Hypothyroidism Any experience of it ?

Thank you for all the responses on here.

I don't know how you all survived waiting months to get the meds dosage right and started to feel better. Like I said, I'm only 4 weeks in with meds and struggling but I'm only on 20mg dosage.

TerriBull I so understand what you mean about not knowing what the day will be like. Today has been one of those down days for me. The early morning waking and morning are the worst. I didn't dress till lunchtime and then just sat around all day either crocheting or watching tv. Am pleased that I managed to empty the recycling bin! But then feel guilty walking past the weeds in the garden that need pulling up and I'm one of those people who find weeding almost therapy.

Weight has not been an issue - so far. And neither has hair loss. My eyes get irritated and now I've developed a mouth ulcer but don't know if that's connected.

Moth62 I echo your sentiments for women in the past. Not knowing what was wrong with me was awful. How you cold live a life with this beggars belief. And the first thing I was offered by the GP was anti-depressants. I refused them pressing for the cause of all my symptoms. I think if I had been seen by a more experienced doctor the diagnosis might have been made sooner because when I googled (as you do) I was a text book case. I'd no experience or knowledge of it before I got it.

Roll on Friday to see what's next.

I’ve been on Levothyroxine for 20 years now. I was started on 50, then 75, then upped to 100. It takes a few months, probably nearer a year, to get the right dosage and you will get regular blood tests to find that out. I didn’t feel a huge difference immediately, but after about a year I definitely felt an improvement. The weight was the most difficult thing, as I was then almost 50 and it becomes so much harder to shift excess weight the older we get. My SiL was put on tablets and complained that she would now have to take them for the rest of her life. I said I was quite happy to take such a simple and effective solution and that if it’s for the rest of my life, then so be it. I feel so sorry for women down the centuries who would have been dragging themselves about, with scant hair and no energy, not knowing what was wrong. I’m just so grateful that someone found out the cause and the remedy in my lifetime.

I have been taking thyroxine for over 30:years. Since the correct level was achieved, I have been fine. I am in my eighties now and still,pretty active though have had to reign in my gardening but that is because of arthritis.

sorry, should read 'stile'

I was diagnosed about 15 years ago, and had exactly your symptoms as well as weight gain and extreme tiredness. While it takes a while for the GP to get the levothyroxine dosage right, eventually you will absolutely feel so much better.

I went from struggling to get over a style back to full fitness. My mood lifted, I stopped feeling cold and lost quite a bit of weight too. I have an annual blood test and have occasionally had the dosage tweaked.

Hang on in there, it just takes time - the main thing is that you now have the diagnosis and can start treatment.

Just to add that before I was diagnosed ,I got up one morning and could hardly walk , I had no strength, my niece had to drive me to the GP, he told me that the blood test I had 6 months before showed that my thyroid was under active, but obviously that had been ignored.I suppose the longer you wait for treatment, the longer it will take to get back to some normality....hope you feel better soon.

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

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've been taking levothyroxine for over 30 years, it does take a wee while before you feel the difference, I thought I would loose weight right away, but it didn't happen,my hair did get a bit thicker, but everything seems to take time. you'll probably get more blood tests, and perhaps your thyroxine will either be increased or decreased, until your thyroid levels get to right setting, even with thyroxine, it's still not easy to loose the weight, and I still get tired very easily.