synthroid weight gain...

[rusty6]

i am confused if i am on 50mgs a day of synthroid for low or high but since ive been taking them, ive had to have my heart palp meds and my b/p meds switched...ive gotten insomnia and anxiety more so than usual. i am past menopause, and something is making my life not up to snuff.  i try taking a half every so often thinking it might make my day go better.  i get tremors in my hands and its not god since i am a decorative painter--had to stop teaching classes, embarrassed over the tremors and light headedness. i was going to flush them after 90 days of taking them but didnt know the side effects of just stopping them instead of slowly going off of them. now i am seeing that if you take more, the weight gain and bloating and some of the symptoms stop?  i cant afford to keep running to the docs due to no insurance but i am puzzled what to do.  i hate taking al these meds and getting fat which ive never been in my life.   i am 57 and 5'9" and always have been 138-145 depending...now i look like a hairless wrinkled weak old lady with no energy and no ambition except to stay home and hide. i was under the impression the hairloss and muscle loss would get better on the pills.  ive only gained 5 pounds but my body has turned to mush and look like ive gained 30 pounds with no muscle mass at all, all soft flab.  anyone have a suggestion?  hope so--ill check tomorrow.  thanks  rusty

[stella5349]

no saturation... build up and release....

The synthroid is not the weight controller but establishing the correct hormone conversion to assist the Free T3 metobolic rate increase. In order for that to happen - proper hypo diets needs to be enforced along with a consistant flow of converter Ft4 hormone and Direct T3 in the body.

The TSH will not decifer if you are optimal or not on FT3 ad FT4 hormone.

[Swimdude]

Hang in there.  I have been on Synthroid for over a year now and in just the last 3 months, am finally starting to get my hair back.  My TSH results were as follows:

TSH Result – Thyroid - June 2009 Test – 127.8
(Placed on 50 MCG of Synthroid)
TSH Result – Thyroid - September 2009 Test – 46.6
(Placed on 100 MCG of Synthroid)
TSH Result – Thyroid - December 2009 Test – 28.8
(Placed on 150 MCG of Synthroid)
TSH Result – Thyroid - April 2010 Test – 11
(Placed on 175 MCG of Synthroid)

I am starting to get much higher energy, and I don't look like an man any longer, I look much more like I have energy and I am able to do things other than get up every day, and go to work.  I am sure I am getting much closer to normal in my TSH result as my weight has dropped from 208 to 195.

It is almost like you have to get to a certain point of saturation in your body with the Synthroid before it starts to do it's job.  Just hang in there, and good luck.    Steve

[Super_sally888]

Hi Rusty,

have you had any blood tests for your thyroid levels.  You could be over or under medicated from what you describe.

Could you please tell us your lab results, including the reference ranges for those results.

I hope they tested FT3 and FT4, as well as TSH. If they just tested TSH, and T4, that is not adequate.

Have they tested iron and B12?  What about other hormones.  What you describe may be more than just thyroid issue.

Anyway, please post your results and any history you can.  And then we'll see what advice we can give.  Best Wishes.