I wrote several weeks ago that I had an enlarged thyroid. As it turned out, I had my thyroid removed last Tuesday. The doctor said my thyroid levels were low normal and determined that medicine would not suppress the nodules (one was 3 1/2 cm and the other was 2 1/2 cm with several other small nodules). The pathology report came back OK and we made the right decision because the nodules would have continued to grow and they were starting to cause me some problems. I have have started taking the generic Synthyroid (sp.?). I am taking 100mcg once daily. I take it on an empty stomach early in the morning and I don't take my calcium until later in the day so that it will not interfere. (While in the hospital, my calcium levels went down and they gave me calcium to bring it back up). One of the nodules had apparently attached itself to part of my parathyroid and the surgeon very carefully removed it without removing any of my parathyroid but, it apparently traumatized it enough to effect my calcium levels. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroid disease? Has anyone been diagnosed with this? I was having horrible hot flashes at night (I have gained over 20 pounds during this 3 year period and I have never had trouble losing or gaining that much wight in the past. Chalked it up to going through menopause). I am not experiencing the hot flashes like I was and I am sleeping much better. The symptoms started about the same time I noticed I had an enlarged thyroid about3 years ago. I Googled it and it said these are some of the symptoms.
My questions are:
1.Is there a difference in taking the generic vs. Synthyroid?
2.How long before I start to feel better?
3.I feel a little depressed (cry easily). Is that normal?
Thanks so much for any advice you can offer. I know from talking to many female friends that it takes time to get your thyroid levels normal.
I had part of my thyroid removed years ago and had a hysterectomy in 2004 and have taken herbs and Limu for them both and do not take medicines for them.
My friend has been an herbalist for 25 years and does great things to help people without using drugs.
my number is ###-###-####. Hope I can help you.
J.
I had thyroid cancer 11 years ago. I cannot take generic becuase for some reason it does not work.
You never know how much your thyroid does until you do not have it. You will feel better soon; but be patient.
In the last 11 years I have dealt with depression - yuck!!! My advice is to stay on top of your hormone levels. Your medication may need to be altered from time to time.
I've been there, so if you need anything let me know.
M.
I too do not have a thyroid, mine was not removed, but rather ablated using radioactive iodine, I have been on Levothyroxin for a while now. My doctor told me not to switch between the two, because they are made by two different manufacturers, and while the actual medicine is no different, there are other things (like the dyes that make the pills colored, etc) that may be different. I just had a friend try to switch to generic, and she had a horrible reaction.
You will start to feel better within probably six weeks or so, you have to give your body time to let the medicine work, it will take a bit.
As far as the mood swings, it probably is normal, considering the thyroid is what controls hormones, and you no longer have one, the medicine will control that too and it should get better.
I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto Thyroid disease. I think the differnce between the generic and Synthroid depends mostly on how your body reacts to the medication and on your doctor. I was have had one doctor in the past tell me to no longer use the generic, but I am currently on the generic. I had changed to a different pharmacy and it was filled with the generic. I called and asked my doctor becuase they had (many years ago) told me not to take it. They said go ahead and take it and then come back in for another test in a month, if levels were normal then generic would be fine, it they weren't they wanted me to switch. I know if takes a little while to get it regulated and normal, but I was diagnosed when I was I think about 15 and I am now 34 so it has been a while. Yes being depressed is normal. When you thyroid is out of whack all your hormones are out of whack. The way I found out about the thyroid problem was because I had gained quite a bit of weight for no apparent reason, I was very very emotional, my menstrual cycle was way out of whack. I did not have to have surgery, but I do have to take the medication.
I originally took Synthyroid when I had my thyroid ablated, but that was eventually changed to the generic. I could tell no difference. I was also menopausal, and was treated with antidepressants. All that started in 1999. After years of up and down, never feeling quite like I should, I found out I am gluten-intolerant. NOW I feel like I should! I still take .50 mcg.of Levothyroxine. Tests are all normal. My doctor put me on Promensil, an over-the-counter menopausal suppliment for the hot flashes. It worked great! Give yourself time to get over the surgery, and the meds, too. THEN keep a journal of your feelings and symptoms. I have found that I had to rely upon myself to understand my body. No doctor diagnosed my gluten problem, but has verified from my response to the diet that I definitely have it.
Hi I didn't have my thyroid out but it no longer works. I've tken synthroid and levothyroxine (generic) and I can't tell any difference. It does take some time to get it leveled out. And they will continue to monitor it. I've taken the meds since the 70's and even now my doctor will change it up occasionally. Like 100mcg (0.1mg)then I might take 0.15mg and not I'm on 0.125mg. Doesn't look like that small amount would make a change but it does. Any time you do anything with hormones or even having surgery you will get the depressed feeling. That usually goes away withing the month. Just hang in there and once everything is leveled out you will feel much better. Good Luck.
Hi K.. I take Levothyroxine since my thyroid is underactive. I don't have any trouble taking it, but I've never taken Synthroid so I don't really have anything to compare it to. My mom has been taking thyroid hormone since she was 16 though, so she's got considerably more experience. She took the Armour stuff for the first 20 years she was on it. Armour is thyroid hormone extracted from pigs (gross, I know), and from what I understand, it's not like Synthroid or Levothyroxine (S&L) in that there's no dosage....you just take it and your body uses only what you need, but it contains a "normal" balance of T4, T3, T2 & T1. Also, many doctors won't prescribe Armour since there's less control of the dosage. S&L are made in a lab, contain only T4, and the dosage is tightly controlled (i.e., pills come in 50 mcg, 88 mcg, 100 mcg...). Your body naturally degrades the T4 into T3, the T3 into T2, and the T2 into T1, so generally there's no need to take T3 unless your body can't break down the T4 for whatever reason. My mom has told me numerous times that there are bad batches of both S&L (she's taken both), and I've seen what one of these bad batches does to her: it's like someone put her on slow motion. If you think you might have a bad batch, you can ask the pharmacist who filled your prescription (they may have gotten information from their manufacturer), or talk to your doctor.
Depression and weight gain are both common symptoms of insufficient thyroid hormone. Unfortunately, you may have to deal with these symptoms for several weeks until your hormone levels return to what's normal for you. Since it takes awhile for your body to return to normal, it's possible that your dosage may still be a little low (maybe you should be on 112 mcg), but your doctor won't up your dosage for at least 4-6 weeks since your last dosage increase. Remember too that your "normal" is not necessarily the same as mine or anyone else's (always ask for your TSH test results!). But, you know when something's not right with your own body. You can always call your doctor's office....even talking to a nurse about your symptoms may yield valuable insight. Also, you might want to consider keeping a log of when they change your dosage, and any symptoms or cessation of symptoms you experienced. I know how hard it is to go through this - trying to get a thyroid condition sorted out - and the havoc it causes in your life.
K.,
I have Hoshimoto thyroiditis. I have been on synthroid for 14 years or so. The generic brand is what I take and it works well for me. You should start to feel better in about 4-6 weeks. I know that sounds like a very long time but hang in there. I would think the depression could be from the thyroid problems. Keep an eye on that and if it doesn't get better you might want to talk to your dr. about an antidepressant. I didn't have to have my thyroid removed. It sounds like you are doing right with your calcium. Hang in there and take care of yourself. You will feel better really soon. I would suggest that you do a search to find out what foods you should not eat so much of. Things like eating a lot of cabbage, strawberries, soy...they have an ingredient in them that naturally suppress the thyroid levels. I think if you keep on doing your research and learning about your condition it will help you feel better about what is going on in your body.
Hope you feel better really soon!
C.
My sister had her thyroid removed last year and I have also had thyroid problems- synthroid will get your levels up but it only contains T3 and not T4- if you still have the symptoms after a month or two talk to your dr. about switching to amour(sp?) it contains both the T3&T4 and it will make a big difference. Depression is a symptom of low thyroid levels- it should go away as your levels return to normal. Sometimes it takes a while to get htings right where they need to be because everyone is different. My sister is doing great right now- she has more energy-is not depressed anymore and feels better then she has in a long time.
Good luck!
~C.
I believe I responded to your first request. I can only answer the first question you have since I still have my thyroid and it is still slightly enlarged. I was the one taking Levothyroxin to "trick" my thyroid into thinking that it was making to much and shrinking!! My answer is that when I changed from Synthroid to Levothyroxin after a few years of Synthroid I could not tell a difference. I've been on Lev. for about 6 years now and do well on it! I hope that all works out for you.
hello! i dont have all the answers but i do know that it takes up to a month for the meds to work... keep taking that calcium (very important for heart) and make sure to take your blood pressure and pulse daily... too much synthroid can cause your heart to do funny rhythms. I would talk to your pharmacy about generic vs. name brand, and depression is normal. maybe talk to your doc about antidepressant. you have been through a lot... its okay to cry! I hope this helps a little bit! I will keep you in my prayers!
J.
I too have Hasimoto's. I was diagnosed 9 months after my daughter was born. I gained 48lbs. while pregnant and just couldn't lost the last 15. I was exhausted beyond belief, depressed, irritable, losing hair, had extremely dry skin, it was horrible. I thought I was going crazy! Once diagnosed (and I didn't have my thyroid removed) it took about 6 months toget my dosage correct. I am on .112mcg of Synthroid. I was told my doctor who is an endocrinoligist not to take the generic form that it will not work the same way. Once you are on the correct dosage, I was told to expect it to take about 6 weeks before I might feel the difference. I have had my dosage correct for a over a year now and am about 4 1/2 months pregnant with my second child.I cannot tell you the world of difference I feel being pregnant with this baby as I did with my first. I have lots of energy and don't get so frustrated and don't need a nap too often (although it's always nice to get one). Hang in there and just talk to your doctor as much as possible. I also read a great book called Living with Hypothyroidism and my husband read parts as well to help him understand.
I take synthroid. I have been taking it for 7 years now. I was first given the generic version of it. The only thing I can say is Dr. Jekyl and Mrs. Hyde.
I was losing my temper for the most ridiculous things. I was eating like crazy and couldn't figure out why. i was not sleeping well. For me there is a difference. I stick to Synthroid even though it costs me three times the amount.
I guess once I have insurance I can investigate a little more.
Good Luck!
