I have been on EFRA thyroid for many years. For about a year I switched to synthroid only and felt ok once I got my tsh very low but not suppressed, my ft3 was in top quarter of range and my ft4 was at the top of the range. I had always struggled with my labs with EFRA and felt the highs and lows of the T3 in the ndt but I must say I missed the highs when on Efra thyroid only. If I had to subjectively describe I would say the synthroid gave me smoother relief but the EFRA thyroid gave me great energy (including some heart palpitations) but then felt the lows. I did dose my EFRA 3 times/day.
Currently I am back on EFRA only my doctor prefers it and says it will help with my weight. My problem is my labs again. I have upped my dose to 90mg from 60mg. My labs on the higher dose have suppressed my tsh (not a problem) but my T4 has dropped out of range and my T3 is at the bottom of range. I had better labs on 60. I want to cut back on ndt and add half of my synthroid dose backvto try and get the best of both worlds. I believe I convert t4 to T3 well from synthroid but also want the calcitonin, T1 and T2 provided by the EFRA. Has anyone tried this? I know I don't find many people who feel like I do. My saliva cortisol has been treated, my bit. D is optimal and my iron ( as tested by all 4 iron lab tests) is almost optimal.
Written by
CeciliaR
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Test results can be affected by a variety of things, and I no longer trust them. How you are feeling is a much better guide.
I recently upped my NDT dose (by 30 mg) without telling my Endo, and I feel SOOOOOO much better. I'll simply drop the dose back down a few days before my next blood is drawn.
Experiment yourself (WITHIN REASON AND COMMON SENSE) , and try to be objective about how you are feeling on any dose or combination of medications. I'm afraid in this particular sector of medical treatment, doctor certainly doesn't know best.
I do feel like I get swayed by my numbers. I will take your advice dose by how I'm feeling and going with my instincts. I would be curious to know if your T4 drops on your next blood draw even though you are feeling better. I know T4 is not as biologically active as T3 but I am curious
FT4 almost always drops when switching from Levothyroxine to T4+T3, NDT or T3 only. While you are getting T3 direct you don't need higher levels of T4 for conversion. Some people find FT4 drops below range. It's not a problem as long as FT3 is good. If FT3 is low you need to increase dose.
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