1. Community
  2. Diabetes and hormone problems
  3. Hypothyroidism

Synthroid dose 125 - test reults - help please

Posted , 9 users are following.

Kellyr78
Kellyr78

I got my test results back from the doctor and was told that my TSH level is 175 and my T4 free was .4.

Instead of starting me off at a low dose of synthroid at 25 or 50 my doctor said I was going to be started off at 125.

Anyone else start out at a high dose? He said he may have to go up more but didn't want to start out too high.

Were my levels bad?

0 likes, 18 replies

18 Replies

Next
  • patricia22367
    patricia22367 Kellyr78

    Posted

    My doctor started my at 75 and it cause insomnia that was pretty bad, I was wired all the time and she ended up having to restart me at 25 and work up but my TSH levels were much lower than yours.

    Do they use a different method to measure because 175 does sound high, I think mine was at around 5 when I was diagnosed.

    • patricia22367
      patricia22367

      Posted

      I also wanted to add, to just keep an eye on how you feel, if you do get insomnia or some other unmanageable symptoms then you can just lower your dose.
    • patricia22367
      patricia22367 Kellyr78

      Posted

      Mine last result was 4.010 uIU/mL so looks like the same type of measuring so I guess yours is pretty high. 

      You could ask for a lower starting dose, if you feel uncomfortable, see what they say? Or just take it and see how you feel.

  • chris1303
    chris1303 Kellyr78

    Posted

    That does sound high, mine tsh is 7, what scale/units of measurement are they using?
  • natalie32716
    natalie32716 Kellyr78

    Posted

    My levels are the same and I am currently taking the same dose but they started me off at 50. I would get a second doctors opinion if you can because that's a very high dose to start off on.
  • sweetmelissa
    sweetmelissa Kellyr78

    Posted

    I was started on 25 mcg and raised 25 every month and it was too much for me too quick.  I felt very speedy, irritable, insomnia, shakiness and jitters.  I felt awful!  I truely believe that 125 is way to high of a starting dose.  As someone else said, make an appointment with an endo doctor and get a second opinion. 
    • jennifer16462
      jennifer16462 Kellyr78

      Posted

      Hi there,

      I was started at a high dose

      I was diagnosed about 9 months ago with tsh 20.00. My gp started me on 100 thyroxine. I had 2 months of severe side effects. I discussed on another forum where everyone jumped on my case saying the doc was wrong to start so high. Then a lady explained that a family member of hers who was a medical professional attended a seminar where they were told to start their patients on a higher dose instead of spending months and months increasing the dosage until they hit upon the right dosage. I think this is right for people whose thyroid levels are way off. A lady who disagreed said when I asked her it had taken 5 months to get to 100 thyroxine.

      I agree if someone is having severe side effects to start at a lover dose. I was recently increased to 125 but for the first week I halved my 25 tablet so it wasn't such a shock to my system. It is still causing some side effects though such as extreme tiredness, random shooting pains around my body and tender lymph nodes

    • Kellyr78
      Kellyr78 jennifer16462

      Posted

      Well I was feeling horrible before starting the medicine. Tired, run down, depressed.

      I have been on this dose for two weeks now and have not had any bad side effects. If it would take 5 months to get to a dose that would make me feel better, I don't think I could handle that!

  • shellyC19
    shellyC19 Kellyr78

    Posted

    Hello Kellyr78:

    My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA.  I have Hashimoto's thyroid disease since 1987.

    TSH -thyroid stimulating hormone should be between 0.45 to 4.50 and when the number is on the high side it means you are HYPO or under active and the low end means Hyper or over active.

    Hypothyroid comes from a few things, some have a family history of it, some get it from pregnancy and or stress or abuse on the body.  Others from birth or congential and some from a lack of iodine.

    It tends to show up during the ages of 20 to 45 and can come out later during menopause.

    Hypo symptoms are: feeling cold, weight gain, hair loss, muscle aches, dry skin and scalp, brittle nails, depressed feelings, sleepy, brain foggy, low energy, headaches, low temp and pulse, no periods or infrequent ones.  These are common ones there are many more.

    Most people start at 25mcg and then go up after more blood is drawn.  It can make you feel weird if you start at a high dose since it can make your heart race.  You can take 1/2 of it and stay on that for a few weeks and then add the other half.  It all depends how you feel. If you feel bad take 1/2 for a while.

    You will need blood again in about 2 to 3 months.  Levo can take about 6 to 12 weeks to make a full and proper level.

    If you have any heart racing or fast beat call your doctor. It is a powerful medication and can bother the heart when you start at a high dose.

    Any questions just ask,

    Shelly

    • Kellyr78
      Kellyr78 shellyC19

      Posted

      I have not noticed any bad side effects. In fact I am feeling a little better since starting the medication. I am not as tired as I was before starting it.

      I am having blood drawn again next month, so I guess we will see where my levels will be then.

    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 Kellyr78

      Posted

      Hello Kellyr78:

      Sounds like your doctor is very wise to recheck your blood in a month.  Keep getting better, and give us an update next month on your blood outcome.

      Stay well,

      Shelly

  • shellyC19
    shellyC19 Kellyr78

    Posted

    Hello Kellyr78:

    Also Free T4 should be 12-22 in USA so your level is very low and if you are in the UK Free T4 should be 0.82 to 1.77.  So you are way low either way.  Synthroid is T4 and will convert into T3 the useable hormone for the body.

    So your doctor went in at the high dose since you are very low.  However you can always take 1/2 of it and get used to it for a few weeks.

    Shelly

    • Kellyr78
      Kellyr78 shellyC19

      Posted

      I was thinking that my levels must be low if he started me on a higher dose.

      It's so hard finding information out there on the internet! I appreciate the replies.

    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 Kellyr78

      Posted

      Hello Kellyr78:

      Keep us updated on how you are doing ood or bad.  Keep getting better!

      Any questions, just ask,

      Shelly

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.