I have been dealing with thyroid for over 20 years and this time with weight loss I’m wondering how often on the journey should I have my TSH and others checked? The last time I lost weight was about 12 years ago and I don’t recall having many issues with my synthroid and levels as I lost.

Last year I began to feel jittery and had palpitations and at that point asked to have my levels checked and indeed I was over medicated and the doctor dropped my dosage. I’m starting to feel that way again and plan to call to see about having labs done but I’d like to know how often in a weight loss journey does your dosage/bloodworm need to be checked?

Also, the two extra symptoms I’m feeling - tiredness and sadness are new. Generally I only have those when I’m hypo.

I’d be interested to hear if becoming hyper as you loose is common or if my body is just wacky. TIA!

I find this interesting. I have a good friend who is hypothyroid and has been on Levothyroxin for years. She is barely 5 ft tall and was running in the 160 lb range and always trying to lose weight. Finally, she cut carbs and lost 30-35 lbs. She did not notice any change in symptoms like you did, but when she went for her most recent check-up her doctor said her TSH had gone down too low and he reduced her dosage. So her situation is similar to yours, but hers was discovered with routine blood work which she gets checked once a year. I'm wondering about the tiredness and sadness, which you say usually happens when you are hypo. I guess it's best to get labs checked again to be sure. How long has it been since your last labs, and I wonder how often insurance will cover this?

Good luck to you. Maybe someone else will have personal experience with this and be able to tell you more about it.

Insurance doesn’t cover much with a higher deductible.

I usually contact my endo when I feel out of sorts but this is the first time I have symptoms that seem at opposite ends of the spectrum for thyroid. I last had a blood draw in November to renew my med. And it’s not uncommon for me
to have it checked twice a year or if it’s wonky, every 6 weeks until it’s normal for me. And at almost $300 each time - you’d think it could be less with everyone that has thyroid issues in this world.

I tend to be in tune when things feel off with me and when they do and it’s not associated with a common illness (cold or flu or the like) the first thing I ask about is that darn thyroid. I don’t have one anymore so I’m totally dependent on the med and I hate when I feel crappy so I tend to be quick to act.

Here’s hoping for some sort of answers. I’ve got my email into the Endo. I also wonder if my last batch of drugs were older and not as potent. Got to love having to do mail order - NOT!

Thanks for your reply. Maybe we both can get information from this series of questions!

Got an update - I am hyper. The doctor is switching my med and will see how I do I. 6 weeks time and move on. It always gets me how the symptoms overlap for me. I am ready to leave the tired, jittery self by the side.

You may want to look at the website “Stop the Thyroid Madness.” Thyroid levels can’t be diagnosed with the TSH test. You need a Free T3 and Free T4 test. And chances are you should be on something with T3 in addition to T4. After having fought An underactive Thyroid, and worse doctoring, for many years, I finally got on a dessicated thyroid medication. To lose weight I combined gluten free, 16:8 intermittent fasting, walking 10k steps daily. Down 35 lbs last year with at least that still to go. Good luck.

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I know a lot of people who lost NO weight while they were hyperthyroid.

In most cases, excess thyroid hormone is associated with a high basal metabolic weight. This means that your body burns more energy while it's at rest, so weight loss is a common symptom of hyperthyroidism. ... But your metabolism is affected by a lot more than just thyroid hormone