Hypothyroid Question

So I got my Blood-work Test results back and turns out I have Hypothyroid..

The doctor said he was starting me off on a low dose of Levothyroxin

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about Hypothyroid because I honestly Dont know hardly anything about it...!

If you go on Medication for it do you generally lose a lot of weight?

Any answers would be greatly appreciated!

I'd suggest asking your doctor all of your questions. Makes a lot more sense than asking random people on the net. Since you just got your results back.

Dr.Oz was saying something about that on Oprah. That it was caused by being over weight. If you lose the weight, than the problem will vanish. However, they can also as a doctor give you meds for it. Which all helped short term, but the meds cause weight gain. Therefore, causing the problem to worsen given time.

He listed a whole lot of  health problems, that of which people are prescribed meds for. All of which can be treated by losing weight, because the problem itself is caused by being over weight. The medications he listed for the problems, all caused weight gain long term. But, the helped short term. Depends on what you're really after in the terms of time span, I imagine. I'd still strongly suggest talking to your doctor. Asking him all of the questions that you have, and any questions that his answers spark at that time.

I asked CC People because I am sure some of yall have dealt with it before and considering my doctors office is closed and I want to know now then It helps...so....I am not necessarily asking "random people on the net" I mean dont we all come here to share knowledge??

 Well I already know that it isn't just caused by being over-weight it's actually a lot of things...

Plus I asked my doctor and he said the medicine actually makes you LOSE weight.

EnchantingImage: Maybe your thinking of HYPERthyroidism?

hypothyroid means your thyroid gland no longer produces certain hormones. it is very rare to reverse this, but has been known to happen through diet and possibly certain supplements. losing weight will not solve the problem. and gaining weight does not cause the problem. it is usually hereditary, and certain enviornmental factors and foods (beware, soy!!!) can instigate it. usually one must be on meds forever once diagnosed, however always worth trying alternatives, but if severe, be careful. the drugs will not automatically make you drop pounds. but sometimes helpful with diet and excercise. once properly adjusted (which can take some time) meds should raise metabolism and help feel more energized. should get retested after 2 months of taking meds to see new levels. once at good levels, tested every 6 months to be sure. watch out for foods containing goitrogens, which are substances that suppress thyroid function. if you google it, you'll get tons of info. eat the right foods, take your meds same time each day, excercise, sleep... take care, and you'll be fine. but always ask your doctor, if you trust he's knowledgeable. if not, see an endocrinologist. good luck!

Treatment & Prevention
One way to rationalize the treatment of obesity is to treat only individuals who have medical causes and complications. Treat the individual who has hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia, gall bladder disease, or type II diabetes, to the point where the cause and risks are reduced[1][2]. Don't treat the obesity itself - treat the cause or the body fat content until you relieve the metabolic consequences. The prevalence of hypertension in the U.S. is greatly increased by the fact that one quarter to one half of all adults (results differ by study) are overweight. Although the association between higher body fat and blood pressure has been recognized for years, recent studies have discovered a 50-300% higher incidence of hypertension among adults who consider themselves overweight compared to those classified as normal weight.

--- Further more. Dr.Oz said it causes someone to lose weight short-term. But, long term it causes weight gain, only making the problem worse. Yes, we all come here to share  random knowledge with random people/friends. However, it's still important not to take random advice on medical issues without consulting your doctor.

Take random advice for what it's worth. There's no reason for you to get in a huff.

armour is awesome for some people, but not everyone needs T3 and T4. your levels have to be in the right category to be able to take it. i also know someone who was ok to take it, but became totally manic when she did, and at a safe level! personally, i don't know any women who need to be on antidepressants because of their thyroid meds. what i have heard is if you have to stick with the synthetic, don't take a generic, always take the brand name. apparantly there are problems with the formulas of the generics, and some but not all people get terrible side effects.

Enchanting: LOL. I plan on asking my Doctor Questions about it. I am not relying on all of you as my Doctor I just wanted to see what people knew about it to give me a feel for it..

Thanks everyone WOW I didn't know there were so many different choices on medication...He didn't even consult me on the different types... I didn't even have a choice between the generic or Synthetic!

That was very Helpful!

sammy, most doctors won't give you any choices unless you ask. often times, they don't even know many things themselves, so sad. do your own research so you can get what you need from them. let me know if you have any more questions.

yes I have another Question...

I am scheduled for a Thyroid ultrasound...what else can they find on there that they couldn't in the Blood Work?

It will allow them to determine how enlarged your thyroid is which basically equates to how damaged it is. When you don't have enough thyroid hormone the pituitary secretes more thyroid stimulating hormone, which makes the thyroid work harder, which can cause it to get bigger. They probably just want to know exactly how big it is to plan out the appropriate course of action.

A friend of mine has hypothyroidism, which caused her to be not only exhausted all the time, but also to gain 30lbs in a matter of a few months. Luckily they caught it early and she's been on thyroid medication for the last 8 years. She remains thrilled that her energy levels are back to normal (apparently it was pretty devastating for her energywise) and also to be back to 120lbs, which has been her normal weight for all of her adult life.

thyroid ultrasound... i'm not sure, i was never told i needed one. do you have a lump or anything they're worried may be cancerous? or maybe they're worried it may be enlarged? interesting... i would search on line for that one.

Dagicat- No they never felt in that area He just said I needed one...

P0nda- I totally understand that, I NEVER have any energy EVER! I mean it's so bad Now that i read about all the symptoms i have like most of them!

that makes sense why i never had one. hypo is in my family, so i was already getting tested regularly to make sure i didn't have it. so the longest amount of time i could have been walking around with it untreated would be 6 months, guess not much harm there. doesn't sound like you should worry too much. hang in there, you'll feel better soon! nighty night!

Welcome! Here is a post that is very helpful!

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/2984 6.html

Huggs!

Coffee That Was so HELPFUL!

I had a lump on my thyroid gland and the doctors were unable to tell if it was cancer or not.  All of the tests came out inconclusive.  I had surgery to remove the lump and they removed half of my thyroid gland.  Typically the other half will take over the functioning of the thyroid in distributing hormones, but unfortunately mine didn't, leading to hypothyroidism.  At first I didn't realize what the problem was, why I was irritable ( wanting to beat people's heads into a wall) , emotional (curled up in fetal position sobbing for no reason), and exhausted ( I could sleep for 10 hours and still wake up tired).  At first, my doctors thought I was depressed and I had a lot of the symptoms, but after running several tests over time, they figured out that what was left of my thyroid wasn't working as well as it was supposed to.  They put me on medication ( low dose of Levothroid) and it was like night and day.  Now I am not typically an advocate of medication for the sake of medicating and I actually fought it initially, but in the long run I relented for sanity sake.  One day I asked my husband if he noticed a difference and he told me "I have, but I was afraid to tell you.  I thought you would either start crying or bite my head off!"  Poor guy.  As far as weight is concerned, I didn't lose weight when I started medication, just like I didn't gain weight before I started it.  However, I have heard of more severe cases where weight gain can be a concern with hypothyroidism, but medication can help curtail that.  I spoke a lot to my doctor about this and I would suggest you do the same.  I sent this post mainly to let you know that there are others who understand what you are going through.

I also have hypothyroidism.  It is not a temporary state... you will have to take this medicine for the rest of your life.  Trust me on this...

Beginning in March, I was feeling pretty lousy.  I'm a kidney patient, and my kidney started shooting pains.  My doctor wrote me a prescription for Vicodin.  Two weeks later, he doubled it.  Next, he told me to take four.  Over the next 2.5 months, I was in the hospital 6 times.  I had four cat scans, MRI's, nuclear medicine tests... you should see my bills.  They found a "mass" and wanted to do exploratory surgery to see what it was.  I could not get up off of the couch.  Keep in mind that I have six kids, and that I gave birth to all of them... I'm not a weenie about pain.

Finally somebody tested my thyroid.  TSH should be under 5... mine was 500.  Then tested it three times, thinking it was a typo.  They told me some people with TSH over 300 are in a coma.

Six weeks later, I am a different person.  I started dieting and exercising, and I've lost 28 pounds since June 4.  (This is more due to the diet and exercise than the thyroid... thyroid is generally only responsible for 5-10 pounds of weight on a person.)  My kidney pain is gone, and the "mass" disappeared... it turns out that there was so much follicular activity in my ovary form the excess TSH that it was "glowing" in the cat scans.

Armour is best, in my opinion (10 years now hypothyroid), but you may struggle to find a doctor who will prescribe it (it is dessicated pig thyroid, measured in grains instead of mcg, and many doctors consider it the opposite of modern medicine).  You can do okay on the synthetic stuff, though.  But take the meds!!!!!  You can have a heart attack or worse from not taking it.

There are some things you can add to your diet to help, too... look for selenium-rich foods.  I take a liquid mineral with selenium in it, and brazil nuts are also really good for selenium.   Take the pill the same time every day, and don't eat for an hour afterwards.  (I take mine before my walk/jog, and when I'm back it is time for breakfast.)   Hypothyroidism is not too hard to live with.  Fixing your thyroid WILL help you in your journey toward weight loss, but you'll still have to diet and exercise.

Hope that helps!!  Oh... and if anybody suspects they are hypothyroid, do the temperature test.  Keep a thermometer by your bed, and take your underarm temperature five days in a row before you get out of bed.  If after ten minutes your temperature is below 97.4, there's a good chance you are hypothyroid (even if it doesn't show up in your bloodwork... this is how they used to test for it, before modern medicine, LOL).

http://www.mercola.com/1998/archive/temperatu re_regulation_for_thyroid_testing.htm

Tiffani That was amazingly helpful! Thanks!

Dana, just had to respond when I saw your post--when I started on synthroid I realized all the people in my life had been dealing with a very cranky me for several years straight. AMAZING what a difference meds can make!!!