Just wanted to add my support.

I sometimes feel like the walking endocrine disaster!

PCOS, IR, metabolic syndrome, hypothyroid, hemoglobin barts... what ISN't wrong with me?

But keep going. Keep doing all the right things, keep getting your meds checked and your labs done like you are supposed to.

GL!
A.

The funny thing is I had a baby boy about 4 months ago and had preeclampsia (high BP and such) through my pregnancy so my doc was concerned about my BP going high with the phentermine too. But honestly its been a little low since i started taking it. Just now it was 100/60 and my normal is 120/80. I've actually been passing out the last few nights due to dips so kind of odd right?

I've got to talk to my doc about it tomorrow and might have to come off it

Wow, I'm actually really glad I came across a thread like this. Truly makes me feel less alone, haha.

When I was younger my thyroid was tested because it runs on both sides of my family, but I never really had a follow up until last summer (July, actually) when my dad found out he had hypothyroidism. Turns out I have the same exact thing, so I've been on Synthroid (50mgs) since last July. I also have insulin resistance so I've been on metformin since last October, as well.

I think I just hate the fact that apparently having an underactive thyroid is what makes it harder in terms of losing weight (at least that's what my doctor told me). And I tend to get bloated really quickly.

I have just recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I have to admit, I am devastated. No one in my family (either side) has it and the only people I know who have it keep telling me to "not bother trying to lose weight because you can't with it". So I am glad that I came back to this site (I haven't been on in a few months because I have been so discouraged) to find out how others deal with this.

I do have two questions for everyone though. How long did it typically take for people to see improvements in their energy levels? I have been on the medicine for 5 weeks and while I initially saw an improvement, I have gone back to feeling like a truck ran me over.
How do you keep exercising despite being exhausted? I can usually make myself go on Monday/Tuesday, sometimes even Wednesday, but by Thursday I can barely get out of bed for work, let alone to exercise.

How long did it typically take for people to see improvements in their energy levels?

I do not know. It's been too long since I started them. I do remember it was like night and day when I started taking the Levoxyl. I felt like I was walking in a fog or something before and it was like the sun came out.

That said, as a long time patient I can tell when it gets off. I feel it. And I've had to have it adjusted a few times.

But energy dips are not always due to the thyroid meds. It is possible to have more than just the thyroid off.

I recently had labs with low B12 and D. Then from my food log I noticed low magnesium too. I changed up my vitamin routine and wow! So much better!

Check your sleep habits too -- dark enough? Warm/cold enough? Free of noises enough? Breathing ok?

It's hard to feel rested if your sleep isn't restful. You may close your eyes and sleep some, but you aren't getting enough deep sleep.

Are you doing to much at once? What is your workout?

If your thyroid is pooped and your adrenals are pooped, jumping into heavy exercise is pooping too. You have to build up a base and work up.

GL!
A.

Hello,
I have Hashi's and Celiac's both are very mean, but I don't let them win. I had to cut out gluten in order to get the Celiac's under control...do to it I wasn't making enough iron so I was anemic and deficient in vitamin d...very painful experience. I also have a form of MD (yet to be named) so I have trouble with muscular pain. Not to mention Bipolar Disorder and hyperextended ligaments. I was told NOT to exercise.

Just dropping gluten out of my diet started me losing weight fast. Then I put in recumbant bike as I can't walk a great distance, but I sure can bike. Without doctor's knowledge I lift weight (only 5lbs). Every doctor I have been to has told me low carb dieting. Carbs/white food burns off quicker than proteins so we never actually burn off the right calories. I know how hard exercise and dieting are for a "normal" person but for us it almost seems impossible. I want to get the most out of every stinking calorie.

I am a sweets junky too. But after two weeks of clean living (and 10 easy pounds down) I crave less. However, the moment I put sugar into my mouth I want more. So I try my best to stay away from that all together. For sweets I use low carb things (Mostly Atkins bars right now). I stopped eating processed food because a lot of it has hidden gluten and that does a number on me.

Since changing my diet, I have less mood swings with Bipolar disorder, I have more energy, I losing weight at a great pace (enough to keep me motivated), I am sleeping better, I have more endurance. The only thing it really hasn't helped with is pain management, except for being gluten free. Who knew gluten causes physical pain? I didn't, but it does or at least for those of sensitive to it. I stopped seeing an internist for my thyroid as he just treated the numbers. Turns out theres a lot more to it and he was being lazy about it. I get ultra sounds now.

I wish you all the best. It can be done even with tons of stuff thrown at you. Every day I have to tell myself I will fight for another day and I do. Good luck

I've been treated for Hashimoto's disease for the last 8 years(I'm 48) with T4 only at first then with added T3, huge improvement! It's like my "braincloud" had lifted and my energy came back. I still gained weight 'cause let's face it, overeating+couch potatoeing= weight gain, regardless of anything else.
For what I gathered, the acceptable levels of TSH vary greatly from doctor to doctor and the lab they use for blood tests.
Educate yourself and do what's right for you with the right doctor on your side and good luck.

MsModel,
I see an Endo for my thyroid, but my blood gets tested every six weeks for lots of stuff. Hashi's plus Celiac's really screws with what I can absorb and without the vitamins and iron, theres no energy. I can automatically feel when something is off. I feel like lead. I have to see a Hematologist every 3-6 mos. whether I'm feeling well or not because I just don't make iron. When it's not sweltering I sit outside for a bit (I hate the sun) so that it helps with vitamin D. A few years ago we found out I didn't absorb that either and that is so so painful...I was doped up so much that year.

I love that all these different diseases reek havoc on us. I never know why I'm dizzy/ditsy that day. One day I got lost in a mall that I had frequented a lot. I had to go back into the store I had just left and ask where the heck I was. Today is one of those days, so I'm sticking close to home. I couldn't add or subtract real simple numbers so I knew I wasn't on my game. I learned Celiac's can cause just as much trouble as Hashi's.

I have a gastro who did every test known to doctors last year on me...even swallowed a camera pill! This doctor swears I have Celiac's and was bound to find it. She cracks me up, but I don't enjoy her ventures. One thing I have discovered with doctors is they become complacent (hoping that's the word I'm looking for). I had one doctor chalk up every ailment on weight and depression. For years he medicated me for depression. Turns out I'm Bipolar and all the meds he gave me caused mild brain damage. All my little medical problems could be the cause in part to my weight so getting a handle on those were much more important to me. I just knew something was off, I could feel it. And I was right! He's no longer my doctor.

If you don't like their answers go for a second opinion. They get paid no matter what their answer is, but you don't always get results. That's a one sided relationship that I'm not willing to pay for anymore. Good Luck

5 weeks is enough time that if you still don't feel good, tell your doc you need your bloodwork checked again. They should have scheduled you for a check at 4-6 weeks anyhow, since the initial dose is just an educated guess. Good luck!