How to Get Rid of Thyroid-Related Belly Fat

How to Get Rid of Thyroid-Related Belly Fat

Let’s face it: 

Some fat is so stubborn that it feels almost impossible to get rid of. 

And fat in the belly has led many a thyroid patient to the extreme depths of frustration and anger. 

Can you relate? 

Well, if you are dealing with stubborn belly fat then I have some good and bad news for you. 

Let’s start with the good news: 

The good news is that it’s not all in your head, there is something you can do about it, and there is a potential explanation for it

The bad news is that there really isn’t a magical formula or secret combination of supplements or foods that you can eat which will effortlessly solve the problem. 

That bad news isn’t all that bad, though, because it means there is something you can do about it. 

It all starts with understanding what causes belly fat, though, and I can assure you that it’s probably not as straightforward as you might think. 

The belly fat that thyroid patients get is going to be slightly different from the belly fat that the average person gets because of the influence that thyroid hormone has on your hormones (1), appetite (2), energy levels (3), and much more

thyroid hormone impacts virtually every organ and tissue in the body

With this in mind, let’s talk more about the connection between thyroid problems and belly fat and how to solve it:

What Type of Fat Does Hypothyroidism Cause?

YouTube video

Let’s start with some basics. 

All thyroid conditions have the potential to impact your body weight and fat massthis is undisputed (4). 

What is sometimes disputed (depending on who you talk to) is how thyroid dysfunction leads to weight gain and how to treat it

In general, low thyroid states lead to weight gain and high thyroid states lead to weight loss. 

This is because your thyroid helps to control and regulate your metabolism. 

As thyroid function falls, your weight will increase. 

This doesn’t mean that those with high thyroid function can’t gain weight because they certainly can, but it does mean that most of the time, the people struggling with weight gain who have a thyroid problem suffer from low thyroid or hypothyroidism

And the general type of weight gain that these people experience is whole-body weight gain depending on the severity of their disease. 

In a general sense, this means that if you have a low thyroid condition you are more likely to generate whole-body fat (fat all over your body) and not necessarily just in the belly or abdominal region. 

But, and this is an important but, patients with low thyroid function are also susceptible to developing belly fat. 

So in addition to generalized weight gain from hypothyroidism, you may also notice an increase in belly fat as well. 

This occurs for 2 main reasons: 

Thyroid dysfunction impacts cortisol which is a known and documented cause of abdominal fat (5). 

And thyroid dysfunction also impacts insulin signaling which is another known cause of abdominal fat (13). 

Even though thyroid dysfunction doesn’t always cause an increase in belly fat by itself, it definitely has the potential to cause it indirectly by altering the function of these two hormones. 

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“Targeting” Thyroid-Related Weight Gain & Belly Fat: 

There are two types of fat to think about if you are trying to target belly fat. 

The first, subcutaneous fat, is the type of fat that you gain that is right underneath your skin. 

This fat is relatively harmless (6) but it can result in the dimpling of the skin and the characteristic cellulite appearance that so many people aren’t fond of. 

From an aesthetic perspective, the growth of this type of fat is not as concerning as the next type we are about to talk about. 

The other type of that that you need to be more concerned about is called visceral fat. 

Visceral fat is stored inside your body around organs, intestines, and the liver. 

Based on all available evidence, visceral fat is also the worse kind of fat to develop because it is associated with a host of medical problems (7) including metabolic syndrome (8), diabetes (9), insulin resistance (10), stroke (11), heart disease (12), and more. 

changes in visceral and subcutaneous fat and their corresponding incidence of cardiovascular disease

From the perspective of your belly, both visceral and subcutaneous fat contribute but it’s the visceral fat that contributes the most. 

As fat accumulates around your organs and intestines, it pushes out your stomach which causes belly fat. 

This process also makes cellulite and dimpling from subcutaneous fat more noticeable. 

As a thyroid patient, you will be more susceptible to developing both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat owing to the thyroid’s normal responsibility of helping to regulate hormones like insulin and cortisol. 

When these hormones are dysregulated, you will become much more likely to develop increased belly fat. 

How do you resolve the problem? 

Well, it’s harder than you might think because, from a physiologic perspective, you can’t exactly target an area of fat on your body very easily. 

In general, the treatments and therapies that you use to help you lose weight will have an effect on your entire body, not just your belly. 

Having said that, there are definitely some treatments that you can take advantage of which tend to be more effective at treating visceral fat as opposed to generalized fat and it is these therapies that I want to discuss right now. 

#1. Do Your Best To Balance Cortisol. 

Each of the treatments I’m about to discuss is important but perhaps the most important are the first two. 

That’s because there’s a host of data that connects two hormone imbalances to the growth of visceral fat: 

Cortisol dysregulation (usually high cortisol) and insulin resistance (usually from high blood sugar and elevated insulin levels). 

Let’s start with the cortisol issue first:

The connection between cortisol and belly fat is so common that we even have a name for it: 

Stress belly. 

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It’s been known for a very long time that high levels of stress make you much more likely to develop fat in your gut. 

There’s no denying that. 

The question is, why does it happen and how can you fix it?

When it comes to thyroid patients, we know why it happens. 

And it’s because there is a strong connection between thyroid function and cortisol function (14). 

In other words, if you have a thyroid problem then you are more susceptible to developing problems with cortisol. 

In addition to that, you will be less resilient to stressful situations in general. 

So if you took a thyroid patient and a healthy individual and put them under the same stress, the thyroid patient will experience more profound negative consequences from the stress compared to the healthy person. 

This may seem intuitive but perhaps you haven’t completely appreciated its consequences. 

This means for any given stressful event, of which I can guarantee you are being introduced to on a daily basis, your body will feel the effects more profoundly in both the short term and the long term. 

definition of allostatic load and how it relates to total stress

Small stressors, like everyday types of stress, that would normally bounce right off of you, will now take a toll (15). 

Both big and small stressors will continually add up in a multiplicative way which will eventually lead to cortisol problems. 

These cortisol problems can be manifested as adrenal fatigue or as changes in your cortisol level

In either event, the function of cortisol will be dysregulated and you will suffer the consequences like fatigue and abdominal weight gain. 

So what can you do about it?

The first thing you need to do is optimize your thyroid (we will discuss this in more detail in #3) but in addition to optimizing your thyroid there are many other things you can do including: 

  • Testing your cortisol level – The first thing you should do is test your cortisol level to see if it’s a problem. Cortisol testing isn’t always accurate, though, so don’t hang your hat on the results. Most thyroid patients are fine getting a serum cortisol lab test. When you get your results look for values that are within range but either low normal or high normal and address those values as needed. 
  • Reducing your total exposure to stressful situations as often as possible – The next thing you want to do is reduce your exposure to stress (16) as much as possible. This may mean taking a hard look at your relationships, your work schedule, your sleeping schedule, and your day-to-day activities. Find those things which are causing stress and do your best to eliminate them. It won’t be possible to eliminate all forms of stress from your life but do your best to minimize them as much as possible. 
  • Increase your resilience to stress with meditation – Even though you can’t completely eliminate stress from your life you can improve your resiliency to stress (17). Certain treatments like meditation have been shown to make your body less reactive to stress which in turn improves your stress resiliency. This is an easy but often overlooked treatment. 
  • Desensitize your body to stress with dry brushing – Next, consider the treatment of dry brushing and frequent use of skin moisturizers. Taking care of your skin can send signals to your brain which are calming. In addition, these treatments also improve lymphatic flow and the quality of your skin (18). Don’t skip this easy treatment!
  • Consider using adrenal adaptogen supplements – As an extra step, you can also consider the use of adrenal adaptogens. These are naturally occurring plant-based ingredients that help balance the stress response system. Adaptogens help your body adapt to stress which is where their name comes from. Some of my favorites for thyroid patients include ashwagandhaRhodiola, and maca root
  • Consider using adrenal glandular supplements – Finally, you can also consider heavy-hitter supplements such as adrenal glandulars. Adrenal glandulars come from the adrenal glands of animals and they contain prohormones, enzymes, and proteins that are naturally found in the adrenal glands. It’s not exactly known how they work but patient experience (as well as my own experience) suggests that they are quite powerful for low-energy adrenal fatigue

#2. Sensitize Your Body to Insulin & Reverse Insulin Resistance. 

Just as important, if not more important, for targeting belly fat is insulin resistance. 

Insulin resistance is incredibly common with as many as 50% of adults suffering from this condition (19) to some degree or another. 

the connection between central abdominal fat and insulin resistance

Why is this a problem?

Because just about every major health problem you can think of is made worse or directly associated with insulin resistance. 

This includes conditions like metabolic syndrome, heart attack, stroke, cancer, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease. 

On top of these problems, it will also make you gain weight in your abdomen. 

And, unfortunately, thyroid patients are at increased risk for developing this hormone-resistance syndrome. 

This is because disordered thyroid states (both hyperthyroidism (20) and hypothyroidism (21)) interfere with insulin signaling which makes you much more likely to develop insulin resistance. 

This also means that the average person will be able to tolerate foods differently than you will as a thyroid patient. 

You’ve probably already noticed this, but if a healthy person and a person with thyroid disease were to eat the same food, it would negatively impact the thyroid patient more than the healthy person. 

It sucks but it’s just the way that it is. 

The good news is that there are plenty of documented treatments for treating and even reversing insulin resistance. 

And if you catch it early enough you can prevent all of the nasty medical conditions that I listed above so these treatments should be a top priority for you as a thyroid patient, especially if getting rid of belly fat is something you are trying to do. 

Here are your next steps if you feel insulin resistance may be contributing to your abdmoinal fat: 

  • Test your blood sugar, fasting insulin levels, and Hgb A1c – You have to know what you are dealing with and testing is the best way to figure that out! You can get a pretty good idea of the level of insulin resistance present in your body with some simple tests. These tests are covered by insurance and your doctor should have no problem ordering them. 
  • Manage your stress using the treatments in #1 – In addition to the treatments listed here, spend time and energy managing your stress as well! Just like there is a connection between your thyroid and insulin, there is a connection between stress and insulin (22). The more stress you are under the easier it will be for you to become resistant to insulin. 
  • Utilize intermittent and prolonged fasting – Fasting is one of the most powerful treatments you can use for weight loss and for reversing insulin resistance. There are so many different ways to fast so just pick the one that works best for your body and schedule. 24-hour fasts, intermittent eating windows, OMAD, and every-other-day fasts are some of my personal favorites. 
  • Decrease your carbohydrate consumption with a low-carbohydrate diet – It never hurts to cut back your consumption of processed foods as well as refined sugars and carbohydrates. I won’t spend much time here because you should already know this. 
  • Take advantage of prescription medications – Certain medications are incredibly powerful at sensitizing you to insulin and at helping with weight loss that they can almost be considered cheat codes. Medications like GLP-1 agonists fall into this group but you can also get some decent results with others like metformin, SGLT-2 inhibitors, and acarbose
  • Exercise regularly – Exercise is a must if you are trying to target belly fat and reverse insulin resistance! Any type will do but my favorites for thyroid patients include weight training and full-body workouts like yoga. Weight training builds muscle mass and improves metabolism while yoga builds flexibility and mobility. 
  • Use over-the-counter supplements – You can also take supplements to help augment all of the therapies I’ve listed above. Nutrients like berberinealpha lipoic acidfish oil, and glucomannan are very helpful and can be combined with medications and lifestyle changes. 

These treatments are not only effective for reversing insulin resistance but they are also powerful weight loss treatments as well. 

#3. Optimize Thyroid Function. 

If losing weight is important to you then you must focus on optimizing your thyroid function. 

the relationship between food intake, leptin, thyroid function, and the brain

The term thyroid function is important here because it refers to how well your body is able to utilize thyroid hormone. 

You might assume that as long as your body produces thyroid hormone everything is all good but that isn’t the case. 

There are so many things that can interfere with thyroid function that just producing thyroid hormone isn’t enough. 

You need to not only make sure that your thyroid is able to produce thyroid hormone but also that it can: 

  • Properly convert T4 thyroid hormone into T3, T2, and T1 – The thyroid conversion process is primarily mediated through a set of enzymes called deiodinase enzymes. Their function is controlled by a combination of genetic factors and inputs from your lifestyle. They can sometimes also be influenced by the use of certain nutrients. 
  • That your cells are receptive and sensitive to the thyroid hormone that it produces and converts – Just like any other hormone in the body, your cells can become resistant to the effects of thyroid hormone. You can treat thyroid resistance in the same way that you can treat insulin resistance even though the treatments and therapies are different. 
  • And that the other organs involved in thyroid conversion and function are working properly – Other organs in your body like the liver and gut are critical for proper thyroid function! If you have liver problems or gut problems these must be addressed in order for your thyroid to function at its peak level. 

Thyroid optimization is primarily done by taking supplements, reducing inflammation, and taking advantage of lifestyle changes. 

There’s a lot of overlap here but eating a whole-food diet, exercising regularly, sleeping deeply, and managing your stress are all important. 

#4. Use Thyroid Medication (If Necessary). 

Believe it or not, you can do a lot to improve your thyroid without the use of thyroid medications. 

Many thyroid patients lean on their thyroid medication like a crutch and forget that there are so many natural treatments available to them to improve how well their thyroid is functioning. 

Pretty much no matter what, you can influence and improve your thyroid with the use of these treatments but there will always be situations in which they aren’t enough by themselves. 

When this happens, the use of prescription and supplemental thyroid hormones is necessary. 

Thyroid medication can be critical and necessary for fat loss because of the impact that your thyroid has on other hormones in your body (like insulin and cortisol) and the impact that it has on your metabolism

Try losing weight with a metabolism that is functioning at 70% of normal and see how easy it is to lose weight. 

It’s possible but incredibly difficult, and why would you subject yourself to this scenario if you don’t have to?

The use of thyroid medication can take your floundering metabolism (due to decreased thyroid function) and bring it up to a more normal level making your weight loss efforts much more effective. 

It’s not correct to think of thyroid medication as a weight loss medication but it does have the effect of making weight loss easier. 

If you are trying to get rid of belly fat (or just fat in general), these are some of the more effective thyroid medications and hormones to look at: 

If you are already taking thyroid medication then you can consider swapping to some of these options if your current regimen isn’t working.

If you aren’t taking thyroid medication and you’ve tried everything else, or if you just want some extra help, then consider the options above. 

#5. Optimize Your Eating Habits. 

While you can’t always eat yourself to a normal weight, your diet is definitely important. 

It turns out that the foods that you eat, how frequently you eat, and when you don’t eat, can have an impact on your hormones, especially those that are responsible for belly fat. 

If you are trying to cut down on abdominal fat here are a few things to consider: 

  • Food quality – To optimize food quality, focus on whole foods and cut out processed foods as much as possible. Meals that are whole-food based result in more caloric burn compared to processed foods, at least according to one study (23)(see image below). This alone will provide massive benefits for your body and hormones but you can take it a step further by cutting out seed oils and vegetable oils in favor of cold-pressed virgin oils. As needed, you may also benefit from cutting out specific food groups that may be personally inflammatory to your body such as gluten, dairy, and soy. You can also experiment with non-GMO foods, organic foods, and meats and fish that are grass-fed or wild-caught. 
  • Food quantity – Food quantity refers to the total volume of food that you consume each day and with each meal. You never want to consciously reduce your calories as a thyroid patient but there are things you can to do fill your stomach up with less calorically dense foods. Drinking plenty of water each day, especially with meals, and consuming plenty of vegetables can help you do this. No matter what, do your best to avoid overeating or letting your cravings guide your food choices as these will only set you back. 
  • Macromolecule ratio and priority – The three macromolecules are fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Most people focus primarily on carbohydrates and then fit in foods as needed. It’s often better to focus on protein and fat and then naturally allow your carbohydrate intake to fall where it may. Fats and protein are very satiating (24) and their consumption will cause you to naturally decrease your carbohydrate intake without any conscious effort on your part. 
  • Fasting schedule – As mentioned above, fasting is very important for weight loss and hormone balance. See my previous comments for more information. 
  • Macromolecule consumption throughout the day – If you are trying to address adrenal-related belly fat or adrenal fatigue-related weight gain, you may get more benefit from consuming carbohydrates later in the day as opposed to the morning. You don’t have to shift your total carbohydrate intake for this to be effective, you just have to alter when you consume them. 
  • Meal frequency – Finally, meal frequency can play a role if insulin resistance is the primary cause of your weight gain. Many people benefit from consuming larger meals less frequently (25) but there’s no hard or fast rule here, so just play around with how often you eat and your portion sizes to figure out what works best for you. 
basal metabolic rate is higher after whole food based meals vs processed food based meals

There’s a lot you can do with your diet and the foods that you eat but the name of the game here is trial and error. 

You have years and years to figure out what your body needs as far as food is concerned so get started! 

Final Thoughts

There’s no question that there is a connection between thyroid function and weight gain, including abdmoinal weight gain. 

While you can’t always target belly fat specifically, the treatments listed in this article can help you target fat loss more generally with an emphasis on the causes that contribute the most to belly fat. 

All of the treatments I’ve listed here have the potential to not only help your weight but to also improve your overall health as well as your thyroid health. 

So if you’ve been suffering from thyroid-related symptoms including weight gain or hormone imbalances, don’t delay in getting started. 

Now I want to hear from you:

Were you aware of the connection between thyroid dysfunction and abdmoinal weight gain?

How much of a role do you feel that your thyroid is playing in your overall weight? 

Where do you personally store your fat? Is it in your abdomen or some other part of your body? 

Are you planning on implementing any of the treatment strategies that I’ve listed here? Why or why not?

Leave your questions or comments below to keep the conversation going! 

Scientific References

#1. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500006/

#2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112506/

#3. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22989469/

#4. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4911848/

#5. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27345309/

#6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6702693/

#7. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3473928/

#8. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4268163/

#9. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4800358/

#10. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30398218/

#11. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30612535/

#12. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5599249/

#13. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8621015/

#14. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3520819/

#15. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6430278/

#16. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513300/

#17. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573269/

#18. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114606/

#19. uab.edu/news/research/item/12289-uab-researchers-find-that-40-percent-of-young-american-adults-have-insulin-resistance-and-cardiovascular-risk-factors#:~:text=Research %26 Innovation-,UAB researchers find that 40 percent of young American adults,resistance and cardiovascular risk factors&text=A study conducted by UAB,is common among young adults.

#20. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3034962/

#21. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8963174/

#22. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9561544/

#23. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2897733/

#24. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18469287/

#25. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4079942/

the connection between your thyroid & belly fat

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About Dr. Westin Childs

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.

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20 thoughts on “How to Get Rid of Thyroid-Related Belly Fat”

  1. I have hypo thyroidism .. it fluctuates.. lately I have gained 12 pounds in two to three weeks making no changes in my
    Diet or exercise.. it’s so frustrating .. and it is not budging to come off .. if I eat less .. or more I
    Just gain.. I m so discouraged.. I struggled with weight all my
    Life and don’t want to go
    Back to being 190 but it is slowing creeping up now and I do many
    Of your suggestions , working with a chiropractor and doing a dr supervised dr pompa detox that is 6 months or more .. just had last mercury filling out .. general just malaise and strong fatigue and general nausea … the fatigue is crushing … weight gain, depression makes it all hard to keep on going .. it’s been years .. I m tired

    Reply
    • Hi L,

      Is your thyroid medication dose optimized? What about your other hormones? Have they been assessed recently? If not, that’s where you’d want to start.

      Reply
    • Hi Inna,

      Fasting rarely ever poses a problem if done correctly, even for your adrenals. It’s just a matter of experimentation to see what routine works best for your body and hormones.

      Reply
  2. Dr Child’s,
    I have been taking thyroid supplements for years. Mostly NP.
    In late 70s my right adrenal was removed due to Cushing syndrome. Thyroid was removed. Always had checked yearly. Right now I am NP 90 mg. Because my T3 was a little high, I am taking half of that in morning n half in evening. I have gained a lot of fat In belly and upper arms.
    My intergrative doctor is retiring so I have an appointment with a naturopath. Your thoughts?

    Reply
    • Hi Mary,

      If you have a specific question, I’d be happy to help answer it but it doesn’t look like there is a question in your comment.

      Reply
  3. I am a 77 year old woman who had thinning hair, disappearing eyebrows, belly fat and low energy. Oh and those wonderful facial hairs that would spring up overnight (tweezers were a daily operation LOL). Operative word “HAD”. I’m into my second bottle of T3 Conversion Booster and WOW. My eyebrows are coming back and those facial hairs are not popping up anymore. My energy levels are increasing and I can see my waist again. I am one of those people who were told my thyroid levels were normal, however there is a history of thyroid issues in my family, so I thought I would give this a try. So glad I did. Thank you

    Reply
  4. Hi, please could you explain why my TSH 0.01 suppressed since March 2020, after having Covid 19. I’ve gained nearly 3st, my T3 is over a bit and T4 normal. I was diagnosed 2015 with Greaves disease and managed well until Covid and then I have not been well since but don’t understand why my TSH has not improved! Thank you x

    Reply
    • Hi Debbie,

      TSH will drop as T3 levels increase. If something triggered the hyperthyroid state again (like your recent infection) then it may explain why your TSH remains low.

      Reply
  5. I’ma 43 year old type 1 diabetic. My a1c is 5.8 and I’m well controlled. I weigh 240 lbs and have been on liothyronine for 3 months. My ND and I used your calculations and I am high in rt3. I am sure I have adrenal fatigue and cannot handle any stressful situation no matter how minor. The meds have increased my anxiety at 7.5 mcg and I’m thinking of weaning back to 5. The thing is all my other markers are normal. I’m not losing weight and I get more lethargic in the evening than I have my entire life. I eat a very low carb, low caloric gf/df diet and I think I’ve basically shut down my metabolism as a result of that. But I’m too scared to increase calories. I eat apx 900 per day and according to BMR calculators it should be apx 2300-2500. Do I increase? I’m also scared to go back to intermittent fasting because I’m afraid it will make my metabolism worse. I also get very nauseous if I don’t eat in the morning.
    I plan on taking your advice: dry brushing and resistance/weight training but the good part has always been how I lost weight in the past so my gut reaction has been to decrease calories which is not working anymore.

    Reply
  6. Hey Doc,

    Thanks for all the information on your very well informed site. I am not sure if this is the correct place to pose my question so please lmk should I need to move this elsewhere. I am now 44 but was dx with medullary thyroid CA in 97 when I was 19 and in the military. Had a total thyroidectomy with transplantation of the parathyroids and a huge huge scar. ( better than the alternative so..) Anyway, I also have severe Adhd. I have always been on 300 mcg of synthroid since my removal. Approx 1.5 years ago Instarted going to the VA hospital who advised I was on way too high a dose and dropped me back to 125 mcg etc and now here we are 1.5 yrs later. 45 lbs heavier, eyebrows gone skim a mess and feeling like a blob all the time. I have finally gotten the VA to prescribe the 300 mcg again but the problem is , either from the severe hypothyroid ( tsh of 75-80 at times) or my add I cannot remember to take my medicine daily. Instead I did research and spoke with my doctors and we agreed for me to take a weekly dose. ( which is still hard to remember/keep track of). I promise I am not non-compliant, I am a practicing licensed RN in ER and ICU …. My issue is I have never had such problems with memory and drive etc and is very taxing. And frustrating. I have tried most things to try to remember to take daily, but when I am not working ( night shifts) I sleep for days on end. I also do not remember to take my antidepressant either ….. the only medicine I do take regularly is my prescribed adderall, because it is the only thing basically keeping me going at times. What are your thoughts? Thanks so much and sorry for the ramble.

    Reply
  7. My fasting labs always come in with bottom of range insulin, between 76-84 blood sugar, a1c 5.4 or less. I am not diabetic. No working thyroid due RAI 40 years ago, taking NP with liothyronine added and my numbers are between mid and top of ranges but with a suppressed TSH. Blood Cortisol early morning is usually between 15 and 19. I can’t stop gaining weight! I take T2, I take your conversion supplement, adaptogens … fast 14 hours every day, drink lots of water. I feel like the thyroid medication is doing nothing for me. Weight gain is everywhere, but stomach and arms are the worst. ??????

    Reply
  8. Dear Dr. Child’s,
    I was diagnosed with Graves Disease September 2021. I have always been relatively thin and workout daily. Leading up to being diagnosed, I was loosing a ton of weight , loosing hair, had a hard time running and had major heart palpitations. My doctor sent me for tests and I was diagnosed with Graves. I was put on Methimazole. I started on 20mg. Over the last almost 2yrs my levels go up and down. My dosage fluctuates. Once on Methimazole, I started to gain weight and sadly I’ve gained double since. I still eat the same and work out. It’s very frustrating. Would taking your supplements interfere with taking Methimazole? Can I take them together? Will my blood work be thrown off? Each month I think my thyroid is too slow and then my tests show it’s still fast. So why do I keep gaining weight? Maybe supplements will help.

    Reply
  9. I have Hypothyroidism and hashimotos. Im currently taking selinum, adrenal and iron supplements. My Functional med Dr suggested I take black seed oil and copper as well. Im severely constipated. I get plenty of exercise. Walking 12-15k steps daily with my job. Gaining in my stomach as I look pregnant. Im also on cytomel. Does it sound like I need T4 also?

    Reply
  10. Good Morning Dr Westin Child,

    I live in the UK, I had the left side of my thyroid removed due to a large being goitre the size of a large orange 8cm by 6cm. I take 125mg of thyroxine medication my last blood results were:-

    Serum TSH level < 0.01 mIU/L [0.27 – 4.2]; ?Thyroid problem-hypothyroidism

    Serum free T4 level 25.6 pmol/L [12.0 – 22.0]; ?Thyroid problem-hypothyroidism

    My doctor wants to reduce my medication, she said we need to be careful not to weaken bones. (I’m 54 yrs old).

    I have started taking 600mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid tablets a day.

    I was wondering if I should be taking the T3 booster as well? Also, do you think my medication should be reduced, I find it difficult to lose any weight as it is? Please advise many thanks.

    Kind regards
    Jayne

    Reply
  11. Hi Dr Child’s, I am 53 years old and 10 years postTT and neck dissection. I am so tired all the time and just smell food and gain 10 pounds. I have had all of this bloodwork and the doctors all say “normal”. The stress I am under is all related to this!

    Reply
  12. Hi!
    Just wanted to let you know that I appreciate your e-mails and that they are very helpful. Medical information in general, like this, should be more available, thanks.

    Reply

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