NDT - should I tell my GP?

[hankpym]

Just started on NDT as my GP was a waste of time, I was put on a trial but at such a low dose 25mcg that it didn't do much. Have been on NDT half a grain for 4 days now and feel a bit better already but of course far too soon to tell.

I am due another visit to my doctor so she can resign my prescription for Levo but I don't know if I should keep the prescription (I pay for it) in case the NDT does not work out for me or just tell her I will self treat from now on.

I was due an appointment with an Endo to state my case for an increase in the Levo but I think I will cancel that.

What is the best thing to do?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Wouldn't rush yo cancel your endocrinologist appointment just yet

Are you in the UK? If so prescription for Levothyroxine should be absolutely free

[Hidden]

Only you can decided I personally never visit the GP or any Endos they made me feel ill. I take my own private blood tests once a year and post the results with the ranges on this site and source my own NDT. I feel well without a thyroid too. I just cannot be bothered with Doctors anymore.

[LAHs]

First decide which medicine you want to try out. If you mix them up you might have a problem which is going to be very difficult to solve.

If you choose to go the Levo route first and you feel ill, get a full thyroid panel and determine wether you have a conversion problem i.e. very little T3 compared to your T4 levels (should be about 4:1 - watch the units, they must be the same) . If this is the case make sure your vitamins and minerals are up to par and test your selenium level (the latter is the catalyst for the T4 to T3 conversion). After a couple of weeks, if you still feel ill, increase your dose of Levo - since 25 mcg is likely to be doing nothing for you. Increase to 50 mcg and repeat.

If you choose to go the NDT route first, stop taking the Levo - NDT has T4 in it (Levo is T4 only). Again, get the complete thyroid panel blood test and measure your baseline blood pressure (BP). Start with about 1 grain of NDT - Now I do not know which NDT you are taking but one grain is a typical starting point - and may not have much affect. See how you feel on that dose and after about a couple of weeks try 1.5 grains. At that dose you should be starting to feel some affect. A couple of days in measure you BP, this is because T3 can affect you BP quite sensitively (ie sends it up). If there is no significant effect on your BP, stay on that dose for a couple of weeks and, again, how do you feel? And repeat at half a grain per increase. Once you are up to 2 grains get another blood test because at 2 grains you should be feeling well - but watch your BP, do not stay at any dose which has sent your BP up, drop back to the previous dose.

Now, what to tell the doc? I wouldn't tell them anything until you have got yourself stabilized! When you are happy with your results, then tell them - well, at least that is what I did. It is not fair to let them draw all sorts of conclusions from faulty data - same applies to the Endo. You can use the prescription you have for Levo, they last a long time and can be used if NDT didn't work and you want to go back to the Levo route.

Sorry, I have gone on a bit. Just trying to cover all bases. One last thing, make sure you read up on all this, squeeze everything you can off the internet and ask questions here for things you don't understand. But make sure you read, read, read and study, study, study.

[hankpym]

Thanks for all the replies. I will hold off on telling GP and see if I can get myself stabilised first.