Please can someone help me? I have been on NDT since 27th July this year. Reduced my Levo from 150mcg to 50mcg and added 30 mg Erfa - after next Endo visit (24/08/17) Levo removed from my daily intake (yippee!) and Erfa increased to 60mg. Endo said that if after 4 weeks on 60mg, symptoms still present, I could increase to 90mg.
Well......Last week, after being on 60mg for almost a week and finding my energy levels were fine in the morning but absolutely rubbish after about 1pm .... felt like I;d put the car in neutral and was going nowhere even with foot hard on the accelerator!! Totally fed up, I decided to double my dose. ..... taking 60mg in the morning and another 60 mg in the early afternoon. On Friday, I felt so great, I was charged with energy.. evidenced by still being out and about at 7pm in the evening!! (unheard of for the past two years). Yesterday, went right down...and by afternoon was reduced to the sofa again...the car in neutral... feeling again...today....right back to square 1. I am so ill today and very very depressed. What do you think is going on? Is it my thyroid packing up, so medication having little effect? Please please can someone offer any advice? Many thanks. Shunned
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shond2015
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Usually when we start NDT, it is a bit too much to double the dose in one go I believe.
Usually we start on a lower dose (unless we've been on thyroid hormones then we'd take the equivalent dose) and after one or two weeks increase by 1/4 tablet and so on until our clinical symptoms have abated and we feel better. If pulse or temp goes too fast, drop back to previous dose.As far as I know 60mg is equal to around 100mcg of levo.
I prefer one daily dose otherwise my life would be hampered by making sure stomach was completely empty before taking second or third dose and also allowing a sufficient gap afterwards so my life is much easier with one daily dose.
Yes agree smaller increase and raise slowly. It's very easy as well to take too much as I found when I first started NDT and doing that can make you feel worse again. Being undermedicated and over medicated can feel very similar. It was also indtructed you could go up to 90 not 120 so he could be right so baby steps and see where that takes you.
Also there is a great tendency on a dose increase to embrace the feel good factor but do too much too soon and depleat it which also might explain what happened. So small increases and hold for 10 days to two weeks and be kind to your body. I went over when starting NDT and Endo told me to drop from 3 grains to 1.75! I thought that was a huge drop and couldn't possibly be right but he was spot on!
Thank you both for your advice. I think it is worth following - glad to know that someone understands and isn't too judgemental about my stupidity! One of the reasons for doubling the dose was because I was struggling to cut the tablet effectively....but Shaws suggested getting a pill cutter from Amazon which I am going to do now. thank you for taking the time to help - very much appreciated.
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