First Blue Horizon Tests since starting NDT - Expertise needed please!

[1dolly]

Hi,

I started taking Thiroyd in January and have been steadily increasing going by symptoms - am now taking 1 1/2 tabs am and pm. My TSH was 2.97 (0.27 - 4.20) and Ferritin was 52 (30.0 - 470.0) at GP's in January. These are my private test results and they are saying that I now have too much Thyroxine in my body and may tip into hyperactive Thyroid.....help please. I am still getting regular night sweats and brain fog, some muscle weakness and have put on a lot of weight which is why I have kept upping my dose.

hs-CRP 0.64 <5.0 mgL

Ferritin 102.0 13 - 150 ug/L

Thyroid Function TSH 0.01 0.27 - 4.20 mIU/L

T4 Total 74.9 66 - 181 nmol/L

Free T4 15.00 12.0 - 22.0 pmol/L

Free T3 H 9.82 3.1 - 6.8 pmol/L

Immunology

Anti-Thyroid peroxidase abs <9.0 <34 kIU/L

Anti-Thyroglobulin Abs <10 <115 kU/L

Vitamins

Vitamin D (25 OH) 71 Deficient <25 nmol/L Insufficient 25 - 50 Consider reducing dose >175

Vitamin B12 384 Deficient <145 pmol/L Insufficient 145 - 250 Consider reducing dose >569

Serum Folate 33.00 8.83 - 60.8 nmol/L

I am taking Vit D/K2, Selenium, B complex and B12, Milk Thistle and Magnesium and forcing down liver and cooking in my cast iron pot!

[cwill]

Did you leave 12 hours between last NDT dose and test?

[1dolly in reply to cwill]

yes I did

[angedogs]

I am on NDT and from what I have read once you are on it the TSH levels don't mean much. You have to go by how you feel and also ensure that Free T3 is towards the top quarter of the range. If it is over in the presence of hypo symptoms then you could have adrenal problems or low iron but I suspect you are overdosing and the muscle aches, night sweats and brain fog may be due to that as they can also be symptoms of hyperthyroidism. How long have you been on 3 grains? Are you getting palpitations or feeling jittery? It may be worth reducing by half a grain to see if your symptoms improve. As for the weight gain, your metabolism may have got used to being sluggish and may need a boost. If you haven't already got it I recommend reading Stop the Thyroid Madness.

[angedogs in reply to angedogs]

I have also just realised that you may have increased to 3 grains too quickly. If you allow 2-3 weeks between each increase of half a grain it should take longer than from January to now. Also in the book I am reading it states that once you get to 2-3 grains it is advisable to hold the dose for 4-6 weeks to allow the T4 in NDT to build up as it takes longer than the immediate effect of T3. I did that last year and was pleasantly surprised to find I started to lose weight at a good rate. Hope that helps.

[1dolly in reply to angedogs]

I think you're right, I was a bit impatient to feel better and when the night sweats returned, I upped my dose. This was probably telling me I was too high already - whoops! Very helpful, thank you.

[Hidden in reply to 1dolly]

You have to be more patient I took months increasing and now take 2 NDT every day and feel well with no thyroid.

Like you I was taking 3 grains per day and had a racing heart also my FT3 was well over range like yours.

I have never been overweight so I can't help you with that, sorry.

[1dolly in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, I think I've learned my lesson! Do you split your dose or take all at once?

[Hidden in reply to 1dolly]

Hi I take mine in two doses the first at around 7am and the second around 2.30pm both away from food and with just a glass of water.

It does depend on your particular lifestyle there is no fast rule this works for me.

[1dolly in reply to angedogs]

Thanks, just getting used to all of this and it's hard to get the balance right. I'm not getting palpitations or jittery. I have read parts of Stop the Thyroid Madness and am on the Facebook Group too. I will reduce and see what happens.

[angedogs in reply to 1dolly]

Good luck. Please keep me posted. I held my dose at 2 grains and after a few weeks I found all my thyroid symptoms subsided so I didn't need any more increases.

[1dolly in reply to angedogs]

Thanks that's good to hear - I'm so glad I had the tests done - I think I would have kept increasing! I will cut down and learn to be patient!

[1dolly in reply to angedogs]

Does it matter how quickly I reduce the dose?

[angedogs in reply to 1dolly]

Personally I would reduce it by half a grain, wait and see how you feel after 2-3 weeks then if necessary, depending on how you feel, reduce by another half then perhaps get more blood tests done. Will your GP do the tests? Mine knows I self-medicate on NDT but is happy to check every so often.

[angedogs in reply to angedogs]

I forgot to add that it is best not to have blood tests right after you reduce your dose. It is probably best to wait 4-6 weeks to let the levels settle.

[1dolly in reply to angedogs]

No my GP is hopeless - will only do TSH and thinks once a year is enough!

[Clutter]

1Dolly,

You are overmedicated to have FT3 9.82, which is considerably over range, 12 hours after last dose. I would reduce to 1 grain and retest in 8 weeks. Being overmedicated can cause weight gain and muscle weakness. thyroid.about.com/od/thyroi...

Thyroid antibodies are negative for autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's).

VitD 71 is mildly sub optimal. Replete is >75 and optimal is 100-150. Supplementing 1,000iu 4 hours away from NDT may be helpful.

B12 384 is unlikely to be negative but if you have symptoms in b12deficiency.info/signs-an... go to healthunlocked.com/pasoc for advice.

Folate is good.

Ferritin is good. Why are you forcing down liver?

[1dolly in reply to Clutter]

Thanks I will reduce - the liver is because in January, my ferritin at the GP's was 52 with a range of 30-470 - so I was trying to increase my iron - but hate liver! I thought my low iron was a reason for my breathlessness - but perhaps that is also due to overmedicating - this is a tricky business!

[Clutter in reply to 1dolly]

1Dolly,

Overmedication may be causing breathlessness, it's unlikely iron is low when ferritin is >100.

You may want to continue forcing down the liver until ferritin is higher though because it is optimal halfway through range. The cast iron pot will be helpful too.

[1dolly in reply to Clutter]

I've also got the Lucky Iron Fish - recommended by Seaside Susie - must be working!

[1dolly in reply to Clutter]

Thanks I will reduce - the liver is because in January, my ferritin at the GP's was 52 with a range of 30-470 - so I was trying to increase my iron - but hate liver! I thought my low iron was a reason for my breathlessness - but perhaps that is also due to overmedicating - this is a tricky business!

[1dolly]

sorry for double post!