pains: I upped my NDT last week from 1 3/4 Mon... - Thyroid UK

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pains

meme profile image
meme
20 Replies

I upped my NDT last week from 1 3/4 Mon,Wed,Sat and 1 1/2 the rest of the week to 1 3/4 every day as my TSH was high and my t3 and 4 low.

After about 6 days on the higher daily dose I started to experience very bad pains in my right lower side. They came on suddenly at 2.30 am last Monday and I am getting them every night when I go to bed. I also feel very sore their now today and was awake most of the night in pain.

I have had this before when upping dose any idea why and what I should do ?

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meme
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greygoose profile image
greygoose

I'm afraid I have no idea why you have that pain - although I doubt it has anything to do with upping your dose. But, you cannot dose NDT in the way you have been doing. As NDT contains T3, you need a steady, regular dose every day. Alternate dosing is fine with levo, but you cannot do it with T3 if you want to get well. It's too confusing for the body.

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

The pain in on the right just below my belly button and I can feel and see the swelling come and go. I have gas and feel a bit sick today, could be lack of sleep since increase of 1/4 4 days a week. My head is buzzing and I am unable to sleep. My bowel movements have doubled since Monday. I have had all these symptoms before when taking too much meds. They go away if I cut down or stop for a day or two. But how to get TSH down without an increase?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

Well, you can't. But, it's not getting the TSH down that is the important thing, it's raising your thyroid hormones. When were you last tested? What were the results?

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

TSH 8.8. 0.35/4.94

FT3 3.92 3.1/6.5

FT4 10.1. 9/19.01

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

So all three of those results are saying that you are very, very under-medicated.

So, the question is, why can't you raise your dose? Are your nutrients optimal? Have you had vit D, vit B12, folate, ferritin tested? How about cortisol? Have you had any sort of testing for that?

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

Last had some taken April 2018 , B12 311. D 123. Ferritin 68. My TSH had gone up in feb to 9.1 and in April it was 0.82. While taking NT from an old pot.

meme profile image
meme in reply tomeme

Not had cortisol tested since 9.32 am in 2007. It was 287 Range 138/680. That was a year after hypo diagnosis.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

So, your B12 and ferritin were too low. Have you been supplementing them? And your cortisol was on the low side, was anything done about that?

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

I started b12 and I use an iron fish in cooking water since April. GP did not pick up on my results at all.

Cortosol was never addressed.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

So, what type of B12 are you taking, and how much?

I'm not sure I have much faith i iron fish. Perhaps you ought to get your ferritin retested.

I'm not surprised the GP didn't say anything. They know nothing about nutrition. And, for him they would be ok, because they're in range. They know nothing about results being optimal or sub-optimal.

So, it's time you started being kind to your adrenals. Lots of vit C and salt. Do you take a B complex with your B12? Lots of rest and a high protein breakfast as soon as you get up. If that means that you have to start taking your levo at night, then that would probably be a good thing, anyway. :)

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

I take NDT

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

OK. That doesn't change much. You can still take that at night so that you can take care of your adrenals in the morning when they need that attention.

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

I will up my salt, do not salt anything atm. I will check my b12 amount and make tonight and let you know . I make Muesili for breakfast, oats, nuts dried and fresh fruit, usually berries and gojo berries. With natural yoghurt with water not milk. We became almost vegaterian a couple of years ago, we eat meat and fish about once a week or so. I cook from scratch each day. I use nutritional yeast (b12) and Marmite in cooking. Iron supplements block me up! I try to eat liver pate every couple of weeks. My husband is more veggi than me. My BMI is 21.5

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

The body does need salt, you know. Not good to cut it too fare back.

Natural yoghurt with water, not milk? Isn't yoghurt made from milk? It comes to the same thing.

Have you tried taking vit c with iron supplements? That should stop you getting blocked up. Your adrenals need lots of vit C, anyway.

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

I try to limit dairy as it gives me eczema.

I take Boots B12 10ug, B complex. D 12.5ug and a multi vit with iron . Cannot find a back to front y on my keyboard so used a u!

I took half my NDT before bed last night and had a much better night and pain free. Thank you so much for that tip.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

µg is the same as mcg, so perhaps better to use mcg.

But, are you sure it's µg? Because 10 mcg B12 is such a miniscule dose it's hardly worth taking! Same goes for 12.5 mcg vit D.

I'm afraid I know nothing about Boot's B12, so you'll have to tell me. Is it cyanocobalamin? Or methylcobalamin? And for the B complex, does it contain methylfolate or folic acid?

You are wasting your time and money with a multivit for all sorts of reasons:

* If your multi contains iron, it will block the absorption of all the vitamins - you won't absorb a single one! Iron should be taken at least two hours away from any other supplement except vit C, which is necessary to aid absorption of iron, and protect the stomach.

* If your multi also contains calcium, the iron and calcium will bind together and you won't be able to absorb either of them.

* Multi's often contain things you shouldn't take or don't need : calcium, iodine, copper. These things should be tested before supplementing.

* Multi's often contain the cheapest, least absorbable form of the supplement : magnesium oxide, instead of magnesium citrate or one of the other good forms; cyanocobalamin instead of methylcobalamin; folic acid instead of methylfolate; etc. etc. etc.

* Multi's do not contain enough of anything to help a true deficiency, even if you could absorb them.

With a multivitamin, you are just throwing your money down the drain, at best, and doing actual harm at worst. Far better to get tested for vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin, and build up your supplementation program based on the results.

One should chose one's supplements very carefully, they are not all created equal.

Glad to hear that you slept better with taking your NDT at night. :)

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

B12 is Cyanocobalamin and 10ug( mcg). Multi contain iron but none of the other things you mentioned apart from folic acid.

Blood test end of Jan for thyroid and will write to GP and request all you suggest as well.

You have been so much help, thank you.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

Well, Cyanocobalamin is the wrong one, it's not well absorbed. I would never buy my supplements in Boots! Amazon is the best place to buy quality supplements. And, you probably need about 5000 mcg - at least 1000 - so 10 mcg is not going to get you very far, is it.

If your multi-vit contains iron, you will not be able to absorb the vitamins, the iron will block them. So, you're just throwing your money away, much better to buy iron on its own. Iron should be taken four hours away from thyroid hormone, and two hours away from everything else, except vit C.

Folic acid is not well absorbed, either. You need methylfolate. :)

meme profile image
meme in reply togreygoose

Amazon has so many b12s which one do you use and why?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tomeme

I use Jarrows Methylcobalamin because Jarrows has a good reputation and methylcobalamin is the most easily absorbed.

The come in two strengths: 5000 mcg and 1000 mcg.

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