Gain Weight With Thyroid Medication (Top voted first)

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I have been on 50 mcg of levothyroxine for 5 months and I have gained 15 pounds. My doctor tells me that it should be the opposite and that I should loose weight. Is this possible? Have any of you taking this drug has experienced the same?

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20

I began taking thyroid meds 3-4 years ago (mostly Tyrosint) and I found it even harder to lose weight and my weight did creep up, despite a lot of exercise and an (at times) very low calorie diet. If I went over 1200 calls a day, I would either not lose weight or gain weight. Could not lose a pound no matter how hard I tried or how much I exercised and dieted (and I am good at both). I probably gained about 15 pounds all told. About 6 weeks ago, I decided to stop the meds and see what happened and how I felt, I did so in between appointments, as I wanted to see what my unmediated bloodworm was. I dropped 10 pounds so fast it made my head spin! Still losing and no longer gaining weight by looking at food! Not sure what is up with this. I have tried to Google and Get answers, but really have not found any, but, not sure I will take them again...

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13

I have been taking levothyroxine for 6 months and I continue to gain weight - my dosage is 88 mcg currently. I cant help but think it is the medication causing this -over 10lbs (approximately) in the last 6 months. I am devastated - why is this happening? I am exercsing, eating well, nothing is making a difference - the scale keeps creeping up !! and up !! I am going for bloodwork this week again.

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19

Sweetie, I'm hoping that your putting mg and not mcg is a typo because thyroid medication is in micrograms (mcg) and not milligrams (mg). MAJOR difference. Also, if I were you, I would RUN, not walk, to another doctor as soon as possible. If you were on 50mcg and the doctor dropped you to 15mcg because your other dose of 50mcg wasn't strong enough, that is a HUGE HUGE red flag that your doctor has no clue how to properly treat thyroid disease. It's not uncommon to gain weight when put on thyroid meds. Reason being is that even though you were given meds, you will probably continue going further into hypo until your dosage is at the right strength. Most regular GP's and even many Endocrinologists do not know how to properly treat thyroid disease. Many base everything on labs alone instead of listening to their patients. Everyone's perfect levels are different and most drs don't realize that and go strictly by way out of range "normal ranges." Find another dr and also have them check kidney function (GFR). and complete metabolic panel (CMP) shows sodium, potassium etc. Renal problems are common in thyroid patients, especially when their drs prolonged the actual diagnosis. Sometimes the weight gain is more water weight than fat accumulation. If you're levels are right, you shouldn't gain or lose it unless you're trying. Best of luck to you.

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4

I have been on levothyroxine 75mcg for 4 years and have gained 130 lbs. My docs don't seem to care. They keep telling me to go on a diet and even prescribed me phentermine. No weight loss to date.

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5

I have been on 50 mcg of this same med. For 9 days and gained 15 pounds:( I don't know what to do!!!!

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6

i am at logger heads with my doctor she has changed my med 4 times in 7 months and i have put 2 stone on i am now on 100 got terrible joint pain very emotional i used to run 4 miles 4 times a week now i struggle to get upstairs

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3

I also was on Levothyroxine 50 for a few months and gained 10 pounds and had severe constipation. My doctor told me not diet and take Metamucil. I felt sure it was the medicine working opposite because maybe it wasn't strong enough. Either way, I stopped it and my constipation has gone away, but still have the extra weight.

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14

I also have been on levothyroxine for almost a year now and continue to gain weight.I am at 88 mcg currently and this past summer I put on 10 pounds between June and September. Since I was diganosed as hypo and put on medication I have gained 30 pounds. Sometimes wonder if I was better off without the medication, at least I was 30 pounds lighter 2 years ago!

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1

I was on 50mg for about 2 weeks and noticed I had gained 10 pounds. So I stopped taking it and gained another 15lbs. now my test showed me to be 5.9 and my new doctor put me on 15mg. She said this will help me loose weight that the 50mg wasn't strong enough to help me not gain the weight.

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8

my bones hurt not bobes!
I am thirsty and get low at times does anyone else experience bone and joint aching?

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7

I have gone from 25 to150 ,gained weight,joint pain wakes me up and my bobes 'hurt'I get burning sensation in my feet,but my levels are still not right and I am being tested for rheumatoid arthritis as well!

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11

Yes I have been on the same medication for 6 weeks and I have gained 5 pounds

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16

I just started taking 25mcg 3 weeks ago and have gained 6lbs even though I've been exercising and following a diet. I'm so depressed.

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18

I exercise daily with a day off, every so often. Have been on Levothyroxix 50 MCG for 3 months and have noticed a 5lb weight gain, I feel bloated and gassy, and have a drop in energy during the mid-day. This is very depressing as I feel I have a very active healthy lifestyle. I am now looking to modify my diet and see if that helps. If I continue to see a weight gain I may ask to stop taking this. I was also Hypo, but feel like my symptoms were more Hyper, and asked my doctor if I could modify my diet rather than be on a medication. I don't like to hear that a "pill" is the answer.

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27

The same thing happened to me for years. Every time I my meds increased, my weight would go up a little. Nothing drastic, but my weight has crept up 7-8 pounds over the last few years. I switched from Levoxyl to Armour, but it didn't make much if a difference UNTIL I started cutting the Armour pills in half and taking half at night and the other half in the morning. Many doctors don't know to do this. Mine did not, but my friend who is also a doctor suggested I try it. I started splitting the pills a few weeks ago, taking half in the morning and half at night, and I have started losing weight, and I am not dieting. The reason for splitting the Armour pills is that Armour contains both T3 and T4, but the T3 only stays in the body for 8 hours. Splitting the dose in half and taking it twice rather than once per day helps keep the T3 in the body. Synthetic thyroid meds only include T4, and some people cannot convert T4 to T3 very well, which is the reason many people do better on a natural, desiccated thyroid med rather than the synthetic. I highly recommend going with Armour or another desiccated thyroid med and taking half a dose twice per day. It's definitely working for me! I am very excited about this because I was planning to cut my dose on my own because there was definitely a link between my thyroid meds and weight gain, which I know is contrary to conventional wisdom; however, I never gained weight when I had untreated hypothyroidism or when my dose was slight, but each time my dose was increased, up went my weight. I am thrilled that my weight is now moving in the other direction! I hope this helps those of you who are sure your thyroid meds are contributing to weight gain.

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44

Hi I absolutely know where your coming from and I was naughty I was on 75mg of levothyroxine and I was intolerant to it I turned the exact same I was a nice size 12 went to a size 16. I had less energy levels and needed to sleep during day with 6 kids. this wasn't helping. I took myself off it. read the the book "the thyroid diet" and changed my eating to only little things like Brazil nuts, just 2 in morning and noticed foods that can worsen the thyroid so avoided those and added the ones that were good ..I then visited a consultant who advised me to go on liothyronine. .so I thought it give it a try. I had blood work done before I started the meds, collected meds and started medication again made me feel awful. I had already in between when off everything lost a bit of weight and looked more like me. started gaining again. The doctor called 2 weeks after I started to say that my levels were 14 when I stopped the med's but my levels when I had the blood work from consultant were 5.8! So I had brought my own thyroid down. she suggested I talked to the consultant to discuss my dosage to see if I could have it lowered, so I did. no reply ..so I took myself back off and I have never felt better I'm now 5 months off and feel like me I'm no longer fuzzy headed tired moody and lethargic and my weight is going down ..I'm not saying come off them. everyone is different but you have the right to say this is not working for me and that you would like to be reassessed and don't give up ..good luck xx. ;)

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10

I was in pain all the time. Hips, back, feet, fingers, toes, neck. Once I started the thyroid medication the pain literally went away BUT my left shoulder has been in excrutiating(?) pain and I have a throbbing in the left side of my neck. Getting that checked out now. I

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15

I have been on the medication for 4 months and lost 13 lbs in the first 2 months. Now the weight is slowly starting to creep back on and the doctor states that my numbers are good. I even started exercising more and my diet is no different than before I started the medication.

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9

I had a thyroid surgery four years ago, starting taking levothyroxine 80mcg and I gained 25 lbs, until I started adjusting my diet and doing excercises around a year ago, I have lost 25 lbs already and I am being able to maintain my weight, but keeping the diet and exercises.

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17

Sometimes when I get up in the morning my legs hurt a great deal and I walk like I am 80 years old and I am only 48. The doctor said it could be the onset of arthritis.

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