Anyone with Thyroid? Hypo or Hyper?

Here's a site I found out with thyroid and losing weight when I "diet" a year after my 3rd child was born. I did lose 34 pounds(20 of it was pregnancy pounds) And it did take a year and half to lose all that!

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/eatingenough...

I have hypothyroidism. Found out 6 months after having my 3rd child in the end of 2009. I'm taking Levothyroxine also since then. I was on 100mg for a year and half or so then they drop me to 75mg. Been on 75mg all my pregnancy with my 4th child whom I had back in august of 2013. 5 months after I had him they drop me to 50mg because "I'm getting to much." just went back in april which show my levels were good. So I gotta go back in July again. I been counting calories as I did after my 3rd and my weight has stopped since November. I don't know why. I got a birth control shot back in October and wondering if that could been from it since it screwed my body and hormones up. I have about 15 pounds from my pregnancy I would like to lose. I been tired. I have my "good" and "bad" days.

I am hypo thyroid. I used to take synthroid but after 2 years I still felt terrible on it. I was still so tired all the time and loosing so much hair, and gaining weight just looking at food. I finally switched over to nature throid 3 years ago which is similar to armour. I feel 1000 times better now. I still struggle with weight loss, but I only have about 10-15 pounds to loose anyway. I try to eat very healthy, and work out. I am very active at work (preschool teacher) and I have a good friend who is a certified personal trainer that I work out with.

Have you not had the radiation treatment?

It usually only takes one zap and it is so much better. Speak with your Endocrinologist about options after so many years on this medication.

I take a small dose of levythyroxine and have felt much better on it, it took about 3 weeks for my system to adjust. I still get tired but nothing like before, it's like I got an energy boost. No other symptoms really. If I want to lose weight, I just have to watch my diet. Cereal for breakfast/Turkey sandwich on wheat for lunch/grilled chicken or fish for dinner. Fruit/Veggie for snacks. It's when I cut out chips, chocolate, icecream, pasta that I lose weight quickly. Sometimes exercising too much can make me crave these "junk" foods and overeat in calories. You just really need to be aware of what you're eating...tracking calories for a few weeks in the beginning can help get you off to a good start.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroid after my second son in 2002. I took levoxyl for a long time and then switched to a more natural T3/T4 one (Naturethroid) and found it to work much much better. It does take most meds a while to work out, so hand in there.

Within the last year I have stopped eating gluten and other foods that I tested a sensitivity for (blood test) and stopped eating most processed food. My thyroid levels are now in the normal range WITHOUT meds and no longer need to take them. Now, it could be that I finally stopped having kids (5 years ago) and it may have been pregnancy related....but I know that it has more to do with diet.

I'm hypo. I was diagnosed in 06 and was on 200mc levothyroxin but about 6 months ago I switched to Armour for the same reasons you are describing. I had NEVER started feeling "normal" and couldn't lose weight!
I feel MUCH better on the Armour and although I haven't LOST weight, I haven't gained any and I'm pregnant. (Due in 2 months)
I would try switching and see if it helps!
Good luck!

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 9/13, and started Armour thyroid at that time. By February, all my symptoms (fatigue, constant itchiness, hair falling out, being extremely hot, and heavy painful periods) had resolved. And I had lost about 34 pounds. I've since lost another 3 pounds, and would probably lose more, easily, but I often forget to take my meds.

I have Hashimoto's, so I'm pretty severely hypothyroid without medication. I have been on Levo alone, and I have been on Armour. Neither one brought significant relief for me.

What has finally worked is taking Levothyroxine (which is a T4-only medicine) AND Cytomel (which is a T3-only medicine). I currently take 125mcg and 25 mcg, respectively. My doctor explained that my body doesn't convert T4 to T3, so just taking Levo did nothing for me - my TSH test was great, but I didn't feel better. He explained that the reason Armour worked a little bit better was that it does contain T3 - but the problem is, because it's a natural product derived from the thyroids of pigs, the medication is only as healthy as the pig it came from, so the amount of T3 provided by the medication can vary. He prefers to use Cytomel so he can independently adjust the amount of T3 I'm getting, and be assured that the amount is consistent.

So, I've been on this combination of medication for about 6 weeks now, and I feel better than I've felt in a decade. Seriously. I have enough energy to exercise, I'm sleeping well, my skin looks better, my hair isn't falling out, I'm losing weight (hallelujah).

I would encourage you to ask your doctor to order several labs, if s/he isn't already: free T4, free T3, reverse T3. The TSH test is just about worthless, because it doesn't even measure the amount of thyroid hormones in your blood, it just measures how much your pituitary gland is calling for. If your T3 results are low, but your T4 results are good, that would indicate why you don't feel well, and indicate a need for a T3 medication to be added to your medication regimen. If your doctor is unsupportive of any of this, I would recommend going to a D.O. (which is a medical doctor who is also a naturopath - for whatever reason, they seem more interested in making sure you feel better, not just throwing medication at you and shooing you out the door).

ETA: Almost forgot! I get much better results taking my Levo at night, just before bed (3 hours after dinner). Then it has all night to absorb, AND first thing in the morning I can have my coffee! I take my Cytomel in the morning.

Me and my mother are hypo and my sister is hyper.
I was diagnosed in 92.
I was on Synthroid for awhile but I still had some symptoms that didn't resolve so I tried Armour thyroid and it works better for me.
I do know people who say Synthroid works better for them.
Everyone is different.
It's always tough losing weight.
No special diet but you just have to count the calories and really watch them.
I feel good/normal when taking it but if I run out I feel pretty horrible pretty quickly - totally exhausted and moving feels like such an effort plus my hair falls out.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism many years ago. I took medication for many years. There are so many generics that I'm not sure if it matters what you take, but your TSH tests should determine if you have the right level. Most thyroid meds come with the recommendation to take on an empty stomach (wait one hour before eating) and also to delay taking certain minerals (commonly found in multivitamins or taken separately) for at least 4 hours (usually calcium, zinc and iron are cited). Some studies show that the uptake of the thyroid hormone replacement drugs is slowed or prevented by those nutrients. The food scientists I work with say that's usually much more of problem when people take typical vitamin pills, the majority of which are not nearly as comprehensive as the body needs. So for a comprehensive and absorbable formula that works at the cellular level, an hour might be enough. But you can't find those on the store shelves so that's why the 4-hour buffer period is recommended (and so the drug manufacturer can be "covered" for people who don't absorb the full amount of the medication (which also comes in pill form, so it's a double problem).

I'm not sure any one of us can tell you anything about medication - individual reactions can vary. You'll know from blood tests whether it's working. But if it's expensive, ask your doctor or the pharmacist about generics.

My symptoms included weight gain, lethargy, insufficient energy to work out at the gym, infertility, hair thinning and loss (and it wouldn't take a color or a perm), and sleep interruptions. Even with the medication, most of those symptoms remained. (With additional fertility drugs and procedures, I was able to get pregnant.)

I didn't get any results with the above problems until I learned more about cellular nutrition and the extremely low percentage of absorption/digestion of pills for anything (supplements or medications). The Physicians Desk Reference talks about it, but the physicians often don't bother to tell you that (maybe because they don't know much about nutrition or don't have an alternative plan - maybe because most of their contact is with reps from the pharmaceutical industry).

I was on 6 different medications, in time got off of 5, and now it's likely that I no long need the thyroid meds. I'll know soon. I've worked with a lot of colleagues who have gotten off their completely. But even if I do need a low dose, at least my hair is full and lustrous (and my hairdresser thinks it's amazing that I can use chemical color and not have bad effects or erratic patterns), and I can work out regularly without being tired. That's been a huge help in the weight loss. I can also do a lot of weight bearing exercises which has helped prevent osteoporosis because I don't get injuries or muscle pulls and because I have a lot of stamina.

Hypo, Levothroid 100 mcg. I've been on it for over a decade and I felt better since the first week I began taking it.

The pills do the trick; I'm only tired these days because of life.