[Charbar]

I got my labs back from my doctor yesterday and she told me that I have a hypo thyroid. I registered at 9.06 -

Does anyone here have experience with this subject? Any idea how this will effect my weight loss efforts?

Dana

[Jenniffer]

I don't much about it..but I am sure that it certainly would play a role in your weightloss. Do some homework on it, sure they have tons on the internet about it. Good luck.

[icewoman]

I have hypothyroidism. I had lost 80 pounds in 3 months. I had my thyroid taken out when I was 18 and of course the weight did come back on because they had to regulate the thyroid after they took it out. Once it was regulated it seemed to steady out the weight. I still gained at times. I have had a pretty steady thyroid now. I have not had to jump up and down with the medication. Let me know if you have any questions in general. It will affect your weight lose/gain until it gets under control.

[BA99TJ]

http://thyroid.about.com/library/wee...lin+resistance

[bella23]

I can't say I know much about it, but I just wanted to say good luck with it. My prayers are with you.

Bella23

[lorelei1]

I also wanted to send well wishes! My doc thought I had hypothyroidism and I even took the lowest dose of synthroid for a while. I quit taking it when my RX ran out once and they retested me after a few months w/o meds and then the levels looked normal. Weird, huh? Basically the thyroid regulates many functions including metabolism. This is why many fat people hope it's their thyroid not them! LOL Even with meds it doesnt guarantee weight loss but it will make it easier with your metabolism running like it should intead of being sluggish.
good luck to ya!
lorelei

[suzie76]

Hi,

I've had hypothyroidsm for about ten years. It runs in my family-my sister has it, and my mom had a thyroid disease when I was born.

From what I've read, it doesn't contribute to a BIG weight gain-only about five to ten pounds. It can definitely make losing weight a LOT harder, though.

There are many books on the subject. I would recommend Mary Shomon's book "Living Well with Hypothyroidism."

As Bethanne suggested, check about.com. Mary Shomon has a HUGE website there, with tons of information, including support boards for people with hypothyroidism trying to lose weight.

I've read that for people like us, it is extremely important to exercise to help with weight loss-even more important than for people who don't have the disease. Of course, I still haven't been exercising, but that's a whole other story.

I don't know if you have or are planning to have a child, but it is really important during pregnancy to have your thyroid regulated. You should get a thyroid blood test in EACH trimester. Pregnancy can really change what dosage of medicine you need. I found this out through experience. I had to ask my doctor to give me the blood tests each trimester. After birth, you also need another one, because your levels change again.

Hope this has been helpful. Please write if you have any other questions.

Take care,
Sherry

[email protected]

[jiffypop]

and one more point... you will have to take your synthroid for the rest of your life. well, with rare exceptions. but count on it..

and regular blood tests [like annual or semiannual] once things settle down.

it's not a big deal, but you have to be sure you keep stocked with the synthroid.

and, despite the claims, generics do not always act like the original does. for some folks, the generics work better, for others, only synthroid will do.

the problem is, that with the managed care companies paying the bill, the pharmacy will give you whatever they have, and it may be from a different manufacturer. and it may or may not work for you. i was on synthroid for a while, and then had a month or two of levoxyl and didn't feel as well. and then they ran out of levoxyl, and substituted a different generic [from forest labs] and it was even worse [and i have a friend who works there!].

so, it's nothing but synthroid for me!!!! figure out which brand works for you and don't let anyone or anything change it on you!!!

oh. maybe i should tell you the reason that supposedly identical drugs work differently. it's not the active ingredient, but actually the other stuff they put in the pills [fillers.. things to help the pill dissolve in your digestive tract, colors, flavorings, other stuff] that affects how fast and where it's absorbed into your bloodstream.

so, even though the medication is supposed to work the same, it may not get into your system the right way..

[2ofMe]

I have been hypothyroid for about 20 years. I only recently found out that there is a range for normal and the range is large, so if your tests come back "normal", you may still not feel well. What is normal on the chart may not be normal for YOU. You may be at the lower end of normal or at the upper end of normal.

I also found - after going to three doctors - that getting your numbers from the test is like getting your hands on a big government secret. So far I've been to regular family doctors. I'd really like to get an appointment with an endocrinologist, but they want a reference from my doctor. So how do I get a referral if my doctor thinks he/she is doing a good job keeping up with it?

I've been reading, "The Thyroid Solution" by Dr. Ridha Arem who believes that SOME people may need additional T3 along with T4. This is something I am going to discuss with my physician when I insist on feeling better by way of a change in meds or a referral.

2ofMe
annie