Dear Diane, While "average amount" of any drug could be almost anything; the only relevant question is, "How much thyroid replacement (or any other medication) will Diane need?" And, the only way to get to the "Right Treatment" is to find the "Right Diagnosis." That means that you and your health care provider will need to work carefully on finding out about ALL the problems that you are having. It is very important to remember that 85% of any diagnosis, from pregnancy to gunshot wound, is purely History (What's been happening to the patient before she came to the office?); The Examination (How does she appear to the, hopefully, well trained eye?) is worth about 10% and Labs are only good for about 5%. This means that you need a doc who will listen to all the problems you are having. Most docs use the clinical lab, instead of clinical acumen, to tell whether their patient has a thyroid problem. This assures that a lot of thyroid problems are missed and the host of resulting problems helps make ours the most expensive, but not best, medical system in the world. Some important things to remember: 1. It is probably unusual to see an isolated Thyroid problem. There is often Adrenal involvement, as well. 2. Since the incidence of Thyroid problems increases with age, sex hormone problems are frequently seen at this time. 3. And, since thyroid hormones regulate the metabolism of virtually every living cell in your body, anything can (and often does) go wrong. Problems ranging from anxiety and depression to painful, heavy and / or irregular periods are commonly seen, but often not recognized as being due to the thyroid issue. 4. A decrease in stomach acid, as we mature, also means a wide range of nutritional problems also crop up at this time. These range from B 12 deficiencies, seriously low magnesium stores, and incomplete assimilation of key nutrients. A prayer that you get what you need to get well. Doc Don (AKA D. Michael, MD) In a message dated 7/7/2009 1:44:30 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: hi. i have a question. i am getting my thyroid out tomorrow... apparently my thyroid is hypo. does anyone here know what an average start amount is for synthroid or whatever? ... diane, near philly, pa **************Looking for love this summer? Find it now on AOL Personals. (http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000003) _______________________________________________________________ If you "Reply" to a message, and *you* fail to erase or delete the previous message, *your* message may not be distributed. Question not answered on Thyroid? Check the Thyroid Archives: http://LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG/archives/thyroid.html and ask again! _______________________________________________________________