Taking of levothyroxin together with other supplements

[eniko]

I am a 33 years old mother of two, and I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism shortly after I had my second daughter. I basically started gaining a lot of weigh, almost day to day. That scared me so I had myself examined and diagnosed, that is how I got on a thyroid replacement: levothyroxin 112 mcg/day. How high is that dosage considered? That was two years ago. My second question is: didn`t I just have a postpartum hypothyroidism that goes away on it`s own? If that`s the case do I really have to be on medication for a lifetime? My other concern is that: being a stay at home mother I don`t have too much chance to work out or exercise, but I am still determined to loose some weigh so I started taking Chromium Picolinate 200 mcg every day for helping metabolism. Can these two medications be taken together? I always make sure to take the Chromium tablet a few hours apart from the levothyroxin. Thank you so much for your information.

[cjmap]

I was just told by a co-worker that I shouldn't be eating grapefruit if I'm on levothyroxin.  Is this true, and if so, why?  Thank you!  JoAnn

[cyndi12]

A related discussion, Levvothyroxin was started.

[jackie404]

A related discussion, Should I take vitamins with levothryoxin was started.

[NURSELPN]

Go to this web site for list of precautions:
MedlinePlus Drug Information

[tabtools]

Weight is a big issue for most of us hypo's.


More important than the dose that you take -- where are your numbers?

Saw in another post from the doc that he felt treatment should get the TSH down to 1.0 at least.

Is your TSH in a good place?  How about your Free T-3 and T-4 numbers?

Yes, exercise makes a difference. Is it because exercise helps oxygen intake and distribution that it makes a BIG difference in how we feel?

Seems that we hypo's also need to be VERY careful of the carbs we eat.  For instance, if I eat bread, it must be whole wheat, and no more than 1 slice a day (and none at all).  Most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies, and oatmeal (high fiber).

It's made a difference -- altho, I still have weight to lose.

Actually, I did find that increasing exercise did mean that I had to have my dosage upped.  So, if you start really exercising and have symptoms, you may need additional blood tests. ~ Maureen

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

It is possible you had transient post-partum hypo - if the antibodies are positive the likelihood of long-term replacement is higher.  I usually keep young women on replacement until they are done with reproduction to avoid hypothyroidism during pregnancy.  If you are done with reproduction, then one way to test is to cut the tab in half for 5-6 weeks and recheck the TSH to see what the requirements are - if TSH ok then stop altogether and recheck 5 weeks later.  By the way, 112 is a medium dose -- average for females.  Ok to take with chromium -- as you are doing (a few hours apart).  Regarding the weigh, I have found that regular exercise is key -- good luck finding time for that - several gyms have day care.