Meds question

[Nelly57]

I wanted to ask you guys if anyone has ever experienced going from hypo to hyper due to weight loss.  I started losing weight several months ago and then was able to finally add in exercising again.  As of yesterday I have now lost 43 pounds.  My problem is now it seems my Levo is too strong and I have become hyper instead of hypo.  My doc lowered my dose from 100 mcg. to 50 and I was okay for a couple of months now I'm having the hyper symptoms again.  Racing heart, palpitations, high blood pressure, headaches, nervousness/anxiety, intolerance to heat, etc.  

Has anyone else ever experienced this along with weight loss?  I have a dr. appt. this afternoon.  I took myself completely off the Levo almost a week ago and while it's a little bit better I'm still not feeling like myself.  I talked to an RN at church and she said that thyroid hormones are stored in the fat glands of our bodies and when we lose body fat there are less places for it to be stored and this could happen as a result.  What do you all think?

[goolarra]

I think you have to insist on FT3 and FT4 to find out what's really going on with your thyroid hormones.  TS is a pituitary hormone and can be influenced by many factors other than thyroid hormone levels.  3.23 is technically slightly hypo (range 0.3-3.0), but as I said, very questionable to use TSH when not backed up by FT3 and FT4.  Your symptoms do not sound hypo, but hyper (or overmedicated).  I think you have to have the frees tested...they'll let you know what's really going on.

[Nelly57]

I went back to the dr. yesterday but I forgot and left my lab work results at home.  All she tested as far as thyroid though was TSH and it was 3.23.  Not sure what that means.  She started me back on the Levo (I had been off a week) at 25 mcg.  I took it this morning and am feeling very shaky and nervous and my heart is racing.  I just don't know what to think at this point, this is so frustrating.  

All of my other blood work was okay except my white count was a little elevated and my vitamin D level was low.  She prescribed a once a week pill for that but I haven't taken it yet.  

[Nelly57]

I actually ended up having to go to the dr. early.  My blood pressure spiked really bad at work and our school nurse sent me straight to my dr.  When they checked it, it was 180/100.  They gave me a pill to lower it quickly and then drew blood to check my levels.  The dr. did agree (pending the results of the lab work) that the weight loss has probably caused the Levo to be too strong.  I had gone from 100 to 50 but she was concerned that I stopped it cold turkey last week without calling her.  She did also check my kidney function just to make sure nothing is going on there.  She made me stay home the rest of today and I can return to work tomorrow if my blood pressure isn't too high again.  

She said she will have the lab results tomorrow morning.  She was very pleased with my weight loss and said unfortunately this was part of the process of losing weight.  She said also that the less you weigh the less Levo you need.  

No secret to the weight loss, just trying to eat healthier and I ride my stationary bike every other day.  I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr 3 years ago and it's made exercising very difficult.  I have found though that I can do it as long as it's every other day.  Another suggestion from my dr.  Of course as you all know so well, weight loss for us is extremely slow and next to impossible at times.  I guess that's the only good thing about going from Hypo to Hyper this past week, I lost another 5 lbs.  :-)  Not the way I want to lose it though.  This blood pressure thing scared me and my co-workers to pieces today.  

[Barb135]

I agree with goolarra; and of course, we ALL want to know your weight loss secret.......lol

[goolarra]

The amount of levo you have to take is based in part on weight.  Many other factors are involved, but the less you weigh, the less you are apt to require.  Forty-three pounds is a lot, so I don't think it's surprising that you need less levo.  I'm not sure I quite buy your RN's explanation, but I DO think your weight loss has changed your requirements.  Have you had FT3, FT4 and TSH tested since you lost all that weight?  It would be really interesting to compare pre-wight-loss with post-weight-loss labs.  Congratulations, by the way!