Does anyone know if this is true ?

[Pinkpeony]

I have posted over the last few years about my ( undesirable ) weight loss .

I started off with Levo seven years ago and wasn't good on it , I managed to persuade my Endo to give me T3 also and again I wasn't particularly well . It wasn't till I took matters into my own hands and ordered NDT that I felt any improvement at all . However I recently read an article that said that NDT caused weight loss . This rang a bell as it seems my weight has been steadily falling since I started this . I say steadily but it has been more of a crash this year .

I remember reading in a pil with the WP I was taking saying it wasn't to be used for weight loss .

I have been subjected to all sort of tests to try and find out why and all to no avail . I couldnt bear it if I had to go back to Levo .

Any advice PLEASE ? T.I.A Pp

[shaws]

You could try reducing your dose slightly.

NDT isn't a weight loss tablet but some people do lose some weight - (even on levothyroxine) (and many would be happy as they've gained more than they would like).

Some also believe that weight loss can be achieved with T3 (the active thyroid hormone) even if not hypothyroid and will take it, which I think could be detrimental to their health in general.

A slight reduction in your dose may do the trick as it is T3 which is the active thyriod hormone, T4 is inactive and has to convert T3.

NDT has been in use since 1892 and was the very original thyroid hormone replacement and before that, we died, and some people may lose some weight but not continuous but if dose is higher than our body needs it could cause weight loss.

I will state I am not medically qualified in any way. I had undiagnosed hypo and diagnosed myself thanks to a first aider's suggestion.

[Pinkpeony in reply to shaws]

Thanks shaws . I could try doing that though my blood tests show a below average T3 . I really look anorexic now and waiting to see a distinction . Pp

[Pinkpeony in reply to Pinkpeony]

A dietician 😞

[MaisieGray in reply to Pinkpeony]

I doubt you'll find a dietician of much benefit to you - a nutritionist perhaps. I think you've maybe misinterpreted what the PIL said. NO exogenous thyroid hormone should be used for weight loss, and ALL exogenous thyroid hormones "may" cause weight loss, neither is specific to NDTs. When we have formerly been under-medicated, and are one of those who experienced weight gain as a result, if we can move towards becoming optimally medicated instead, then some, but not all of us, may experience weight loss as a result. That may, but not always, be particularly evident when moving from mono-T4 treatment to replacement with a form of T3; but again not solely NDT. In fact some people don't do well, or even do worse with NDTs. But loss in weight, if it happens, is not due to an NDT acting like say, Orlistat; it's most likely due to optimising thyroid hormone levels - which effect might be magnified where T4:T3 conversion is a problem - and metabolism therefore improving concomitantly. However there are other (co-)factors which might cause excessive weightloss, such as poor absorption, other drugs or dearth of key vitamins and minerals interfering with thyroid function/uptake etc, but without knowing what other tests have been carried out, it's difficult to make suggestions.

[Pinkpeony in reply to MaisieGray]

MaisieGray , I won't pretend to understand more than a smidgen of that . Thanks for your reply . Pp

[kiwish in reply to Pinkpeony]

I tried NDT and it did not cause weight loss. It caused me to feel nauseous a lot of the time which made me eat less though or less well anyway. Interestingly I was on a high dose ( my doctor in NZprescribed it but I can’t temember what the dose was) but my test results came back as being so negligible the blood person wrote on the form the patient must be forgetting to take her medication. Obviously I wasn’t forgetting but I’m struck by the fact your T3 is on the low side and you are losing weight, those two don t usually go together.

I would suggest an AIP. diet as I wonder if you have malabsorption. It cuts out all the known irritants to the gut and is a diet specifically for autoimmune and gut disorders . Eat plenty though do t go hungry! Or at the very least cut out dairy and gluten for a few weeks making sure you replace those calories with similar.

Good luck with solving the issue.

[Pinkpeony]

It's the luck of the draw it appears . Only a small percentage of people lose rather than gain .

[TSH110]

It has not caused me weight loss except back to my normal after gaining in the later stages of overt undiagnosed hypothyroidism. But may be it does in some individuals. I agree dosage needs assessing in case it is too much.

This might be helpful

tpauk.com/main/article/trea...

[Pinkpeony in reply to TSH110]

Thanks for this link . Very informative . Pp

[Hidden]

When I had been on NDT 3 grains per day, last year for around 4 months, after my blood test read FT3 8.2. the top range is 6.8 so well over medicated I had lost over a stone in 5 weeks.

I had dropped to 2 grains per day and am now back to my normal weight.

[TSH110 in reply to Hidden]

Goodness me!

[Pinkpeony]

Bunnyjean, thanks for your reply it has made me think Looking back at my bloods the levels are low in ranges and I sort of assumed I would need more NDT . I am on 3.5 grains now . Not sure what to do . Pp

[Hidden in reply to Pinkpeony]

How do you feel?

[Pinkpeony in reply to Hidden]

I've had a bad year , but I feel not too bad . I haven't really felt well since my thyroid was zapped 😡

[TSH110 in reply to Pinkpeony]

Although I was hypothyroid but undiagnosed for many years, I was very thin I must have been deficient in T4 and T3 so no idea why it affected me that way it happens but it is rare. I put on a lot of weight in the last month of non diagnosis when I became dreadfully unwell and it piled on even more on levothyroxine. I switched to NDT after two years of feeling half human on Levo and rapidly improved. I lost most of the weight I had gained but am probably half a stone more than I was - no doubt that is a good thing. I also went gluten free with the NDT. You need to do a test to see how your levels are. I get jittery and irritable if I have too much medication it feels most unpleasant. Too little I become cold and muddleheaded again. There may be other clues as to where you are on the optimisation scale. Good luck in finding an answer 🍀☘️🍀

[Pinkpeony in reply to TSH110]

Thank you . Pp