[mlomba2]

#1019881

I’ve been finding a lot of great information on this board, but now I have some questions about medication dosages. I started out with a TSH of 0.02 while on 5mg of Tapazole. That dosage wasn’t working, so we went up to 7.5 mgs. I’ve been reading online and on this board that my dosage is very, very small in comparison to most. Should I be seeking a second opinion? I should note, that I am in a constant battle with my weight and my endo is aware, could it be that he is being overly cautious?

I appreciate your advice!

[Bobbi]

#1074772

Nobody online — and I do mean NOBODY — should tell you whether the Tapazole dose you are on is the right one or not. The only way to know that is to look at your blood test results. Everyone is different, and the dose that works for one individual might be too much, or too little, for another.

Using this medication requires what I call the "Goldilocks" approach. You have the find the dose that is "just right," for you. This "just right" dose puts you into the normal zone for thyroid hormone levels. Sometimes that requires a bit of trial and error. And sometimes, a dose that works perfectly well for a while, will require adjustment in the future. Our disease is a result of antibody action and what the Tapazole does is to control thyroid hormone production, not antibody production. If antibody levels rise or fall, the dose of Tapazole needs to be adjusted accordingly.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

[mlomba2]

#1074773

Thanks Bobbi~

Don’t misunderstand, perhaps my wording was poor, I guess I was just looking to see if anyone else was on such a small dosage. I realize that everyone is different. I think finding places like this answers a lot of questions, but then it can also make you start to wonder about things that never occurred to you before. I think many of us are here to find a connection with someone else who can share their same thoughts, fears, and questions.

Thank you again for your concern and advice!

[Kimberly]

#1074774

mlomba2 – Just for reference, I started on 15 mg/day of Methimazole, (5 mg – 3x day) which was reduced as I approached a euthyroid state.

You might check with your doctor just to verify whether the 5 mg was supposed to be a total dose for the day — as opposed to 5 mg taken at multiple points during the day. The drugs actually don’t stay in our system for too long, so the usual recommendation is that the initial dosage be divided and taken throughout the day.

Also, it’s important to keep tabs on your Free T3 and Free T4 in addition to TSH for dosing purposes. TSH can sometimes be slow to rebound, even though the actual hormone levels are coming down into a normal range.

Good luck!

Kimberly

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