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Is it too late to go off Synthroid?

I started on thyroid meds just over three months ago. It was to treat hypothyroidism and I did not have most of the symptoms. In fact, the only thing I had that showed I had a thyroid issue was a blood test showing 6.2, irregular menstration, and low body temperature. I had no energy issues, except when I worked nightshift. On my day to day life, I had energy, could loose weight, did not have mood issues and was doing well over all.

After going on Synthroid, my energy levels went down and I found myself very foggy. I have more symptoms of a thyroid condition while on the meds then I did before and I assumed it was because I needed my meds adjusted. A recent blood test has shown that my levels are now at 2.89, and my doctor does not want to adjust the dosage.

The problem is that I miss myself! Being tired all the time and foggy makes me feel like I am not myself anymore and I miss being me! I do not like how I am functioning with my thyroid medication keeping my thyroid levels ok.  It has only been around 3 months and I want to go off synthroid. The other reason why I want to go off them is I am a shift worker and I do not have a consistent schedule- I work three different shifts, six days a week- and morning, noons, and nights, each shift for one week before switching to the next. I cannot take it before breakfast because my breakfast time changes depending on what shift I am on. The need to take a pill daily at the same time is a struggle because my work scheduel is not consistent like that. I have tried to even take them at night, but that does not fit in my my scheduel either.

When I evaluate my life before synthroid and after, I feel like my life was better before Synthroid. My cycle is still messed up, and my body temperature still dips below 36 degrees even on the meds. I have mentioned my concerns to my doctor, and wants me to stay on Synthroid. I would like to go off Synthroid and find a thyroid medication that I can take anytime during the day instead of having a specific pill time.

Can anyone tell me if I am too late to do this after being on Synthroid for 3 months? And if it is not too late, can I do it cold turkey or do I have to ween myself off? Thank you for your imput!
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
No, I didn't miss your point, at all... I understood, perfectly.

No, your body would not be reliant on the Synthroid, at this point; however, you can't live indefinitely, without adequate thyroid hormones, since every major system in your body depends on them.  

If you have Hashimoto's your thyroid is constantly being destroyed by antibodies, so its function is declining every day.  Today, you have menstrual and body temperature issues; next week, you might low heart rate, or brain fog, weight issues, stomach/digestive problems, acid reflux or body/joint pains, your hair might start falling out, you might not be able to get pregnant, or you might have a miscarriage or any number of hypothyroid symptoms.

It's much better to find a doctor that will test and treat you properly than to abandon the medication, completely.
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7 Comments
Sorry, I sort of misstated... I said "every major system" in your body depends on thyroid hormones... that's not really correct.  Actually, nearly every individual CELL in your body depends on thyroid hormones...
Thank you for your help. My concern with going off Synthroid is to still get treatment, but to go on naturopathic treatment instead. I tried these before I went on Synthroid and I feel they are a better fit for my life. The only reason why I went off is because I found the naturopathic drugs expensive, while the synthroid was covered by my benefits. I now feel the naturopathic drugs are worth the expense, and that I cannot put a price on how much healthier they made me feel. I am very relieved to know that my body is not reliant on the synthroid, as that is the only thing that would make the switch more difficult.

Thanks again!
You're very welcome...

I'm not sure what you're considering "naturopathic drugs"... the only thing that will replace thyroid hormones is thyroid hormones.  That either has to be the synthetic hormones like Synthroid, other brands of synthetic hormones, generic levothyroxine or desiccated hormones that derived from porcine thyroid.

Good luck...
Naturopathic drugs stimulate and support your own thyroid gland. Instead of relying on something synthetic, they make your body produce its own again.  They also help support the body's need for t3 and t4, and so the body has both thyroid hormones instead of just one. I am simplifying it a lot, but hopefully I have explained it ok. This is why there are no side affects and why people on them feel better- as long as the synthroid has not stopped the function of my thyroid by making my thyroid reliant on it. If my body is reliant on the synthroid, then the naturopathic drugs will not be able to stimulate it. So thank you for the luck :)

I think you are in the States- and I do not know if you have the homeopathic/naturopathic option there. Canada and Europe use them a lot. The medicine I want to go back on even has a Canadian Drug Identification number just like pharmaceuticals!
I'm sorry if I seem a bit dense.  I've had hypothyroidism for over 10 yrs and have been on this forum all of that time, doing research, but I'm still not getting what you mean by "naturopathic drugs"... There are no naturopathic hormones, other than what I've listed.  There are supplements that may help "boost" thyroid production for a short period, once your thyroid stops working, the only thing that can replace the hormones is replacement hormones, as I've noted above, which is, either, the synthetic hormones, such as Synthroid or other T4 medications or desiccated hormones, which are made from pig thyroid tissue.  

Desiccated hormones are called "Natural" because they aren't synthetic; however, pigs produce much more T3 and less T4 than humans do, so they really aren't "natural" for humans.  That said, many people do much better on desiccated hormones than they do on synthetic, so they should always be considered as a possibility when being prescribed thyroid medications.

Canada does have a desiccated porcine thyroid hormone known as ERFA.  There have been some people in the U.S. that have taken this medication and it worked very well for them.  I believe it's illegal, at this time to have it sent across the border, but I could be wrong on that.  

Could you please tell me the name of the substance you plan to go back on?  If there's something that really works, our members would love to know about it.
You do not sound dense, most people just do not know there are alternatives. The more I deal with both communities, the more I appreciate naturopathic approaches over the medical doctors. At least when I go to my naturopath that I have 30 minutes of his time every appointment. And in that 30 minutes I have the time to hear about the approach he wants to take, and how to apply that it my life. When I go to my doctor, I have only a few minutes to discuss things, and I find that he is rarely concerned about making sure I know what I am doing. I think if he had taken the time to explain my medication to me better then I would not have even gone on the synthroid. And the main thing that made me decide to go off the synthroid was the fact that medically, everything was supposed to be fine, but I felt like something was very wrong with how my body was functioning. And I know I did not feel like that until I went on the Synthroid!

The name of the substance I plan  to go on was prescribed by a naturopath. I  think you have to talk to one of them to get it- it is something that is to be taken under their supervision. naturopathic meds have a different approach- they work on both the T4 and T3 issues. Synthroid tends to just supplement just the T4, and so it is is not as balanced. That is the most simplified way of putting it. And I think the reason why I felt so much better on the naturopathic meds is because it looked at the thyroid issue in a more complete way. However, it is expensive.

I know some natural stores sell supplements that claim to do the same thing- I have not been on them, nor can I guarantee results. They are cheaper than going to the naturopath, and they are not wonky.

I know about the "pig thyroid" meds; what I am referring to is not one of them. Nor is this stuff wonky or weird. I do not think you can get it from anywhere other then a naturopath.
Oh, I know there are "alternatives"; there just isn't any way to replace hormones, except with hormones, that's all.

I totally agree with you about the difference between seeing a naturopathic doctor and a conventional doctor... Conventional doctors tend to see us as patients with single problems and are only prepared to address one issue at a time, whereas the naturopath is more likely to see us as a whole person...

You didn't post any of your lab results, so I have no idea what your levels were when you were prescribed the Synthroid, but 25 mcg is a very small dosage.  It's not unusual for symptoms to get worse when starting on a thyroid medication and one is almost never started on the final dosage, especially 25 mcg.  It sounds like you simply needed a larger dosage, but, of course, I can't say that for sure, not having seen your labs.  As I said, previously, not everyone does well on T4 medication alone.  Even I have to add a source of T3 to my T4 medication and I didn't do well on Synthroid - I had to go to a different brand.

The desiccated medications also have  both, T4 and T3 in them.  There are some other medications that can be purchased that have ground up bovine thyroid tissue in them, but, by law (both Canadian and American), they are supposed to have all the actual hormones removed. We can get them over the counter, here; you might have to get them from your naturopath.

Apparently, you don't want to post the name of it on the forum, you can send me a private message with the name.  It would really be helpful to others, if there's something else.
649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
I'm assuming that the level(s) you quoted (6.2 and 2.89) were for TSH... Is that the only thing that was tested?  What about Free T4 and Free T3?  Those are the actual thyroid hormones and are more important than TSH, which is a pituitary hormone and not indicative of actual thyroid status, so does not give the whole picture.

If you have results for Free T4 and Free T3 (both before and after starting medication), please post them, along with their corresponding reference ranges, so we can see your actual thyroid hormone levels.  

The dosage you're on, 25 mcg, is very small and what it does is simply lower your TSH, so it won't stimulate your thyroid enough to produce as much natural hormones as it might have been previously, but it isn't enough to completely replace what your body actually needs.

The fact that your menstrual cycles were off and your TSH was higher than normal is an indication that there's a problem and more symptoms would be appearing soon.  That said, you need to be dosed by actual thyroid hormone levels, not just by TSH.  

It's not unusual to feel worse when first starting a thyroid hormone medication, however, dosages do, often need to be adjusted after a short period.  The problem is that your doctor is going, only by TSH, not actual thyroid hormone levels.  Doctors who dose their patients, based only on TSH tend to keep their patients ill for long periods of time.  

Ask your doctor to order Free T4 and Free T3 and if he refuses, it's time to get another doctor.  In fact, I might advise you to do that anyway, because doctors that have to be asked for Free T4/Free T3 usually tend not to be very good thyroid doctors anyway.

Have you been tested for thyroid antibodies to determine if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?  If you have Hashimoto's, you will require the medication for life and the sooner you get started, the better.  The tests you need to determine if you have Hashimoto's are antibody tests, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).  You need them both, as some of us have one or the other; some have them both.  

When taking thyroid hormone medication, it doesn't really matter what time of day you take it, as long as you take it, consistently, at close to the same time every day.  

It's not always easy to figure out a schedule for taking medications, but we find a way, once we realize what a difference it makes in our lives and how important it is.  Since it hasn't made you feel better, you aren't seeing the need to make the accommodation yet.
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I think you completely missed my question, so I will rephrase. Is my body reliant on the Synthroid after three months.
Avatar universal
I forgot to mention that my current dosage of the Synthroid is 25mcg.
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