New to Synthroid. How long to tell if it helps, etc?

[Anonymous]

If you take synthroid, how long did it take for you to notice any differences? What was your experience with it? How has it helped?

[Anonymous]

What are you taking it for, OP? That matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you take synthroid, how long did it take for you to notice any differences? What was your experience with it? How has it helped?

2-4 weeks for small changes. Took a year of small increments every 4-6 months to see real changes but with each increase I felt better. More energy, better sleep, less irritability, etc. I take Unithroid not Synthroid but effectively treatment of thyroid disorder.

[Anonymous]

Hypothyroidism and possible Hashimoto’s

[Anonymous]

I’ve never noticed any difference at all. My blood work is different but I feel exactly the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hypothyroidism and possible Hashimoto’s

They can test for Hashimoto's with a simple test, surprised they did not do so.

I have both and felt better in less than a week. A few months later I started feeling fatigued again, checked the levels and upped the dose.

[Anonymous]

I have Hashimoto's. I've been on levothyroxine for ~8 years now. I felt better in less than a week when I first began taking it. When I've had the dosage adjusted, I noticed the impact also within a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are you taking it for, OP? That m atters.

Exactly how many reasons are there to take synthriod?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have Hashimoto's. I've been on levothyroxine for ~8 years now. I felt better in less than a week when I first began taking it. When I've had the dosage adjusted, I noticed the impact also within a week.

Same meds and in noticed an initial difference at 1 month. When we tweak my dose I usually feel better in about 2 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never noticed any difference at all. My blood work is different but I feel exactly the same.

Same for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never noticed any difference at all. My blood work is different but I feel exactly the same.

This. My TSH has been as high as 11 and so low it was undetectable. I have never lost any weight, I’m still exhausted all the time and sleep a lot (10-8 and then a nap 4-6 or 7 every day). My skin has always been bone dry and I have always been very sensitive to heat. The symptom charts have nothing to do with me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never noticed any difference at all. My blood work is different but I feel exactly the same.

This. My TSH has been as high as 11 and so low it was undetectable. I have never lost any weight, I’m still exhausted all the time and sleep a lot (10-8 and then a nap 4-6 or 7 every day). My skin has always been bone dry and I have always been very sensitive to heat. The symptom charts have nothing to do with me.

To this person - if you haven’t done a sleep study maybe consider it - particularly via a sleep neurologist. If you sleep that much everyday could be something like idiopathic hypersomnia. Stimulant wake promoting medications have been life changing for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never noticed any difference at all. My blood work is different but I feel exactly the same.

With the huge caveat that I have no medical knowledge and also have never tried Synthroid; I just read an article on all this recently and remembered it because I have a goiter and wonky thyroid levels: My rough understanding is that Synthroid raises levels of T4, which is then broken down by the body into T3 (which is the more active substance). If your body is failing at this conversion process, giving it more ingredients via T4 may not help much. I just googled to confirm all this and Google told me Cytomel is the one that affects T3. It also said endocrinologists tend to prefer Synthroid for a few reasons (like more predictable results and more easily tracked blood-test changes), but it might be at least worth raising the T4/T3 question with your endo?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never noticed any difference at all. My blood work is different but I feel exactly the same.

With the huge caveat that I have no medical knowledge and also have never tried Synthroid; I just read an article on all this recently and remembered it because I have a goiter and wonky thyroid levels: My rough understanding is that Synthroid raises levels of T4, which is then broken down by the body into T3 (which is the more active substance). If your body is failing at this conversion process, giving it more ingredients via T4 may not help much. I just googled to confirm all this and Google told me Cytomel is the one that affects T3. It also said endocrinologists tend to prefer Synthroid for a few reasons (like more predictable results and more easily tracked blood-test changes), but it might be at least worth raising the T4/T3 question with your endo?

NP. Could be an interesting conversation. I have Hashimoto’s, and for a year or so I had to take both synthroid and liothyronine (so: T4 and T3). Taking the liothyronine was magical for my low energy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve never noticed any difference at all. My blood work is different but I feel exactly the same.

With the huge caveat that I have no medical knowledge and also have never tried Synthroid; I just read an article on all this recently and remembered it because I have a goiter and wonky thyroid levels: My rough understanding is that Synthroid raises levels of T4, which is then broken down by the body into T3 (which is the more active substance). If your body is failing at this conversion process, giving it more ingredients via T4 may not help much. I just googled to confirm all this and Google told me Cytomel is the one that affects T3. It also said endocrinologists tend to prefer Synthroid for a few reasons (like more predictable results and more easily tracked blood-test changes), but it might be at least worth raising the T4/T3 question with your endo?

Endos check tsh, t3 and t4 when they do labs