Loosing weight with hypothyriodism

Hi diane, i dont seem to sleep very much either i have found that going to bed earlier than usual such as going at 8 and having a full 8til 10 hours sleep helps also by drinking loads theoughout the day will help you to sleep more and throughout the night if this doesnt work see doctor they may prescribe amitriptilyne 10mg to start off with

Kindest regards

Shannon clarke

I agree that you also have to keep up with the exercise. That’s a given.

Last year I went to the gym 3 hours, 3 days a week with an instructor.  We did aerobics, HIIT, weights, cardio but no 'machines'.  I lost a few pounds the first 2 weeks and gained it all back.  We had to drink 1 bottle of water per hour during exercise.  The gym changed ownership and the classes are now for people who have Medicare but no private insurance so I can't attend.  Since being dx'd and going on Levothyroxine, I've gained 7 lbs!  Two to 3 days a week I eat only a healthy salad.  

i think you are doing the wrong exercises. Are'nt they muscle building ? My exercise is  20 mins rower  ...30 minutes bike. all gentle. Just eating a salad is no good. Eat a normal sensible meal  but eat less. do not snack during day. then a reasonable small meal. Quality food is essential. Those are my views   rightly or wrongly 

I'm 67 and the exercises are those recommended for people over 50.  Only the cool down is gentle.  I did 1 hour and rested 15 minutes and 3 hours of classes M, W and F.   

Re salad:  A new study said to lose weight with thyroid problems, to fast three days a week with NO food and eat normally the other four.  I felt that was a bit much and my salads are very healthy (no iceberg) so have those 2 to 3 days a week.  

My typical salad is 5 greens, mushrooms, carrots, 1/2 cucumber, a whole tomato and usually 1 boiled egg.  Alternate nights might include a few olives, whole wheat bread crumbs instead of croutons, and either tuna, chopped chicken but in small amounts.  I use left over Brussel Sprouts (all veggies are steamed, not fried), asparagus, okra (boiled), etc.   Fat Free dressing or Olive Oil and  Red Wine Vinegar.  Some nights it's greens, fruits like raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, crumbled feta cheese and nuts with a dressing made from pureed raspberries.  Instead of a salad bowl, I use a small serving bowl so I'm getting loads of goodies. 

I really eat healthy and yet continue to gain.  

well can i come for lunch ! your diet is amazing ! I can only think you must be on the wrong dose of thyroxine. I am 78 by the way !

My TSH was 7.56 and the doctor put me on 100mcg Nov. 8th. Didn’t retest until I saw the new doctor and it had dropped to 0.045!  He reduced dosage to 75 and I had hives and was covered with itchy bumps for 5 weeks. I demanded he test again and it was even lower but only by 0.001. He reduced me to 50mcg 5 days ago and 99% of the rash is gone. I have slept 2 nights after messed up sleep since November. I’ve never been so hungry as I have during this doctor induced hyperthyroidism the last 4 1/2 months. Middle of the night is the worst. Fruit, Granola bars is my ‘tummy ache from hunger’ go to. I’m hoping 50 is low enough but they won’t test until March 28th. I weighed 89lbs when I got married and 103 after our last child. I finally hit 135 at age 44 and still looked too thin. I was 155 when I had colon cancer in 2009 and gained weight on chemo!  I worked hard and got off the 10lbs but since my liver resection, it’s been a battle. I have gained 5lbs every six months and am 170 now and feel huge. I think I’ve been hypo since chemo. That’s 9 years. 

Hi Diane, 100 is too high a dose to start with. It would make anyone feel hyperthyroid and would be very hard on your body. Also, it would cause an initial drop in TSH, which would later come back up a bit once your body adjusts. 

The meds can also cause stomach and gut problems, so when you say your stomach hurt because you were hungry, I’m more likely to think your stomach hurt because it’s a dude effect of the medication.

Also, you said you had you had a rash from the medication? Levothyroxin can cause autoimmune disease and other dude effects. Please read up on the side effects of this medication do you can better discern what is hypothyroid, what’s caused by overmedication and what is caused by side effects of the medication.

My feeling with this medication is that it’s basically useless because if you have only low level hypothyroid disease, it’s likely you can get by with dietaryvabd lifestyle changes for many years. If you have advanced thyroid disease, the side effects become worse as the dose increases, so with advanced thyroid disease, a higher dose is needed, resulting in higher side  effects. 

There are many other medications available and  non prescription supplements that are very helpful on curbing, preventing and treating thyroid disease. You don’t have to take levothyroxin. If you feel it’s unhealthy, find s different solution!  Please read the many posts here or ask others who have been through the thyroid (hell) disease process. It will save you a lot of time and drama.

Diane, you say you feel you’ve been hypo since chemo? And you’ve had a liver resection? 

Levothyroxin can cause liver lesions. With your history, I’d be very hesitant to take levothyroxin. 

Also, liver resection? You’ve had part removed because it was diseased?  

This is VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND... the liver and gut are responsible for 80% of conversion if T4 to T3 thyroxins. With your gut and liver compromised, it’s likely your body is not properly converting T4 to T3. Your body is probably producing T4 fine, but you’re having conversion problems and are low in T3. So taking levothyroxin would only increase your T4, your body can’t convert well, so you are hyperthyroid for T4 and still hypothyroid for T3. This creates a huge imbalance in the natural T4/T3 ratios and can cause anxiety and other side effects. 

For this reason, you might find and NDT to be more suited to your symptoms, because it has both T4 and T3, and in fact, is higher in T3 than natural human T4/T3 ratios. Armour and Naturethroud are some brand name Natural Dessicated Thyroid prescriptions. ThyroGold can be purchased without a prescription, but you’ll need to have a good understanding if dosing if you go with the nonprescription because you’ll be on your own.

They really need to test and monitor your medication with full thyroid panels every time, at least until you find something  that works. An endocrinologist will be better at this than s GP. SEE AN ENDOCRINOLOGIST.

Hope that helps you sort things out and you feel better soon!

My oncologist started the meds because it was a six week wait to see a new doctor.  By then, they couldn't drop me from 100 to 25 (or so I was told). 

I'm on 50 now.  My stomach only hurts middle of the night like hunger pains.  The rash might have been from the dye in the 75 mcg.  It was a pale purple pill.  

Here's the thing, and I hope you'll respect my thoughts....   My CEA (tumor marker) had gone up above normal.  It's 9 years since my first cancer and 5 1/2 since it was in my liver.  My CEA went above normal by 1 point and then a few weeks later by another 1 point.  I researched causes of elevated CEA when CT/ MRI's found no cancer and thyroid was one generally overlooked by oncologists.  Hypothyroid, hashimoto's, etc.  I asked for a thyroid test, not knowing anything, and it was just under 8 with 4 being high normal at the lab. 

If hypo is causing the CEA to be elevated and it remains untreated and my CEA remains elevated, I'll have CT/ MRI's every 6 months for the rest of my life.  You can't imagine unless you're Stage IV cancer what that feels like. Blood tests one week, scans the next, office visit the third week for results, so there's a few months at a time but if CEA is elevated, you don't even get that time of peace.....    

The radiologist drained my largest cyst and it was 100% fluid.  I have 2 tiny nodules and one very very small cyst which also appears fluid filled.  

My blood work for tumor markers is March 28th.  

After 9 years of 2 or 3 sets of MRI/ CT/ PET scans,  I probably shine in the dark.  Chemo left me with L'Hermitte's Syndrome and Tactile Allodynia in my feet then that spread up to my hips.  Central Nervous System damage.  

I was never ill until I turned 58 so I'm not a patient patient. 

Diane

My liver and gut are not compromised.  My liver grew back in 6 weeks.  My intestines are pristine.  Not even a polyp.  No sign of any IBS, IBD, Chrons or anything.  My liver panel is always perfect.  

I posted my free T4 numbers when I got it.  I know it was higher than the high norm, but only a point or 2.  That was with me on 75mcg.

I know you mean well, but do you take Tylenol?  Cough and cold meds?  Those will destroy your liver.  I take D3 and that's it.  

I have to bow out of the conversation.  This has caused me to have a panic attack about cancer.  

I did an online search with elevated CEA and levothyroxin. There’s a lot of confusing and contradictory information. I found mainly that there is a connection between thyroid disease and CEA levels. I did find some information pointing to levothyroxin as lowering CEAs, but not enough with all the other information to really get a strong sense. It seems that some of the related thyroid problems could lead to higher CEA. However, levothyroxin is also known to cause hypothyroidism, so could definitely influence CEA levels. One large study I read attributed elevated CEA levels to laboratory errors. 

Whatever direction you decide to proceed, do so with caution and monitor your symptoms closely.