on synthroid and gaining weight

A lot of these symptoms could be because your perscription being switched at the pharmacy and you are not receiving consistent therapy. There are 9 different generic levothyroxine meds on the market and the FDA allows a + or - bioequivallency, so what that means is you could be getting a generic levothyroxine med one month and the next a different w/a +12 bioequivallence, then the next a different med. This can kick you into a hypothyroid state where you will gain weight. Talk to your Dr. and ask them to write DAW or DNS on the script, depending on the terminology of your state for dispense as written. And make sure you are receiving synthroid from the pharacy, the synthroid pills say synthroid on the pill itself. Pharmacists receive bonuses on the amount of generics they use and will switch the script without your or the doctor's knowledge. Synthroid is a narrow theraputic index drug, just like coumadin, and it is imperative that your receive consistent therapy.

Synthroid medication CAN make you gain weight. I have been on Synthroid for 47 years, since age 7 and have always been on the slimmer side. Recently, due to an increase in dosage, I also gained weight which was very perplexing since I was always under the impression that synthroid actually keeps weight in check and increases metabolism. To make a long story short, I ended up at an endocronologist who retested my blood, T3, T4, TSH . it showed it was a bit high. I was told that too much, or too little can cause weight gain. It is a real balancing act to get the right dosage and can change within a 6 month period, so periodic testing is crucial. My dosage was modified to 100 mcg 6 days a week instead of 7, which averages out to about 85.7 mcg weekly. This small adjustment can make a difference, I will post back after 2 months to confirm the weight effect. My weight has been the same for 35 years, until the last year when I gained 18 pounds for no reason ( I thought) The endocronologist said that by reducing the dosage, it may allow my body to re-set my metabolism. Also , the endocronoligist told me that it is crucial to take synthroid, which is the real deal, instead of levothyroxin. which is not a true "A" equivalent to synthroid. Never, flip flop between generic and synthroid ! I did not know this, and my insurance plan was sending me levothyroxin. I kept telling my family doctor that I could tell the difference and felt different, like the meds were not working. She more or less told me it was in my head. After seeing the endocronologit, who specializes in this area, she really educated me how important it is to take "synthroid" and not the generic. Also of note, that the blood test numbers, in addition to how the patient feels and symptoms , must both be taken into consideration to find the correct dosage. The correct dosage can also change from year to year, so please do your follow up blood test. I am hoping the temporary overdosing was a factor in my weight gain. I will confirm the answer to that in two months.

I COMPLETELY understand. I began taking Synthroid in early October and I have gained, that's right GAINED, 22 pounds. I, like a lot of others who have posted on this site, have been careful in my selection of foods and have descreased my actual intake. I am confused because when I got my test result, I was told that my T4 is high and my T3 is VERY low...So why is it that I would be put on synthetic T4?
HELLLLLLLP!!!

About 6 months ago my doctor increased my dosage to 100 mg and since then I have blown up about 30 LBS. heavier.
My prescription ran out and it has been sitting at the pharmacy for over a week now. I don't think I am going back on it.

I am getting close to 250 at 60 years old and have never never been this heavy. My body and especially my feet and legs hurt and I have no energy at all. I am getting to the point that I don't even want to leave my house. That is not me. I love to go.

I am having the same weight gain issues and am thinking the doctor isn't quite on the right path with my medication....i am exhausted all the time, instead of feeling better and my whole body is in proportion with the exception of my stomach swelling....i am going to join the gym and see if it helps...i just don't want to hurt the issue more than help...

OMG I'm so relieved to know that it's not just me. I experienced an increase in appetite and extreme mood swings almost immediately after my doctor put me on .075 synthroid. I ended up putting on almost 20 lbs and my stomach was so bloated I wanted to die. I stopped the meds and went to the doctor who told me it couldn't possibly be the synthroid and he put me through a barrage of tests including a pelvic ultrasound to find out the cause of the bloating. The results came back that I had some tiny fibroids so he told me to start up with the synthroid again and within 2 days, the bloating...mood swings and insane appetite came back.. I stopped again after finding this message board and felt better almost immediately. My husband thinks I'm full of c**p and I need some of you to explain what I've been going through. Sometimes doctor just don't get it......any and all comments will be forced on him so I'd be happy to hear what you all have to say....
Thanks!

My advice to you is if you need thyroid supplements you should take them. Not taking them will lead to other issues that occur with hypothyroid.
I had an issue with taking Synthroid and personally feel it should be pulled from the market...but that is my opinion.
I would recommend that you start taking Armour Thyroid that contains both T-3 and T-4 hormones (Synthroid contains both but only if your body will convert it to T-4) but there has been a severe shortage of this drug for about 6 months and it is almost impossible to find.
There are however other thyroid replacement meds. Maybe you should ask your doctor if you could experiement and see if one makes you feel better than another.
Good luck...thyroid replacement, I have found, is a tricky thing to get right.

same here,and dam stupit docter says its not the meds,yes it is,I had blood work last week and went in to have him till me my reads,Tsh is 1.66 and my free T4 is 1.1,so I till him why im am still gaianing weight he said well I dont know,yeah right,

i also had iodine pill for my throyide in 2004 i take gerenic synthroide, i have gained weight i walk everyday and use to be 145 now i am up to 196 about 10 lbs a year this sucks i also questioned my dr, what what you eat, walk more. yea i eat so much salads i feellike a rabbit, donot eat red meat, will not take diet pills, if their is help out their please help.i had graves des. buldging eyes and depression, sleeping all the time, eyes r better i had to take radation to my eyes for the swelling

this is to all ladys.listin.years ago whan my mom was in her med 30thirtys.she was hypo.docters tried to get her in her meds wish she refuse takeing back then.nathing ever happen to her.she was okay untill she turn 64 years old,she died.she had died from cancer thogh.something she had never had taken care of years of travling with my dad and haveing 16 kids.years cought up with her.but it was not the meds she was supost take,docters have there way of getting off on use makeing there bussines keep going,I feel the same way you all do.im at 1.1 t4.and my tsh is at 1.6.so they call that normal.yeah cant keep my wieght down as well.

I started gaining weight in August 2009 and feeling like c**p and I assumed it was because I had quit going to the gym regularly. Went to the doctor in January and was told I had hypothyroidism. Got put on 50 mcgs of Snythroid and have been going to the gym five days a week and walking the treadmill for an hour, trying not to eat over 1200 calories a day and drink nothing but water... yet I am STILL gaining weight. I had more blood work done 3-5-10 and my thyroid was still low so I got upped to 75 mcgs of Snythroid. Still 10 days later I don't feel any different, no weight gain is coming off and I feel like I look pregnant cause I have gone from 5 foot 115 pounds in August to 135 pounds in January... I look like a cow. I am not meant to be a big girl. My BMI is OBESE! I tried to cut the Snythroid out and felt like c**p for a week, when I am on it I feel bloated. I hate this!!!

Hi, I had a total thyroidectomy almost a year ago. I have gained 64 pounds in a year, I am exhausted and have muscle aches and cramps. My last tsh test was 0.08 and my doc lowered my synthroid from 175 mg to 150 mg. Most of my weight gain has been to my stomach area, I was already overweight and now feel depressed and sad because I had lost 60 pounds before my surgery, I was hyperthyroid and had a huge goiter. The doc says that meds are too much but I am having hypothyroid symptoms, I am totally confused and just frustrated with it all! I totally understand what everyone here is going through, nobody around me seems to understand how sick I really feel, it is just awful that this disease is so misunderstood, people really suffer from this and it seems no one cares or understands our pain!! It just ticks me off, sorry had to vent! Thanks for listening, take care everyone, and hopefully one day we will be taking seriously.....

I have experienced the same exact thing for the past 4 months on synthroid. I am an Rn and know synthroid is supposed to increase metabolism. But I also thought of the same theory mentioned earlier about it shutting down your own thyroid's ability to function properly. It senses a false hormone and it's function decreases. I also scheduled a Dr. appt and was told the same thing-that synthroid would not do this. I am watching what I eat more than ever and walking on the treadmill. My weight gain is steady and rising. I am so frustrated! Interestingly, as soon as I forget to take it for a few days, I see a drop in weight afterwards. When I go back on, the increase in weight occurs.

Hi, I am taking Synthroid for 8 years and I have never experienced a weight gain until the Doctor change my dosage. Since my dosage was changed from 100 to 88 mcg I started gain weight and as everyone here says, It was in the stomach area. I am very worry about!

HI i have been on thynthroid 88ml for over ayear now and i gain weight like crazy i gain more than 25 lb i cant move now i talk to my doctor so many times about this and he said i have to watch what im eating i went through very strong diet and im eating very small healthy meal and still gaining weight !!!!!!!! my stomach is begger the other day some body ask me when is my due date i was crying the whole day i need help.