Are there any good research papers out there re NDT being beneficial over T4?

[Val-55]

My daughter is trying to obtain funding for NDT. He dr is helping her approach the pct as Levo made her very poorly . is there any good recent research that anyone knows of ? Thankyou

[diogenes Remembering]

Unfortunately, potential trials were scuppered early on, when the gurus declared (I repeat declared) that because T4 was a defined chemical of known composition and NDT (at the time) was not well controlled, a strong recommendation was made to withdraw the NDT licence. This was done, hindering possible comparative trials henceforward,

[diogenes Remembering]

I found one - reference and summary - not glowing - here below:

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 May;98(5):1982-90. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-4107. Epub 2013 Mar 28.

Desiccated thyroid extract compared with levothyroxine in the treatment of hypothyroidism: a randomized, double-blind, crossover study.

Hoang TD, Olsen CH, Mai VQ, Clyde PW, Shakir MK.

Author information

Abstract

CONTEXT:

Patients previously treated with desiccated thyroid extract (DTE), when being switched to levothyroxine (L-T₄), occasionally did not feel as well despite adequate dosing based on serum TSH levels.

OBJECTIVE:

Our objective was to investigate the effectiveness of DTE compared with L-T₄ in hypothyroid patients.

DESIGN AND SETTING:

We conducted a randomized, double-blind, crossover study at a tertiary care center.

PATIENTS:

Patients (n = 70, age 18-65 years) diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism on a stable dose of L-T₄ for 6 months were included in the study.

INTERVENTION:

Patients were randomized to either DTE or L-T₄ for 16 weeks and then crossed over for the same duration.

OUTCOME MEASURES:

Biochemical and neurocognitive tests at baseline and at the end of each treatment period were evaluated.

RESULTS:

There were no differences in symptoms and neurocognitive measurements between the 2 therapies. Patients lost 3 lb on DTE treatment (172.9 ± 36.4 lb vs 175.7 ± 37.7 lb, P < .001). At the end of the study, 34 patients (48.6%) preferred DTE, 13 (18.6%) preferred L-T₄, and 23 (32.9%) had no preference. In the subgroup analyses, those patients who preferred DTE lost 4 lb during the DTE treatment, and their subjective symptoms were significantly better while taking DTE as measured by the general health questionnaire-12 and thyroid symptom questionnaire (P < .001 for both). Five variables were predictors of preference for DTE.

CONCLUSION:

DTE therapy did not result in a significant improvement in quality of life; however, DTE caused modest weight loss and nearly half (48.6%) of the study patients expressed preference for DTE over L-T₄. DTE therapy may be relevant for some hypothyroid patients.

[Val-55]

Thankyou for your help

[Val-55]

Thankyou ... oh ok , hopefully dr will back her if she is lucky !!

[Val-55]

Ahh ok ,, she has been seeing an endo in Bristol who has written to her Gp stating that Levo does not work and he has given her a private prescription for Armour ! £150 per month ... ridiculous, she can't afford it !

[Val-55]

Yes I know it's a lot cheaper , I order Nature Throid . She is not wanting to go it alone without supervision /prescription ., I can understand that she is only still in her 20,s . But we will see what happens she may well have to .Thanks for your pm.Regards Val

[Val-55]

Hmm seems like this is the problem , there isn't any positive reason for NHS to use it ! Can't understand why T3 is being stopped as well though !