Does This Dosing Sound Strange?

*~Smiles · 10-04-2007, 07:45 PM

I was just diagnosed as hypothyroid about a month ago and was given Levothroid 50mcg to take once a day. My repeat TSH came down to 2.2, which I was happy with, but since we've been ttc for a couple years now, it was decided to try & get it a bit closer to 1.5 (where they want it to be if I actually get pg).

I'm being treated by an IVF doctor at my HMO and she told me to add another 50mcg at night on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays only....has anyone here ever heard of this kind of dosing? It sounds very strange to me for a T4 only med. I'm wondering if she knows what she's doing.

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated : )

lovemychris · 10-04-2007, 10:42 PM

No, that dosing is not strange....IMO it may be a little bit too high so let your dr know if your heart starts to race or if you have a little bit of insomnia that is out of the ordinary. I know a lot of people who take different levels of doses throughout the week, however, your doctor only gave you a month and sometimes it takes a little bit longer to see the true effects of the current dosage. Getting your TSH to around 1.0 is the best level for optimal conception. Best wishes!

lovemychris · 10-04-2007, 10:45 PM

Also, you may already know this but I'll type it anyway. Since your doctor told you to take it at night, try not to have anything a couple of hours before you take it so it can be absorbed properly.

*~Smiles · 10-05-2007, 05:57 PM

Thanks for the response Lynn : )

Do you have any idea what the reasoning might be behind doing an extra full dose three times a week versus just adding another half of a dose each morning? At the end of the week, it would come out to about the same amount of med and seems more consistent. I'm wondering what would be the advantage to doing a double dose 3 days a week?

They did test me really early into treatment, and the doctor was ok with me increasing the med now or not, so for now I'm going to wait a bit longer since I'm feeling good. I'm just trying to understand the reasoning behind that kind of dosing. Since the med is supposed to be taken on an empty stomach, it will be very difficult to take it twice a day.

lovemychris · 10-05-2007, 07:06 PM

Yep...you could take 1.5 pills at day. I was really surprised that your dr didn't just increase your dosage to 75mcg daily. Since Synthroid has such a long half life, it doesn't really matter how you take it...(double dose every other day, or 1.5 pills per day) it's just important that you don't miss a dose.

Also, if you do decide to take the increase, just take it all at once in the AM. No need to split the dosage into two different times. Your dr is sorta making me wonder because she's told you things that don't really make a lot of sense (sorry)... lol

The reason someone would take Levo at different doses throughout the week is because the doctor wants them to take a certain amount that is not available in pill form, (i.e., 95mcg could be the perfect dosage for someone, but there are no 95mcg pills so pt would take a combination throughout the week to equal about 95mcg per day. Make sense?) But if what you take is equal to 75mcg per day, and there is a pill for 75mcg, then why make it complicated? It's not like Levo works instantly. This is why I don't really understand your doctor.

Best wishes.

*~Smiles · 10-06-2007, 02:53 PM

That's what I thought too! Thanks you so much for easing my mind about the whole thing. If I do increase, I'm going to take 1.5 pills of the 50mcg tablets each morning and make my life a lot easier. The Levo pills are already marked to be cut in half, so it will be easy to do. Thanks again!

mommavia · 10-07-2007, 03:43 AM

Even though the pills are marked that they can be cut in half, you will not always get a consistent dose...when cutting the pills (even with a pill spliter) fragments and chunks can break off causing a large difference compared to what the proper dose it. That may be your doctors reasoning for adding a full dose 3 times a week. (I had to split pills for a while and it did not work out well, no matter how I split the pills)

You should take Synthroid on an empty stomach, BUT as long as you take it the same way every day you will be getting the dose you need. The dose will be adjusted as needed by your doctor.

Cynthia