I was diagnosed the other day with an Under Active Thyroid, not knowing much about this I looked it up on the internet. and see it can be life threatening if not treated which I also didnt realise. The doctor has started me on Levothyroxine 25mcg, it says on the site that you have to have routine blood tests until the T4 can turn into the T3 hormone in the body, or something like that. How long does this all take?
I have to have another blood test in 6wks time, does this mean I have to keep having blood tests every few weeks for the first year or something until it sorts itself out then, and so they can check the right dosage for me?
Anyone who has this and been through it already please tell me so that I know what to expect?
As I was recently also gaining weight and do lots of exercise and then I kept my weight level cause the the exercise but wasn't losing any. My friend said she thought my hands looked puffy as I said to her that my fingers had put on weight. Along with my middle to.
Will I be able to lose weight once they start working on me if I keep up the exercise I am doing?
I would also like to add that I also have to take meds for hypertension as well, but have had to for a few years now.
Plus I am 42 year old female which seems rather young for thyroid probs really.
Last edited by LadyWriter1968; 02-09-2011 at 01:12 PM.
Reason: Extra information
Hi, you will have quite a few blood tests while you figure out your ideal dosage. When I was first diagnosed I was scared of needles, but now I've had my blood drawn so many times I've gotten over it haha. It usually takes about 2 weeks for the medication to noticeably build up in your system. It can be months before you start feeling good.
Basically, treating this thing requires a lot of patience!
42 is younger than most people who get diagnosed, but I'm 18 and have had thyroid problems since I was 12, so it can happen to any of us really.
I'm not sure about the weight loss question. I still struggle to lose weight even now that I'm on my ideal dosage and have a very small diet, but now I actually can lose weight whereas before I was fasting/exercising just to not gain. But most other people seem to lose weight quickly after medication, so its likely that I'm just an anomaly or I have some other problem. I'm sure you'll see an improvement on medication.
thanks for your advice and the info. Docs tell you nothing these day, he just said what I had and gave me a prescription, I even had to ask which one the under active was, the weight gain or loss one. But I guess pretty obvious as I put on weight.
How many times will I have to have blood tests before known on first starting, I have to have one 6wk time, but after that, is it like every 6wks there after or longer? Just wanted to know, have an idea?
I depends on how this dose is working for you. You can have your labs checked 6 weeks after each dose adjustment. When you find the "right dose" and feel fine it's good to have your labs checked once or twice a year or if symptoms appear (you may need dose adjustments in the future too - hypoT tends to get worse over time).
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I've read that it can take 6-12 months to find the optimal dose.
I just started taking levothyroxine (generic synthroid) in March '10....at my request, my doctor has checked my blood levels every 4-6 wks.
I'm not too crazy about how long it takes for symptoms to dissipate so, my goal is to keep my levels at my setpoints rather than wait for symptoms to tell me I need a dose adjustment.
It took awhile to find my setpoints (MY normal FT4/FT3 levels within the ranges of normal) and now I'm finally able to adjust my dose to keep them there.
Of course, my body could decide it still wants to mess me up but this is my plan for now
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Dx'd Graves' June 2007..used ATD's, achieved remission Nov '09....went hypo Mar '10
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