Can I Lose Weight Taking Levothyroxine

Weight gain is probably the most common and most frustrating symptom associated with low thyroid function, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, thyroidectomy, and RAI.

Doesn’t it make sense that once you CORRECT the low thyroid problem with a prescription medication like levothyroxine, that your weight should normalize and you should be back to normal?

And if you ask your doctor about why this is the case they will handwave you off by saying something about how much you are eating, that you aren’t exercising enough, or that it’s related to your age.

How To Lose Weight When You Have Hypothyroidism

It turns out that while levothyroxine is certainly NOT a weight loss medication (by any stretch of the imagination), it can potentially help you lose weight but only if it is used correctly.

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The list includes optimal ranges, normal ranges, and the complete list of tests you need to diagnose and manage thyroid disease correctly!

Understanding Possible Side Effects

I’ve had the opportunity to treat hundreds of thyroid patients when I was practicing and I can tell you from personal experience that levothyroxine really just doesn’t work that well at helping shed extra body fat.

It’s not that it CAN’T work, it’s just that it’s often used incorrectly, it’s underdosed, and/or thyroid patients aren’t sure what to expect when using it.

So while levothyroxine certainly isn’t the best thyroid medication around (we will talk about some better alternatives later), it is still definitely an option that can be used to help rev up your metabolism and help your body get into weight loss mode.

How Is Thyroxine Used For Weight Loss?

Below you will find 4 important questions that you should be asking yourself if you are taking levothyroxine and not losing weight.

Whenever you do anything designed to target the thyroid, you must wait a sufficient amount of time before declaring that that thing either worked or not.

This means that if you make any change to your thyroid medication dose (OR changes to your thyroid supplements!) you won’t see any changes manifest in your body for around 4 to 6 weeks.

Losing Weight And Hypothyroidism: Methods And More

And after taking your levothyroxine faithfully for 10-14 days you are wondering why you aren’t losing weight and why you aren’t feeling better yet.

And to complicate matters further, you have to realize that most people don’t get put on the right dose of thyroid medication the first time.

This dose may be too high or it may be too low (which is more common) but you won’t know for 4-6 weeks.

How To Lose Weight With Hashimoto's Disease

That means it can take up to 12 weeks (at the soonest) to 24 weeks (usually at the longest) to find your dose.

You get this value by multiplying 3-4x (the number of rounds of adjustments that will be made to your levothyroxine) by 4-6 weeks (which is the number of weeks it will take for you to notice a difference).

Did you take your levothyroxine at the same time as other supplements or medications? It won’t be absorbed very well if you did.

Dealing With Weight Loss Plateaus In Hypothyroidism

It could very well be that levothyroxine is the right medication for you and that you are taking the right dose but it can’t get into your body because of your gut.

The unfortunate truth is that a great many thyroid patients are taking the right type of medication for their body only they are on a dose that is too small.

In addition, there’s a good chance that your doctor is not giving you enough thyroid medication if they are using the TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) as a guide.

The Real Reason You Can't Lose Weight With Hypothyroidism

The TSH is one of the worst ways to measure thyroid function in the body because your free thyroid hormones (free T3 and free T4) are much more important.

Lastly, and if all other options have failed, it may simply be that levothyroxine is just not the right thyroid medication for you.

They love levothyroxine and Synthroid but fail to prescribe any of the other versions of thyroid medications even though they are viable and effective options.

Hypothyroid In Photos Before And After

These are just a handful of alternatives available to thyroid patients and they can all be used if you are not doing well on levothyroxine/Synthroid.

Switching between thyroid medications is not very difficult but it may require some time and energy to figure out what works for you.

I’ve seen people lose weight on virtually all types of thyroid medications ranging from levothyroxine to Cytomel to Armour thyroid and everything in between.

Is It Safe To Take Thyroid Hormones For Weight Loss?

Whatever thyroid medication you are taking MUST be getting absorbed and utilized by your body (and converted if your thyroid medication contains only T4), it must be at the right dose, and you must ensure that you’ve given it enough time to really kick in.

Having said that, I want to point from my own experience that any thyroid medication which contains T3 is typically more effective than those that only contain T4.

Levothyroxine and Synthroid both only contain T4 thyroid hormone so they don’t often work as well as other medications that contain T3 thyroid hormone such as Cytomel and liothyronine.

Understanding Levothyroxine Side Effects

If you bypass this conversion process with a more powerful thyroid medication (such as T3 thyroid hormone) then your thyroid medication is ready to be used by the body quicker.

If you are someone who is struggling to lose weight DESPITE taking levothyroxine faithfully then make sure you check out the first section which describes 4 reasons why it may not be working.

If you’ve gone through all 4 of those areas and you are still having issues then you may need to consider swapping over to a different thyroid medication.

Levothyroxine Side Effects: What To Expect Using This Thyroid Med

Hey! I'm Westin Childs D.O. (former Osteopathic Physician). I don't practice medicine anymore and instead specialize in helping people like YOU who have thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and weight loss resistance. I love to write and share what I've learned over the years. I also happen to formulate the best supplements on the market (well, at least in my opinion!) and I'm proud to say that over 80, 000+ people have used them over the last 7 years. You can read more about my own personal health journey and why I am so passionate about what I do.

I’m Dr. Westin Childs. I’ve spent the last 8 years of my life reading, researching, and helping people with thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and weight loss resistance. Through my articles, videos, and supplements, I’ve been fortunate enough to help thousands of people take control of their weight, thyroid, and hormones.

This content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Westin Childs and is for educational and information purposes only. I go to great lengths to help my users better understand their health; however, the content you see here is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have questions regarding your health you should seek qualified information from a medical professional or your doctor.Hypothyroidism and weight gain often go hand in hand. Indeed, weight gain is one of the more common symptoms associated with an underactive thyroid. Understandably, many people assume that taking thyroid medication will help them lose weight. Some doctors even prescribe it to help with weight loss (which is a big no-no in the absence of thyroid disease.) Ahead, determine how much weight you can expect to lose once you start taking thyroid medication and if it is a sustainable solution.

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Your thyroid is the master of the body's metabolism. It helps regulate how fast you use and store energy, and it also controls growth and development. Thyroid hormones regulate everything from your heart rate and body temperature to your skin's moisture and hair growth.

Not surprisingly, thyroid hormone can play a significant role in weight. People who produce too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) have a faster metabolism, which generally makes it hard to gain weight. 

On the contrary, people with an underactive thyroid have a slower metabolism, making it harder to utilize and burn energy. Not only that, low thyroid hormone causes fatigue, sluggishness, and joint pain, which can take away your motivation to exercise.

Buy Levothyroxine Tablets Online

One of the more surprising side effects of low thyroid hormone is a diminished appetite. Thus, while people with hypothyroidism often struggle with weight gain, the thyroid is usually not the only culprit behind increasing numbers on the scale. Indeed, most people can only attribute about ten added pounds to their thyroid condition. 

Likely, other causes of weight gain play a factor in what you see on the scale. These factors can include metabolic syndrome, stress, hormone fluctuations (for instance, menopause), heart disease, overeating, or heart disease. 

According to Dr. Ronald J. Koenig, M.D., as quoted in a news release for the American Thyroid Association, Because obesity and hypothyroidism are very common, there are many patients who have both conditions. Patients often assume the hypothyroidism is causing obesity even though this may not be the case.

How Long After Starting Thyroid Medication To Lose Weight?

Most people cannot expect extreme weight loss once they start thyroid hormone replacement medication. Again, this is because weight gain is often caused by other factors aside from an underactive thyroid. Generally, people begin to notice weight loss about three to six months after hitting a therapeutic dose of their medication. 

People lose about five to ten pounds