Questions on NDT, dosing and side effects

[vienna2010]

I have started NDT (Nature Throid) after a one month break from thyroid meds. During this time, I tried many different options including plain T3 and found that NDT was the most tolerable for me. I started three days ago (yes, it's only day 4!!) but I need some advice:

When I started, I was desperate for thyroid hormone (FT4 and FT3 both bottom of range). I had out-of-control tachycardia, palpitations and blood pressure fluctuations (amongst other things!)... most of the day and night. The NDT calmed me down immediately and my body gobbled up one grain without problems on days 1 and 2 (other than some palpitations when taking it, which I get with all thyroid meds). Yesterday and today, I am starting to get a bit more jittery and palpitating when I take my NDT. I also seem to have a lot of pressure in the ears and sinus areas with some vision shakiness and ear ringing (I developed these problems originally on levo).

I am taking four doses during the day every 2-3 hours. I do feel that I need to take this much as, if I don't the cardiac problems start to resurface.

Has anyone been through something similar? If so, is it just my body adjusting? I presume that I can't get hyper after only a few days with bloods at the bottom of range? Any experiences/ advice would be welcome.

My 'optimal' dose on levo when it worked for me was 75mcg (that was 3 years ago) and I was never able to raise above that.

I just want to say thank you to all of you who have provided me with advice and information during the last couple of months!

[vienna2010]

PS Adrenals have been investigated. Am told that cortisol levels are 'ok' and that my adrenals are responding to stress.

[shaws]

You don't give the dose of NDT you are taking. I switched straight over from T4/T3 to an equivalent in grains in one dose daily in the morning of Naturethroid (which is hypoallergenic). You therefore don't have to bother about leaving 2 hours before or after before eating and it avoids some foods interfering with the uptake. These are two links which may be helpful.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[vienna2010 in reply to shaws]

Sorry, should have been clearer! The first two-three days I took one grain divided into 4 doses throughout the day and my body gobbled this up without any problems. The fourth day, I am struggling and not sure why... could my system have become overloaded??

[shaws]

I don't think you would have taken too much, i.e. 1 gr Naturethroid is equal to only 65mcg of levo, so it is roughly a starting dose.

This is a link which was used before the blood tests came in and watching our pulse and temperature can help us but should be used only as a guide.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

functionalps.com/blog/2010/...

This may be helpful

stopthethyroidmadness.com/m...

This is an excerpt of a question/answer but people have to do what they feel is best for themselves and it is trial and error. Dr Lowe had many years experience dealing with people with fibroymyalgia, chronic fatigue etc. He says that our cells have to be saturated by T3:-

Question: I’m a physician who has just begun using T3 in my practice. One thing I’m concerned about is the short half-life of T3. Shouldn’t patients divide their daily dose up and take part of it at least twice each day, or instead use sustained-release T3? It seems that this would allow the effects of T3 to continue through the day rather than stop midway or in the evening?

Dr. Lowe: The short time that T3 is in the circulating blood isn’t the limit of its beneficial effects on the body. When T3 binds to T3-receptors on genes, the binding regulates the transcription of mRNAs, and the mRNAs are later translated into proteins................ Moreover, the newly synthesized proteins themselves far outlast the transcription and translation. As a result, a single dose of T3 will be long gone from the patient's system before he or she experiences most of the benefits of that dose—a molecular and metabolic yield that may smoothly spread out over one to three days. The "rocky road" ( August 7, 2001

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[vienna2010 in reply to shaws]

Thank you... I am just concerned about the ongoing palpitations, which seem to occur whenever I take the T3 (even a very small dose)... although it is clear that I need the T3 to restore my health. I hope that this passes but was hoping for some information on this or people's experiences (I think that you had previously said that you managed to take the T3 w/o side effects?).

[shaws in reply to vienna2010]

I don't know if these two excerpts will be helpful:-

1.

In some cases such as yours, the patient's Cytomel dose may need to be reduced. But symptoms such as occasional heart pounding and anxiety are usually not due to a patient's Cytomel dose. I say this because when Cytomel is solely responsible, symptoms of overstimulation are consistent, not occasional.

2.

The origin of the doctors’ erroneous thinking may be the reaction of the heart to T3 in some individuals. In some patients who take a single daily dose of plain T3, the heart rate slightly speeds up for a short time. The speed up results from a direct effect of the T3 on heart cells. Avoiding this increase in heart rate in patients with fragile heart conditions is prudent. However, in the vast majority of patients, the increased heart rate is transient and harmless. This is especially true for patients who take heart-protective nutrients and engage in regular cardiovascular exercise. (I have written more on drlowe.com about the effects of T3 on heart function.)

Full questions/answers

web.archive.org/web/2010103...