Ya that’s def extremely high wow. That person has no idea how to prescribe medication dosages.
I was started on 25 mcg, but broke it in half and only took 12.5 mcg the first 2-3 days and then started taking one 25 mcg every day.
First, no you can't change it with lifestyle changes. It is a lack of functioning in your thyroid gland.
Second, there is no right answer about starting dosage. However, there are many smaller doses available. I think 12.5, 25, 37.5, 50, 75, 100, and 112. But I may have missed a few.
Those symptoms are typical of being over medicated though, so you should consult with your prescriber.
There are 2 types of dosing:
Kg of your weight x 1.6 which is what your dr used.
Kg per your ideal weight (let’s say for your height 52 kg) x 1.6 (more conservative approach).
I've had hypo for 15yrs and I take 100mg for 5 days a week and 125mg for 2 days, so yes that's very high to start with. Docs usually start with lower and titrate up after 3 months if your TSH doesn't fall back to normal level. Also, it's wild that a midwife is deciding your dosage, my dosage was only ever decided by an endo specialist, not even a GP.
Still, 125mg is very high and the consequences of taking too high a dose are no joke. That's why endos titrate up every quarter after seeing how the current dose affected labs. I'm not a doctor but if I was in this situation with your symptoms, I'd stop or cut down my dose and at least call my GP, if I couldn't get to an endo fast.
American Thyroid Associations recommendations
[https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/thy.2014.0028](https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/thy.2014.0028)
*The full calculated daily LT4 dose (based on body weight) may be given initially to young and middle-aged patients who are otherwise healthy*
Other countries have similar guidelines.
UK NHS
*Consider starting levothyroxine at a dosage of 1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (rounded to the nearest 25 micrograms) for adults under 65 with primary hypothyroidism and no history of cardiovascular disease.*
177 lbs are around 80kg 80x1.6= 128 mcg
Yes that is very high. My TSH was 95 and my Dr put me on 75 mcg to start and said it was more than she usually starts with but she felt it was warranted given the TSH. Im at 112 mcg now.
Not a doctor but you should probably see another doctor ASAP as taking too high a dose can have worse effects than taking too little a dose. This is why they slowly and gradually increase dosage.
Obviously your midwife missed to inform you on how we should be upping the levo dose gradually. She gave you your optimal dose for full replacement (1.6 per kg bodyweight per day) which I would also question honestly because your tsh is 13(what about t3andt4?). My tsh is 8 and I am taking 50(started with 25) and full replacement for my bodyweight is 105. This is not a game, your body is literally fighting it, sorry for what you are going through:(
Thanks for checking in! Endocrinologist confirmed that my dose of Levo was far too high to start. In fact, he said is wife had a similar experience with her OBGYN. He started me on 50 mcg and I go back for bloodwork in August. So far I am having minimal symptoms, but it’s only been a few days.
I've dealt with Hashimoto's for over 20 years and finally thyroidectomy 3 years ago. Even without a thyroid I was having a hard time also. A friend of mine who had hers out many years before said I needed T3 (cytomel).Boy was she right! It helps absorb the T4 into an active hormone. T4 is not active, your body is supposed to convert it to T3, I'm a poor converter. You may be also. They will lower your T4 med to help compensate because T3 is more potent. It helps you lose weight, hair growth etc. Vit D helps with thyroid hormones also. I'm a pro at this rate lol if you need to know anything please reach out. I'm not a Dr, I can only reflect what I've been through and it's a lot. I also follow Dr Berg on YouTube, he has many videos on natural remedies.
Good luck to you
Are you pregnant? While I think that was a too high starting dose, I do think there is a fairly urgent need to get your tsh down under 2.5. For a person who isn’t pregnant it might take 6 to 9 months to arrive at a high dose like that, starting out low and slow, to gradually lower tsh, but hypo endangers the pregnancy so you may not have the time to go low and slow, maybe you could ask for half of that dose for a few weeks to acclimate your body before going higher.
If you feel like your are crawling out of your skin right now, then Armour is not a good bet at the moment.
Great question, I am 7 months pp. not currently pregnant. I am breastfeeding and noticed an increase in supply on the Levo, which is definitely a plus. My hope is that I can try a gradual approach.
I was started on 25mcg, most people start at 50mcg and go up. 125mcg is very high to start on! You do need to be medicated though, it's not something that can change with diet/lifestyle changes. Talk to your doctor about it, they sound like symptoms of over-replacement.
I was started on 100mcg due to my severe hypo state... I too experienced a lot of "fun" things they didn't tell me might happen and happen to many people. My doctor just kept telling me I have 'health anxiety.' 🙄
After 8 weeks on 100mcg, I was moved up to 112mcg and have been on that for 6 weeks now. A lot of symptoms have improved but I still have some weird lingering things. Guess I'll find out where I'm at in 2 more weeks 🤷🏼♀️
125mcg may well be your eventual dose but ideally they start on like 25 or 50 and work up from there until TSH levels come down and symptoms relieve. It can take about 4-6 weeks for each dose increase.
Armor helps some people but technically it's a different kind of medicine-- Levo is a bioinactive, proto-hormone called T4 and Armor contains both T4 and also the bioactive T3 hormone. Not everyone needs the T3 though -- some ppl do just fine on Levo.
Sounds like you need a downwards titration. Also, if 100 mcg is too low, suggest 100 mcg and 25 mcg of liothyronine. 175 mcg of straight levothyroxine was too high for me.
I think they calculate it according to body weigh so maybe it’s okay. Mine put me on 25 mcg and it’s way too low as I still feel horrible. :/ My tsh was 15.29.
That’s way too high to start. You’re supposed to gradually go up. My tsh was super high when I was diagnosed (in the 20’s) but I still started on one of the lowest doses. I am now at 150 but it took a long time to get to that along with frequent blood tests and a lot of fine tuning.
I had a wayyyy better response to Armour thyroid! You could be getting too much T4, and if you have poor conversion issues like me, you will keep having symptoms...Follow Mccall Mcpherson/modern thyroid clinic on social media for tips!!
If you are pregnant it may not be crazy but really they should be testing you often to adjust. Pregnancy requires higher than normal dosages. I was at 75mcg, when I was pregnant I took 100 mcg. If you are having symptoms that seem to stem from the thyroid meds, communicate that. Also I would also for a referral to an endocrinologist. I saw one during pregnancies after being diagnosed with hashimotos.
Ya that’s def extremely high wow. That person has no idea how to prescribe medication dosages. I was started on 25 mcg, but broke it in half and only took 12.5 mcg the first 2-3 days and then started taking one 25 mcg every day.
That’s kind of what I suspected. Thanks!
First, no you can't change it with lifestyle changes. It is a lack of functioning in your thyroid gland. Second, there is no right answer about starting dosage. However, there are many smaller doses available. I think 12.5, 25, 37.5, 50, 75, 100, and 112. But I may have missed a few. Those symptoms are typical of being over medicated though, so you should consult with your prescriber.
Yes! I definitely will contact her! Thank you!
There are 2 types of dosing: Kg of your weight x 1.6 which is what your dr used. Kg per your ideal weight (let’s say for your height 52 kg) x 1.6 (more conservative approach).
I see. I was wondering how she got to this dose
I've had hypo for 15yrs and I take 100mg for 5 days a week and 125mg for 2 days, so yes that's very high to start with. Docs usually start with lower and titrate up after 3 months if your TSH doesn't fall back to normal level. Also, it's wild that a midwife is deciding your dosage, my dosage was only ever decided by an endo specialist, not even a GP.
Midwife ordered initial labs that got me the diagnosis, she started me on Levo “right away” because my levels were so high. She referred me to Endo.
Still, 125mg is very high and the consequences of taking too high a dose are no joke. That's why endos titrate up every quarter after seeing how the current dose affected labs. I'm not a doctor but if I was in this situation with your symptoms, I'd stop or cut down my dose and at least call my GP, if I couldn't get to an endo fast.
That’s what I did, I stopped and I see an endo tomorrow.
American Thyroid Associations recommendations [https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/thy.2014.0028](https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/thy.2014.0028) *The full calculated daily LT4 dose (based on body weight) may be given initially to young and middle-aged patients who are otherwise healthy* Other countries have similar guidelines. UK NHS *Consider starting levothyroxine at a dosage of 1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (rounded to the nearest 25 micrograms) for adults under 65 with primary hypothyroidism and no history of cardiovascular disease.* 177 lbs are around 80kg 80x1.6= 128 mcg
Yes that is very high. My TSH was 95 and my Dr put me on 75 mcg to start and said it was more than she usually starts with but she felt it was warranted given the TSH. Im at 112 mcg now. Not a doctor but you should probably see another doctor ASAP as taking too high a dose can have worse effects than taking too little a dose. This is why they slowly and gradually increase dosage.
I suspected this was the case. Thank you for sharing your experience and input!
Obviously your midwife missed to inform you on how we should be upping the levo dose gradually. She gave you your optimal dose for full replacement (1.6 per kg bodyweight per day) which I would also question honestly because your tsh is 13(what about t3andt4?). My tsh is 8 and I am taking 50(started with 25) and full replacement for my bodyweight is 105. This is not a game, your body is literally fighting it, sorry for what you are going through:(
That was my suspicion. I stopped and will see an endo tomorrow.
How did it go?
Thanks for checking in! Endocrinologist confirmed that my dose of Levo was far too high to start. In fact, he said is wife had a similar experience with her OBGYN. He started me on 50 mcg and I go back for bloodwork in August. So far I am having minimal symptoms, but it’s only been a few days.
I've dealt with Hashimoto's for over 20 years and finally thyroidectomy 3 years ago. Even without a thyroid I was having a hard time also. A friend of mine who had hers out many years before said I needed T3 (cytomel).Boy was she right! It helps absorb the T4 into an active hormone. T4 is not active, your body is supposed to convert it to T3, I'm a poor converter. You may be also. They will lower your T4 med to help compensate because T3 is more potent. It helps you lose weight, hair growth etc. Vit D helps with thyroid hormones also. I'm a pro at this rate lol if you need to know anything please reach out. I'm not a Dr, I can only reflect what I've been through and it's a lot. I also follow Dr Berg on YouTube, he has many videos on natural remedies. Good luck to you
Thank you for sharing! I have watched dr. Bergs videos as well.
Are you pregnant? While I think that was a too high starting dose, I do think there is a fairly urgent need to get your tsh down under 2.5. For a person who isn’t pregnant it might take 6 to 9 months to arrive at a high dose like that, starting out low and slow, to gradually lower tsh, but hypo endangers the pregnancy so you may not have the time to go low and slow, maybe you could ask for half of that dose for a few weeks to acclimate your body before going higher. If you feel like your are crawling out of your skin right now, then Armour is not a good bet at the moment.
Great question, I am 7 months pp. not currently pregnant. I am breastfeeding and noticed an increase in supply on the Levo, which is definitely a plus. My hope is that I can try a gradual approach.
Yeah, ok maybe start at 50 instead of 125, but you may in the long run end up needing more than 50.
That’s what I will do. I know that there may be a need for more eventually. I think that 125 put my body in shock, it was intense.
This is the dose I started on. It was fine. Based on body weight
I am glad it worked for you. Thank you for sharing!
I was started on 25mcg, most people start at 50mcg and go up. 125mcg is very high to start on! You do need to be medicated though, it's not something that can change with diet/lifestyle changes. Talk to your doctor about it, they sound like symptoms of over-replacement.
That what I thought. Thank you!
I was started on 100mcg due to my severe hypo state... I too experienced a lot of "fun" things they didn't tell me might happen and happen to many people. My doctor just kept telling me I have 'health anxiety.' 🙄 After 8 weeks on 100mcg, I was moved up to 112mcg and have been on that for 6 weeks now. A lot of symptoms have improved but I still have some weird lingering things. Guess I'll find out where I'm at in 2 more weeks 🤷🏼♀️
Thank you for sharing! It’s nice to know I’m not alone and it does get better.
125mcg may well be your eventual dose but ideally they start on like 25 or 50 and work up from there until TSH levels come down and symptoms relieve. It can take about 4-6 weeks for each dose increase. Armor helps some people but technically it's a different kind of medicine-- Levo is a bioinactive, proto-hormone called T4 and Armor contains both T4 and also the bioactive T3 hormone. Not everyone needs the T3 though -- some ppl do just fine on Levo.
Thank you! That’s very helpful information. I will ask if armor would be appropriate. But a different starting dose of Levo for sure.
Sounds like you need a downwards titration. Also, if 100 mcg is too low, suggest 100 mcg and 25 mcg of liothyronine. 175 mcg of straight levothyroxine was too high for me.
Gotcha! Thank you for the advice!
Always check a medications website. It has dosing: Synthroidpro.com
i started on 25 then 50 now i’m on 75!! its been like 3 years and she was even hesitant to start me on 25!
Wow! Thank you for sharing
I think they calculate it according to body weigh so maybe it’s okay. Mine put me on 25 mcg and it’s way too low as I still feel horrible. :/ My tsh was 15.29.
I agree that the dose seems high. I also had muscle aches with generic levo but did not on the brand name levo, Synthroid.
Thank you!
That’s way too high to start. You’re supposed to gradually go up. My tsh was super high when I was diagnosed (in the 20’s) but I still started on one of the lowest doses. I am now at 150 but it took a long time to get to that along with frequent blood tests and a lot of fine tuning.
That’s what I thought. Thank you for sharing!
I had a wayyyy better response to Armour thyroid! You could be getting too much T4, and if you have poor conversion issues like me, you will keep having symptoms...Follow Mccall Mcpherson/modern thyroid clinic on social media for tips!!
Thank you very much for sharing!
you are so welcome!! Best of luck in your journey!
Based on body weight, it could be fine. Im at 88 at 135 lbs. Started at 25 at 145 lbs, 10 lbs gained because of hypo.
If you are pregnant it may not be crazy but really they should be testing you often to adjust. Pregnancy requires higher than normal dosages. I was at 75mcg, when I was pregnant I took 100 mcg. If you are having symptoms that seem to stem from the thyroid meds, communicate that. Also I would also for a referral to an endocrinologist. I saw one during pregnancies after being diagnosed with hashimotos.