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Have Hypothyroidism. Taking Synthroid. Done TSH Test. For How Long And What Dosage Of Synthroid Should I Take ?

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Posted on Sat, 19 May 2012
Twitter Sat, 19 May 2012 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 12 Jul 2012 Last reviewed on
Question : I have hypothyroid and take 75 synthroid for about a year now. I just got tested and my TSH is 8.08.
I am American and live in Mexico. I run an orphanage here. How much more synthroid should i take?
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Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (17 days later)
The ideal TSH target range is around 0.4 to 2. Keeping the TSH closer to 1 most of the time helps keep thyroid hormone levels stable in the body. So it would be advisable to increase the dose of synthroid from 75 to 88 for now. You may even need upto 100 or 112 daily. So check the TSH after 2-3 months to see where it stands after each dose adjustment. Once stable, it should be checked annually. Dose increments should be smaller like 12 mcg (for example from 75 to 88 to 100 to 112 to 125 ) in situations where thyroid hormone excess can be potentially harmful such as osteoporosis and heart disease (irregular heart beat and angina). But otherwise in generally healthy individuals, dose increases can be of the order of 25 mcg at a time, for example from 75 to 100 to 125. For more information, WWW.WWWW.WW is a useful website. Also try to adhere to the same brand of thyroid medication as much as possible if cost constraints do not preclude this.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Shehzad Topiwala

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Have Hypothyroidism. Taking Synthroid. Done TSH Test. For How Long And What Dosage Of Synthroid Should I Take ?

The ideal TSH target range is around 0.4 to 2. Keeping the TSH closer to 1 most of the time helps keep thyroid hormone levels stable in the body. So it would be advisable to increase the dose of synthroid from 75 to 88 for now. You may even need upto 100 or 112 daily. So check the TSH after 2-3 months to see where it stands after each dose adjustment. Once stable, it should be checked annually. Dose increments should be smaller like 12 mcg (for example from 75 to 88 to 100 to 112 to 125 ) in situations where thyroid hormone excess can be potentially harmful such as osteoporosis and heart disease (irregular heart beat and angina). But otherwise in generally healthy individuals, dose increases can be of the order of 25 mcg at a time, for example from 75 to 100 to 125. For more information, WWW.WWWW.WW is a useful website. Also try to adhere to the same brand of thyroid medication as much as possible if cost constraints do not preclude this.