# Synthroid Six Days a Week?



## stlthyroid

Hello All,

I haven't posted in a while, but I need your help. I had a Thyroidectomy in Febuary, and was put on .175 of Synthroid. Since then, I have been feeling "okay" but still pretty anxious. I had my blood work done last week and my TSH was .50 (the range is .27 to 4.2) and my T4 was 1.5 (out of a range of .9 to 1.7)

The endo said my TSH was minimally low, and that she would like me to continue taking the .175 of Synthroid SIX DAYS a week, and not take it for one day of the week. Is this common practice for medication therapy?


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## chopper

I would rather see you take .150 7 days a week than skip a dose.

.175 x 6 = 1.05 per week he recommends.

1.05 divided by seven days instead of 6 = .150 per day, every day without worrying if you skipped a dose or not.

It doesnt make much sense. He could have just written you a script for 150's that you take every day - it's the same dose per week except spread out better. Lazy ass doctor didn't feel like writing the script.


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## Andros

stlthyroid said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I haven't posted in a while, but I need your help. I had a Thyroidectomy in Febuary, and was put on .175 of Synthroid. Since then, I have been feeling "okay" but still pretty anxious. I had my blood work done last week and my TSH was .50 (the range is .27 to 4.2) and my T4 was 1.5 (out of a range of .9 to 1.7)
> 
> The endo said my TSH was minimally low, and that she would like me to continue taking the .175 of Synthroid SIX DAYS a week, and not take it for one day of the week. Is this common practice for medication therapy?


It is sad that this doc did not run your FREE T3 and FREE T4. Anyone that Rx's based on TSH is a scary doctor...................; to me anyway.

Here is some info you may wish to read.

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/freet3woliner.htm

understanding thyroid labs
http://www.amarillomed.com/howto/#Thyroid
http://pro2services.com/Lectures/Spring/Thyroid/ThyTests.htm

How is your ferritin level? If low, that can cause anxious.
Ferritin http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081504.htm


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## desrtbloom

I do not see a problem with taking the your Synthroid six days a week per your doctor's request. Because of the way the dosing is with replacement therapy, you can get too much or too little very easily since it is measured in micrograms. I have taken two different dosing strengths altering days of the week, so I wouldn't be surprised if my endo told me to miss a day of my Synthroid to try and get my levels in check. I wouldn't stress over it.


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## lavender

If you were between doses, where one dose was too high and the next one down too low, I could see the logic of skipping a day or even taking different doses on different days. But skipping a dose when you could just as easily be changed to another equal dose doesn't make sense to me. A TSH of .5 is not below the range. Unless you are having symptoms of hyperthyroid, I would be hesitant to lower your dose. And Andros is right, your labs do not give a complete picture. Free T3 and Free T4 are really important tests, but I've had a hard time finding a doc to run them consistently myself.


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## lainey

I did this the last time I got an increase--I took an extra pill a week because I had the refills and it worked. After 2 months, the better part of my 90 day supply was gone and it was time for new blood work anyway.

A reason to do this (and I don't know if this applies to you) would be to use up the refills you have on hand of the medication. A lot of insurance makes you buy a larger supply of maintenance medications, and if you have bought them, you might as well take them rather than buying new--especially when the math of the dosage works out.

When the old dosage is used, it's easy enough, when you get new blood work, to write a new script for the proper dose.


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