# Synthroid suddenly stopped working



## Jodi_620

I have been hypo (Hahimoto's) for around 15 years and have been treated successfully with Sythroid the entire time until December. I started to have hair loss and get tired and my annual visit showed my TSH was up to 50. The Endo has progressively increased my dosage each month since and I have gone from 125 up to 250 last month and just received a call that TSH is still around 50 and he will increase me to 300 and if that does not work I will need to see a GI specialist to try and figure out why my body is no longer absorbing the medication. My Endo is a very good doctor, highly respected and it scares me that he can't seem to figure this out.

I feel so tired, my hair is thin, I have anxiety, joint pain, back pain and abdominal bloating digestive issues and I am just so tired of being tired. I am frustrated that after all these years the meds don't want to work anymore and wondering what else can be checked.

I have the Lap Band, have had it for more than 4 years now. I lost 115 pounds and am at a normal weight of 120. I have not seen any big weight gain with this recent thyroid issue. Getting the Lap Band had never seemed to have any obvious effect on my thyroid and I have checked with others with the band and nobody has heard of such a problem relating the two. Lap Band does not cause malabsorbtion so it shouldn't be causing this. After losing around 90 pounds (10 months or so after banding) my Sythroid dose did have to be lowered but that was to be expected. With this new issue my Endo did suggest crushing the Synthroid to make sure it was not sitting in my small stomach too long but that does not seem to be helping. He also tested me for Celiac Disease but that came up negative.

I am just wondering if this is a problem with my body absorbing the medication or is is possible that I just am not responding to Synthroid anymore. Maybe there is another med I could try. Has anyone else suddenly stopped responding to Synthroid after doing so well for many years?


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## joplin1975

Jodi,

Is your doctor testing anything else other than TSH? How about Free t3 and free t4? Have you had antibodies test? An ultrasound of your thyroid?

I'm sorry you are feeling so poorly. That's a very, very high dose for someone who still has their thyroid...


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## Octavia

Jodi, welcome, and congratulatins on a successful weight loss effort!

You mention that you have digestive issues. Are those relatively new?

250 mcg (and 300 mcg) of Synthroid is a pretty big dose for someone who weighs 120, so it does seem that you are not absorbing it, and I think a trip to a gastroenterologist is not a bad idea, especially with the digestive issues you referred to. My gastro is my favorite doctor - she's awesome! I've been fortunate enough to not need to see her for a couple of years, but I've recommended her to a couple of friends, and they like her, too! But I digress...

If I were you, I would go ahead and make an appointment with a gastroenterologist and get that ball rolling, so to speak.


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## Octavia

Jodi, here's something you might find interesting/applicable:

http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/cl...rt-team/nutrition-articles/DiBaiseArticle.pdf

And this one is a bit less scientific:
http://www.gidoctor.net/small-intestinal-bacterial-overgrowth.php

I was treated for SIBO prior to my thyroid issues, and it made big difference for me, digestive-wise. Might be worth looking into if/when you see a gastroenterologist.


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## Jodi_620

joplin1975 said:


> Jodi,
> 
> Is your doctor testing anything else other than TSH? How about Free t3 and free t4? Have you had antibodies test? An ultrasound of your thyroid?
> 
> I'm sorry you are feeling so poorly. That's a very, very high dose for someone who still has their thyroid...


Yes, tested T3, T4 actually did a full workup in hopes of finding some clue. I have asked him to mail the results and will post that when I get it. My last ultrasound was six months ago, he scans it yearly.


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## Jodi_620

Octavia said:


> Jodi, welcome, and congratulatins on a successful weight loss effort!
> 
> You mention that you have digestive issues. Are those relatively new?
> 
> 250 mcg (and 300 mcg) of Synthroid is a pretty big dose for someone who weighs 120, so it does seem that you are not absorbing it, and I think a trip to a gastroenterologist is not a bad idea, especially with the digestive issues you referred to. My gastro is my favorite doctor - she's awesome! I've been fortunate enough to not need to see her for a couple of years, but I've recommended her to a couple of friends, and they like her, too! But I digress...
> 
> If I were you, I would go ahead and make an appointment with a gastroenterologist and get that ball rolling, so to speak.


I have constipation, bloating gas which is common when my levels are off. I think I will go ahead and take your advice and find a gastroenterologist. Thanks!


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## Jodi_620

Octavia said:


> Jodi, here's something you might find interesting/applicable:
> 
> http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/cl...rt-team/nutrition-articles/DiBaiseArticle.pdf
> 
> And this one is a bit less scientific:
> http://www.gidoctor.net/small-intestinal-bacterial-overgrowth.php
> 
> I was treated for SIBO prior to my thyroid issues, and it made big difference for me, digestive-wise. Might be worth looking into if/when you see a gastroenterologist.


Thanks Octavia! I skimmed through this and it looks interesting. I will read it more closely as soon as I can and I will mention it when I see the gastroenterologist.


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## Andros

Jodi_620 said:


> Yes, tested T3, T4 actually did a full workup in hopes of finding some clue. I have asked him to mail the results and will post that when I get it. My last ultrasound was six months ago, he scans it yearly.












Congrats on the weight loss! You must be thrilled!

Okay......................these are the tests that would be more helpful and when you post your lab results, please include the ranges.

Dr. Mercola (FREES)
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm
FREE T3 explained by Woliner
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/freet3.htm


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## CA-Lynn

I was on Synthroid for years and then it stopped working. I switched to Levothyroxine, and then [due to insurance reasons] switched to Levoxyl, which work well for me.


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