NDT and results advice

[Cjtunnicliffe]

Hi everyone,

Over the past few months I have moved over onto NDT from Levithyroxine. For the past 6 weeks I have been on 3 grains and have felt well for the first time since I was diagnosed (almost 10 years). On T4 I was still really ill and struggled to get through the day - the difference in how I have felt since being on NDT has been unreal. However, I would say in the past week I have started to feel tired again.

I have just done a check up blood test and have had some odd results . Does anyone have any advice on whether I need to change my dose/ medicine etc. My T4 looks too low and my T3 too high. The results were taken first thing in the morning having not taken any medicine and on an empty stomach. Before I went onto NDT I tried a T4/T3 combo (because on T4 alone my FT4 was at the top of the range and T3 not even halfway which I though was why I still felt unwell) and couldn't get on with the T4/T3 combo at all.

TSH <0.005 (0.27 - 4.2)

FT4 13.9 (12 - 22)

TT4 77.5 (59 - 154)

FT3 8.64 (3.1 - 6.8)

Would really appreciate some advice!

[Clutter]

Cjtunnicliffe,

You are overmedicated to have FT3 over range and TSH so suppressed. FT4 is always lower on NDT or T4+T3 combinations than on Levothyroxine. Sometimes FT4 is below range. As long is FT3 is good it doesn't matter.

Overmedication can cause fatigue. How much T4 were you prescribed before switching to T4+T3 and NDT. thyroid.about.com/od/thyroi...

I think you probably need to reduce dose to 2 grains and retest in 6-8 weeks. It will speed up washing out of high T3 if you skip NDT for 2-3 days.

[Cjtunnicliffe in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter,

Thanks very much for your advice. I was really concerned with these results and thought this would be the case! It would explain why I have got so tired again. Apart from tiredness though I have had no other signs of being on too much and felt great up until the last few days. I was on 125mg of Levithyroxine. That good to know about the T4 too - I wondered why it was low when T3 was high.

[Clutter in reply to Cjtunnicliffe]

Cjtunnicliffe,

One feels good as the T3 is building up but the tipping point is when T3 goes too high and then one starts to feel less well and eventually very unwell. Some people can have very high FT3 before they feel overmedicated.

125mcg Levothyroxine is roughly equivalent to 2 grains NDT.