How common is weight loss with levothyroxine?
October 16, 2013 — Decreased thyroid function, or hypothyroidism, is commonly associated with weight gain. But contrary to popular belief, effective treatment with levothyroxine (LT4) to restore normal thyroid hormone levels is not associated with clinically significant weight loss in most people.
How much weight do you gain on levothyroxine?
About half of people with hypothyroidism experience some weight gain. Most people usually gain only 5 to 10 pounds; however, some women can gain more, especially if the hypothyroidism is severe. While most of the weight gain is mainly increased salt and water retention, some of it can be due to increased fat gain.
Can you lose weight if you have an underactive thyroid?
Hypothyroidism slows down your metabolism, making it more difficult to lose extra pounds and maintain a healthy body weight. But weight loss is still possible with hypothyroidism.
What do you need to know about levothyroxine tablets?
The thyroid gland makes thyroid hormone which helps to control energy levels and growth. Levothyroxine is taken to replace the missing thyroid hormone. Levothyroxine is only available on prescription. It comes as tablets or as a liquid that you drink.
Why does levothyroxine and Synthroid cause weight gain?
Before we talk about how Levothyroxine and Synthroid can cause weight gain we need to talk about some basic thyroid physiology. Your thyroid, under the influence of TSH (if working properly), pumps out primarily the thyroid hormone T4.
Is the levothyroxine structure the same as T 4?
Levothyroxine structure is identical to T 4, the main hormone secreted into the blood by the thyroid gland. The dose of the Levothyroxine for any individual patient is different; the best dose should be able to keep the level of thyroid hormone tests (T 4 and TSH) within the normal range and help to improve the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Which is better for weight loss NDT or levothyroxine?
This study showed that patients taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid (Like Armour thyroid, Nature-Throid, and WP Thyroid) experienced more weight loss and HALF of the people in the study said that they preferred taking NDT over levothyroxine.
