Results after swapping to NDT

[xora]

Hi all,

After my post a few months back about possibly trailing t3 I decided to book an appointment with a local private endo, and to my utter amazement he prescribed me NDT.

I've been on it about 2 months now, and yes there's an amazing difference!

These are my latest results, I'm thinking I ought to go up more? GP of course says 'normal' but I need to go back to see the endo.

The dr that looked at the results said it can be normal for free T4 to be low on NDT, is this true and correct?

TSH 2.6 (0.27-4.20)

Free thyroxine 9.15 (12.00-22.00)

Free t3 4.72 (3.10-6.80)

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[xora]

Is anyone able to advise please?

[Hidden]

Ok, I think it's generally recognised that anyone on an optimal dose of thyroid hormone replacement should not have a TSH above 2 or, even more ideally, around 1 or slightly lower...be it on T4 only drugs, or any T3+T4 combination, or even T3 only.

I have never been able to maintain a so called normal TSH on any drug containing T3, be it NDT or synthetic drugs. There are so many theories, so I can only tell you what has worked optimally for me (I am on NDT):

I need a suppressed TSH (<0.01)

I need at least midrange FT4 levels (depending on your lab's reference ranges)

I need my FT3 levels to be at the top 1/4 of reference range

I have Hashimoto's disease (autoimmune hypothyroidism).

I am not saying this is optimal for everyone, just that this is the dosage that has worked the best for me. I'm sure others will comment as well, giving you more advice, but I spontaneously think your TSH is too high...one question in this context: do you know why you have low thyroid function? Do you suffer from Hashimoto's disease (autoimmune hypoT)? I'm asking because many patients, me included, seem to feel better on TSH-suppressive doses of thyroid drugs, be that T4 only, synthetic T3 + T4, or NDT...

[xora in reply to Hidden]

Hi, thank you for your response! Very interesting.

Your thinking backs up mine, which is reassuring, I just wasn't sure how different it would be having swapped to NDT! Certainly on levo I needed to have a very surpressed TSH to have any benefit at all, but NDT is very new for me.

Yes I have hashimoto's too, and from what i know of how my body reacts so far on synthetic t4 I need a similar TSH. Thanks again!

[Hidden in reply to xora]

I had a great doctor years ago (before switching to NDT) who believed that patients with Hashimoto's need a suppressed TSH in order to get antibodies under control and feel fine...so he prescribed enough T4 to keep my TSH below <0.02. I felt much better at that dosage, but it never rid me completely of my hypo symptoms and, most importantly, never allowed me lose weight...once I switched to NDT, I slowly but surely started to lose weight as well...but, in my experience, it's a slow process, not a quick fix...frustrating, but maybe a good thing in the end...! Best of luck to you, I really hope you will benefit from NDT...and, please, keep us updated!!!

Anna

[xora]

Gosh I hope I am like you! I am not expecting a quick fix, I have to keep reminding myself it's been 20 years since i was first diagnosed underactive, but since I have had children (my eldest is nearly 8) I have definitely struggled more and my weight has ballooned. I'm trying not to worry about that part right now and just focus on improving my general health and mental well-being, but a slow and steady weight loss would be amazing!

So far I have definitely got a much clearer head and just feel more human and have more energy, trying not to read too much into it but I definitely feel better.

Thanks again for taking time to reply