Dosing and Timing

[Sus64]

Hello, first time posting results since discovering this forum, I am diagnosed Hashimoto’s since 2014. Started on NDT 2016, Naturethroid, but not feeling overly successful. I found out I was low on B12 (339) & Ferritin (44) and have been working on those. Vit D, folate, & iron serum are good.

I had previously been on 1 grain NDT, then 1 ½, then for 8 weeks I tried dosing 2 grains all at once in the middle of the night when I got up to go to the bathroom about 4am. In order to have the recommended 12 hour testing window, however, I took both grains at 9pm, for this 9am blood draw. Here are the results, May 14:

TSH .046 (.45 – 4.5) low

FT4 1.09 (.82 – 1.77)

FT3 5.4 (2.0 – 4.4) high

No matter what I tweak, my main symptoms always remain - fatigue, exercise intolerance, anxiety, light headedness, hip and knee pain. I didn’t know whether to back down to 1 ½ again, but thought I would try DIVIDED dosing of the 2 grains - ½ grain at 6am, 10am, 2pm and 9pm.

This time for testing I took only the ½ grain at 6am, waited an 8 hour window for a blood draw at 2pm, and here are my most recent results (same lab, same ranges apply) :

TSH .37

FT4 .87

FT3 3.3

So I am rather confused with my FT3 being high one time and low the next. Should I stay at the 2 grain dose? Divide or not divide? Thanks for your help!

[adin]

I would add a bit of levo to 1,5 grain of ndt

[Sus64 in reply to adin]

My doctor is not willing to be that creative. I'm lucky to be able to get NDT even! But does that combo work well for many?

[Hidden]

I take 1.5 grains of NDT at 6am and the other 1 grain at 2pm. I depends on the person you could try 1.3/4 grains and not two.

[Sus64 in reply to Hidden]

Could you tell me how you then do the blood draw timing? Do you take your 2pm dose, then skip the 6am before a 9am blood draw, leaving 19 hours without NDT, and still getting upper range FT3 levels?

[Hidden in reply to Sus64]

The day before the blood test I take my NDT i.e. the second dose later in the evening leaving about a 10/12 hours before the blood draw.

It's a bit hit and miss I now go by how I feel and only have my BH test once a year now.

I have no thyroid but luckily no other health problems either.

When I first started taking NDT I got up to three grains per day for 5 months and then had my blood test which showed FT3 at one third over the top range. I also had a high heart rate I was also losing too much weight so I lowered to 2.5 grains per day which seems to suit me.

I know that I will never feel the same as before the thyroid works constantly to keep up with the body, pills will never be able to do that but if you keep on trying you will feel well again. Good Luck.

[Sus64 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much! I will give this a try and hopefully find the routine I can settle on!