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Weight Gain with Synthroid
I want to know if Thyromine or any other herbal or natural suppliment can be taken in place of Synthroid. Sind I have been on 75 mgs of Synthroid for the last 2 years I have gained 30 lbs. I am a life long exerciser. I walk 2-3 miles a day, do pilates, and ab work outs and eat a healthy diet low in fats, and avoid processed meats. The weight gain is predominantly in the mid section. I have never had such a spare tire in my life and it began shortly after taking Synthroid. The Doctors say Synthroid does not cause weight gain, but the scale does not lie. The only thing that changed in my life was the Synthroid and then the weight gain began. Why do the Doctors deny Synthroid is causing my weight gain?
This discussion is related to Weight Gain and Big Bloated Stomach on .35 Synthroid.
This discussion is related to Weight Gain and Big Bloated Stomach on .35 Synthroid.
I was glad to see your post. I have been on Syntroid and cytomel combo for 6 years. My weight has crept up about 5-6 llbs per year. Still have hair loss, joint pain and tiredness, and puffy face and hands. Finally got my Dr. to put me on Armour thyroid-just started this am. so we will see.:)
Do you have thyroid related test results from the period when all was normal, and also from the time when you had gained all the weight. I am looking especially for test results for Free T3 and Free T4, along with reference ranges.
While I agree weight gain can be caused from other factors. I do believe Synthroid is a culprit in many cases.
I just turned 39 this past weekend. From age 12 until I started taking Synthroid at age 36 I weighed 85 pounds (Except while I was pregnant in which I lost 10 pounds first...end pregnancy weight was 125...I left the hospital weighing 100 lbs...and 2 weeks later was back down to 85 pounds). I eat healthy, I do minimal exercise, and my family we have a mix of tall, short, skinny and fat. I have spent the better part of my life trying to gain weight and nothing and I mean nothing worked.
I was put on Synthroid in May 2011 and gained 30 pounds and all in the mid section. I am now down to 95 lbs as I weaned off of Synthroid and using essential oils and Thyromin. Lost 20 pounds just changing from Synthroid to essential oils and Thyromin. I am eating the same and doing the same amount of exercise. At 4'11 gaining 30 pounds in the mid section made me look obese. I still have 10 more pounds to go and I need to work on toning my mid section.
I just turned 39 this past weekend. From age 12 until I started taking Synthroid at age 36 I weighed 85 pounds (Except while I was pregnant in which I lost 10 pounds first...end pregnancy weight was 125...I left the hospital weighing 100 lbs...and 2 weeks later was back down to 85 pounds). I eat healthy, I do minimal exercise, and my family we have a mix of tall, short, skinny and fat. I have spent the better part of my life trying to gain weight and nothing and I mean nothing worked.
I was put on Synthroid in May 2011 and gained 30 pounds and all in the mid section. I am now down to 95 lbs as I weaned off of Synthroid and using essential oils and Thyromin. Lost 20 pounds just changing from Synthroid to essential oils and Thyromin. I am eating the same and doing the same amount of exercise. At 4'11 gaining 30 pounds in the mid section made me look obese. I still have 10 more pounds to go and I need to work on toning my mid section.
R your meds still working for you with weight and all?? I have been on synthyroid/levothyroid for 30 years and about 3 years ago started getting more hypo symptoms. weight gain, feet hurt after short walks, eat less…so new Dr. upped levothyroid to .88mcg with Vit D TX….i thought now i'm going to finally see a difference….instead…i've gained 10 lbs in 2 months and severe GERD……Dr. will only treat my reflux and won't discuss Thyroid med...
Bravo!! well said…..very frustrating to see another 20lbs weight gain ….with my increased dose of levothyroid!!!
"I have since had workups on T4, T3, Free/Reverse T3, etc. None of that was out of lab ranges, and usually a bit on the low end by now."
What do you mean by a bit on the "low" end by now? Please post results and reference ranges from your own lab report.
I think this is the crux of the issue. It's not thyroid meds, per se, that cause weight gain/inability to lose weight, it's the mismanagement of thyroid meds by doctors that allows weight issues to continue. Many doctors believe that all of us should be symptom-free as long as we're in range, anywhere in range, which is very far from true. Many doctors treat by TSH only, a certain recipe for failure. Many doctors neither test FT3 nor have a clue about how to administer it.
As a result, many people end up undertreated and/or mistreated. Ultimately, hypo treatment has to be driven by symptoms. Weight gain, inability to lose weight are symptoms of hypo. So, perhaps your labs are not what they should be for YOU, personally.
You are on full replacement therapy, as you stated, so why are you concerned with T2 suppressing TSH? Aside from the fact that low TSH can freak your doctor out, a dead thyroid requires no TSH. Your doctor should be treating based on symptoms, FT3 and FT4, in that order. TSH is useful only as a screening test in asymptomatic people.
I don't think your voice is getting drowned out. I think people are trying to get you to explore whether or not your thyroid condition is actually being managed optimally. You still have at least one hypo symptom. Do you have others?
" Obviously, something doesn't add up there, and the assertion that maybe I mistracked calories so badly on a daily basis that I was actually eating 3k or some nonsense gets old, quickly." No, but have you ever considered the possibility that the BMR isn't all it's cracked up to be?
Yes, in the initial stages of treatment, when meds are being aggressively adjusted, symptoms often get worse before they get better, and people sometimes develop new ones. Your whole body is rebalancing and healing after (how long?) hypo. It's a process that just takes some time.
What do you mean by a bit on the "low" end by now? Please post results and reference ranges from your own lab report.
I think this is the crux of the issue. It's not thyroid meds, per se, that cause weight gain/inability to lose weight, it's the mismanagement of thyroid meds by doctors that allows weight issues to continue. Many doctors believe that all of us should be symptom-free as long as we're in range, anywhere in range, which is very far from true. Many doctors treat by TSH only, a certain recipe for failure. Many doctors neither test FT3 nor have a clue about how to administer it.
As a result, many people end up undertreated and/or mistreated. Ultimately, hypo treatment has to be driven by symptoms. Weight gain, inability to lose weight are symptoms of hypo. So, perhaps your labs are not what they should be for YOU, personally.
You are on full replacement therapy, as you stated, so why are you concerned with T2 suppressing TSH? Aside from the fact that low TSH can freak your doctor out, a dead thyroid requires no TSH. Your doctor should be treating based on symptoms, FT3 and FT4, in that order. TSH is useful only as a screening test in asymptomatic people.
I don't think your voice is getting drowned out. I think people are trying to get you to explore whether or not your thyroid condition is actually being managed optimally. You still have at least one hypo symptom. Do you have others?
" Obviously, something doesn't add up there, and the assertion that maybe I mistracked calories so badly on a daily basis that I was actually eating 3k or some nonsense gets old, quickly." No, but have you ever considered the possibility that the BMR isn't all it's cracked up to be?
Yes, in the initial stages of treatment, when meds are being aggressively adjusted, symptoms often get worse before they get better, and people sometimes develop new ones. Your whole body is rebalancing and healing after (how long?) hypo. It's a process that just takes some time.
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