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Hi I started to take levothyroxine last August for hypot...

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Guest
Guest

Hi

I started to take levothyroxine last August for hypothyroidism. I have always been slim, no problems with weight UNTIL NOW. Since I started taking the medication my weight started to creep up. In six months I have put on a stone and my tummy is sticking out as if I'm pregnant. I have been on various internet sites to find out why this is happening and I can't find the answers. I believe it is the medication. I spoke to someone from British Thyroid Foundation and she was very rude and unhelpful. She insisted that it wasn't the medication. Well, I had no problems with weight for 35 years and all of a sudden when taking Levothyroxine my weight shoots up, there is something going wrong and I'm not at all happy.

This is very depressing. I feel are we all being tried out as guinea pigs and then in years to come they will admit to it!!

Has anyone else had the same problem cos I'm at my wits end. I want to come off this medication its made me feel a lot worse than before.

[i:ff9b7f48e7]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:ff9b7f48e7]

13 likes, 124 replies

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  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I am in exactly the same position - i have been very slim for ages but have started to gain weight since taking Levothyroxine - even though I follow a strict diet for IBS. Also, my breasts have swollen and are constantly painful and I feel water-logged. I was convinced that I was pregnant but ruled it out with several tests which, led me to suspect the new medication.

    I hate the way they make me feel and look so I `m tempted to stop taking them until I can find a natural substitute or acupuncture.

    It seems like there is an underlying pattern in some women who take these drugs and there should more research done on the matter before drug companies so freely give out false information.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    i've been on thyroxine for just over 2 years, during which time i've stopped taking it about 3 or 4 times - and each time i've come off it for more than a month, i've lost weight! i recently stopped taking it and, within a month, lost just under a stone. I went back on it at the beginning of october, and 10lbs have already gone back on. i've mentioned this to various doc's at my local practice, but they all come up with an alternative excuse. one even told me that, if it wasn't for the side effects, thyroxine would put an end to obesity!! i also get an itchy rash on my hand that seems to appear a week or so after i go back on it but vanishes a week or so after stopping taking it.

    i'm not a gym bunny, but i do a fair amount of walking and have always been within 4lbs of 11 stone. I'm 6ft tall, so not fat. however, if i take my tablets for more than a month, i go up to 12 stone within a matter of weeks. if anyone knows of any alternative to thyroxine, i'd be very grateful to know about it!! doctor's are no use, they just try and blame the weightgain on something else,

    • guest1969
      guest1969 Guest

      Posted

      Hi there, i appreciate this is an old post but have only just spotted it and wanted to comment as I have been experiencing the same problems with weight gain since being on thyroxine. I had my thyroid irradiated due to Graves' and ever since then have been putting on weight steadily. I had always been slim and never had to diet but now I find that despite exercising regularly i just can't lose the extra weight. my endo tells me this is due to my age (45) and that i shoudl just stop eating and be on a very calorie restricted diet. my breast are always swollen although not painful and i feel water logged, especially on my back - never had fat there before but now it looks awful. i'm on 125mcg currently and feel OK in terms of energy but absolutely hate being this fat...
    • Alesy
      Alesy guest1969

      Posted

      Hello guest 1969, I am glad to see someone else who has had their thyroid out make a comment.  I was overactive for 7 years and decided to have mine out, didn't like the other option for fear I would become underactive with all those issues.  I have tried the 100, 200, 300mcg, felt lousy, put on weight, felt bloated all the time.  I now take 200 in the morning, 1hr before breakfast and 200 at night, 3hrs after food.  Any other meds I take in the middle of the day so they don't interefere.  Feel great,  my blood test results are within range but at the top end.  Guessing that higher dose is going to have side effects long term?  I am getting pain in my finger joints and back pain but putting it down to being 51 and menopause so going for regular massage.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I've been on levothyroxine for years but I have never gained any extra weight, maybe I have just been lucky. I've never had any side effects either.

    Laurielee why do you stop taking the tabs ? With underactive thyroid you have to take the drugs for life, surely stopping and starting them can't be doing you any good at all, your body must be wondering whats going on.

    My dose was reduced by 25 a few months back and I felt dreadful within a very short time, dread to think what I would be like if I stopped them all together.

    Even though I am in the correct range I need to take more to feel anywhere near normal, luckily my Dr agrees.

    Take care all

    • Alesy
      Alesy Guest

      Posted

      Hi there,

      Glad your doctor agrees with a higher dose, what are you on?  I am at 200 in the morning and 200 at night and within range but at the top end

    • cameronita
      cameronita Alesy

      Posted

      My new doctor is evaluating all of my tests at the moment to see what he is going t start me out on. this will be a new med for me and I am hopeful it will be better for me than the dreaded Levothyroxine. i believe that depending on what caused your hypothyroidism determines if you can tolerate this medicine. I have hashimotos....and I have read where those that have this do not do well on this med. Those that do not have hashismotos....do well on it.

      But Levothyroxine causes weight gain....I am maintaining at 185 now though. Since I have stopped taking the Levothyroxine....l hope you have success with your meds....

  • trina
    trina

    Posted

    Hi there. When I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. The doctors kept increasing my dosage, but the pills I was on was not helping my graves disease. I went up to 44 pills/day, and was seeing a specialist when they decided to burn out my thyroid. They burned out too much, leaving my with an underactive thyroid.

    I was put on Eltroxin, a brand of Levothyroxin. I have always felt that Eltroxin did nothing for my thyroid, but with first-hand knowledge that not taking medication for it will lead to Hashymoto's disease, I know no other option. They have me on 250 mg (!) / day. This last year, I have become nearly desperate. Since January (10 months ago), I have gained 25 pounds. In September, I went off Eltroxin and promptly lost 5 pounds. Not wanting to bring on Hashymoto's again, I went to the doctor and asked him to put me on Synthroid, another brand of Levo. He decreased the dosage to 100 mg/day, and already, I have gained the five pounds back. I simply am at a loss. I know that they market a pill called Armour in the US. Anyone know anything about this hormone?

    • elaine48669
      elaine48669 trina

      Posted

      My Dr told me that if I wanted Armour instead of Levothyroxine then I would have to pay for a private perscription which I cannot afford so I am stuck on Levothyroxine for life. I am one of the lucky ones though, apart from very weak muscles and my knees giving way on me a lot I dont suffer the other dreadful side effects that some people have. I have been on 125 Levothyroxine for 30 years .
    • cameronita
      cameronita elaine48669

      Posted

      Hi ....I just wanted to say that medicaid pays for a naturalistic doctor and also for armour thyroid.....I am so happy to be off of levothyroxine. I believe i am on my way to a recovery and am hoping I do not have any long lasting effects of that medication. I was so weak and had no energy and could hardly walk....now that i am off of that med I am regaining my health......good luck to you.....
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    For levothyroxine which is what am also taking at the moment? One of its side effects is loss of calcium as such the doctors also prescribe multi vitamins as well. For me that is what has made me gain weight. So if your doctor has also prescribed multi vitamins with levothyroxine, that may be the cause.

    Best advice though, go see an endicronologist

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Multi vits must not be taken at the same time as Levo as they interfere with absorbtion, leave at least a 4 hour gap.

    Taking calcium supplements whilst on Levo has not been proved to be either benificial or neccessary as there is no definate evidence of loss of bone density.

  • Wooky12345
    Wooky12345

    Posted

    Hi all... I am stuck on a vessel (workplace) and run out of Levothyroxine (100 mgs) due to my bag not turning up at the airport prior to sailing. The Medic does not hold such things... Can anyone tell me whats going to happen for 5 days without drug... (I get my bag back 05 Nov). Great site and great to know others are out there discussing important issues...
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi

    You may start to feel tired and lack some energy, take things as easy as possible so as not to stress your body. On the other hand you may not notice anything at all, 100mcg is not a huge dose so you may not have a problem.

    As there is nothing you can do about it you will just have get through the next few days as best as you can.

    Moto of this is always keep your meds with you !

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I have been on levothyroxine for about a year and like you my weight has gone through the roof. I have continually searched internet sites for an alternative to know avail. I am very depressed by it and want to stop taking it. I also have constant sweats and spend my every day looking like i have just stepped out of the shower.

    Please can someone out there find a more natural solution.

    • carol11091
      carol11091 Guest

      Posted

      I would go back to the doctor and have another blood test to check , Tsh, T3 and T4.
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