You have all been so very helpful and informative to me recently, I am hoping to once again bank on you knowledge to answer some questions for me. I tried some independent research but brain fog, its not easy to digest some if the articles. Can someone break the following down for me in simple 🙂 wording?
What is the difference between something like levothyroxine and whole dessicated thyroid (if indeed they are comparable)?
If I am unable to get levothyroxine to treat hypothyroidism from my gp, what are my alternatives?
Can I purchase levothyroxine online/independently?
Can I purchase whole dessicated thyroid "over the counter?"
Now, potential silly question time, Are you supposed to ideally take both levothyroxine and wdt together for thr best possible outcome?
Thanks in advance
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SandraCC
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What is the difference between something like levothyroxine and whole dessicated thyroid (if indeed they are comparable)?
We naturally produce two thyroid hormones - T4 (a pro-hormone) and this converts to T3. T3 is the active hormone needed by every cell in our body.
Levothyroxine is synthetic T4 only.
NDT is made from pig's thyroid and contains both T4 and T3.
Some people can't convert T4 to T3 well enough and a combination hormone replacement (T4 plus T3) is better for them, this can be NDT or it can be synthetic T4 plus synthetic T3.
If I am unable to get levothyroxine to treat hypothyroidism from my gp, what are my alternatives?
If your test results/symptoms show that you need levothyroxine and your GP wont help then you can approach a private doctor for a private prescription (but be aware that they will almost certainly also work for the NHS so there's no guarantee they will prescribe it, they may still follow the same protocol as a GP) or it can be self sourced from overseas. You cannot buy it in the UK as it's prescription only.
Can I purchase levothyroxine online/independently?
Only from overseas, a prescription is needed in the UK. You have to be careful about the source, use recommended sources only.
Can I purchase whole dessicated thyroid "over the counter?"
Not in the UK, it's prescription only. Non-prescription Thai NDT can be sourced but at the moment it's in short supply and difficult to find. Again, be careful, ask for recommendations of a source.
Are you supposed to ideally take both levothyroxine and wdt together for thr best possible outcome?
No. Many, many people do fine with levothyroxine only.
Some people who have poor conversion of T4 to T3 add synthetic T3 to Levo. Some people do well on NDT.
The difference between Levo plus T3 and NDT is that NDT has a fixed ratio of T4:T3 at approx 4:1, this is fine for some people. Others find the flexibility of tweaking the ratio of Levo (T4) and T3 is better for them.
Some people add a bit of Levo to NDT to give a better ratio of T4: T3 (moe T4), some people add a bit of T3 to NDT to give a better ratio (more T3).
It's all very much down to the individual and experimenting.
Thank you so much SeasideSusie , so very clear and helpful. I must admit to being somewhat concerned now - I approached my GP recently, advised him that due to my symptoms etc that I have undertaken independent blood test results and asked him whether he would look at them with a view to prescribing levo. At this stage I have to admit, I was surprised that he has even agreed to that but it is I fear unlikely that he will end up prescribing me anything. As things have got to such a stage with my health I am concerned enough to be willing to source an independent person to prescribe. I would be grateful for recommendations however, it looks to me like people are not able to do this on this platform, is that correct? Does it matter if someone sends me a private message?
If you want a private doctor recommendation in the hope of getting a private prescription, then you can send for the list of thyroid friendly doctors from Dionne at ThyroidUK, then ask on the forum for feedback by private message on any that you can travel to:
Email tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
If you are just looking for a source to buy them yourself then make a new post asking for recommendations, the post will have replies turned off as we can't name suppliers on the forum. The post will remain visible and anyone who can help will send you a private message, you will be notified of any messages.
If you put the results of your tests on the forum, we will interpret them and offer guidance on the way forward. For a full picture you will need to test:
TSH
FT4
FT3
Thyroid antibodies
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
Please post the results, reference ranges, units of measurement for Vit D and B12.
Brilliant, thank you SeasideSusie . I have already put my results up here in a previous post and this is where I got the excellent advice and guidance that some of my bloods were not in range and potential for Hashimotos so I am having to re-learn having looked at this some time ago and am still at the early stage of trying to re- understand, if what how etc.
I think I understand now that there are 2 potential avenues:-
- GP support with Levo which may need to be 'tweaked' before dosage is right but suits most people
- Independent private doctor who may prescribe however, I will need to source blood tests privately also and by posting them on here, the community will be able to guide on levels, dosage etc
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