My surgury was two years ago and even though many of my post surgury symptoms have returned (lethargy, depression, trouble concentrating, sensitivity to cold and numerous mysterious aches and pains) my Dr. has lowered my dosage of Levothyroxine. Is there one level of thyroid hormone that is right for everyone or should she be paying more attention to how I feel?
2007-03-08 13:48:03 · 4 answers · asked by theanswerman 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
I had my thyroid removed because of cancer.
There is not one level of thyroid hormone that is right for everyone and you should have a doctor who listens to how you feel also. I am on my 3rd endocrinologist and found one who seems to treat me, not just my blood tests.
You should look at your blood tests, one test they perform is TSH, where the normal range is quite large but most people feel good at about 1. Some labs say normal is 0.5 to 5, but that varies. Also many doctors look at T4 and T3 levels.
Levothyroxine is known as T4, and your body converts it to T3 to make use of it. Some people have trouble converting T4 to T3 and need to take T3 also. I believe Cytomel is the name of the drug. Cytomel is more active and caution needs to be observed when taking it, so most doctors only prescribe levothroxine. I only take levothryxine, so I have no personal experience on whether taking T3 in addition helps.
Good luck, and I would get a 2nd opinion on your treatment.
2007-03-09 04:25:56 · answer #1 · answered by no_frills 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They base the dosage by the blood test. I feel the same as you do but my doctor put me on a higher dose and my heart started having Premature ventricular contractions. So we went back to the lower dose. I go have my blood tested every 6 months and my dose fluctuates between .75 and 1(L-Thyroxine). As long as they can keep you in the normal range that's about all they care about. You might ask about putting you on Synthroid(the real stuff) but it does cost a lot more than the generics. My mother in law has to take the real stuff because the generic doesn't work for her. I wear sweatshirts until it gets up to about 78 degrees.
2007-03-08 14:01:52 · answer #2 · answered by unicornfarie1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had the radio active treatment a few years ago and it took my doctors a while to get my dosage right, right now I'm on 300mcg Levothyroxine. that has been my dosage for a couple of years now and i feel great and i have even started to lose a little weight. if you have told your doctor that you are having these symptoms again and she lowered your dosage maybe you need to change your endocrinologist.
2007-03-08 14:05:07 · answer #3 · answered by lisa w 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My mom had her thyroid removed due to cancer. The thyroid medication that you are on should be based on how you feel and the blood test they do to check your thyroid function.
2007-03-08 13:50:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋