Weight gain "mystery"

[Litehiker]

In 2015 I had 1/2 of my thyroid removed B/C I had a quarter-sized benign tumor and wanted it out so it would not change to malignant.

Since that time my family doctor has been testing the TSH (Thyroid Specific hormone) level in my blood and gradually upping the dosage (3 times).

All that time, despite having a good workout schedule, I "mysteriously" gained more and more weight, going from 180 to 200 lbs. And it hurt my backpack hunting to carry all that weight. Even in 2017 I weighed 198 when Len and I backpacked the Grand Canyon rim to rim and it slowed me down significantly.

So finally on the 3rd thyroxin dosage increase I'm seeing my metabolism begin to increase and my weight begin to decrease. Really my doctor should not have been so cautious in increasing dosage by taking so long but at least I'm now dropping weight very gradually.

So maybe my beautiful new 6 lb. 1 oz. Browning X-Bolt Pro rifle with its carbon fiber stock will be worth it as I get back to 180 lbs. and can once again feel enjoyment as I backpack hunt.

Even if you've never had thyroid surgery it would be very advisable to have a blood test for your TSH level to see if you need thyroxin tablets to balance your metabolism. Women have this problem more often than men but men have it too.

Eric B.

 

[LongBomber]

I started having issues catching my breath without doing anything stenuous, I hadn't been active in a few weeks and figured that was it. Then a couple days later had a tight feeling in my throat driving, drove myself into the hospital. Had some major restructuring going on at work, working on two big projects and had a heart attack in the family - so a very stressful couple weeks. No major medical issues found. Case of svt where my heart rate would take off racing, put me on a beta blocker.

A month later I was in to see a heart specialist and they tested all my blood levels, my thyroid function was low. I did the same three increasing steps but with synthoid. We are still working on getting the level up to being in the "normal" range. I can feel the difference in energy levels as the steps have come up and have dropped about 15 pounds.

It is definetly worth going in for a full medical and blood testing. Your chemical levels can change slowly over time so you don't notice the effects but it is sure nice when you get the right feeling again.

 

[Litehiker]

LB,
I would ask your doc to change your thyroxin prescription from Synthoid to NP Thyroid, which is a natural form of thyroxin. I was on Levothyroxin and it was useless but that's the only drug Medicare paid for. Now I pay ALL of my thyroid medicine cost. Used to be Medicare would pay the difference between approved generics and other meds but Obamacare savings cuts in Medicare screwed that when the drug formulary was drastically changed to pay for Obamacare sometime around 2015 or '16.

Yes, you will have to have your TSH blood level (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - from your pituitary master gland) tested every 30 days for a while until your TSH level is once again within normal range. After that it's once-a-year TSH test.

* It is essential to not get too much thyroxin dosage as it can have negative effects. Thus the 30 day monitoring.

Eric B.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Yes, you will have to have your TSH blood level (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - from your pituitary master gland) tested every 30 days for a while until your TSH level is once again within normal range. After that it's once-a-year TSH test.

Eric B.

Due to the long half-life of thyroid medications, there is no point in checking thyroid levels at 30 days. Endocrinologists usually recommend 3 months as the shortest level. If I'm adjusting someone who is way off I may order a recheck at 8-12 weeks to see where on the curve they are, but never 30 days. Half life of even 9-10 days when hypothyroid (6-7 days when thyroid stable) x7 half-lives to be stable is 60-70 days to reach a steady state. So, at 30 the data doesn't mean much.

I then have patients go a year when I'm sure levels are stable.

 

[Litehiker]

Good to know Doc. I appreciate this info.
I'll ask my family doc about this longer test interval for my own health and B/C Medicare may also have much longer re-testing requirements and I do not want to end up paying for expensive lab tests. Labs always jack up prices for uninsured tests.

And of course I do want any re-test to be accurate as to my TSH level relative to increased thyroxin prescription levels. Seems like monitoring TSH requires patience on the part of both doctor and patient.

I used to teach psychology and included a section on the endocrine system. My basic message was that the endocrine system is a closed loop and the pituitary depends on hormone levels in the blood to sense how much stimulating hormone to send out. In younger individuals that system usually works well. But I'm 75 and even as fit as I am "parts wear out". In fact my motto is "I'd rather wear out than rust out."

Eric B.

 

[Dr. Vette]

No problem, gotta help when I can.

 

[cohunt]

I'm on levothyroxine also, took 4 dose increases to get me in proper range. My doc did 90 days at each level then retest levels, been stable now for 3 years. I never had any symptoms- no weight gain, no lack of energy--- just happened to pop up on my annual physical and blood tests. Also came up with low "D" levels too.

 

[LongBomber]

LB,
I would ask your doc to change your thyroxin prescription from Synthoid to NP Thyrois, which is a natural form of thyroxin. I was on Levothyroxin and it was useless but that's the only drug Medicare paid for. Now I pay ALL of my thyroid medicine cost. Used to be Medicare would pay the difference between approved generics and other meds but Obamacare savings cuts in Medicare screwed that when the drug formulary was drastically changed to pay for Obamacare sometime around 2015 or '16.

Yes, you will have to have your TSH blood level (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone - from your pituitary master gland) tested every 30 days for a while until your TSH level is once again within normal range. After that it's once-a-year TSH test.

* It is essential to not get too much thyroxin dosage as it can have negative effects. Thus the 30 day monitoring.

Eric B.

I will have a chat with the doc about switching next time I am in. I am not to worried about the cost, its hard to put a price on feeling right. My healthcare may cover it, I have been pretty good for coverages so far. I pay a small fee to cover the brand name drugs, it only worked out to a couple bucks a month.

I take a beta blocker for SVT (racing heart rate) as well. Hit a stressful patch at work, then had my stepmom have majorheart attack. I had felt a hollow feeling in my chest for a couple days, then when I was driving to pick her up in the city and felt my throat start to close up. Hit the ER and the testing began. Heart rate was going up to 180 for about 20 beats then one big beat you could feel throughout the body, then I would be normal for around a minute.

After all the testing and a few days on meds I started to figure out I hadn't been feeling right for a while. I was in Jackson Wy for the shed hunting opener in May (2 months prior), climbing the first grass face I was having trouble catching my breath which has never happened to me before. Normally two-three big gulps of air and I am good to climb again, this time I would be around 30 seconds of hard breathing to catch back up. I should have been smart and got checked when I got home from that trip.

 

[BadDogPSD]

Hypothyroidism for me too... gradually increasing my dosage to get where I need to be. I also experienced weight gain, about 20 lbs in just a few months. It sucks! I'll look into the NP Thyroid too.