Welcome, countrybambam. Kudos to you for your persistence. I think you are correct in suspecting that your treatment has not yet optimized. Your symptoms sound like you may still be hypothyroid since your RAI.
First suggestion is to ask your Endo's assistant for copies of ALL your lab results (and perhaps your full medical record) so you can look back to see what was tested and how things have changed over time (e.g., how your bloods responded to the tapazole, and how you have responded since the RAI and subsequent Synthroid).
Hopefully, your Endo is testing your Free T3 and Free T4 along with your TSH. If not, he/she is not getting a full picture of your health, particularly if your problems stem from post-partum thyroiditis and/or thyroid antibodies. TSH is not always an accurate indicator of "normalcy" for those of us with antibodies. (And, btw, there are blood tests for antibodies, too.)
If you've not yet had the time, review our Information Archive thread.
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It is a 2-page thread and includes lists of symptoms (1/5/01 and 5/6/01), supplement suggestions that can help you absorb your medication (7/24/01), questions to ask a potential doctor (11/2/01), information about thyroiditis, antibodies, blood tests, and supplements (Selenium and Maca) that help with antibody-related illness.
Without knowing your lab history, it's hard to know if you need more Synthroid (T4) or if your body is having trouble converting the T4 to T3 during the metabolism process (in which case, the addition of some T3, such as Cytomel, may be helpful). Others find relief by switching medication from Synthroid to something that combines the thyroid metabolites (Armour, Naturethroid, etc.) although these, too, are sometimes best absorbed with additional boosts of T3 or T4.
It varies from patient to patient, and takes a while to get balanced. But it is worth it when you find the methodology that works for you.
Your other medications may also be interfering with the absorption of thyroid meds and/or may be contributing to the weight gain.
If possible, schedule an appointment with your Endo (in-person or over the phone) where you can discuss your symptoms history, labs, your Synthroid dosages, and other medications. If your Endo is not open to suggestion for treating your symptoms, you may want to seek another Endo who is knowledgeable in how antidepressives/antianxiety drugs interact with thyroid. The Info Archive includes threads to Top Doctors lists (recommended by patients), and you can use the interview questions to find a doctor who listens well.
Hang in there. You will get better.
Also, you may want to post your story in our Stories thread:
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You can select your text in this thread, copy it (EDIT-COPY menu, CONTROL-C on a PC, or OPTION-C on a Mac), and then go to the Stories thread to paste it as your reply.<p>[This message has been edited by ArtfulD (edited 04-20-2002).]
