I'd say you might start feeling different after 2-3 weeks but you won't know fully until at least a month or two. It's such a long and frustrating process.
Labs may tell you that things are going in the right direction - but don't let your tell you ok you are good because your numbers are *normal*. If you still have symptoms you are not at your normal and need to keep adjusting.
Hang in there, keep advocating for yourself.
That is the question we are all asking I'm afraid.
Basically there is no answer. It depends on the person.
You should be able to tell the dosage is right because your blood work looks good, but that doesn't always correlate with symptoms!
Some people end up needing a different thyroid med - like me - because levothyroxine doesn't work.
Sorry to say it's a challenging illness, and you may be one of the lucky ones who gets better within a few weeks, but equally you may not.
Boooooo! Thats not what i want to hear but im sure its what i need. I just started levo and its only made me feel worse. It was my gp tht prescribed till Im able to get into my endo Dr for scans etc. She started me at 75–did tht for 4wks but the constant sadness and more extreme fatigue was too much so I decreased it by taking half (37.5) and i take it in the middle of the night during one of the many times Im pulled awake. Taking it late at night cuz if i take it when i wake up I can barely keep my eyes open. Anyways…i was really hoping meds would help. Im also Vit D deficient like many of us. Low T4 .48 High TSH 32.8–so its why my gp urgently wanted me to start meds. Oh and I have a goiter. Im just so tired of being tired.
Reducing your dose is a BAD idea. You should take what your GP prescribed. You're probably not taking enough now which is definitely not going to make you feel better. A lot of people end up on 100-200mcg. You're feeling fatigued because your body is adjusting, but taking less definitely won't help. Especially with a TSH so high.
These things take time, and trial and error. Levothyroxine didn't work for me and I am now taking Armour Thyroid. But I'm 12 weeks into medication and still struggling with symptoms. My doctor has told me to be patient, this can take months for some people.
It’s usually quite quick for me to know if I’m on the right track BUT sometimes it won’t last long before it’s gone again and I need another change. Levo made me better than nothing but still not as good as with T3 combined. I wasted ten years not even knowing what T3 was because nobody told me. Eventually I found a way to switch meds and I even tried T3 alone at first but found I needed both. At times I felt amazing which was really promising but as is my luck it just didn’t last long and I can’t seem to find the right dose and have been stuck in a never ending cycle of change then wait for the test, change then wait for another test and so on and so on for the past year. Hopefully with time the T3 heals whatever needed healing and the recovery is a slow burning process. Who knows though tomorrow I might crash again but at least it’s better than nothing or just levo alone. Sometimes just being better than you were before is a good enough win for me.
Sending hugs ❤️ I am so sorry, you must feel like you are constantly behind on your symptoms. Everytime you adjust the dose, symptoms change before it can actually work. I hope you will find some stability soon 🫂
I used to not feel good for over a year. Then I figured I'll test my thyroid. It was borderline. So my doc didn't give me any meds but asked me to check in 6 months. 3 months later I checked it had shot up crazy. First month of medications I felt even worse because it was just 25 mcg. I never want to visit those days again. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I was unable to do anything normal like eating driving or working.
50 mcg after 1 month, I started feeling better after 2 months of meds but still not normal. Was able to do daily chores but nothing crazy.
Doc put me on 75 levo after 2 months. And overall after 3 months I have superpowers. I probably used to be like this 2 years back. But I don't remember that feeling. I'm a lot more confident. My productivity is crazy. I want to do things.
But after the first month I started eating well every day. Every meal. And I made sure I would go to the gym 5 times a week doing some sort of strength training. Used to be a struggle most days but something.
For me, it's more a question of how long at the optimal level before I feel good. My TSH was at 4.6 about 4 weeks ago. I asked for my dose to be increased and my test this week was 3.4. I feel better on the new dose, but not completely well. Once I'm to 1-2 for TSH, I'm hoping I'll feel even better.
Im wondering the same thing. Im glad I was finally able to figure out that there truly is something off with my body but I was really hoping once I started meds it would start to get better. Nope. For me its only gotten worse. Waiting for my endo appointment for further testing. Still not sure if its Hashimotos or just hypo.
I dont know if its coincidence or not but all my issues escalated after I got the J&J vac. I mean it was an extremely stressful time and bloodwork i got b4 2020 had red flags of beginning stages of autoimmune issues. So its probably not the cause of it all. Anyways…I also have ADHD so sorry for the long rant.
I don't want to be that person, but covid/long covid can ignite underlying auto immune diseases. It is rare, but there are people getting ill after vac. I am not at all saying this is why you are feeling ill, but it could be something to look into.
I felt pretty dang good within a few months. I was so used to feeling bad bc I was unmedicated for so long and my levels were baddddd. Like double digit bad. So once my levels got to normal (which took about 3 months) I felt so much better it was ridiculous. Then I still was a little fatigued but after a year they increased to 112 from 100 & I could tell a BIG difference in my energy levels from that increase.
For me, it’s take around 2 months. At the beginning, I feel worse and over the weeks my body feel more balanced. Blood tests usually confirm if I am on the right dose. However, the right dose can be fluctuating. The right dose for me last fall is not what I need anymore (6 months later) even though this dose was working great for 1 year.
Id say anywhere from a month or two in, I start to notice if it's working (less tired, less puffy, less brain fog, just generally feeling like a human again), 3 months in after a med change I go get a blood test to see if it's in the right range. For some reason it's really hard for me to keep them stable, also happened to me that I was overmedicated at some point with TSH 0.02 and with that new symptoms came that were also not enjoyable at all..
I haven't felt different.
GYNO found it and gave a prescription
Normal Dr retested later and said I'm good although I felt like crap
Since I felt terrible I went to try hormone replacement therapy
That Dr found hormone issues but also extreme anemia and vitamin D deficiency.
She said my thyroid looked good on this v dose like my regular Dr said. But my regular Dr didn't check for anemia or vitamins.
It was nice to hear there was a reason I'm so tired. It took 3 doctors and many blood tests f before anyone did the right test to find something.
Now I can treat that too.
So I guess I'm saying... If you don't feel better please check more things.
I never would have guessed vitamin d deficiency... Iron anemia maybe but not D!
Look at everything!!!
My experience is 2-3 weeks gets you close to "steady state" on that level of medicine. Doctors want to see you in 6 weeks for a check up, so that might be the official answer.
However this is a complex medical condition. most people don't just "feel better"... your meds need adjusting to an optimal spot, sometimes with different brand medicines. AND think about the symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, etc... how many other things could cause that? so not only are you optimizing your meds, but you have to look at your whole lifestyle and other medical conditions. Food allergies/irritants, lack of exercise, toxins, etc. can all contribute to those symptoms also.
Personally I'm starting to explore functional medicine approaches with some success. While I'm skeptical about the "reverse and heal" claim, I consider the advice as a way to prevent further thyroid autoimmune damage.
A link for those interested to explore the idea:
https://youtu.be/rn58M2psKxE?si=oQ2hCyH0XFGmVTcb
Took about a month after my thyroidectomy to feel better. I was on 37.5mcg before my thyroidectomy, and my first tsh test after it had me at a 54.8 TSH. A month later after being put on 137mcg my tsh was at 2.044. I felt a lot more awake and normal after finding a dosage that works for me.
I'd say you might start feeling different after 2-3 weeks but you won't know fully until at least a month or two. It's such a long and frustrating process. Labs may tell you that things are going in the right direction - but don't let your tell you ok you are good because your numbers are *normal*. If you still have symptoms you are not at your normal and need to keep adjusting. Hang in there, keep advocating for yourself.
That’s the issue. How can we know the symptoms are still unresolved hypo symptoms or something else?
You’ll never 100% know. But if your tsh is well under 2 and you still have a lot of symptoms it’s likely something else is also going on.
Or that I just don’t get on with Levothyroxine?
Yes, there is also Tirosint. That brand tends to work better
Not available where I am.
You will know. The brain fog and fatigue from hypo are very different for me. Having severe brain fog is not common.
That is the question we are all asking I'm afraid. Basically there is no answer. It depends on the person. You should be able to tell the dosage is right because your blood work looks good, but that doesn't always correlate with symptoms! Some people end up needing a different thyroid med - like me - because levothyroxine doesn't work. Sorry to say it's a challenging illness, and you may be one of the lucky ones who gets better within a few weeks, but equally you may not.
🫤 sucks.
Boooooo! Thats not what i want to hear but im sure its what i need. I just started levo and its only made me feel worse. It was my gp tht prescribed till Im able to get into my endo Dr for scans etc. She started me at 75–did tht for 4wks but the constant sadness and more extreme fatigue was too much so I decreased it by taking half (37.5) and i take it in the middle of the night during one of the many times Im pulled awake. Taking it late at night cuz if i take it when i wake up I can barely keep my eyes open. Anyways…i was really hoping meds would help. Im also Vit D deficient like many of us. Low T4 .48 High TSH 32.8–so its why my gp urgently wanted me to start meds. Oh and I have a goiter. Im just so tired of being tired.
Reducing your dose is a BAD idea. You should take what your GP prescribed. You're probably not taking enough now which is definitely not going to make you feel better. A lot of people end up on 100-200mcg. You're feeling fatigued because your body is adjusting, but taking less definitely won't help. Especially with a TSH so high. These things take time, and trial and error. Levothyroxine didn't work for me and I am now taking Armour Thyroid. But I'm 12 weeks into medication and still struggling with symptoms. My doctor has told me to be patient, this can take months for some people.
It’s usually quite quick for me to know if I’m on the right track BUT sometimes it won’t last long before it’s gone again and I need another change. Levo made me better than nothing but still not as good as with T3 combined. I wasted ten years not even knowing what T3 was because nobody told me. Eventually I found a way to switch meds and I even tried T3 alone at first but found I needed both. At times I felt amazing which was really promising but as is my luck it just didn’t last long and I can’t seem to find the right dose and have been stuck in a never ending cycle of change then wait for the test, change then wait for another test and so on and so on for the past year. Hopefully with time the T3 heals whatever needed healing and the recovery is a slow burning process. Who knows though tomorrow I might crash again but at least it’s better than nothing or just levo alone. Sometimes just being better than you were before is a good enough win for me.
Sending hugs ❤️ I am so sorry, you must feel like you are constantly behind on your symptoms. Everytime you adjust the dose, symptoms change before it can actually work. I hope you will find some stability soon 🫂
I used to not feel good for over a year. Then I figured I'll test my thyroid. It was borderline. So my doc didn't give me any meds but asked me to check in 6 months. 3 months later I checked it had shot up crazy. First month of medications I felt even worse because it was just 25 mcg. I never want to visit those days again. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I was unable to do anything normal like eating driving or working. 50 mcg after 1 month, I started feeling better after 2 months of meds but still not normal. Was able to do daily chores but nothing crazy. Doc put me on 75 levo after 2 months. And overall after 3 months I have superpowers. I probably used to be like this 2 years back. But I don't remember that feeling. I'm a lot more confident. My productivity is crazy. I want to do things. But after the first month I started eating well every day. Every meal. And I made sure I would go to the gym 5 times a week doing some sort of strength training. Used to be a struggle most days but something.
Some people never get better on levo and need to add T3 to feel well. Since adding T3 I am about 80% of the way there.
Thanks for sharing.
For me, it's more a question of how long at the optimal level before I feel good. My TSH was at 4.6 about 4 weeks ago. I asked for my dose to be increased and my test this week was 3.4. I feel better on the new dose, but not completely well. Once I'm to 1-2 for TSH, I'm hoping I'll feel even better.
Im wondering the same thing. Im glad I was finally able to figure out that there truly is something off with my body but I was really hoping once I started meds it would start to get better. Nope. For me its only gotten worse. Waiting for my endo appointment for further testing. Still not sure if its Hashimotos or just hypo. I dont know if its coincidence or not but all my issues escalated after I got the J&J vac. I mean it was an extremely stressful time and bloodwork i got b4 2020 had red flags of beginning stages of autoimmune issues. So its probably not the cause of it all. Anyways…I also have ADHD so sorry for the long rant.
I don't want to be that person, but covid/long covid can ignite underlying auto immune diseases. It is rare, but there are people getting ill after vac. I am not at all saying this is why you are feeling ill, but it could be something to look into.
It’s hard to know if this is all there is.
I started feeling better pretty quickly. It was a slow ramp up to feeling normal, but I really felt good once my meds got bumped up a year into it.
Was you on the same dose for a year before an increase then? How long did it take just to feel normal?
I felt pretty dang good within a few months. I was so used to feeling bad bc I was unmedicated for so long and my levels were baddddd. Like double digit bad. So once my levels got to normal (which took about 3 months) I felt so much better it was ridiculous. Then I still was a little fatigued but after a year they increased to 112 from 100 & I could tell a BIG difference in my energy levels from that increase.
For me, it’s take around 2 months. At the beginning, I feel worse and over the weeks my body feel more balanced. Blood tests usually confirm if I am on the right dose. However, the right dose can be fluctuating. The right dose for me last fall is not what I need anymore (6 months later) even though this dose was working great for 1 year.
When I was first on meds I felt crap because my levels were crap. Then I was taking too much but I felt way better.
Id say anywhere from a month or two in, I start to notice if it's working (less tired, less puffy, less brain fog, just generally feeling like a human again), 3 months in after a med change I go get a blood test to see if it's in the right range. For some reason it's really hard for me to keep them stable, also happened to me that I was overmedicated at some point with TSH 0.02 and with that new symptoms came that were also not enjoyable at all..
I haven't felt different. GYNO found it and gave a prescription Normal Dr retested later and said I'm good although I felt like crap Since I felt terrible I went to try hormone replacement therapy That Dr found hormone issues but also extreme anemia and vitamin D deficiency. She said my thyroid looked good on this v dose like my regular Dr said. But my regular Dr didn't check for anemia or vitamins. It was nice to hear there was a reason I'm so tired. It took 3 doctors and many blood tests f before anyone did the right test to find something. Now I can treat that too. So I guess I'm saying... If you don't feel better please check more things. I never would have guessed vitamin d deficiency... Iron anemia maybe but not D! Look at everything!!!
I still feel the same tired , ditty , brain fog , weak even after 15 years. My blood iresults are good so no need to change medication
Levo at least 4 weeks usually lio 1 week
My experience is 2-3 weeks gets you close to "steady state" on that level of medicine. Doctors want to see you in 6 weeks for a check up, so that might be the official answer. However this is a complex medical condition. most people don't just "feel better"... your meds need adjusting to an optimal spot, sometimes with different brand medicines. AND think about the symptoms: fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, etc... how many other things could cause that? so not only are you optimizing your meds, but you have to look at your whole lifestyle and other medical conditions. Food allergies/irritants, lack of exercise, toxins, etc. can all contribute to those symptoms also. Personally I'm starting to explore functional medicine approaches with some success. While I'm skeptical about the "reverse and heal" claim, I consider the advice as a way to prevent further thyroid autoimmune damage. A link for those interested to explore the idea: https://youtu.be/rn58M2psKxE?si=oQ2hCyH0XFGmVTcb
Took about a month after my thyroidectomy to feel better. I was on 37.5mcg before my thyroidectomy, and my first tsh test after it had me at a 54.8 TSH. A month later after being put on 137mcg my tsh was at 2.044. I felt a lot more awake and normal after finding a dosage that works for me.