# how long should I give my current dose



## seabreeze (Jan 1, 2013)

I was just put on levothyroxin 10 days ago and I really don't feel too much different. I did go 5 days without any anxiety and I thought it might be working. Then yesterday I had an anxiety attack. I had alot of stress yesterday and that might have brought it on. Today, heart palps.
So, should I give my current dose longer before asking the Dr. to maybe up the dose? She started me on 25mcg and she wanted to start me on 50 but saw I'm only 102 lbs so ended up with the 25.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

You should give your current dose several weeks, then get new labs done, and go from there. I know...that's a lot of waiting...but sometimes it truly takes that long to feel a difference, AND it will take that long for new labs to give an accurate measure of your body on the current dose.

What were your pre-prescription labs?


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## seabreeze (Jan 1, 2013)

ok. thanks. It's so hard to play the waiting game! I go in from the day I started the medication, 6 weeks for labs


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

6 weeks is the right amount of time. Unfortunately, levo will take a while to get in your system, do its thing, and then you will feel it. It's not like an antibiotic where you will feel results in a few days, it's more like 6-8 weeks or so.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

But what about the labs BEFORE you started this dose?


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## seabreeze (Jan 1, 2013)

TSH 4.9 and I don't have the T3 and T4 right now in front of me. I posted it somewhere on a thread. Antibodies for hashi's. T3 and T4 were struggling as far as numbers go.


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## seabreeze (Jan 1, 2013)

jenny v said:


> 6 weeks is the right amount of time. Unfortunately, levo will take a while to get in your system, do its thing, and then you will feel it. It's not like an antibiotic where you will feel results in a few days, it's more like 6-8 weeks or so.


ok.. I was not aware it would take that amount of time.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Yes, with thyroids, patience is everything.


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## nvsmom (Sep 30, 2012)

I have found that you have to get close to the ideal dose before any improvements were noticed. I started Synthroid in August at 50mcg, it was upped to 75mcg in October and I started taking 100mcg in December (which I think is getting closer to an ideal dose)... It was just a few weeks ago where, for the first time since starting levothyroxine I experienced about 10 days of normality. I actually felt okay for the first time and not worse. Then pms hit. lol

So, in my experience, it took 5 months of feeling worse, or the same hypo symptoms, until I got my first glimmer of feeling okay. Blah. But that is just me and everyone is different.

Patience is definitely required when dealing with this stuff.

Best wishes to you. I hope you feel better soon.


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## smelliebellie (Oct 14, 2012)

Nvsmom - how did you up to 50 mcg to 100 mcg in 4 months?! did u not go through adjustment symptoms? did it not make you feel hyper? do you feel normal or do you still have a ways to go?


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## nvsmom (Sep 30, 2012)

smelliebellie said:


> Nvsmom - how did you up to 50 mcg to 100 mcg in 4 months?! did u not go through adjustment symptoms? did it not make you feel hyper? do you feel normal or do you still have a ways to go?


When I began synthroid at 50mcg, I felt much much worse and began to suspect I had lupus or UCTD because my joints became arthritic, I was very fatigued, my hair thinned faster than it ever has, and a few other problems. People on this board suggested that it was my body getting used to the synthroid. I've had problems like that in the past (with less hair loss) and as usual it subsided within 3 months.... That was the only suspect reaction I've had (besides my lips puffing up on the 75mcg dose - probably a dye allergy).

I don't think I've ever had a hyper symptom, or if I did it so closely resembles hypo that I didn't notice a difference. I am starting to feel a bit better lately, at 100mcg for about a month. I have a bit more energy, I am not as cold at night, and my skin is clearing up some. My hair loss has also slowed down and there are no new joint pains (the last pains are steadily fading and regaining strength).

I don't feel really good yet but there is improvement. I think there is a small ways to go. I'd like to try a bit of T3 after I see my next labs (my TT3 and FT4 are holding at a low end of normal in spite of my TSH getting below a 6 which is the top end of the reference range here).


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