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Synthroid vs Levothyroxine

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Thyroid Disorders
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Posted 1/9/2015 8:28 AM (GMT -6)
I'm really confused. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism years ago and have been on different levels of levothyroxine since that time. My symptoms have progressively gotten worse. Since being diagnosed, I've also had a full hysterectomy.

I'm becoming more and more depressed, feel like I'm inside a bubble most days, can't concentrate or remember what I was doing five minutes earlier and feel tremendously tired. I never seem to get enough sleep and have gained 20 lbs in the past 6 months.

Keep in mind, that since my hysterectomy, I've been on a hormone patch as well. I finally went to my doctor and begged him to run test and see what is going on with my body. Is it my hormones out of whack, my thyroid or a combination of both?

After running test, he called and said that he wants to switch my thyroid meds from levothyroxine to synthroid. Now I'm totally confused because I was told years ago, that they are one in the same drug.

Can someone please enlighten me? I just started the synthroid (75 mg) yesterday and truly pray that I will be able to tell a difference.

Thanks for any advice given!!

Sherrye

Posted 1/9/2015 9:16 AM (GMT -6)
Hi and welcome,
Levothyroxine and Synthroid contain the same active ingredient , which is LT4 or left-T4 or Levothyroxine or thyroxine.

The difference is that when you buy generic Levothyroxine you could not be sure that it is from the same manufacturer and thus can cause absorption differences each time you buy a new bottle .

Synthroid is a brand name, it contain the active ingredient Thyroxine(LT4), but with Synthroid you can be sure that each time you buy it, it is the same formula and thus the same absorption and thus the same dose !

Synthroid is drug number one in the US with number of prescriptions in 2013 ~ 24 000 000 .

It is always better to be on brand name if your insurance cover it !

Best ,
Posted 1/15/2015 10:42 PM (GMT -6)
Give Synthroid a try...it may work better for you. You can respond differently to the same thing such as Synthroid and Levo. Levo did not work for me when I tried it years ago (I seemed to have an allergic reaction to it).

Sometimes your body doesn't respond well to certain medications. Part of the process is to determine what works and what doesn't. You may do better going on something like Natural Thyroid.
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