What dose of syntroid was effective?

[ando35]

I had a 5.9 tsh and .25 mcg of synthroid lowered it to 2.0 in 6 weeks. How much synthroid did you take and hpw much did it lower your tsh?

[goolarra]

So, are you off meds now?  If so, how long has it been, and how are you feeling?

[ando35]

Yeah. Well, I went to an endo who took me off of it. He said stop for 3 months then get tested and we'll see what to do. I just don't know what to do anymore.

[Barb135]

My initial TSH was 55+ and my doctor started me on a very low dosage in order to get used to having the hormones again; within 6 weeks, my TSH was < 0.01 and has been there every since, even when I was still hypo.

Gotta have those FT3 and FT4 tests.  My doctor refused to do FT3 and kept me ill for months until I finally went elsewhere.

[Red_Star]

My TSH was 6 and taking 50mcg daily lowered my levels to 1.1mU/L. Symptoms did not dramatically improve like the labs did. Maybe it does for some but for me this is a very slow process. It's like trying to fill the bathtub with the tap trickling. I can see improvements mildly over many, many months.  It's been a year today after starting thyroxine but i have far too many symptoms so i've decided to try natural desiccated to see how this goes.

[goolarra]

I agree with gimel...another person's optimal dose is totally irrelevent to you.  We all react to meds differently, and we all have different residual thyroid function.  If my thyroid if functioning at 50% of normal and yours at 0%, all other things being equal, you are going to have to take more than I am.

The dosage based on weight is merely a place to start when the doctor has nothing else to go on.  If there are other health considerations (especially age, long duration of hypo and heart arrhythmias), starting dose should be much lower than that reommended according to weight.

My doctor started me on the weight-appropriate dose, and it was way too much for me.  As a result, I had lots of hyper symptoms and had to back way down and start over.  

I also agree that FT3 and FT4 are what you and your doctor should be looking at.

[courtney48]

Hi Ando,
I take generic levothyroxine.  The website for this medicine suggests a certain dosage per pound as a starting dose.  My starting dose is 100mcg, which is a little more than literature suggested, but what my doctor deemed appropriate.  I have been on this dose for about 5 1/2-6 weeks and will recheck levels at 8 weeks.  When I was dx'd with hypothyroidism, my symptoms were brittle nails, mild-mod degree of hair loss, very dry skin and severe constipation with complications of that.  My nails have all grown out, hair loss has arrested with obvious new hair growth, dry skin is better especially in areas that are prone to chafing/irritation such as lips, cuticles, heels and moderate improvement with GI symptoms although I'm still under care of a gastroenterologist.  I hope you get positive results soon.  Hope my experience is helpful in some way.  Good luck.  

[gimel]

Dosage is irrelevant.  Symptom relief should be all important.
I just posted this info for another member.  It fully applies to you as well.  

First thing to understand is that TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many things that it is totally inadequate as the sold diagnostic for thyroid issues.  At best TSH is an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms, and also levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4.  Of these Free T3 is the most important test because Free T3 largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Scientific studies have also shown that Free T3 correlated best with hypo symptoms, while Free T4 and TSH did not correlate at all.

So, you really don't want to control TSH.  You want to control any symptoms you have as a result of being hypothyroid.  A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.  Many of our members, myself included, say that symptom relief required Free T3 to be adjusted into the upper third of its range and Free T4 adjusted to around the middle of its range.  

So I suggest that you should request to be tested for Free T3 and Free T4 (not the same as Total T3 and T4), along with the TSH.  Also, since hypo patients are frequently too low in other important areas as well, you should request tests for Vitamin D, B12, ferritin, and a full iron test panel.  While seeing the doctor you should also ask if he is going to be willing to treat you clinically, as described above.  If not, then you will need to find a good thyroid doctor that will to so.

When additional test results are available, please post results and their reference ranges and members will be glad to help interpret and advise further.