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Synthroid

On 2/27 my blood results said
TSH - 138.7
T4 - 0.51
T3 - 71
The Dr called and said to take synthroid 135mcg.  To date, I have had nothing change.  Still feels like there is a rope around my neck, can't lose a pound even if I don't eat, yes I go to the gym and do yoga, walk the dog, watch what I eat and I don't eat much at all. Legs and ankles swell. The voice sounds like Rod Stewart at times.   Is this normal, am I expecting too much too fast.  sigh
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your comments. Going tomorrow for a blood draw.
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Avatar universal
It takes 4-6 weeks for the T4 in synthroid to take full effect, so unfortunately you will have to be patient. I agree with flyingfool that the dose your doctor started you on is very, very high and it is generally advisable to work up your dose slowly, from a starter dose of say, 50mcg, re-testing every 4-6 weeks and upping the dose by 25mcg at a time as necessary. Your doctor probably saw your very high TSH and very low T4 result and thought s/he should start your dose at the maximum, but as flyingfool mentioned, 135mcg may end up leaving you overmedicated. Symptoms of overmedication could include inability to sleep, rapid weight loss, diarrhea, rapid weight loss, feeling overheated.
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Avatar universal
This is my first time on thyroid medication.  I'm not a Dr or Nurse but the lab slip says
T4 Free, Direct S is 0.51 - low - reference range 0.82 - 1.77
TSH is 138.700 - High - ref range 0.450 - 4.500
T3 - 71 - ref range 71-180

I just remember the nurse saying, oh after a few days you will feel so much better.  Not.  Still feel like someone is choking me, excess fluid everywhere, puffy face, miserable, I could go on.  I was hoping for a miracle pill :)
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Avatar universal
In addition, can you please post the reference ranges for your test results? And are they Total or Free T3/T4?
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Avatar universal
have you been on any thyroid medication before?  Or is this 135 mcg T4 medication the first you've taken?

How long have you been on this dosage?

T4 medication takes up to 6 weeks to stabilize in the blood stream.  So if you've been taking less than 4 weeks you are likely to not feel anything.

or if you do feel anything you may actually feel WORSE for a short time.  Especially if this is an inital dosage which would be a HUGE starter dose.  Most intitial starting out will start out at 25 mcg to maybe 50 mcg and then slowly work up.  So if you start to feel worse, you may want to talk to your Dr about slowing down or having a smaller dose to start out and work up.
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