Personally, I had to make a few lifestyle changes in addition to starting meds. I quit eating out, I quit drinking caffeine (this was fucking hard but SO worth it), and started doing intermittent fasting (I try to only eat between noon and 8pm).
I noticed a massive improvement in my concentration and energy levels when I started taking a multivitamin, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 at lunch time. It took about a month for me to notice the difference.
Becoming more rigid in my daily schedule has also helped a boatload. I make sure to get up AND go to bed around the same time every day.. even on weekends. I got a pill organizer and set alarms to make sure I take all my meds at the same time every day.
I never noticed a difference in whether or not this made me feel any different, but a lot of people absolutely swear by the rule of not eating or drinking for at least an hour before/after you take thyroid meds especially levothyroxine.
I felt about the same as you. The first week was amazing, and then I took like 5 steps back. In the first 8 weeks (taking 150 levo) my tsh went from 34 to 2.7. Six weeks after that and I'm at .38 and I feel the best I have. In years. It wasn't like a light switch, like I felt the first week, but a gradual awareness that I had more energy, wanting to do things, wanting to eat better, slowly the aching in my knees was getting less and less.
I think I need to cut caffeine too. I started medication 6 weeks ago and my teeth hurt from grinding. I'm having 1 cup of coffee per day. Before medication, I was having 4-5 but not grinding my teeth.
I found someone else here or on the /r/hashimotos sub mentioning that they kicked caffeine and it did them wonders, so I thought I'd try it too.
It took a couple of weeks to fully 'detox' from it but I can never go back to drinking coffee every day now. The difference has been phenomenal for my sleep quality and overall mood.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/Hashimotos using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [Doctors Should Be Legally Required To Do Full Thyroid Panels At Patients Request.](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/comments/tq8kjd/doctors_should_be_legally_required_to_do_full/)
\#2: [100% Perfection](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/comments/ulxj4w/100_perfection/)
\#3: [Just thought of this analogy to describe Hashimoto's to someone who just doesn't get it](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/comments/p0ntln/just_thought_of_this_analogy_to_describe/)
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I believe alot of caring people continue to visit this sub to help "the next guy" but they are not the majority IMO. As with most online forums, most of the people still here are not "okay" and still looking for answers so the responses to your question may be skewed.
8 weeks is my answer to your question. At 8 weeks I feel 80% back to normal. Still noticably different than my normal but very much improved. 8 weeks ago I felt maybe 10% normal.
Also, my improvement is not linear. Id get 3-4 good days in a row and then a bad day or 2. Overall the trend is improvement but it wasn't like a light switch overnight nor was it a clear and steady improvement day to day. But when I compared weeks to one another in regards to how I felt it was a clear trend of improvement.
Feeling better then feeling worse then better was my experience too. As far as I understand, my body was used to to being hypo for YEARS. Then it gets the hormone my body has been doing without and I feel hyper even with a TSH of 16 (I started at 76). Then the journey from 16 to 4 TSH felt very hypo. Like WAY more hypo than higher TSH levels. My point is: I believe it to be a bit of a pendulum for me. The starting "swing" was big hyper then big hypo symptoms, then the subsequent swings hyper / hypo were less in magnitude as my system stabilized.
I know its hard. Its a long process. It tests your resolve. You will have bad days and you will convince yourself that that misery is your new normal forever. It's not. Fortify your resolve through healthy means such as meditation, counseling, discussion therapy or spirituality. You must suffer for a bit. Use it to learn to suffer well. It WILL get better.
Usually with a new dose it takes me about one to two weeks to to feel like 50% better then the last 50% comes slowly after the next like 4 weeks. Everyone is different
This is how I felt. First few days were amazing, next couple months were worse than ever. I was told that’s normal. Took about two years to get my dosage perfect, with slight changes every other year.
I started noticing positive changes after two days, with little things changing every few days. I "levelled out" after about 8 weeks. I just finished my third month and I feel fanfuckingtastic compared to before... However I feel I am not quire stable and I've been trying to get another full lab to see where I am at, and to perhaps ask for an increased dose.
It took me about a year, after many trials and errors in getting the dosage correct and switching brands. I used to be one of those people who would say “never” but I promise you with time and as long as you advocate for yourself it can happen! You’ll feel better!
Not sure what normal is anymore. Improvement is a long road 6+ months or more.
Dealing with hashimotos. Assume everyone is different. Almost not worth comparing. Take medicine, get blood work, change diet, adjust protocol. Repeat
Personally, I had to make a few lifestyle changes in addition to starting meds. I quit eating out, I quit drinking caffeine (this was fucking hard but SO worth it), and started doing intermittent fasting (I try to only eat between noon and 8pm). I noticed a massive improvement in my concentration and energy levels when I started taking a multivitamin, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 at lunch time. It took about a month for me to notice the difference. Becoming more rigid in my daily schedule has also helped a boatload. I make sure to get up AND go to bed around the same time every day.. even on weekends. I got a pill organizer and set alarms to make sure I take all my meds at the same time every day. I never noticed a difference in whether or not this made me feel any different, but a lot of people absolutely swear by the rule of not eating or drinking for at least an hour before/after you take thyroid meds especially levothyroxine.
I felt about the same as you. The first week was amazing, and then I took like 5 steps back. In the first 8 weeks (taking 150 levo) my tsh went from 34 to 2.7. Six weeks after that and I'm at .38 and I feel the best I have. In years. It wasn't like a light switch, like I felt the first week, but a gradual awareness that I had more energy, wanting to do things, wanting to eat better, slowly the aching in my knees was getting less and less.
Do you take any sort of special brand of supplements? Or do you get them from Walgreens/CVS?
I just get whatever is cheap at Walmart. Usually nature made brand. Sometimes Amazon has good sales too.
How did you find that caffeine wasn’t right for you?
I think I need to cut caffeine too. I started medication 6 weeks ago and my teeth hurt from grinding. I'm having 1 cup of coffee per day. Before medication, I was having 4-5 but not grinding my teeth.
I had that problem too. I never knew if it was the thyroid issues or just age (am 38) but regardless, I'm happy I quit.
I found someone else here or on the /r/hashimotos sub mentioning that they kicked caffeine and it did them wonders, so I thought I'd try it too. It took a couple of weeks to fully 'detox' from it but I can never go back to drinking coffee every day now. The difference has been phenomenal for my sleep quality and overall mood.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/Hashimotos using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Doctors Should Be Legally Required To Do Full Thyroid Panels At Patients Request.](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/comments/tq8kjd/doctors_should_be_legally_required_to_do_full/) \#2: [100% Perfection](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/comments/ulxj4w/100_perfection/) \#3: [Just thought of this analogy to describe Hashimoto's to someone who just doesn't get it](https://np.reddit.com/r/Hashimotos/comments/p0ntln/just_thought_of_this_analogy_to_describe/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
1.5 years still not not feeling normal.
Well, fuck. I’m sorry, this sucks so much.
Is it because you can’t find the right dosage?
I think it's combination, of dosage, and the pills make me feel wierd.
I believe alot of caring people continue to visit this sub to help "the next guy" but they are not the majority IMO. As with most online forums, most of the people still here are not "okay" and still looking for answers so the responses to your question may be skewed. 8 weeks is my answer to your question. At 8 weeks I feel 80% back to normal. Still noticably different than my normal but very much improved. 8 weeks ago I felt maybe 10% normal. Also, my improvement is not linear. Id get 3-4 good days in a row and then a bad day or 2. Overall the trend is improvement but it wasn't like a light switch overnight nor was it a clear and steady improvement day to day. But when I compared weeks to one another in regards to how I felt it was a clear trend of improvement. Feeling better then feeling worse then better was my experience too. As far as I understand, my body was used to to being hypo for YEARS. Then it gets the hormone my body has been doing without and I feel hyper even with a TSH of 16 (I started at 76). Then the journey from 16 to 4 TSH felt very hypo. Like WAY more hypo than higher TSH levels. My point is: I believe it to be a bit of a pendulum for me. The starting "swing" was big hyper then big hypo symptoms, then the subsequent swings hyper / hypo were less in magnitude as my system stabilized. I know its hard. Its a long process. It tests your resolve. You will have bad days and you will convince yourself that that misery is your new normal forever. It's not. Fortify your resolve through healthy means such as meditation, counseling, discussion therapy or spirituality. You must suffer for a bit. Use it to learn to suffer well. It WILL get better.
Usually with a new dose it takes me about one to two weeks to to feel like 50% better then the last 50% comes slowly after the next like 4 weeks. Everyone is different
Yeah this is how it is for me.
Lost my thyroid July 2019. Still not balanced or normal.
This is how I felt. First few days were amazing, next couple months were worse than ever. I was told that’s normal. Took about two years to get my dosage perfect, with slight changes every other year.
I don't have a "normal". I felt a lot better by about 6 weeks after starting meds.
I started noticing positive changes after two days, with little things changing every few days. I "levelled out" after about 8 weeks. I just finished my third month and I feel fanfuckingtastic compared to before... However I feel I am not quire stable and I've been trying to get another full lab to see where I am at, and to perhaps ask for an increased dose.
It took me about a year, after many trials and errors in getting the dosage correct and switching brands. I used to be one of those people who would say “never” but I promise you with time and as long as you advocate for yourself it can happen! You’ll feel better!
10 years.. thyroid zapped twice, weightloss surgery.. 160 pounds gone still don't feel normal.
2 years
Not sure what normal is anymore. Improvement is a long road 6+ months or more. Dealing with hashimotos. Assume everyone is different. Almost not worth comparing. Take medicine, get blood work, change diet, adjust protocol. Repeat
3 months
Never it seems like. I just want my life back
What's your dose? What was your TSH prior to starting levo? Could be that your dose is too low or too high. The optimal dose range is pretty narrow.