treatable. This is simply not true. It is difficult to treat what you do not understand. I now make sure I get tested for TSH, Free T3, Free T4, and Reverse T3 every 6 months and compare the lab work. Personally, now my RT3 is a bit high and as I get older it seems to be steadily increasing. This is an issue that needs to be addressed all in itself and is usually due to being on a T4 only drug, Synthroid, for a long period of time. This can cause many problems other than just converting T4 into usable T3. Your cells being blocked by too much RT3 can cause pooling of T3 in the blood producing all sorts of symptoms, and your TSH will not show this, in fact it could be normal even suppressed. Most doctors no little about this. I could go on and on. My advice is to self educate and learn what works best for your body. ************************* was a great start for me.
2 Comments
what medication are you taking now?
You've commented on an old thread and previous posted haven't been active for several years. It's not impossible, but unlikely that they'll respond.
I also was increased to 112 mcg and was on 100 mcg for 20 years. Last week I got a terrible burning in my chest,throat, and mouth. My lips also started burning. I felt fine until I increased the dose. They did blood work to check to see if I was allergic to red dye and I asked to have my b12 checked. They referred me to an ENT who I saw today and he is saying it more or less is GERD. I have to go for an upper GI and barium esophagram tomorrow. I didn,t have any of these problems until my synthroid was increased,
COMMUNITY LEADER
Your doctor sounds just like one I had when I was first dx's hypo; he got angry every time I questioned him and hated it when he found out I was doing research. Told me at one point to stop believing what I read online.
Any doctor who doses, solely on the TSH is not acting in your best interest. My previous doctor did that to me - dropped my med when my TSH went to < 0.01, but my FT levels were still below range -- He kept me sick for over a year; he's no longer my doctor!!
There are some people who gain weight while hyper, so it's not impossible. Some symptoms can "cross over" for either hyper or hypo, including weight gain (though most often associated with hypo), fatigue, etc. Hair loss is also most often associated with being hypO, but again, can be for either. Many of us who are hypo, also have GI issues, including GERD, constipation, etc. That's one reason it's so important to test BOTH Free T3 and Free T4, along with the TSH.
I'm happy to hear that you are going to an endo; I do hope you get proper treatment.
Your doctor is required by law to provide a copy of your labs when requested.
Any doctor who doses, solely on the TSH is not acting in your best interest. My previous doctor did that to me - dropped my med when my TSH went to < 0.01, but my FT levels were still below range -- He kept me sick for over a year; he's no longer my doctor!!
There are some people who gain weight while hyper, so it's not impossible. Some symptoms can "cross over" for either hyper or hypo, including weight gain (though most often associated with hypo), fatigue, etc. Hair loss is also most often associated with being hypO, but again, can be for either. Many of us who are hypo, also have GI issues, including GERD, constipation, etc. That's one reason it's so important to test BOTH Free T3 and Free T4, along with the TSH.
I'm happy to hear that you are going to an endo; I do hope you get proper treatment.
Your doctor is required by law to provide a copy of your labs when requested.
My doctor only tests my TSH level and two and half weeks ago it was 21 on Sept. 20th, 2011. That is when I went from 88mcg to 112mcg. My symptoms started going on two weeks ago. And my doctor's office acts highly unusual regarding my labs. They rarely show me or even tell me my TSH level. They simply have constantly changed my medicine for nearly three years at some points every 6 weeks. Obviously, now I am more interested in my health and more aware of their unusual practices and will be requesting copies.
My doctor would never run a full thyroid panel even if I begged her. She has refused every request I have made, which is why I am going to a specialist in November. I've already asked her for a T3 pill because I sound like an ideal patient for adding it, and I was on Armour and felt slightly better than on Synthroid but as I had stated before I have never felt 100% on either.
She said that Adipex was the only safe diet pill for thyroid patients. She is more concerned about my weight than my thyroid disease. She stated a few months back that I was a hopeless case and would require gastric bypass surgery. She put me on the diet pill to prove her theory about my weight so she could ship me off to the nearest Bariatric department. I want to lose weight naturally and that's why I have started to educated myself regarding my thyroid disease.
Actually I lost 20 pounds in 4 and half weeks while I was hypo but unaware that I was hypo, and apparently from my test results and I can not give you the number but I know that my TSH was below normal range or on the low on the normal range because I went from 125mcg to 88mcg at the end of July. Four weeks later at the end of August the doctor asked if the dizziness had gone away and it had almost immediately after I stopped taking the 125mcg and then she gave me Adipex. My BP had only changed slight to 139/75 from the bottom number being in the 80s four weeks before.
I've read on other sites that weight gain can happen for some people when they are thrown into a hyper state by being over-medicated and that sudden hair loss can also take place if you are being over-medicated. I've also read that patients can experience fatigue even in a hyper state and that it's a misconception to think that you will have new found energy, experience weight loss, etc. That is true for patients that have Graves. I've also read even from the manufacturer of Synthroid that the side effects of Synthroid are experienced when you are being over-medicated.
Besides I haven't actually gained any weight. I've simply stopped losing weight and have maintained my 20 plus a previous weight loss of 13 pounds for the total of 33 pounds despite no change in my effort. This past summer I also stopped losing weight and kept maintaining the same weight except for 5 or so pounds that I constantly lost and gained almost daily for good two months and this was at the point I was on 125mcg and having the symptoms of being over-medicated.
I'm assuming that I am actually a patient that can lose weight while hypo but not hyper.
Anyway, on my next appointment I am requesting a copy of my medical records so that I can prepare to see the endo. I also have many GI problems that the doctor refuses to look into, so I'm praying this specialist can help. But as I stated before I've never had anything but my TSH level tested and once for antibodies.
I doubt that my doctor will even test my TSH level at my next appointment because my lab is due two weeks later and is upset that I dared to question her treatment of me. Even though I do not have actual numbers I believe my symptoms tell the story.
My doctor would never run a full thyroid panel even if I begged her. She has refused every request I have made, which is why I am going to a specialist in November. I've already asked her for a T3 pill because I sound like an ideal patient for adding it, and I was on Armour and felt slightly better than on Synthroid but as I had stated before I have never felt 100% on either.
She said that Adipex was the only safe diet pill for thyroid patients. She is more concerned about my weight than my thyroid disease. She stated a few months back that I was a hopeless case and would require gastric bypass surgery. She put me on the diet pill to prove her theory about my weight so she could ship me off to the nearest Bariatric department. I want to lose weight naturally and that's why I have started to educated myself regarding my thyroid disease.
Actually I lost 20 pounds in 4 and half weeks while I was hypo but unaware that I was hypo, and apparently from my test results and I can not give you the number but I know that my TSH was below normal range or on the low on the normal range because I went from 125mcg to 88mcg at the end of July. Four weeks later at the end of August the doctor asked if the dizziness had gone away and it had almost immediately after I stopped taking the 125mcg and then she gave me Adipex. My BP had only changed slight to 139/75 from the bottom number being in the 80s four weeks before.
I've read on other sites that weight gain can happen for some people when they are thrown into a hyper state by being over-medicated and that sudden hair loss can also take place if you are being over-medicated. I've also read that patients can experience fatigue even in a hyper state and that it's a misconception to think that you will have new found energy, experience weight loss, etc. That is true for patients that have Graves. I've also read even from the manufacturer of Synthroid that the side effects of Synthroid are experienced when you are being over-medicated.
Besides I haven't actually gained any weight. I've simply stopped losing weight and have maintained my 20 plus a previous weight loss of 13 pounds for the total of 33 pounds despite no change in my effort. This past summer I also stopped losing weight and kept maintaining the same weight except for 5 or so pounds that I constantly lost and gained almost daily for good two months and this was at the point I was on 125mcg and having the symptoms of being over-medicated.
I'm assuming that I am actually a patient that can lose weight while hypo but not hyper.
Anyway, on my next appointment I am requesting a copy of my medical records so that I can prepare to see the endo. I also have many GI problems that the doctor refuses to look into, so I'm praying this specialist can help. But as I stated before I've never had anything but my TSH level tested and once for antibodies.
I doubt that my doctor will even test my TSH level at my next appointment because my lab is due two weeks later and is upset that I dared to question her treatment of me. Even though I do not have actual numbers I believe my symptoms tell the story.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Do you have any recent thyroid lab results that you could post, so we can see what your levels are? That would be Free T3, Free T4 and TSH at the very least. Please post tests performed, results and reference ranges, since these ranges vary from lab to lab and must come from your own report. If you don't have a copy of your report, your doctor is obligated to give you one, upon request, if you are in the US.
I'm really quite surprised that your doctor would prescribe adipex with a thyroid issue, since getting thyroid hormones to levels that are right for you, are key to weight loss.
Please post whatever labs you have, so members can better assess your situation and help make suggestions as to treatment.
Do be aware that symptoms can "cross party lines", but weight gain, hair loss, etc are usually symptoms of being hypO, not hyper (though we aren't all alike), fatigue can be a symptom of either.
I'm really quite surprised that your doctor would prescribe adipex with a thyroid issue, since getting thyroid hormones to levels that are right for you, are key to weight loss.
Please post whatever labs you have, so members can better assess your situation and help make suggestions as to treatment.
Do be aware that symptoms can "cross party lines", but weight gain, hair loss, etc are usually symptoms of being hypO, not hyper (though we aren't all alike), fatigue can be a symptom of either.
I have been taking 200 mcg of synthroid for 3 years to keep my thyroid level normal. I am having my thyroid removed as Hashimoto's is an auto immune syndrome and my lymph glands have been swollen for about 8 months with no reason according to my doctor. Went to new doctor and they showed me my thyroid with ultrasound and compared to her normal thyroid. My thyroid is covering my whole neck and hers was very small. She told me the swelling in my glands is from my body trying to dissolve the abnormal tissue my thyroid has become. I have chosen to have it removed to try to get my lymph system back to normal and see if it will help my parathyroid glands as thy are being squeezed.
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