Had my appointment with Dr S yesterday and we have decided that I will start Armour along with Levo now to see if that helps me.
Dr S wants me to start by adding 1/2 grain armour to my 175mcg daily for 3 weeks then to up the armour to 1 grain daily for 4 weeks and see how I am then. I am a bit uncomfortable adding it on to what I already take as my levels are already at the top of ranges so I want to reduce my levo and add the armour then build up gradually if need be - I guess my eventual aim is to end up solely on NDT if I can and it works. So if I do 125mcg and 1/2 grain for 3 weeks does that sound ok? Then 100mcg and 1 grain? Would be grateful for any assistance in this.
Also I got adrenal results back the other day and would appear to have pretty low adrenals, Dr S wasnt overly concerned, he said we could investigate if I wanted but the treatement would be steroids which I am not keen on so I am thinking two things - one I could use nutri adrenal and see if that helps - where do I buy this? And two, I read on STTM that I can use the CT3M method with armour also and this is supposed to help adrenals, where on earth would I start with that? Would I just take my 1/2 grain at 5am etc then my levo at night?? I dont have a clue, please help.
I think thats all I was thinking!!! But I may come up with more! lol. It was recommended to fill the prescription at Springfield Pharmacy but I know from TUK that there are a few so Im going to ring round for prices.
Many thanks in advance.
Gail
p.s I have a stupid excitement going on that this could be my final step but I just know Im going to end up deflated when it doesnt all go swimmingly!!! lol Must keep expectations in check!!!
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Princesspea
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"I guess my eventual aim is to end up solely on NDT if I can and it works".
Hi Princesspea,
Any reason why it was decided you should take NDT on top of your current dose?
I am on 200mcg Levo and am seeing Dr S in three weeks time and will be switching to NDT completely.. I just don't want to be on it any more as it has not helped me at all and my energy levels are worse now than they ever were before.
Em, after discussing whether I wanted to try T3 or NDT next we decided NDT and that was just what he prescribed me and told me to do next. I am still very much in the habit of going with what the doctor tells you and he has a bit of a fight on his hands for me to actually say what it is that I want to do!! lol. It was only after I thought, hmmm thats going to jump my dose up quite a bit. I assume its because I had low T4 to start with and the levo has made me well up to a point so I dont know if he just doesnt want to blow that out the water by having me come off it and maybe the best way to do it is to just trying adding something else in to see if that tops me up enough? I also know from my visits that he tries everything in his power to keep your costs down (my GP wont play ball at all even with Levo) so I suppose levo and less armour is cheaper than all armour.
Thanks Gail. I understand more now. When I met with Dr S in March I told him then Levo wasn't doing anything for me and he said he would give me NDT then but I decided to try Levo at a higher dose as he suggested otherwise there's no point paying to see an expert if I am not going to follow his advice. He said when I go back to see him in June I could switch to NDT if the Levo still wasn't working. I'm glad he gave you the option to try T3 or NDT. I just know instinctively that NDT is what I need. Lots of love and luck with your new combination. It sounds like it will work for you. I just wish I could wave a magic wand and make us all better again. Nobody knows what a prison we all live in unless they go through the same thing.. We will all get there in our own time though I am sure of that. x
I did the same, I have gone all the way up to 200mcg of levo which made me swell (up, not in a good way!) lol, and having got test results back my numbers are 'textbook' almost but im still left with lingering fatigue, tiredness, etc etc although a lot of the symptoms I had are vastly improved. I think he likes you to try levo first as it is the cheapest and easiest to get your GP to comply with but he certainly isnt against you trying something else and fully takes your views into account. I know he only went the route of NDT with me because I had mentioned a few minutes before that I liked the idea it was all natural and would mimic my own thyroid etc. However I am 100% sure that if I had shown a preference for T3 I would have come away with a prescription for it. He says its just trial and error. There isnt a set route to try these things. Good luck to you also. x
I can advise with the adrenal issues.... I'm not sure about your thyroid meds though.
Ct3m might work for, you could give that a try to start.1.5 hours before you wake up is the place to start. Perhaps with one grain to start. This is the cheapest approach lol
Many thanks, so if iv to start with 1/2 grain do i take that 1.5 hours before i wake and then my levo at night as usual? then up it to 1 grain when im due to increase?
Well the standard practice is 1.5 hours before you wake, yes. You can start with half a grain if you want to play it safe. As for your levo, I guess you can take that when you want.
Nutri adrenal or Nutri adrenal extra? If you decide to buy some lef me know and ill get some discount for you. I think it's about £10 for 100 Nutri adrenal.
You're aware there lots more you will need to do to heal your adrenals?
That's great thank you. I take it it won't make a difference that initially 1/2 or 1 grain is all I'm taking and therefore there will be no other doses throughout the day except Levo?
Oh that's not as bad a price as I was expecting. I have no idea if I want the normal or the extra, I have been told my adrenals are pretty bad so maybe the extra? I am inexcusably ignorant on adrenals as I stupidly (despite being ill for many years, normal thyroid test results, some major life stresses including severe preeclampsia causing my kidneys to be around an hour from failure etc etc) didnt think I had an adrenal problem!! So I have concentrated my research on thyroid issues. I don't, however, expect others to do the work so even if u could point me in the direction of what to read to help myself I would be very grateful.
What else do you need to do to heal the adrenals? My saliva test showed adrenal exhaustion and I bought some nutri adrenal extra but what else should I be doing temps still low. I am on 150mcg Levi only so ct3m not an option
phew! loads sue! You need to get yourself a good reference book to start! You can't do this alone. Get Dr Wilsons book or look on his website for guidance. I could set it out for you but i would recommend a book or practicioner to help you along this long journey. When i'm stuck i go back to my book and look at what i'm not doing correctly.....
Simon, sorry to be a pest, a search on Amazon of Dr Wilson, Adrenal Fatigue doesnt bring up a book just by a Dr Wilson and Im not sure which other one it would be. If you get a wee sec could you please confirm the title and full name of the doctor?
I would try to talk my doctor onto a complete changeover from T4 to Armour. If you check the STTM website, there are some articles about transition and no harm doing it at once. If you can't find it, I'll try to locate it for you if you think it is an option. Your T4 to T3 ratio would be much better on Armour. Now if he wanted to just add T3, that might be your second best option.
Thank you, I am swayed by the fact that NDT is all natural and since I had 'NHS normal' tests to start with my thyroid probably wasnt wildly out of whack (although I have had life altering symptoms for 10 years) and that maybe all I need is something that mimics the thyroids natural production to sort me out. Or maybe thats just what I think in my head!!! lol
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