[Hopeful23]

#1069857

I have no input on your levels except my TSH right now is .1 Im waiting to be put on SYNTHROID not Levoxothyroxine. <SP> Any way. All I have to say is OOOHHH MYYYY. I am sooooo sorry about your losses. My eyes automatically filled up with tears as soon as i started reading this memorial site. I knew it wasn’t going to be a pleasant read. I hope it gets better for you. Chin up.

<<<<<<HUGS&PRAYERS>>>>

[Ski]

#1069858

Menopause frequently triggers a change in our need for thyroid hormone. If our thyroid was working, the feedback mechanism with the pituitary gland would take care of it, but since we’re taking synthetic replacement hormone, we need to manage the adjustment with our doctor. That’s why we always recommend being tested at least annually, to make up for small changes that occur due to changes in weight, activity level, age, "reproductive state" and other things we may not specifically know about right now. The reason we have a feedback system through the pituitary is that it isn’t a static requirement throughout our lifetime.

[mary]

#1019175

Going along my merry way on .125 since 1993 and all of a sudden my tsh starts to rise. 1 in 2006 .78 in 2007 and then .58 Internist is lowering me to .112
I went through menopause…officially aprx 1 yr now and also lost two sons in July of last year….tragically…very tragically… my body went into shock, however I have managed to survive without taking medication. See pitcherpark.com for details because I cant really go into it right now…
But….I was wondering how often people have seen a dose change after being on meds for that many years at the same dosage? Does meno effect the receptor sites or lessen the medication you need? Thanks for any ideas/help/ or reading material. Funny, even after all these years when things change and you get a little hyper…the feeling (nervousness) comes right back! Darn! ” title=”Sad” />

Mary

[hot+chill]

#1069859

I’m new to this site, but was diagnosed & had RAI in 1994. I take .137 Levoxyl now at age 55, but at age 40 it was .112 and my current doc says it is likely a normal response to menopause.

One thing that can cause levels to change is a change in brand of hormone. Over the years I experimented with more affordable brands and found that my levels were different with each brand. I will never change brands again. A pharmacy tech at Walgreen in Dothan, Alabama told me last spring that, "Levothyroxine is the very same identical thing as Levoxyl, and your insistence that we give you the other brand is ridiculous." After three months on Levothyroxine I was extremely ill and went online to research my symptoms…and thank God I found this website. I’m back on the regular stuff and if I’m lucky, I may even sweat before the summer is over!

I also have found that some docs interpret the test results strangely. At one clinic the doc insisted that I must have TSH readings in the upper end of the scale to avoid osteoporosis. At the same clinic another doc looked at the "therapeutic" range and decided that I must be exactly in the center of the range. Depending upon who was working the day of my appointment, I was on .112 for a few months, then .150 the next time. Being uninsured and unemployed is a medical adventure…

[cathycnm]

#1069860

Hot and chill – You bring up an interesting point about how different physicians might manage us a little differently. There has been some research that says that TSH is a bone builder – but obviously, it still needs to be in normal limits (not hyper or hypo). There is other research that says keeping TSH on the lower side protects us from heart disease. As one with severe osteoporosis pre-Graves (though, with meds, I think it is improving) AND with high cholesterol and very, very early heart vessel changes (atherosclerosis) – I have read the research on both sides. Each practitioner develops their approach, for sure. Culture also impacts medical practice, as does school they attended and what journals they subscribe to. There are, however, clear treatment standards that make the approaches more alike than different.

As far as being uninsured and unemployed – that is a tough barrier. I admire you for taking care of yourself despite all of that. I have walked that road – it is a medical adventure, for sure.

[Author]

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