Adding on Levothyroxine?

[Samco12]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I’m currently taking CagriSema and I’m down 40lbs so far.
I have access to a basically unlimited supply of 150mcg levothyroxine pills and know it can drastically increase your base metabolic rate.
I’m curious if there is anything seriously wrong with this? I know it can be a bit unhealthy but raising my calories necessary that much would be extremely helpful.

 

[mopo89]

You should not mess with your thyroid if your thyroid is functioning. If you take levo, it'll likely put your thyroid into hyper, which comes with some terrible side effects.

Also 150mcg of levo is very high - a dose that I only got up to 13 years after my diagnosis.

 

[Samco12]

You should not mess with your thyroid if your thyroid is functioning. If you take levo, it'll likely put your thyroid into hyper, which comes with some terrible side effects.

Also 150mcg of levo is very high - a dose that I only got up to 13 years after my diagnosis.

I was planning on splitting them in half to 75 if I planned on doing it and not taking it daily or even close to daily. I did a bit of research into the symptoms of hyperthyroidism but what have you experienced?

 

[AerialDancer]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I’m currently taking CagriSema and I’m down 40lbs so far.
I have access to a basically unlimited supply of 150mcg levothyroxine pills and know it can drastically increase your base metabolic rate.
I’m curious if there is anything seriously wrong with this? I know it can be a bit unhealthy but raising my calories necessary that much would be extremely helpful.

This sounds like a horrible idea. Please don’t do this without at least knowing your current TSH levels. It’s one thing to take some Levothyroxine to bring your TSH levels to around 1 or so if they are at 2+ (as opposed to waiting for them to go higher than 4 for example), but it’s an entirely different matter to just take Levothyroxine when your TSH levels are already low.
Exercise and sleep will increase your metabolic rate, if you are looking for levers to pull. And if you think you might need thyroid medication, I don’t think it’s that expensive to get your current TSH levels tested.

 

[Samco12]

This sounds like a horrible idea. Please don’t do this without at least knowing your current TSH levels. It’s one thing to take some Levothyroxine to bring your TSH levels to around 1 or so if they are at 2+ (as opposed to waiting for them to go higher than 4 for example), but it’s an entirely different matter to just take Levothyroxine when your TSH levels are already low.
Exercise and sleep will increase your metabolic rate, if you are looking for levers to pull. And if you think you might need thyroid medication, I don’t think it’s that expensive to get your current TSH levels tested.

I think I’m going to not go through with taking it based on these recommendations. I actually had my TSH tested 2 months ago and it was normal

 

[Graymaxxem]

Levothyroxine is not a weight loss med.
Levothyroxine is not a weight loss med.
Levothyroxine is not a weight loss med.

Do not fuck with your thyroid. Get your TSH levels tested first, and ONLY take levo if you need it, ideally after consulting with an endocrinologist. I have Hashimotos, and trust me, this is not an area for experimenting. Taking too much levo has put me in the hospital with a racing heart before.

Other things that cause a sluggish metabolism, especially in peri or post menopausal women, include:
Low B12
Low iron
Hormones out of whack

Get these things tested as well. Did you know you can order your own lab work through Marek Labs, and a couple other places?

Personally, I take 250 mg of Metformin at bedtime, for longevity and metabolic boost, and injectable B12, plus L carnitine + MIC. I've found these to be much safer ways to boost my energy, speaking solely for myself.

 

[DwightTheDelight]

I think I’m going to not go through with taking it based on these recommendations. I actually had my TSH tested 2 months ago and it was normal

Your post made me dive into the benefits and risks of doing something like this. I admittedly know nothing, but keep reading that a tsh level around 1 is optimal and a lot of people feel off when it gets much higher than that.

Mine is consistently at 4.

Do you know your levels?

 

[mopo89]

I was planning on splitting them in half to 75 if I planned on doing it and not taking it daily or even close to daily. I did a bit of research into the symptoms of hyperthyroidism but what have you experienced?

I have Hashimoto's. My levo dose was too high recently because of my weight loss. My TSH was at 0.03. I was experiencing really messed up periods, headaches, very high blood pressure and racing heart, trouble sleeping, very quick weight loss (GLP1 combined with hyper = weight loss that is way too quick), constant anxiety etc. My doctor put me from 150mcg down to 100mcg and I'm getting my bloodwork taken again in 6 weeks and he expects he'll have to further reduce it. While I prefer hyper symptoms generally to hypo, it was still not a fun time with my TSH that low.

I just would not mess with your thyroid.

 

[Love2Garden59]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I’m currently taking CagriSema and I’m down 40lbs so far.
I have access to a basically unlimited supply of 150mcg levothyroxine pills and know it can drastically increase your base metabolic rate.
I’m curious if there is anything seriously wrong with this? I know it can be a bit unhealthy but raising my calories necessary that much would be extremely helpful.

You should not be taking Levothyroxine without a prescription for thyroid condition. I have been on it for years because I am hypothyroid. Since Apr this year I started on Tirzepatide. My most recent blood work shows elevated T4 and TSH as I am losing weight. My meds have been lowered. Elevated thyroid will cause heart issues

 

[Samco12]

sYour post made me dive into the benefits and risks of doing something like this. I admittedly know nothing, but keep reading that a tsh level around 1 is optimal and a lot of people feel off when it gets much higher than that. Mine is consistently at 4.Do you know your level

I take lithium so I have my thyroid levels regularly checked. I don’t remember exactly what numbers they were but I was smack dab right in the middle of normal. I wasn’t planning on taking it because I needed it, I was just ignorant I suppose. Good thing I asked around, eh?

 

[Love2Garden59]

TSH​

Normal range: 0.50 - 5.00 uIU/mL

 

[DwightTheDelight]

sYour post made me dive into the benefits and risks of doing something like this. I admittedly know nothing, but keep reading that a tsh level around 1 is optimal and a lot of people feel off when it gets much higher than that. Mine is consistently at 4.Do you know your level

Not sure why the quote and your message flipped like that

 

[Superchicken1]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I’m currently taking CagriSema and I’m down 40lbs so far.
I have access to a basically unlimited supply of 150mcg levothyroxine pills and know it can drastically increase your base metabolic rate.
I’m curious if there is anything seriously wrong with this? I know it can be a bit unhealthy but raising my calories necessary that much would be extremely helpful.

t3 is what’s used, not T4. Go to the meso forums for proper info, unlikely to get any here

 

[cta7978]

Your post made me dive into the benefits and risks of doing something like this. I admittedly know nothing, but keep reading that a tsh level around 1 is optimal and a lot of people feel off when it gets much higher than that.

Mine is consistently at 4.

Do you know your levels?

A TSH level of 4 is considered too high compared to a generally accepted normal range of around 0.4 to 2.5, indicating potential hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) as a TSH level above 2.5 is often considered abnormal and may warrant further evaluation by a healthcare professional https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279600/

 

[cta7978]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I’m currently taking CagriSema and I’m down 40lbs so far.
I have access to a basically unlimited supply of 150mcg levothyroxine pills and know it can drastically increase your base metabolic rate.
I’m curious if there is anything seriously wrong with this? I know it can be a bit unhealthy but raising my calories necessary that much would be extremely helpful.

I recently went hyper (accidentally) and it temporarily nuked my liver enzymes. Don't mess with thyroid hormones unless you know what you are doing.

 

[Peptidase]

Please do not do this if you have normal thyroid function. T3 is one of the more reactive forms of thyroid hormone. Here are a few things you can do to yourself that may be less than ideal;
First, being in a thyroid excess state can throw you into Afib. T3 leads to the insertion of more beta 1 receptors on the surface of your heart cells. That can be a problem fast. You want to avoid Afib if you can.
Second, excess thyroid hormone floating in your body can cause thyroid storm. Let’s just say that this is pretty bad and you’ll need IV blood pressure meds and a bunch of other stuff to keep you from dying.
Just don’t do it is the wise bit of advice I’ll give you. I can go into more detail here but these two here should be more than enough.

 

[roxygirl]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I’m currently taking CagriSema and I’m down 40lbs so far.
I have access to a basically unlimited supply of 150mcg levothyroxine pills and know it can drastically increase your base metabolic rate.
I’m curious if there is anything seriously wrong with this? I know it can be a bit unhealthy but raising my calories necessary that much would be extremely helpful.

I know my way around thyroid function and proper testing. The TSH is a pituitary hormone that signals your thyroid to make thyroid hormones. The T4 is an inactive hormone that converts into active thyroid hormone T3. The Free T3 is important because it’s free to enter the cells and is not bound to proteins. The TSH test alone without the actual thyroid tests leave many unwell.

Levothyroxine is T4 is generic for Synthroid. Taking T4 medication will be dependent on converting into T3. This action is not fully looked into by mainstream medicine. I contribute the lack of awareness to add to the obesity problem.

The T3 hormone is needed in all of our organs and when it’s low we experience symptoms in many ways. Low blood pressure, fatigue, low metabolism, low body temperature to name a few. We have more T3 receptors in our heart. There’s a study showing mortality in the ICU having low T3 levels.

I wouldn’t take T4 based on a TSH test. The TSH is such a misleading statistic and leaves many unwell. A TSH can be low or within a range with people still being HYPO. A full panel with “ Free” T4 and T3 is important. Low Free T3 levels is hypo in my experience.

If you did take T4 Levothyroxine coming off of the medication can be problematic. Taking GLP-1 helps inflammation that can help the conversion of T4 into T3.

Autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto are often overlooked too. Testing the TPO and TgAb antibodies are valuable.

 

[yelloeyes]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. I’m currently taking CagriSema and I’m down 40lbs so far.
I have access to a basically unlimited supply of 150mcg levothyroxine pills and know it can drastically increase your base metabolic rate.
I’m curious if there is anything seriously wrong with this? I know it can be a bit unhealthy but raising my calories necessary that much would be extremely helpful.

Please don't. I have been on Oz and BHRT for almost 3 years. I started losing clumps of hair earlier this year and we retested my thyroid. I am on the lowest dosage (25mg) of Levo. I did not want to go on this as I thought you were only treated with meds with TSH results over 4. I was at 3.5. She treats over 3. I run full labs every 6 months so she can see exactly were I am at with all of it.

What did you think adding this med would do?

 

[roxygirl]

Please don't. I have been on Oz and BHRT for almost 3 years. I started losing clumps of hair earlier this year and we retested my thyroid. I am on the lowest dosage (25mg) of Levo. I did not want to go on this as I thought you were only treated with meds with TSH results over 4. I was at 3.5. She treats over 3. I run full labs every 6 months so she can see exactly were I am at with all of it.

What did you think adding this med would do?

If your doctor is treating you based on a TSH test over 3 you’ll be unwell. It’s a pituitary hormone that signals the thyroid to produce thyroid hormones. A functional, intregrative doctor that tests the ACTUAL thyroid hormone levels is best. A low Free T3 is the issue. Levo is the inactive T4 that converts into the action thyroid hormone Free T3. Not a total or uptake.

Not all convert T4 into Free T3 due to low nutrients. Zinc, iron, B12, imbalance of cortisol.

Hair loss can be low iron, ferritin, estrogen as well as low Free T3.

It’s no surprise that there’s a metabolic problem in so many.

T3 boosts our metabolism and so much more. Good luck.

 

[mopo89]

If your doctor is treating you based on a TSH test over 3 you’ll be unwell.

I don't think this general statement is true. A lot of people need Levo over 3, and going on a low dose helps. Of course it's not the entire story and everything else should be tested, but if I'm above 3.5ish on TSH, there's a pretty good chance I'm not feeling my best and will talk to my doctor about a dose increase. Similarly, if I'm under 1, there's also a good chance I'm feeling unwell and will talk about a dose decrease. TSH isn't the whole story, but it is helpful, especially in those who have been testing for a long time and know where they feel comfortable.