Aa
Sounds familiar ????
After reading a lot of comments I realize that I am NOT alone...I am 56 years old and until a year ago I was slim,slender,toned...particularly in good shape for my age. All of a sudden,a year ago, my primary care doctor after a routine blood test told me that I suffered from hypothyroid disorder (I had NO symptoms) and I started taking levothyroxin 25...and slowly started to put on weight and felt bloated in spite of dieting and excersising...Frustrated I went to see a thyroid specialist who put me on synthroid 50 mg...It got even worse...In 11 months I gained 11 lbs and I look 4 months pregnant...I still keep on dieting and exercising to no avail...As a lot of you mentioned the Dr said that the medicine has nothing to do with it !!!! I am SO FRUSTRATED !!!! Anybody tried some more "natural" remedies ???
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.
At 62, I also look pregnant. I started out with a small "pot belly" in my lower abdoman; and now both upper and lower abdoman are distended. None of my clothes fit, and I'm so uncomfortable - stomach feels hard. Otherwise I feel fine - haven't noticed any increase in appetite or tiredness. I do feel somewhat relieved to learn that others on synthroid are experiencing similar symptoms especially the "big belly". Is it normal to feel "hard" though?
Take a look at your antibodies....well over 1000 which mean they are 'rampant' at present and this does affect the thyroid as your TSH shows.
6.05 TSH shows you need an increase in your meds...forget the other bloods, get your Free T3 and Free T4 done before increasing the meds.
When you do increase, do it SLOWLY.
As goolara says...you arent converting your T4 to T3 well which would explain the weight gain along with the antibodies going 'hell and leather' at your thyroid.
No-one thinks your lazy...fair from it.
We have all had the 'thyroid belly' at some stage.
I remember the Nurse asking me 3 minutes before RAI if I was pregnant! lol
I smiled and looked at her and said..."This is all thyroid belly Hun" lol
Get your TSH down slowly and the weight will come off and also the bloating.
Like you I exersised non stop and lost no weight, I think I actually gained it then I figured out that each time I gained 2 lbs, the TSH had gone up and it was just a vicious circle.
I no longer have the thyroid belly (a little middle age spread ...hehehe) but no thyroid belly and believe it or not, I havent exersised since I started to lose the weight.
Take a look at my pics and you will see 'Goldfish' me in the October 2008 pic at my daughters wedding and then look at recent pics....you will notice a difference.
Good luck and keep researching as much as you can on Hashimoto and Hypothyroidism.
The weight will come off...just as soon as the TSH goes down.
Hugs
6.05 TSH shows you need an increase in your meds...forget the other bloods, get your Free T3 and Free T4 done before increasing the meds.
When you do increase, do it SLOWLY.
As goolara says...you arent converting your T4 to T3 well which would explain the weight gain along with the antibodies going 'hell and leather' at your thyroid.
No-one thinks your lazy...fair from it.
We have all had the 'thyroid belly' at some stage.
I remember the Nurse asking me 3 minutes before RAI if I was pregnant! lol
I smiled and looked at her and said..."This is all thyroid belly Hun" lol
Get your TSH down slowly and the weight will come off and also the bloating.
Like you I exersised non stop and lost no weight, I think I actually gained it then I figured out that each time I gained 2 lbs, the TSH had gone up and it was just a vicious circle.
I no longer have the thyroid belly (a little middle age spread ...hehehe) but no thyroid belly and believe it or not, I havent exersised since I started to lose the weight.
Take a look at my pics and you will see 'Goldfish' me in the October 2008 pic at my daughters wedding and then look at recent pics....you will notice a difference.
Good luck and keep researching as much as you can on Hashimoto and Hypothyroidism.
The weight will come off...just as soon as the TSH goes down.
Hugs
None of us is accusing you of being lazy...I think we all know the feeling that "being hungry is not a good enough reason to eat!"
We're saying that your levels are not adjusted properly, and until they are, it's probably going to be just about impossible to lose the weight and get rid of the bloating.
I assume the antibodies are TPOab, which indicates that you have Hashi's. So, your thyroid is being attacked by your immune system and failing more and more all the time. With your antibodies, you were going to have symptoms before long even though you didn't when you first started meds. Why were you off meds for five weeks?
Unfortunately, your doctor is testing total T3. It's considered an obsolete test and has been replaced by free T3. Ask for that next time you have labs. TT3 is very low. It looks to me like you might have to add a bit of Cytomel (T3) to your meds. FT4 looks good, but TT3 is low. However, I'd want to see FT3 before deciding on that. It looks like you are not converting T4 to T3 well.
We're saying that your levels are not adjusted properly, and until they are, it's probably going to be just about impossible to lose the weight and get rid of the bloating.
I assume the antibodies are TPOab, which indicates that you have Hashi's. So, your thyroid is being attacked by your immune system and failing more and more all the time. With your antibodies, you were going to have symptoms before long even though you didn't when you first started meds. Why were you off meds for five weeks?
Unfortunately, your doctor is testing total T3. It's considered an obsolete test and has been replaced by free T3. Ask for that next time you have labs. TT3 is very low. It looks to me like you might have to add a bit of Cytomel (T3) to your meds. FT4 looks good, but TT3 is low. However, I'd want to see FT3 before deciding on that. It looks like you are not converting T4 to T3 well.
Thank you all for your answers...Her are my last blood test results after I stopped the Levo 25 for 5 weeks...TSH,3d generation : 6.05H... T4 : 1.3 (the only one in the range)... T3 total : 62 L...
antibodies > 1000 H...It is after these results that the Dr gave me synthroid 50.
As far as dieting and exercising...trust me I DO...and a lot...I often go to bed feeling hungry...I am extremely disciplined in that "area". I am far from being overweight but it's not so much the weight that bothers me...as the big stomach and the feeling of being constantly bloated .What bothers me too is that I had NO symptoms whatsoever when I was put on the med the very 1st time, a year ago???
antibodies > 1000 H...It is after these results that the Dr gave me synthroid 50.
As far as dieting and exercising...trust me I DO...and a lot...I often go to bed feeling hungry...I am extremely disciplined in that "area". I am far from being overweight but it's not so much the weight that bothers me...as the big stomach and the feeling of being constantly bloated .What bothers me too is that I had NO symptoms whatsoever when I was put on the med the very 1st time, a year ago???
COMMUNITY LEADER
I agree with the other posters -- I've been on both synthroid and generic levo - neither of them affect my weight, but whether or not I'm hypo DOES. In my case, I began gaining weight long before I could get my doctor to test me. I've been on med since May '08 and I'm still trying to get the weight off, but as my meds are adjusted and my thyroid levels come more to what *I* need, not just the labs, I'm finally able to drop some pounds with diet and exercise.
If you can post your test results, along with the reference ranges for each, it would be very helpful.
If you can post your test results, along with the reference ranges for each, it would be very helpful.
I totally agree with goolara.
T4 med didnt make me gain weight...being Hypo did, from antithyroid medications.
I have since been on Thyroxin since Augusr 2008 and as my levels stabalised so too did my weight.
I gained 16kgs (from 55kgs to 71kgs) and am now 57kgs so its not the medication.
T4 med didnt make me gain weight...being Hypo did, from antithyroid medications.
I have since been on Thyroxin since Augusr 2008 and as my levels stabalised so too did my weight.
I gained 16kgs (from 55kgs to 71kgs) and am now 57kgs so its not the medication.
What thyroid tests did your PCP base his hypo diagnosis on?
What tests did your thyroid specialist base his increase on?
Often, we hear from people who have difficulty losing weight. They think it's the levo because the weight gain didn't start until after starting the meds. However, most of us are chasing a moving target when it comes to our thyroids deteriorating. If doctors don't keep up with this deterioration by increasing meds regularly, the person remains hypo, and it's being hypo that actually causes the weight gain. But, it looks a lot like the meds are doing it.
If you have the results of lab work (FT3, FT4 and TSH and their reference ranges and any antibody tests), please post them, and members might be able to help you figure out what's going on. If meds are adjusted properly, you should be able to control your weight with diet and exercise. Just because lab values are "in range" does not mean that you will feel well. Many of us have to have FT4 at around midrange and FT3 in the upper half to third of the range before symptoms abate.
What tests did your thyroid specialist base his increase on?
Often, we hear from people who have difficulty losing weight. They think it's the levo because the weight gain didn't start until after starting the meds. However, most of us are chasing a moving target when it comes to our thyroids deteriorating. If doctors don't keep up with this deterioration by increasing meds regularly, the person remains hypo, and it's being hypo that actually causes the weight gain. But, it looks a lot like the meds are doing it.
If you have the results of lab work (FT3, FT4 and TSH and their reference ranges and any antibody tests), please post them, and members might be able to help you figure out what's going on. If meds are adjusted properly, you should be able to control your weight with diet and exercise. Just because lab values are "in range" does not mean that you will feel well. Many of us have to have FT4 at around midrange and FT3 in the upper half to third of the range before symptoms abate.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
