Trials of NDT

[Pinebunny]

Can anyone tell me what happens after you complete a trial?

I've been given a offer of a 3 month trial on Erfa on a private prescription

If this was successful, can I get it on nhs or would i be stuck with paying for It? I'm trying to decide whether to persevere with Levothyroxine at a higher dose. I'm not very patient and have symptoms from other things....it's all so confusing!

[lynmynott Partner Thyroid UK]

You don’t say whether the trial has been offered by your GP or by an endocrinologist.

Either way, I think it would be doubtful that, if successful, you would then be prescribed it on the NHS as the recent NHS England guidance states that natural desiccated thyroid is not recommended.

Having said that, I have heard that some GPs and endocrinologists are prescribing it but I think they are few and far between. Best to ask the clinician who has given you the trial. I suspect, though, that your clinician wouldn’t have offered you a trial unless he though it was a good idea.

As to whether you should stick with levothyroxine, if your test results are showing a suppressed TSH and a high FT4 but a low FT3, it would probably be better to go for the trial.

In respect of your symptoms, it might be a good idea to download our symptom list - thyroiduk.org/tuk/about_the... -

and tick off the symptoms you have now. Then, at the end of your trial, download the list again and tick off the symptoms you have. This will help you decide if it’s worth sticking with NDT and will also tell you which symptoms are for particular conditions.

[Pinebunny in reply to lynmynott]

Thank you. Yes it's an endocrinologist who suggested it.

My TSH is surprrssed and he described my t3 as upper half and t4 upper third.