Hypothyroidism Any experience of it ?

Agree that 20 mcg is very low. I had my thyroid removed 20 years ago as it was very enlarged and also overactive. Since then I'm on 100 mcg a day with blood tests every 6 months to monitor. Seems to be stable and I feel fine.
Some thyroid problems are due to autoimmune conditions, which can cause other problems which the thyroxine won't help! Unfortunately docs often don't look for the underlying cause of thyroid problems- even endocrinologists!

One of my late friends was a retired GP who was concerned that hypothyroidism was frequently mis -diagnosed as clinical depression. The latter is a less tractable condition , as hypothyroidism can usually be sorted by upping the patient's thyroxin level.

I'm interested in reading everyone else's experiences. Like many I was diagnosed over 25 years ago now and originally started on 50 mcg but am now on a dose of 150 which is fairly high.

I'm lucky in that my hair remains thick and I still have my eyebrows although sparse in parts there are plenty of products on the market for the purpose of at least giving the illusion of making them look thicker. Although I'm quite happy to lose body hair, I've long since eliminated having to use a product for their elimination. Neither do I suffer from feeling cold, the menopause put paid to that. My symptoms have always been and remain a feeling of sluggishness different days, different energy levels with no defining factors as to what triggers lack of vitality, I do go to the gym and have recently purchased a walking pad for home to exercise on, but I can't say any of that is an enormous help.

I don't think it's uncommon for some of us on Levothyroxine to say that it doesn't always make a difference in treating our symptoms. Although I know if we didn't take that it would be detrimental to health. In the US there is an effective form of it called Armour which unlike the synthetic version is derived from pigs, but is more expensive. When Hillary Clinton was running against Trump for presidency and she made her medical records available, he accused her of being physically unfit, I remember seeing she took Armour for her under active thyroid.

TerriBull

Welcome to the under active thyroid club bridie54. I was diagnosed with the condition when I was in my mid 40s, a time when I felt myself becoming so sluggish and lacking in any sort of energy, I was at a loss to explain it other than I felt I was wading through concrete and small tasks required a monumental effort. Before that time, I was completely unaware of the condition or how the tiny thyroid gland is so pivotal to the metabolism. I expect there will be others along to talk about how their experiences with Thyroxine, we've had various threads on it on GN Unfortunately for me it's never been a silver bullet in providing the energy boost I thought it might. However, everyone is different and for some it obviously does improv their condition and you may well be one of those, so hang on in there. I'm in my early 70s now and vitality or lack of it has been with me for some time, but like many, I have different days, some where I feel almost normal. I can never pinpoint what actually precipitates the overwhelming feeling of lethargy.

I am in exactly the same situation. I was diagnosed in my late 3o's (I am now 75) and I suffer the same problems as Terribull unfortunately.

Grandmabatty

I've been on Levothyroxine for years. It takes a while for the correct dosage to be sorted. I have lost my eyebrows and most of my body hair as well as really thin hair on my head. Make sure you have more bloods done to make sure the dose is enough. I was quite low when first diagnosed but thought it was maybe the menopause

I am in the same position with my hair etc. I seem to gain weight almost daily although due to IBS I eat practically nothing. (And having Coleorectal Cancer in my 20's. Cancer which ofcourse was all in my head! )Over the period of the 50 years since I was diagnosed the GP hasn't managed to prescribe the right dosage of Levothyroxine to help in any way. Each day is a struggle unfortunately.

Appetite, I'm sorry to hear tjst

*that

Another here been on varying dose of thyroxine since my twenties, that alongside occasional steroids for whatever reason I now have osteoporosis. So please be aware this happens. Unavoidable I suppose.

Well I must thank everyone for responding on this post, and good to see that it's helping others as well.

I saw the GP this morning and although I felt like I was having an 'up' day I was actually tired as had been awake on and off since 3 in the morning. My appointment was 9 so maybe that was on my mind, but sleep disturbance is one of my issues. When she asked how I'd been I told her, honestly, that I felt I'd become worse despite the meds.

She has doubled the dose of Levothyroxine and given me 3 months supply when she will check my bloods again. My blood results were not despre4ately bad.

Annoyingly I should have made a note of them but will call the surgery on Monday to get a note of both tests results just for my own information.

So I'll start the new higher dose tomorrow and cross my fingers..

The Thyroxine you've been given is synthetic - but, it's molecularly identical to the substance your body produces, but is not, in your case, producing enough of. You've probably got months of up and down to go, yet, before feeling better - almost everybody ends up getting to the right stage/dose, with this, though. It's not a serious condition...more like a background chemical nuisance.

One thing I'd like to add, however, is...*DON'T REST ON THAT!* Just because somebody thought "Thyroid" and the test upheld their suspicions, doesn't mean that you're yet finished in trying to find what else might be wrong with you!

If you're suffering from any other (I'm really only talking about mental health) condition, just dealing with the thyroid situation, right now, might well mean that you are missing other causes that need finding and which can be treated and/or therapied! Give it some serious thought! Feeling better might be closer than you think!