If you have had hypothyroidism for nearly two decades, it is fairly safe to say you have Hashimoto's. Especially if you started on a small dose and gradually worked your way up to 125mcg of HRT drugs.
Hashimoto's is an auto-immune disease that pits your immune system against your thyroid, and eventually the immune system wins. You may have had thyroid antibody tests run in the past to confirm this.
If you have been bumped up to 125mcg, your thyroid is slowly failing. You may eventually end up at 150mcg or maybe 175mcg.
With a TSH of 10.8, I'm guessing you don't feel very well. Your TSH should be closer to 1.5. You should have bloodwork in 6-8 weeks to see if the new dosage is correct, or too much. Then, to manage the disease properly, you should have a TSH and a Free T4 test run every three months.
At some point, as your body changes, you may need to step the dose down, as your hormone requirements will lessen with age.
There is no other treatment for Hypothyroidism except Hormone Replacement Therapy. There are different brands to choose from, but they all use the same active ingredient.
There is a catagory of natural hormones that vary from synthetics, but they are only suitable for some patients, and most of us are taking some form of Levothyroxine. An expensive name brand drug rather than a generic, hopefully.
Many drugs and supplements interfere with absorbtion of the thyroid medicine, and that may be part of the reason your dosage was increased recently.
That's the introductory page. If you have other questions or medical details to add, fire away.
Have you ever had extensive bloodwork done on your thyroid, or an ultrasound?
Hello and Welcome to the community! I don't have enough exp. to help but I am certain others will jump in later in the day!
Cheryl