Alternative medicine

[willsie01]

I’ve been taking Levothyroxine for a number of years for an under active thyroid. Are there non chemical solutions for my condition? After my recent CABG’s I take so many pills 😔 it’d be great to find an alternative.

[RedApple Administrator]

willsie01, Levothyroxine isn't a chemical. It's a hormone replacement. You take it to replace the hormone that would normally be produced by your thyroid gland. If it worries you that levothyroxine was synthesised in a factory, you could consider NDT (natural desiccated thyroid) instead. But with all the processing that desiccated thyroid goes through (in a factory), in reality it's probably no more 'natural' than levothyroxine.

[willsie01 in reply to RedApple]

Oops! Pardon my ignorance.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to willsie01]

No need to apologise, most of us didn't know this once upon a time. In fact, I suspect many doctors don't even understand this properly either

[Hidden in reply to RedApple]

A GP at my surgery told me simply when I enquired about NDT that is is unlicensed, which is quite correct. What she failed to tell me was that probably every GP in the entire COUNTY, comprised of 7 or more CCG's, can refer patients, who continually complain that levothyroxine fails to make them well, has a "solution". This is to send them to a local hospital where a consultant has been authorised to issue them with a PRIVATE prescription for NDT. Amazingly that consultant is NOT an endocrinologist, she is a SURGEON!!!!

I refused as that solution would have been abhorrent to me, I couldn't have cared less about the cost being 10 time more than buying it from Thailand.

Matter now with the health ombudsman.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Is this a private referral to this consultant? i.e. the patient pays for the consultation in order to get the prescription for NDT?

[willsie01 in reply to RedApple]

I’ll ask my junior doctors son and his fiancée when they visit on the weekend 😉

[willsie01]

Thanks for the interesting replies and pm’s but to clarify I think I’m coming from the position of looking for an alternative to “supplementing” my levels of Levothyroxine by finding an alternative solution to help my body produce enough of its own. Because of my recent coronary issues a plant food diet has been suggested to naturally lower cholesterol. My thoughts are: is there dietary advice on this? apologies as my original question was badly formulated.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to willsie01]

willsie01, This will depend on what it is that's causing your thyroid to not produce sufficient hormone.

Perhaps if you give some background information about your thyroid condition, we can offer further help.

As a starting point, say when your thyroid condition was first diagnosed and what led to this diagnosis. And how much levothyroxine do you currently take?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

High cholesterol can be linked to your hypothyroidism not being adequately treated

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.

How much Levothyroxine are you currently taking?

Do you always get same brand of Levothyroxine?

Levothyroxine must be taken on its own, not with any other

Do you have recent blood test results and ranges you can add?

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Just testing TSH is completely inadequate

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

Always take Levo on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after.

Many take Levothyroxine early morning, on waking, but it may be more convenient and possibly more effective taken at bedtime.

verywell.com/should-i-take-...

All Other medication at least 2 hours away, some like HRT, iron, calcium, vitamin D or magnesium at least four hours away from Levothyroxine

Many people find Levothyroxine brands are not interchangeable.

Once you find a brand that suits you, best to make sure to only get that one at each prescription. Watch out for brand change when dose is increased or at repeat prescription.

Many patients do NOT get on well with Teva brand of Levothyroxine. Though it is the only one for lactose intolerant patients. Teva is the only brand that makes 75mcg tablet.

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after any dose change in Levothyroxine, or brand change in Levothyroxine

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or all vitamins

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random

[smwdorset in reply to SlowDragon]

Re the question are you taking the same brand. My pharmacist when issuing a prescription for three months gave me two months worth of one brand and one month of something different. Should I complain?

[willsie01 in reply to smwdorset]

Diagnosed over 7 years ago and dosage of 100mg quickly established after blood tests. Diagnosis was following GP examining me for reasons for my fatigue. The medication sorted out my fatigue and although I am certain the branding has changed on occasion it has never affected me in a way I recognised. I've looked at the Patients App and my medical records show my last thyroid function test gives: T4 = 16.0 pmol/L; TSH = 2.22 mu/L; but all the other markers you talk about are not listed.

To reiterate, I am not looking to improve my Levothyroxine dosage as I have no reason to suspect there is anything wrong with it or do you think there could be?

I am looking for alternative approaches/diets that may eliminate the need for me to take Levothyroxine orally and stimulate/nurture my body so that the thyroid does its job on its own.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Throxine IS the non chemical solution - it is hormone that replaces the exact same one that you would produce yourself. Many people need all the thyroid hormones (not just one) and so take a combination of T4 and T3 or NDT, but you are unlikely to get that prescribed in the UK. Before (replacement) thyroid hormones were discovered, people with an underactive thyroid, went mad, got heart disease and died as there was no cure. Perhaps you could find alternatives for some of your other pills.

[willsie01 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

As I have said elsewhere:

To reiterate, I am not looking to improve my Levothyroxine dosage as I have no reason to suspect there is anything wrong with it or do you think there could be?

I am looking for alternative approaches/diets that may eliminate the need for me to take Levothyroxine orally and stimulate/nurture my body so that the thyroid does its job on its own.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to willsie01]

There aren't any. You can improve your general health with probiotics like kefir and meditation and breathing exercises for stress (and a thousand and one other things) But without replacement hormones you die. that's what used to happen before thyroid hormones were discovered - into the mad house to be laughed at followed by gradual descent into heart disease and death. Many people do better on a combination of T4 and T3, or NDT. If you post your results with ranges people can advise. If your thyroid could do the job on its own, you wouldn't be on levo.

[willsie01 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I really don’t have any reason to believe, or feel a need as I don’t have any health issues, that I can do better then with what I’m already on.

As far as the alternative approach question: I’m not ready to accept that there isn’t anything just yet. But thank you for your input which will always be welcomed and I’m quite certain at this stage you all know a lot more than I do about thyroid function.